Words and Names and General Ramblings of Things of Great Importance (to Me)

I had to shorten the title - Wix apparently doesn't have room in the title space for a nonsensical run on sentence.

I am running very short on time, and I have a lot of stories to tell you. So, instead of writing a whole blog, I will give you the bullet pointed version. Trust me, this is probably better.

General Notes, in No Particular Order

*Irish people always sound like they are joking. They sometimes aren’t, and that is almost certainly every time I laughed. My tour guide was not amused, and by the end of the 7 day tour, he patted me on the head and waved me away. I laughed.

*EVERY BABY I SAW IN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND WAS FUCKING ADORABLE. Every. One. All the babies are chunky and eerily quiet and really, really fucking cute.

*On that note, Americans are fucking loud. And I mean loud like decibel-hearing-level-blast-eardrums-out loud. The Irish are outgoing; Americans are LOUD.

*The kindness of the Irish and Scottish are not to be underestimated. On my last day in Ireland, I needed to catch the bus to the airport. I didn't have cash, and it was raining. A family gave me change when the saw the bus driver wouldn't let me on. Kindness. Also they had a baby and he was really fucking cute, previously established.

*Side Note: All bus drivers are miserable, frowning, and very unhappy, no matter what country they are in. Still unsure if this theory will ever be disproved. We shall see.

*I was so excited when I was pickpocketed. It was my second to last day in Dublin, and I had put my credit card into my zippered jacket pocket before boarding a very squished train. When I got to my hostel, I couldn't find my credit card. I immediately cancelled it, and was proud of myself for having anticipated this happening and having back up plans. Good job Jerica. Fast forward to now - almost 4 weeks later. As I'm packing up my things and going through everything, I found my credit card. At the bottom of my backpack. Yup. That's right kids, don't get your hopes up.

*I did not enjoy any of the beers I tried in the UK. I was missing our local breweries. I loved every cider I had in the UK. I despise American ciders. It was a good trade off.

*Traveling with only 2 carryon bags means packing light. So souvenirs are difficult. Postcards are a good way to go, I discovered. Unless... you don't send them. And then forget you have them. Until 4 weeks later. And now you don't know what to write on a postcard that was supposed to be sent from Ireland and instead will be hand delivered. I need to work on my souvenir shopping.

*Our Edinburgh apartment didn't have a doorknob on the front door. You just used your key and pushed it open. It took me 2 weeks to realize that.

*None of the showers with bathtubs in the UK were fully enclosed. They had swinging glass doors that ran half the length of the tub. I don't know why they were swinging doors; that confused me.

*To turn the hot water on in the showers, you had to pull a chain that clicked the water heater on. Then turn a knob on in the shower to specify you wanted hot water. That was a chilly experience I didn't repeat.

*Castles are everywhere. And if you see old stone markings, you aren't supposed to touch them.

*Because lorries (trucks, like semi trucks) drive on the same back roads as cars, the trees that line the road are shaped into rectangles from the edges of the truck scraping by. It looks very cool.

*Europe doesn't refrigerate eggs. Why does America?

*"Art is political" has a much heavier meaning in Belfast than in America.

*It took 3 women to open a container of laundry pods. Packaging is different in the UK.

*A friend had to teach me how to open a can of water. They were resealable. Why doesn't America produce recyclable and resealable cans of water instead of mounds of plastic?

"Sherlock Holmes doesn't know the Earth revolves around the sun" Moments of Realization

*The Tower of London isn’t a tower.

*The Rock of Cashel is not a rock like Plymouth Rock.

*Oktoberfest is not in October.

*Kebabs are not a British way of saying Kebobs. (Thanks Khadiee).

*Traveling alone is scary for a lot of people.

The Wrap Up

I have so many stories. So many notes, pictures, memories - and I don't know how to compile them in a sensical way. I hope the past few blogs have been enjoyable at the very least, to read. My wrap up blog and intro to next plans is coming up soon - in the meantime, thanks for reading my bullet pointed memories.