Danae's Inner Musings

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away....

Hoorah!  I am back from the Land where there truly are 40 shades of green, where the streets have no names (seriously, they don't.  Try and get directions from a local and they tell you to go down this street and take a right, follow until you get to a 4-way intersection, take a left, go for a bit and take a right, then left, go around the bend and you're there.  Those, by the way, are the directions to the Dublin Botanical Gardens as given to me by my B&B Hostess Lily), where the sun set at 11pm (I kid you not!) and where no one, and I mean no one, is schooled in the Sacred Art of Deodorant Application and Dental Hygiene.  *pauses while Ace finishes gagging*  You ok, Ace?  Excellent.

Where shall I start my adventure....hmmm....how about Boston, my lovely city of Boston.  A word of caution must be given, this is LONG, so pull up a comfy chair, put your feet up, grab a pint of your beverage of choice and your favorite snack and settle back for a good read.  I'll try to ignore the sounds of snoring and the strings of drool issuing forth from your mouths....

Wednesday, July 20th
I had every plan to be up at 7am to finish packing, tidy up my apartment, and do a few errands before catching the 4pm Logan Express shuttle, however, my body decided it wanted to sleep until 8:30am.  Something about a nice dream....anyway, I drag myself out of bed, get ready and am out the door by 9am.  After visiting AAA, my grandfather, Whole Foods, have lunch with my mother, clean and finish packing, it is now 2:45pm and I have to skip over to my parents so my stepfather can drive me to Logan Express.  Since I forgot to print off the B&B info in London at work the previous day, I have to quickly jump on the computer.  Silly Danae.

As I was sitting on the shuttle, I check and rechecked, I don't know how many times, to make sure I had my passport, tickets, money, and B&B info.  Too many times to count!!  I have never been to Terminal E before and it was actually quite nice.  Check in and security wasn't really all that bad.  I now have a 2.5 hour wait until my flight leaves, so I tuck in and start on Doofie's going-to-be-late birthday present.  However, I was distracted by a very cute guy and ended up making a mistake, so I put it away.  Can we get on with this?

When we do eventually board, I find myself sitting next to this most yummy young man who has the most gorgeous blue eyes ever, plus that sexy Irish lilt. Purr, purr...And of course, my shyness overcomes me and I don't talk to him much at all during the trip.  *mumbles to self* I have got to break that shyness lever or I'll never get a date!  I mean really, I....oh, ah....ahem...where was I?  Oh, yes.  Well, the fact that Mr Blue Eyes was sleeping most of the time didn't help matters either nor the above said lack of Dental Hygene either.  *pauses to gag along with Ace*  A short stopover in Shannon and I finally make it to Dublin.

Thursday, July 21st - 8am-ish
First of all, Happy Birthday Grampy!!!  Ok, that said and done, it is a bit foggy out, but I did manage to catch a glimpse of the country side before we touched down.  Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.  Too bad I won't see any of it because I have a 6-hour layover before my flight to London.  Sigh.  After a truly gross breakfast, I settle in to tear out the stitching I screwed up in Boston.  Meh.

12:30pm-ish: 
At this moment....I. Hate. Airports.  Truly.  I now have an inkling of how Mike & Tony feel when they travel to conferences & such.  I figured it out, Tony is going to Mexico for a conference.  He is leaving from London.  He spent about 8 hours of actual "travel time", but with the time difference it comes out to 16 hours.  I must bow down to him when I see him next.  I truly don't know how he can travel so much and be the least bit coherent.  I. Need. A. Nap.

8pm Or somewhere around that time. 
I am sitting in my room at the B&B in Victoria, London and I feel like I am in a broom closet.  After checking in around 5pm, I get ready to take a shower and stop dead in my tracks, shaking my head in disbelief.  The shower stall is maybe 2ft x 2ft square.  If I bend over, I would shut the shower off with my butt or change the temperature.  Here are some pictures of my room.

But I get ahead of myself.  I land in Luton Airport only to discover that I cannot take the train as I first intended as King Cross & parts of the Tube are closed.  No biggie, I hop on a shuttle instead.  The ride is very nice.  I keep thinking that I am somewhere in my beloved New England as the landscape is very similar.  Everytime I look out the window I get startled because everyone was driving on the left hand side of the road.  Once I saw someone reading a map and I thought "How the hell can they read a map and drive at the same time?!" forgetting that the steering wheel is on the other side of the car.  Whoa.  We roll into Victoria Station and I had to pay .20 pence to use the, what do they call it here, the 'loo'.  *shakes head at the charge* 

Going back to my room paragraph:  I am awakened around 8:30pm by my room phone - it is my mother and she is FRANTIC because there was another attack in London earlier that day and she couldn't get a hold of me and she was worried.  I didn't get the message she left att he front desk to call her when I got in and, I admit, I didn't think to call.  Hey, gimmie a break, will ya!  I had just spent almost 20 hours traveling when all was said and done and I was lucky I even had a coherent thought when I got in.  Geesh.  I learned a lesson though, if I ever doubt that my mother loves me, I will remember the sound of her voice during that phone call.  I think I will pass out from exhaustion now, thankyouverymuch.

Friday, July 22nd
*clears throat* starts to sing....Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday, dear Danae!  Happy Birthday to me!!

I am on a tour bus on my way to Stonehenge, Salisbury Church and the Roman Baths, in that order.  I would have preferred going only to Stonehenge today, however with all the terrorist attacks and not knowing what was working, etc, I decided that a tour was that best bet.  Next time, I'll go longer or visit the sister circle which is about 20 miles east (I think) of Stonehenge instead.  Our tour guide, Linda (henceforth TG Linda), is a HOOT!!  I believe having a good tour guide is essential to these types of things.  They can make the time go faster and the subject just a bit more interesting.  You get a boring one and you want to claw your eyes out and shove them in your ears to make it stop.  Um, ew...sorry about that visual.

We only get 45 minutes at Stonehenge and it was not enough time for me to really get a good feel for the energy of the place.  Besides, there were too many people around with the little hand held audio tour thingies walking around, so it really screwed up the energy for me.  However, I did feel a ley line or two and that was super cool.  I must get there during one if the solstices, preferably Summer.  TG Linda, during her lecture on Stonehenge, mentioned the people who come to the site to meditate and feel the energy and with each word, I was hunkering lower in my seat, especially when she said, "If you believe in that sort of stuff."  So, yeah, I kept my mouth shut on that one.  (Pictures)

Salisbury Cathedral is gorgeous and we get a treated to a free choir concert!  I love the sound of choir's in a church.  Before we get in the church proper, Eileen and I, a fellow Theatre Geek, step into the front hall and I say, "I feel the need to burst into song."  "Go ahead, then." she replies and proceeds to video me singing "The hills are alive with the sound of music" as the hall reminds me of the Abbey in that movie.  This young kid, turns to his mother and asks "What is she singing for?"  The mother bursts into laughter while the son just shakes his head.  I love spontaneity!!  Keeps me young!  (Pictures)

The Roman Baths, where the Roman Legions stopped to "take the water" and, well, bathe.  The water has 43 minerals in it and the temperature is a warm 115 degrees F.  No joke about the temperature.  TG Linda said you can drink it if you choose, but that it tastes nasty.  So, of course, Curious Kitty that I am, I have to try it. (Ace, dude, relax, it's filtered before we drink it!)  I first smell the water and it was very sulpher-y.  I took a big sip and I was transported back to my childhood summers at the Farm in Maine.  It tastes EXACTLY like the well water at my grandmother's farm!  I only drink about half the glass because it works wonders for, ah, clogged plumbing.  Ahem, yes, well, the Roman Baths are very well preserved and you can see the old water line in the King's Bath section.  There are signs everywhere saying "Do not touch the water because it is untreated and standing next to said sign is Dumbass #1, #2 and #3 bending over to put their hands in the water or putting their feet in.  Um, hel-lo, Dumbasses, there is a reason there are signs up!  I hope you don't catch something nasty. (Pictures)

This is another place that has the audio tour thingies, which I want to trip from hands and bash the owner repeated over the head while shouting "Quit stopping in the middle of the path!!"  However, since I didn't want an international incident, I restrained myself.  The ride back to London is LONG, so Eileen and I talk Theatre and finally we get back to London.  I watch a bit of Titanic and saw my boys partying in Steerage before passing out.

Saturday, July 23rd
Lazy Arse.  That's my new name.  I drag my butt out of bed at 9:30am and barely make it to breakfast, which I forgot to mention is only cereal or toast and weak coffee.  *rolls eyes*  They need to take some lessons from us on breakfast.  I am on my way to The Tower of London today and I take the Tube, much to the chagrin of my mother if she knew, I'm sure.  I walk around by myself, caught a bit of a Beefeater's spiel and watched part of a reenactment of Guy Fawkes and his attempted assassination of the Royal Family and other important people with gun powder.  Sorry, but the actor who played Fawkes, dude, you need some acting lessons, badly.  (Pictures)

The crown jewels were pretty amazing.  The Tower of London is supposed to be haunted, but I couldn't get a good read on the energy.  Bother.  Still, it was cool, despite the droves of tourists stopping in the middle of the walkway.  Hmmm...this seems to be a theme.  Anyhoo, I wanted to see Hampton Court Palace, but I forgot to tell the ticket seller.  I would have gotten a discount on both.  OMG - do not, I repeat, do not try Pepsi MAX.  It is revolting, it is disgusting, it is shite!  Gack!

Since I had plenty of time left over after the Tower of London, I check to see if there were any tickets available for Billy Elliott, but I am out of luck.  Sigh.  It is a great movie and I would have loved to have seen the stage show.  Next time!!  I decide to go to the British Airways London Eye instead! 

Wow!  It is so cool!  It is a HUGE structure that takes you 135 meters above the London skyline and you have a 360 degree view of the city.  So frickin' cool!  It takes 34 minutes to make a complete turn. Not for the faint of heart nor those who are afraid of heights though.  Got some great pictures!  And the romantic in me is thinking "Wow, imagine being proposed to at the very top of this thing!"  Ah, l'amour.

Sunday, July 24th
Last night around 1:45am, the guests next door decide to play "let's slam all the doors and wake up the whole of London!"  I seriously thought I was back home and Lynn had moved back in.  AND at 6am, they decided to have a very rambunctious and acrobatic session of sex.  For about 20 minutes (at least, it seemed that way to me), they were a-creaking and a-banging, causing MY bed to shake.  I was so temped to bang on the wall and shout "Will you finish up already!"  It is funny now, but at the time, I was quite annoyed.

Since my flight doesn't leave until 8:30pm, I trot off to Westminster Abbey only to find it is closed to tourists because it is Sunday.  Doh!  Well, the outside is gorgeous.  Next time!  (Pictures)

I decide to sit in Starbucks (Hi, Velvet!!) and write down my digital pictures.  Huh, that was quick.  Uhm, how about the bookstore.  Not that bad, except they need comfy chairs.  I buy a "Mind The Gap" sweatshirt to replace my GS hoodie which I lost.  Sigh, it was so nicely embroidered with my RL name and my GS user name, too.  I was hoping the shuttle service would have it, but they don't.  Sigh.  I finally catch my shuttle back to Luton airport and sit down to wait....again.  Dude!  This guy just walked by with a large blue/yellow/white pattern plaid pants and a HORIZONTAL striped sweater with lots of color.  *blink*blink*  Whoa.  I almost burst out laughing. I wish I had my camera out because that would have been a keeper!!

I find out when I go through security that I was supposed to get my passport stamped when I entered England.  Whoopsie!!  How was I supposed to know!  Anyway, I hope I don't have any problems in Ireland because of that slight oversight.  Uneventful flight.  Yay.

I finally make it to my B&B after taking the bus and walking up a San Francisco-esque hill at 11pm.  My calves feel like they have softballs wedged inside them.  I think I lost 20 pounds going up that hill dragging, ok rolling, my suitcase.

Ah, the sweet nectar of sleep!!  Next Episode - Danae and Doofie take on Dublin