(Written earlier today on my phone)
So right now I'm on the bus to Cork and a few minutes ago the sky wasn't looking too impressive and seeing as the weather has been so bad here in Ireland I've been worried that I won't be able to make it to London in time for Christmas. The sky has been beautiful all day and after closing my eyes for a mini nap I opened them to lots of fog and grey! So after a little prayer for the weather to go back to clear and sunny I was very happy when I opened my eyes again to a blue sky despite the -4 degrees outside. Might I add that it looks stunning outside with all the ice crystals set on the trees and shining on the what should normally be green grass of Ireland!
Yesterday Una and I went on a boat to the Aran Islands just off Galway with two lovely French guys from Brittany whom we met the night before. (Fancy coming to Ireland to meet Irish people and I make new French friends) Fabienne and Julian where so much fun and it was especially good spending time with them for my French as they didn't speak much English and on the bus tour on the island I was translating what the guide was saying into French for Fabienne- well attempting to! When I go to Brittany in April with my host family I will meet up with them again and hopefully be able to speak more continuously with them all!
It's going to be a bit strange this Christmas not being back home in Australia. Honestly right now with only 2 days until Christmas it doesn't feel like it's so close! No offence to Santa hehe I'm looking forward to the week in Scotland following Christmas with my New Zealand cousin in London. Time to see more Aussies in Scotland and party it up on the streets of Edinburgh. Hope they can all cope with the cold...I'm sure if they put layers upon layers on like me they will be grand!
Oh how can I forget to share my very first Couch Surfing experience in Dublin?! We stayed with two Brazilian guys who have been living there for two years and have been pretty much hosting people every weekend. The hard thing was that they both smoked like chimneys with all the windows closed! So apart from nearly suffocating and smelling really bad, you can imagine my delight once I came across the big cigarette burn on the front of my winter jacket after leaving. Nothing a big bow can't cover from a pretty headband!
While in Dublin we visited a cute Christmas market in a church crypt where we met the nicest old Irish man named John Seagle who made and sold blueberry jams, tonic, and a yummy apple jelly. After hearing we were quite poor travellers just browsing, he continued to pass onto us lots of jars of jam and tonic free of charge. Everyone here is so friendly, I can't get over it. Not that everything is free, it's just they are happy to stand and have a good chat for however long you like. Seems half the country knows each other too! ha
At the market there was also a guy selling big puzzles that he designed and has also sold in Fremantle- makes me proud :)
So all in all I've had a lovely first week of holidays, what an incredible opportunity I have been given to be travelling Europe, I feel very blessed.
Heres wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and New Years Eve! Enjoy the heat for me back home :)
xxxoooxxx
P.S Once I get back to Paris i'll upload some pictures to this blog and also do a catch up blog for what's been going on for the last 2 months!
