Travel update!
Hello loyal readers!! It’s been a second! And I’ve been off on a mission to begin seeing the world. Here’s what I’ve been up to since I last updated this substack.
On the end of Ireland
June
The Dublin concert went well! We sang our hearts out, plus Kate came up to see me. What a treat :)
July
The Galway International Arts Festival! I got covid in the first week of it, so I wasn’t able to volunteer at some of the events I had planned (I’m looking at you, Sophie Ellis-Bextor/Natasha Beddingfield and Amble), but I did get some silent discos and a play.
Had a sleepover with Elizabeth where we just watched Studio Ghibli. It was just a great way to spend a night :)
Caught a glimpse of myself on screen in the newest season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, after having been an extra last summer.
August
We had another choir concert on August 10, this time in St. Nicholas Church in Galway.
We had a choir get-together where we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Daily Choirs, and they ordered the biggest sheet cake I’ve ever laid eyes on.
My birthday!! I celebrated with pints with friends on the 18th. The actual morning (of the 19th) I treated myself to a Jungle Cafe brunch, relaxed at home, then went to choir rehearsal. There, I was serenaded THREE DIFFERENT TIMES. They also got me a Colin the Caterpillar cake :) We went for pints after that too.
Then on August 20, I made my way to Dublin to greet Zoe and Jeff at the airport!!! My sister came to visit!!! We had a whirlwind tour of Ireland, starting with a full day in Dublin, a full day in Kilkenny, a full day in Galway, and a full day on Inis Mor. I’m so glad I was able to take them around and show them the little life I made for myself.
A UNC friend came to visit - Juniper - and we went around for a morning!
I also went to a couple rounds of goodbye drinks for Caoimhe T, as she was headed to Germany
September (in Ireland)
I should mention, it was raining pretty consistently from the end of June through my final day in Galway (Sept 20).
Kate and I got tattoos!! We got little swans with shamrock flowers (not shamrocks, the flowers that grow with them).
My last day at the Kings Head was Sept 7. What a bittersweet night. My final schedule was glorious, I got to say a good farewell to all of the homies, plus pints on that final night were fabulous.
On Sept 11, Kate and I went to see her friend Davy’s gig with his rockin’ band, Proton Pool Party. They were FANTASTIC! The venue was crap, but what a fun night of music and drinks and friends!
I had my official going away drinks on Sept 14. We went to Cadell and just played board games. Really reminded me of how good a game night is, and made me want to show all the Irish homies a classic Chapel Hill house party.
The last week was spent rehearsing a lot of choir and having various pints nights before leaving, plus a couple fun coffees with friends.
Claddagh Chamber Choir performed at Culture Night via An Taibhdhearc, and we brought the house down!! What a fantastic end to my lovely time in Ireland. We had a perfect little final night of pints at the Dáil. Liam Óg was on the mic and brought us all up for karaoke. I gave a lot of hugs and just had a blast with some great folks.
Travel begins!
Sept 20
Got to the Dublin airport, but this was also right after the bomb threat surfaced there. So there were MAD delays. My original flight was also cancelled but shifted to the next flight a couple hours later. Long story short, I spent 12 hours traveling and spent far too much on a taxi to Charlie’s place, when I should’ve spent maybe 6 hours traveling max.
London
I stayed with Charlie and Eoin in London!! They were incredible hosts, plus it was just so good to see them both after so long. They took me to a club on the first night.
My first full day in London was all exploring with Charlie! We went over to Southbank for food, went way up to Hampstead Heath and back, then I parted ways for Songs for a New World! And what a SHOW. That was a fantastic concert theatre performance, seeing some stars I’ve admired for ages.
The second day was spent on my own, mostly just exploring London. I walked through a couple parks, then spent not nearly enough time at the Natural History Museum. Eoin met me there and we walked past Buckingham Palace. He made a delicious chicken curry for dinner.
The third day, I met up with Ellie O’Connell and Katie Whittington for brunch!! We just caught up and hung out and it was glorious. We parted ways after a couple hours, and I got an afternoon tea, walked through the National Gallery, saw Big Ben and the London Eye, and then hung out in a park until it was time for CABARET! Katie and I reunited at the Kit Kat Club, and had maybe one of the best theatre-going experiences I’ve ever had. What an incredible performance I was so lucky to witness. Shoutout Eva Noblezada for shattering everything I once knew about Sally Bowles and just making it better.
My last morning was spent grabbing a Gregg’s sausage roll with Charlie, and he brought me to the train station.
Antwerp
I took the Eurostar to Brussels, got a train to Antwerp, then got a bus into Schilde, where Sarah is living. Made it to some places with seconds to spare, but I made it, and that’s what counts.
On the first day, Sarah and I went into Antwerp and just explored. She took me to her favorite bookstore/cafe called Luddites, then we walked through the MAS (a museum- too many words). We grabbed some yummy savory Belgian waffles for lunch, then walked through the town. We saw the Grote Markt, walked through the Castle by the water, and grabbed a pint in the courtyard. We saw Antwerp-Centraal in the light, then grabbed the bus back to Schilde.
Sarah has a job as an au pair, so the second day was spent in Schilde with one of the kids. We went to a kinder farm and saw some animals, plus walked around a lake. Took a long bike ride and got some ice cream. I played in a lot of grass and sand over the course of the day. This day was absolutely EXHAUSTING, even though it was fun.
The third day was spent in Antwerp once again. I woke up with a weird ankle rash (probably from all the sand), so that’s been bogging me down. We started at Chocolate Nation and got to taste some warm Belgian chocolate and learn all about how it’s made. Very cool stuff. Then we grabbed a bus to Middleheim to see some art outside! Got pooped on by a bird right before we got there, which was an unsavory start, but we made light of it pretty well. I hit the road for Amsterdam after that. We had some turbulence (city bus didn’t take me to my stop, missed my bus to Amsterdam, barely made the train I then booked), but I made it in safe by midnight.
Amsterdam
This has been my first completely solo stop! My first morning was spent walking halfway into town (30 mins), grabbing breakfast at a cafe, then walking to Amsterdam Centraal (another 30 mins). I got a free canal cruise that ROCKED, then went to some museums on my way to the botanical garden. I went over to the Rembrandt house and realized I didn’t know as much about him as I thought, then I stopped in the Jewish Museum and learned some great things. I finally got to the botanical garden and oh boy, did I see some PLANTS!!!! What a place to be. Afterwards, I checked out Wynand Fockink for a tasting of jenever. Yum! After that I grabbed dinner, then got the tram back.
Day 2 was just a lot of museums. I slept in, then made it to the Moco by noon. Got a waffle and chai for breakfast. After the Moco (major letdown, by the way), I meandered through the Rijksmuseum. Took a breather sitting in Vondelpark, then headed to the Stedelijk. WOW! Easily the best art museum I’ve been to on this trip so far. Turns out I much prefer modern/abstract art to the classics. Grabbed dinner at Cafe de Klos, then grabbed another drink by a canal, then went over to the Anne Frank house. It was interesting to see her story in a context, but I definitely should’ve taken the advice saying it was a bit of a letdown. Not even through the commercialization of the story, just because of how many people were there. It was just a machine feeding people through the exhibit, rather than everyone taking their own time with the content. Once I left, I took a walk through the Red Light District. So fascinating. I grabbed a last-minute ticket to the Red Light Secrets museum, which was a great way to learn about the neighborhood and the girls. Grabbed a late-night tram back in. It was at this point that I mastered the tram system of Amsterdam :)
Amsterdam day 3 was my trip to Haarlem! I woke up late (again), grabbed a focaccia/kombucha breakfast near my hostel, then got the train. I went to the Molen de Adriaan and got a very detailed tour of the windmill, thank you Jan, and he also told me about the prison-turned-university just down the street. A very cool pair of sights. I went to see about a canal tour (with cheese and wine) but unfortunately they were booked out for the day. The museum was also closed, so I decided to wander. I walked through the Grote Markt, got a beer at Jopen (church turned brewery), then got a very yummy dinner at Bistro La Plume and people watched. Before getting the train back, I sat in a park and journaled and doodled.
This morning, I checked out of the hostel, got breakfast at the little spot right next door, then got the train to the airport, where I’m sitting now. Security really didn’t like my bag, but otherwise I’ve got no hitches. Cross your fingers. Now I’m on to Greece!
I’ll try and stay updated here, but if not, I’m sorry, and I’ll do one big travel review later on. I’ll be home by December 1. Cheers to two straight months of travel left!!
Fantastic!!!
Love all these photos — and reading about your adventures! Great catch-up!!!