HOME FROM DUBLIN, IRELAND

Here I am... Back from the Emerald Isles and what a COMING BACK it was.

I slept on the plane from Dublin, Ireland to Atlanta, Georgia, bobbing and nodding in and out of consciousness of course. Waking for every food and drink option--pretzels, water and sprite, pasta, water and coke, pretzels, water and coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee--didn't matter, slept through every cup I ingested. I'd declare it's decaf but this CT was wiped to the windshield. A bug that's gone splat.

I slept on the second plane, waking for refreshments only to whisper "No thank you," shove a couple Skittles in my mouth and pass out again. Every 20 minutes it's the dance of reshuffle and streeeeetch, try not to elbow, kick, knick or touch. Which usually ends with, "Sorry."

We waited 45 minutes on the tarmac in Atlanta, our plane needing confirmation before flying as we sit on pins and needles, well, sighing. Or sleeping. I did both.

We arrived in Minneapolis without a gate. We sat on the tarmac for 20 minutes. Okay, by this point there was no resting, the wash cycle was on agitate.

Eventually deplaned, depained, bags in hand and tossed in a red truck that trucked US HOME!

I was out by 8:30 pm and woke at 7:40 am...11 hours of sleep?! 

And now I'm up. And guess what? This girl is tiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrred.

Great trip, long trip, happy trip, exhausting trip, learning lesson trip, SAW THE WORLD TRIP, climbed a mountain trip, ate loads of bread trip (like what?), drank how many shots of Jameson trip (?), celebrated my birthday trip, drove on the wrong side of the road with a stick shift trip, but mostly, it was a wonderful trip of emotions and boy did I trip all over the place.

Let me tell you, when you are sleep deprived to the extent that I was, everything is stripped away including your mental capacity for speech and thought, and emotions are all you have.

When that happens, then you really learn about yourself. And others get the chance to really learn you.

PASS THE WORD-WORD-WORD...!

Hello My Blogging Friends!

Dropping a quick reminder that my book:

Henrietta James
BOOK ONE
Not Everyone Poops

Can be found in paperbook and for all Ebook versions on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, smashwords.com, AND createspace.com.

REVIEWS ARE WELCOME!

Pass the word-word-word...!

Battery Dead!!!

IN GALWAY, IRELAND!

I had my lamb stew which was not stew...I admit I thought it would be stew in a bowl but it came with carrots, cabbage and two potatoes and mashed...with a tea...a bottle of Chilean wine and of course, a Jameson.

I know I've been away, not for lack of computer but lack of brain.

Travel is wonderful. Travel is different than vacation. Travel is seeing, doing, moving and experiencing which is exciting, exhilarating and TAXING.

I'm tired. Last week in Ireland and I'm not moving the way I use to. It's not an age thing well, wait, maybe it is...not an age like I'm old but an age as in I've traveled, I've done the movement--the sway of life in the train cars, the bus stops and starts, the taxis and ferrys and for the the first time this COMPULSIVE TRAVELER is pooped.

Never thought I would say that but it's the truth. I miss a closet and different pairs of shoes and having the same place to sleep for more then one night. I miss my comfy bed and glad I have a chiropracter traveling with me.

What it makes me think is that for now and maybe forever but I'll never admit til I know for sure that I'm looking at travel in a different way.

A different way...

Less constant movement from one hostel to another...I can't do it. I CAN'T WORLD! It was me I know but it's exhausting to move my suitcase from one place to another...

And to experience is not just to drink somewhere and say, "Hey I got it all!" No! I love my drink but I miss my museums, my people chatting and understanding of why a place is the way it is.

I write all this in Galway, Ireland. I'm almost done with a 3 week trip. On the last leg...

And I've learned so much about me... I've learned so much about the world... I've learned so much about my travel partners...

I've learned so much about being...

And being tired is worth that.

Dan Solovitz...my travel partner...says, "America has nothing to worry about when it comes to the taste of burgers. We win."

PS- (from Nerissa) Eddie Rockets is the worst place to eat unless you are drunk and high which we weren't which is unfortunate!

And Dan is dying for a dumbbell. Ireland where is your fitness center within your hostel/hotel experience? Push-ups do not make happy pecs.

What is the one thing you think of when I ask you, Mindy Bichel, what will you always remember about this trip...?

"My travel style has changed. I want to see a lot of stuff rather than rush through each place just to have been to a lot of places. It's become apparent to me that's important to spend time in a place thanto just go there."

And as for me, the Compulsive Traveler, I've learned to again, RELAX, and realize that life is life, places are places, and me is me...wherever I go, whatever I do...

I gotta run! Battery Dead!

FROM NORTHERN IRELAND TO SCOTLAND IN A DAY

My day...

(technically it started at 2 am because I couldn't sleep)

In Belfast this morning. Leave hostel by 7 am. 1 terrible instant coffee ingested and a bowl of cornflakes. Taxi to port (10 pounds). Run into port ready to grab the 7:30 boat to Cairnryan, Scotland.

Too late. Had to buy tickets at least half an hour before. Next boat is at 1130 am. I stretch out on the empty chairs, dry my towel and talk nonsense about strange baby names with Mindy.

9 am buy tickets. Led upstairs to loading area. Dooze and read "Mysteries of Udolpho."

11 am move to closer loading area. No reason why. Too tired to know name.

11:15 LOAD THE BOAT!

11:30 passed out on boat.

1:10 wake up on boat. 35 minutes to Scotland. Buy sandwich AND Americano.

1:15 finish sandwich, grab coffee, bundle and run to the to deck of the boat and watch Scotland come into view. Amazing. Simply amazing. Hair whipped everywhere, scarf in face and backpack pulling on the shoulders but I don't care. It was beautiful.

1:30 unload and fist pump. Nice.

1:45 Bus to train depot.

One hour later, after a nauseas but still breathtaking bus ride we find our train.

5 pm we arrive in Glasgow. I don't know the time. Probably around 5 pm.

5:15 we are in a pub. Beer. Water. Coke. CHUG cause we gots to go.

5:47 on a train to Edinburgh. Tired. Falling asleep on self. Have to pee. Hungry. Looking rough. Don't care.

About 7 pm deboard train and hello Edinburgh! Pay for a pee (30 pounds), grab a coffee and start the walk.

Find hostel. Eat haggis. Drink tea and beer. Write blog. Talk to strangers about where they are from.

PASS OUT!

And splat CT out yo!

In Portrush, Northern Ireland.

Sitting on a bunkbed in the PORTRUSH HOLIDAY HOSTEL (Phillip's the owner). Hair a mess. Ate a loaf of french bread. Took 4 busses with 3 change overs. Had a freezing cold shower. 3 espressos. 1 tea.

And watched the world as I passed by. Not the other way around.

Travel Ireland if you can.

It made a fist pumping, wave crashing, rain AND snow splashing day to remember.

Course the days not done. The nights just begun. And so we go, to see what this sleepy winter/hopping summer town has to offer on this cold, spring day.

Peace out yo!

Compulsive Traveler (Scraps)