Today was a traveling day, going from Paris, France to Adare, Ireland via London, England. I woke up this morning know something was going to happen, which you will find out later. After double checking that I had everything including all my riding gear, I ate breakfast, said goodbye to my roommates and then headed out towards the metro. I get on the metro with the only real trouble being from having to carry my bag up and down the stairs. With no big hassels on the metro I feel better about the day. Well I get to the Gare du Nord metro stop and get off go through all the different hallways and stairs and such until I get to the normal train staion, normal being like Amtrak type trains. Anyways I go up the escaltor to were the Eurostar ticket counter is and get in line to get my tickets. Well here were the fun begins. It'ss now my turn and I go up to the ticket counter to bet my tickets thinking that I don't have to pay since my travel agent got me the 3 month EuroPass. Well the ticket guy said that there were no more EuroPass seats let on this train. So I asked him if i could get my ticket with my EuroPass and then just sit in one of the normal cars. No could't do that either. To make a long story short I had to buy a normal ticket which was like €220 ($280), can I just say, SO NOT COOL! I then decided to get my return ticket so this wouldn't happen coming back. Well to my suprise I found out that the EuroPass doesn't make the ticket free just alot cheaper, in some ways that sucks but in other ways OK, the ticket went down to €75 ($95) and I get to sit in a nicer train car. So I get to London and find my way to were to buy tickets to the Underground
(London's metro, for those that don't know). Well I got on the correct train, but like the first sunday in Paris this line was one of those X's so I got on the correct line going the correct way but was on the train going to the upper left instead of the lower left. I then took the train to the last stop before it splits, waited for the next train and then got on the next train which was going to Heathrow. I get to the airport and get checked in actually quite quickly, the only thing that was kind of annoying was that first we go into a line for the kiosks to get our tickets, then the other line to give our bags to the ticket counter people. I then try and use the phone to call my mom to say that I got to London OK but then I realized that I only had Euro's and not Pounds Sterling. I go to a cash machine take a £20 and then go to this little cafe to have them split the £20 into smaller bills and coins. I go back to the pay phones and am about to call when I realize that I don't have enought change for the call, so I go back to the cafe to get some more change. After my call I pop into the little store next to the phones to buy something to drink and to get a book. Walking out of the store I go to get my ticket and find out that I don't have it. I think of the last place I had it and first think of the bathroom, but to get there I have to pass the phones, so I go and check there before going on to the bathroom. To my good fortune while looking for my tickets at the phone this lady comes up to me and asks if I'm the "young girl" the lost her passport, in my state of shock I said yes, which she responded that her husband just went to give them to the airline. After getting my tickets back I head through security and wait at my gate. I know I am going to sound very naive and stereotypical, but I have to say it anyway, it is also very true. All the people with red or strawberry blonde hair were Irish and everybody who didn't was not Irish. If your wondering how I know it's because since everybody needed their passports to board the plane they still had them out when they passed my seat, so I saw where everybody came from. Since it is still light when I arrive in Ireland I can see the lush green frields and little farms houses. I arrive at the airport get my bag and go outside to find my driver, which I just have to mention was driving a 2006 Mercedes Benz, oh yea baby. I arrive in Adare (fàilte go dtì àth dara, in Irish) were my hotel, the Dunraven Arms Hotel, est. 1792. This place is so cute and it's also really cool to think of all the different people that have been here over the CENTURIES. I get checked in and then go to the dinning room to have dinner before it closes. After which I went to my JUNIOR SUITE, thank you very much, read a little bit and then hit the sacks.PICS OF MY HOTEL SUITE
