a post that never made it out of my drafts: visitors

Visitors. Visitors everywhere. The last month passed by and I had no idea because, as I said, there were visitors everywhere. everyday. all the time. It was March and now its almost may. Some people might call what happened inbetween "April" far as I can tell, it was a step outside the actual constraints of time. Our trips moved fast. Each day was a new adventure.

The week after term ended I hopped on a plane and headed to Iceland. I landed in the afternoon and spent the rest of the evening wandering Reykjavik. The next morning, I went on a bus tour of the South Coast.

On Saturday, my first round of visitors arrived. Grammy, Pop, Jerry, and Jo pushed through the exhaustion of the first day in the city. The following day brought another tour that landed us in various locations around the Golden Circle. The tour ended with a dip in the Blue Lagoon and a delicious meal in a food hall near the hotel. We had a blast and it was a clear indicator of the good times that were to come.

Monday we had another "free" day so we decided to take a bit of time to rest, then hit a couple more activities in the city. Highlights included Flying over Iceland and the Phallalogical Museum. We spent time wandering around a few shops before another delightful meal and a night of packing.

Tuesday - We collected ourselves and made our way back to the UK. Wednesday I got a surprise meet up with family from Norway. Though the visit was brief it was good to spend an hour catching up over breakfast! Then I headed back to Reading for the day to do some laundry, repack, and do a bit of school work, while my four best friends traversed London. I made it back to the city by 6 pm to head to the theater and catch a showing of Dirty Dancing. Whew! Anyone else feel like that all happened over the course of a week? Nope. 24 hours.

Next up: a day trip to Bath and Reading. We started around 9 am, everyone a bit groggy but we made it to Paddington and once in Bath were greeted by a beatiful day, then a surprise rain shower, then a beautiful day again. I forgot to check ticket availability for the Roman Baths (whoops) so we had come up with a quick shift of plans. Those plans turned out to be just as good. Afternoon Tea at Sally Lunns and a stop in at Bath Abbey thanks to a surprise rain storm. .

Question of the day: what makes an Abbey versus a Cathedral? Anyone? Anyone? No? Okay, pull my arm I'll tell ya. Cathedral = Bishop lives there. Abbey = No bishop in residence. Now you know for your next pub quiz. You can thank my four best friends for embracing curiousity and asking all the questions to all the right people. The building is just as beautiful either way, in case you were left wondering.

Thursday continued...stopped in to see Reading on our way back from Bath. On the itinerary: Reading Abbey ruins, a quick walk around downtown, tour-de-University-of-Reading, dinner and drinks at the Monks Retreat. Back to London.

WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP AHHHHHHHHH ITS TIME TO WAKE UP AHHHH WAKE UP. REEED REED REED REEED WAKE UP.

Thats what my alarm sounded like Friday morning. very annoying. I was tired. My visitors were outrunning me. But the show must go on! A nice breakfast and a dirty chai revived me. Back to Paddington Station for train travel part two. Today was a little more hectic. Trains were cancelled becuase of problems with the lines so we had some fun with various modes of transport throughout the day. from train to bus to taxi to horse. Kidding on the horse part, but it did cross my mind at one point.

Eventually, we made it to Blenhiem Palace. SO worth it. What a beautiful day!!! WE learned a little about Churchill (even took a picture with him!). Got some gelato, drinks, and dinner (in that order). Back to London to prepare for a very early morning.

If my alarm on Friday was rough, I have no idea what the Saturday morning alarm was. 4 hours of sleep does not flatter me. We aren't friends. Again, breakfast and a cup of something caffinated at the airport to save the day. Ireland here we come. and watch out because we have a car. Everyone give a big round of applause for the brave souls in our crew who took on the task of driving on the left side of the road. Judy and Jerry are our heros.

We made it out of Dublin with a few stops to stretch our legs along the way. Ended the evening in Cobh with dinner and the kindest of B 'n' B hosts.

Happy Easter! Went to Easter mass at St. Colman's Cathedral. Then a stop at the last place the Titanic stopped to pick up passengers before sinking. Bailey's coffee and a new friend named Murphy to help us decide our next destination.

Stopped at the Midleton distillery for a midday tasting of Irish whiskey, then on the road to Dingle Peninsula. The countryside looked like a patchwork quilt of various shades of the brightest green grass you've ever seen.

Monday, another day in the car. This time seeing more of the peninsula. Stops to see some very old rocks, potato famine fields, and the westernmost pub in Europe. Made it just past Limerick to eat, go for a walk, top off the evening with an Irish coffee, and stay over before our last day on the road together.

This is it folks, the final day with my four best friends. We got on the road early so I could see a few things in Dublin before my flight that evening. Lunch at a pub, then my favorite of the day - Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells. Old libraries and really old books (oldest books in the world) really make my heart sing.

Back to Reading just in time for my next guest to arrive! Michael arrived first, saw a bit of the place I am calling home this year, then we headed into the city to find Max. Highlights - camping out at a VERY cramped Starbucks to work for a bit while they explored, To Kill a Mockingbird play (thank u Aaron Sorkin), sharing a tiny airbnb, and (of course) afternoon tea and a pub crawl. I have so few photos to show for this bit, but a lot of love for my people <3.