Leixlip House

I thought I'd just paste in the majority of an email I just sent home to update some family.... Thought I'd send you a bit of an update email, I think I have said most of this before in bits and pieces in various emails, blog posts, etc, etc... but thought it be best to pop it all in one. First piece of exciting news... Max applied and has been granted his working holiday visa for Australia, so we can start putting some more action into our ...

... a train stop right at the dock. We took a train into Cork, the second largest city in Ireland. We passed by small Irish villages along the way, with beautiful gardens and homes. Once arriving in Cork, we walked around looking at quaint B&B's and churches. We decided to head back to the ship at lunchtime, as the day was growing colder and windier, and it started raining as we departed the train. We had lunch on the ship, and took it easy ...

After a successful Sunday sightseeing, we headed back to Dublin. Then watched Braveheart(!) on Monday, I was working, so Clare headed off to do a walking tour in Dublin before her evening flight. Unfortunately, news that day from the UK wasn't great, and flights were being disrupted in London due to the snow - they even closed Heathrow! As Clare was flying to Newcastle in the north-east, her flight still looked OK and she headed to the airport as normal ...

... even in the economy section. It's the first flight that I have ever seen the direction and distance to Mecca shown on the flight information screen - we got to about 500 miles of Mecca. Food was good too - a nice veg curry to get me used to the Asian food and a weird vegetable roll for a snack before landing. Good film choice too - both new and old films - in true Stewart style I watching some utter rubbish - Hancock, Mamma Mia. Now - Doha was a ...

... I'm glad to see my name held aloft by our pre-paid taxi driver. We are beckoned toward his chariot across a crumbling car park while a silent partner accompanies our luggage in front. The chariot, it unfolds, is the standard black and yellow Mumbai cab, one of millions combing the city each day and our bags are dispatched in the boot while our silent partner turns to us looking for money. It seems he is a beggar, allowed to accompany us by our driver yet, we can't give ...

... in Europe and made an appearance in the Italian Job. The tour was interesting, and as you would expect, sad, as well. Also in the Georgian part of town I saw the telltale gorgeous doors. Lovely architecture, (always 4 stories over a basement, red brick, granite steps leading to the front door with the crescent above) and all this can be yours (they rarely enter the market) for a mere 8-10 million Euro. Mostly they are now office buildings. I'll try to be a ...

... from New Zealand. They also brought their guest with them, who was from France. We ate like gluttons and finished the pie in about 10 seconds flat. Non-chalantly Dave asked me what I was doing next week. I said nothing, I asked the same and he said nothing, then he hatched the plan: we would rent a car and drive around the south of Ireland. I immediately agreed and the deal was done. We would start driving on monday morning... The next day Renee had to go on a road trip on ...

... quite silly, but he made me smile and made the flight go by quickly. The flight is actually only 50 minutes so it didn't take long at all to get there. I went with a tour of people, some from my study abroad group, but mostly other Americans from studying abroad from other London colleges. I met two very nice girls that I hope to keep in touch with. We stayed in a 4 star hotel, which was soooo nice. The bed there was nicer than the one at my house here ...

... or so but there may be longer gaps if I get lazy and/or lost. I'll be gone for approximately 10 months. The above is the planned length of stays however I may have to go to SEA quicker should I begin to run out of money. Please send me a few emails throughout and tell me what's going on back home. All correspondence will be most appreciated...

... drie Tenore het ook gesing. Regtig baie mooi. Ek deel die keer 'n tafel met net Iere. Van hulle wat by die IRB werk en van hulle wat in die Ierse regering werk. Die laaste dag voor ons die middag terug vlieg Paris toe, gaan ek so bietjie stad toe. Ek moet darem net iets koop van Ireland. Kort en kragtig is ek erens in Dublin in 'n mall in en verder sien ek nie veel van Dublin nie, maar ek hou van die Iere. Aangename mense. Hier sal ek kan bly. Die namiddag vlieg ek Paris toe.