London Called. I Answered.

Cheers!

I am now in London!  After a brief delay, my flight arrived into London at about 4:00 PM. I took the Heathrow Express which had me in to downtown London by 5:00 PM. After getting a bit lost in the quite unaccessible underground, I finally made it to my hostel at 5:45 PM. The hostel is amazing. I am sharing a four bed room with an en suite bathroom and walk-in shower. It is also five minutes from the corner of Oxford Street and Regent Street (the equivilant of New York's 5th Avenue)!

At 6:00 PM, I met up with David, my Dad's cousin that I met last year in my travels to London, and his wife, Joan. We went to a pub and then to an Italian restaurant. It was a pleasure to see them both again and we enjoyed each other's company.

After they headed home, I went for a quick walk around the neighborhood to get myself acclimated to the area. It is even more beautiful than I remember!

After a quick phone call to my Mom & Dad, I headed back to my room.  Tomorrow, I need to get my cell phone, find a pharmacy, and a Barclays' ATM. Then, I'm off to explore London. 

I must admit that I have missed staying in hostels - meeting people around the world with the same interests, the comradery, and the independence. I laid down in my bed with a smile on my face. 

I'm back & ready to take on Europe!

Michael

Reflections on Ireland

Hey All,

I'm at the airport now waiting to board my flight. I woke up at 7:00 AM and went to my Great Aunt's convent. She took me via taxi to the airport. We spoke for another 3 hours, bought tea, and she brought sandwiches for us to eat. It was really nice to see her one more time.

I enjoyed my time in Ireland immensely and yesterday was probably my favorite day. It was nice to meet all the people I've only heard about and see some of the places my grandparents lived. It's important to learn about my Irish heritage and I hope I can bring my brother over here soon to show him. I know that I definitely have a better appreciation for being Irish after my four days here!

I'm off to London now. I'll post soon!

Cheers,
Mike