Travel

I've begun some travel plans so I can see a bit more of the area around me. Yesterday I booked my first jaunt, a 3-day excursion to the Emerald Isle to see some sights, especially the Guinness brewery, which I've been wanting to visit for years. There's an old wives' tale I've heard on many occasions that the closer one gets to the Guinness brewery the better the Guinness tastes. There are those I know who don't like Guinness but for those of us who can't get enough of it, I've wanted to put that theory to the test. Not long before I came to England, my stepmother's boss (I'll not name-drop here) went to Dublin for work-related reasons and he confirmed the Guinness tasted best in Dublin. Since the tour of the brewery ends with a "free" (I say "free" as the tour costs €14) pint, I'll be able to find out soon enough if the legend is true.

I'm also looking at a trip on Eurostar to Paris so I can not only visit the City of Lights but also do so via the Chunnel. I just like saying Chunnel. It's not a word you can use every day. Beyond that I'm looking at other places like Edinburgh, Cardiff, Brighton, and for warmer destinations, Barcelona and Rome. A friend of mine lives in Geneva and it's be interesting to go there to visit him, but I've not spoken with him about that.

Most of these jaunts would be quite short - 3 or 4 days at most, partly to keep costs down and partly because there are only so many places my time permits me to go. As it is, I had to book the Dublin trip later than I'd wanted due to blackout dates for the cheapest flights as well as other commitments (no pun intended) getting in the way. For Paris, the limiting factor will be when I can get a cheap Eurostar fare (and assuming I can find a worthwhile hostel as well; all the ones run by Hostelling International have had many crummy reviews).

Nevertheless I'm jazzed about going to Dublin and some of the other places. I'm far from a well-traveled person so I'm glad that's being remedied, if only moderately.