Blog Post #5 03/24/2023

 03/24/2023


I May Have Girlbossed Too Close To The Sun


I booked about 99% of my Trip! Just have to figure out my Liverpool/Manchester situation. Liverpool is a lot cheaper than Manchester and they’re only about 30 minutes apart. So I may just stay in Liverpool and take a train over to Manchester. Anyways, I digress for now. 


Last I left off we were in London. Now, we head up north to go see Auntie Debbie and her family. Brianna will still be in school, and Auntie Debbie started a new job, so I’m only there for a quick overnight. I’ll be staying at Twenty Hotel and Bar right in downtown Boston. Within walking distance of a bunch of charity shops, the pound shop, and Boston Stump. There’s not much in Boston but it’ll be nice to catch up with family after a year. 






After I stay briefly in Boston I’ll take a train from there to a beach city called Skegness-- or as the locals call it, Skeggie. We went there last year but spend our time at the arcades. I had a fresh tattoo so I tried not to be in the sun or go in the ocean. Literally, just got in an hour before going! So this time if I get a tattoo, it’ll be much sooner or after. I’ll be staying in a cute little Bed and Breakfast called Ivy Hotel. 







But the Pièce de résistance is that I’m only about 10 minutes from the beach, arcades, shops, museums, an aquarium, amazing food, and a lot more. Is it a tourist trap? Absolutely. But if that’s the case just consider me a crab scuttling into a crab trap.










Now here’s where Marget Thatcher absolutely f*cks me! Actually, upon a little research, she opposed the privatization of the trains. Here in the US we pretty much have one major railway company: Amtrak. Now, the rails are owned by different commercial companies. In England, it’s all kinds of f*cked. So, my next location is York. Despite York only being 129 miles as the crow flies from Skegness, I have to travel 244 miles by train. Skegness downs southwest to Grantham, then I switch trains and head back northeast to york. That said, it’s only about 3.5 hours. There I’ll stay in probably the most European-looking hostel ever, Astor York.


After a few days there, I’ll take a train down to Liverpool/Manchester.  As I said earlier, this part of the trip is all up in the air. So we’ll skip it all for now! once I leave this area it’s time for the whole reason I’m even taking this trip, a wedding on The Isle of Man! To get there though, I gotta take another boat. So from Liverpool, I’ll hop on a ferry. It should be a pretty quick trip, could of hours tops. But once I get to IOM, I’ll stay with my other aunt, Auntie Lynn. 

This will be my first time on the isle! Or at least that I can remember (mom, have I been there before?). It’ll be the first time meeting some second cousins, my first cousin’s spouses, and the first time seeing a few of the cousins in over two decades. Lots of things to be excited about!



After the wedding I’ll spend a few more days there, exploring the tiny island, spending time with family, and relaxing for a bit. Once I’m done, I take a ferry over to Northern Ireland to spend some time in Belfast! I’ll be staying at the Belfast International Youth Hostel for a few days. NO idea what I’m doing here yet, I just wanna go, okay? Don’t yuck my yum!


After a short stint there it’s time to head back to Dublin for just a few days. Staying at the same hostel, Abby Court, right on the river. This time I’ll actually get to see some of the cool stuff that Dublin has to offer: bars, museums, and old sh!t. Then I take a bus down to County Cork. I’ll be staying at Sheilas Cork Hostel. The ultimate goal is to go kiss the Blarney stone, but I’m sure the area has more to offer. 



This trip may seem well thought out but in all honesty, it’s not! I’m planning where I’m going, how I’m getting there, and where I’m staying. After that, it’s all spontaneous! I’ll pick a few places like the Blarney Stone to see, but that’s it.


Then finally, and sadly, it’s time to go back to Dublin for one last overnight! Same hostel, Abby Court. I’ll spend my last night in Europe, probably getting drunk off my a$$. Then, it’s time to return to reality. Back home, new job, new school year, new local adventures! 

\


This is probably my last blog post until we get closer to leaving! I’ll post some pre-packing and packing things. Maybe even upload a few videos of that process. For now, I’m just slowly buying all my stuff. 

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