Bristol and Dublin Part 1

So, finally got back from open mic tonight at the Half Moon Pub in Oxford. Some of the people I've met at Oxford played guitar and it was quite good. But more on that later... Our trip this past weekend:

Our trip to Dublin was quite an experience, a little complicated at times but overall pretty enlightening. I (and 3 friends from the program) took a train to Bristol to spend the afternoon there and then flew to Dublin with Ryanair (a cheap European airline). Bristol is a nice place although I'm not sure if I would like to live there... It's more of a port town and a little more rustic and industrial in character than other cities in England. We basically spent the day walking because although there wasn't too much to do, we decided we had to see Bristol's famous landmark: the suspension bridge. The bridge was on the outskirts of the city so by the time we got there, we were all exhausted and ended up laying out in the meadow adjacent to the bridge. It was such a nice day outside, so why not?

We went and saw Castle Park in the main city of Bristol after the bridge, layed out in the grass again, and talked about why in the UK, a store is called "TK Maxx" instead of "TJ Maxx". We also discussed what needed to be improved in Atlanta (segregation, public transportation, etc.). Being in a different country definitely opens your eyes to thinking about problems and solutions back at home. But anyway, it was getting late so we headed to dinner before we had to take the bus to the airport (which, incidentally is in the middle of nowhere).

Bristol, although being quite nice, is a city consumed with crazy people. There was a bar fight in the restaurant where we were eating and police had to be called. Not to mention the numerous bachelor and bachelorette parties going on the streets that evening. Oh well. We were glad to be going to Dublin soon! The Bristol airport is about a 40-minute ride by bus and it really is in the middle of the farmlands. I looked out of the bus window and saw airplane tails sticking up over the hillside. Security is fairly loose at Bristol, putting it lightly, because they didn't check our passports in security AND they didn't even have immigration checks when we came back. But more on that later. We were soon going to Dublin and we couldn't wait. Part 2 to come soon...