Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear EJ, happy birthday to me!!! Thanks Robbie for emailing me birthday greetings...you're the only one who remembered! (You know I have to guilt you all...)
The first thing I heard when I woke up this morning was rain! I'm so happy--it has finally rained on my b-day! This is the first time in as long as I can remember that it has rained on July 5th--and I only had to leave the country for it to happen.
I'm on my way to Cork and Cobh. It’s about a three-hour train ride, so the tour group left at 7am. I love the size of Ireland because it's small enough that it can be crossed in three hours; really all costal destinations are three hours or less by train. I walked down to the light rail train station, took the train to the train station and boy was I soaked and drenched! The train ride to Cork was rather boring; just a bunch of green countryside to look at--I was glad I brought my Ipod.
When we got to the Cork train station, we transferred to a motor coach that drove us around. Liam was our tour guide; Steven was our driver. We started of by going to Blarney Castle. There, Liam gave us three hours to conduct a self-guided tour. We got there 1/2 an hour earlier than the public, so it was easier for us to get up to the castle and Blarney Stone.
The Blarney Stone-that was an adventure! I followed the signs up into the castle and they led to the top. I squeezed through a small opening that led to the spiral stairway that led upwards. One look at the passageway and the wedge shaped stairs, and I decided I wouldn't climb to the top where the Stone is. I moved into a side room and had a conversation with an English woman. While she waited for her daughter, we talk. She went to SF last summer and wants to go to Vegas sometime soon. We talked about our gambling experiences in Vegas-how unsuccessful we were. After a while, she heard her daughter call her so she went on her way.
This woman had some mobility problems, which is why she didn't go up to the top of the castle but her daughter kissed the Stone. I looked at the professional picture that was taken of her kissing the Stone--you really do have to lie on your back and hang off the edge to kiss the Stone!!! After 10 minutes of debating "should I or shouldn't I," I worked up the courage to climb up to the top. I found the staircase and had to get in line. The line had grown so much that I could only climb up one step at a time. I got up about 1/3 of the way up and then I began to feel strange.
All my life, when I've had a choice between taking an elevator or an escalator, I’ve always chosen the escalator. It's open and makes me feel more comfortable because I can see all around me. In an elevator, I feel enclosed and trapped. I felt that closed and trapped feeling on the staircase. Maybe I'm somewhat claustrophobic?
After climbing the stairway 1/3 of the way up, I felt panicky. I looked above me and below me looking for a way out. There was none, however, because there were other visitors in front and behind me and there was no room to maneuver in. As my left shoulder was brushing its way along the left wall, my right shoulder was brushing its way along the right wall; it was very enclosed. I t was fairly dark except for where lights had been installed.
Each of us on the stairs would climb a stair and then wait 20 seconds and then climb the next and so on. It was like this the whole up. Just as that panicky feeling was growing and getting more intense, I came to a "doorway" in the left hand wall. I stopped there for a minute because my panicky feeling caused in my heartbeat to absolutely race and in I was panting like I'd just ran a five minute mile, and I was gulping in breaths of air. I either was having a claustrophobic attack or a panic attack. Nobody else seemed to have a problem with the passage. But I had to keep climbing in order to get to the exit. Each time I came to a "doorway," I had to stop and calm myself down. My calming technique was to just stare at the feet of the people above me. I eventually got to the top, and the relief just crashed over me like the ocean's waves.
You know I don't have a head for heights, so at the top of the castle I was getting really, really dizzy. There were two men assisting the visitors with kissing the Blarney Stone. One of them told us told us to either get down or to move on so they could keep the line moving. I decided to move on and not kiss the Stone because killing myself today would not be cool. Besides, my head just wasn't feeling right since having my claustrophobic panic attack.
The stairway down had the same steep wedge shaped steps as the way up, but there was more indirect sunlight in the passage and the passage was somewhat wider so my shoulders weren't touching the walls. Outside the castle, I had to walk down the path to get to the bottom, which included several groups of four-step steps. I can't believe how shaky I felt. This, to me, was one of the most terrifying I've ever experienced.
I used my next 1.5 hours eating lunch and then browsing through a shop at the Blarney Wollen Mills Hotel and Restaurant and Blarney Wollen Mills Shopping Center, respectively. I bought a pair of Kelly green St. Patrick’s Day type of socks.
When our three hours were up, Steven drove us to Cobh, while Liam narrated the trip. We stopped at a cathedral and were allotted 10 minutes to take pictures. To end the tour, we went to a museum to learn about the "Queensbury Story." Cobh was the last stop before ships sailed on the North America.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
7/4/08 Friday
Happy Fourth of July! I was surprised at how many times news programs made reference to the Fourth in the US. Really, the holiday doesn't affect anyone who isn't American so why mention it? I woke up quite a bit earlier this morning and was out the door by 10am. I took a much longer and extensive tour of Connolly Street to get a more expansive look of the area. There are four statutes along the 'the strip' of people and things representative of Ireland. I also found a little garden area with a memorial statute dedicated to those Irish soldiers who lost their lives securing freedom (I think it honored soldiers as far back as the 1800s), a tavern serving American food and beer very cheaply because of Independence day, a children's hospital that looks more like an apartment building from the outside, and a cross street with a ton of shops (the street is closed off to traffic so shoppers can safely walk up and down it). There was an Irish souvenir shop, which had two American Flags in the doors. I asked the assistant why the US flags, and he told me it was because of the Fourth of July. How strange I thought; this is Ireland not the US, but maybe it's a sign of respect...
This afternoon, I took a hop-on hop-off tour of the Dublin. It was a very extensive tour covering the city in 2 hours. I was bale to record the whole tour on my video recorder. Some of the stops included Trinity College, the train station, Guinness Brewery, and the 'Ribs' bridge (the designer wanted the bridge to look similar to a person's ribcage...he did a fairly respectable job of it). I sat in the front row of the upper part of the bus...right next to the speaker. What a great spot. I didn't actually hop-off; I wanted to get a general idea of the city. The tour ended right in front of the bus authority station.
When I got off, I decided I needed to give myself a birthday present. At the Authority I bought myself a tour package that visits Cork and Cobh (pronounced "cove"--it's Gaelic). It's an early call; train leaves at 7am, so I have to be there at 6:40am to check in.
I spoke with the Barbara at the front desk getting advice about how to get to the train station from the hotel. She was really helpful. She got me a map, highlighted the route of the light rail train, and told me I wanted the Tallght direction. After talking with Barbara, I actually walked the route to the light rail stop so I will know where to find it. It wasn't so bad; it was across the street from Eason's (the bookstore, like Borders or Barnes and Noble, where I continued to buy my Guardians and Suns for my written paper).
I brought dinner into my room from an outside restaurant and went to bed early; gotta get up at 5am!
This afternoon, I took a hop-on hop-off tour of the Dublin. It was a very extensive tour covering the city in 2 hours. I was bale to record the whole tour on my video recorder. Some of the stops included Trinity College, the train station, Guinness Brewery, and the 'Ribs' bridge (the designer wanted the bridge to look similar to a person's ribcage...he did a fairly respectable job of it). I sat in the front row of the upper part of the bus...right next to the speaker. What a great spot. I didn't actually hop-off; I wanted to get a general idea of the city. The tour ended right in front of the bus authority station.
When I got off, I decided I needed to give myself a birthday present. At the Authority I bought myself a tour package that visits Cork and Cobh (pronounced "cove"--it's Gaelic). It's an early call; train leaves at 7am, so I have to be there at 6:40am to check in.
I spoke with the Barbara at the front desk getting advice about how to get to the train station from the hotel. She was really helpful. She got me a map, highlighted the route of the light rail train, and told me I wanted the Tallght direction. After talking with Barbara, I actually walked the route to the light rail stop so I will know where to find it. It wasn't so bad; it was across the street from Eason's (the bookstore, like Borders or Barnes and Noble, where I continued to buy my Guardians and Suns for my written paper).
I brought dinner into my room from an outside restaurant and went to bed early; gotta get up at 5am!
7/3/08 Thursday My Vacation in Ireland
I slept in till 11am. I'm trying to catch up on three weeks of lost sleep. I took today easy. I went to the Savoy Theater and caught a few movies (I love my student ID; I saved a few Euros). Dollars are worth more Euros than Pounds so the movies were less expensive here. I wandered up and down Connolly Street ('the main strip') just looking around and finding where things were. I also spent time watching Irish programming and attempting sudoku (although sudoku is so f***ing frustrating). It was a chill kind of day.
7/2/08 Wednesday
It's a shame class is over...I had to make my way down to the coach park via the bus (Stephanie was unable to take me there). It was fairly easy to do; there was plenty of space on the bus because I left at 6:45am. I didn't get the chance to thank and say goodbye to Stephanie, but I did leave a note thanking her for everything and wishing her and her family the best. At least I didn't feel like I sneaked out of the house without saying bye.
We left the coach park after getting more pictures with everyone including Mari and Oscar (they came to see us off). Bob (our driver during the last three weeks) got us to Heathrow really, really early. Cynthia had the first flight at 1:50pm, then the Jaehnes at 2:10pm, and then Shanti and I left 3:30pm. Everyone else stayed in London. The Jaehnes were leaving from terminal 3 and Shanti and I (since we were flying BMI to our respective destinations) walked through the tunnels to get to terminal 1. We tried to check in at 11am, but were unable to do so until two hours before our flights. Surprisingly, the Jaehnes found us in terminal 1; they wanted to make sure we found the terminal ok and that we were good to go. I appreciated that considering the walk they had to take. So there we were (Shanti and I) waiting in the terminal waiting for the flights to take off. It is so damn boring waiting in the airport with nothing to do...
My flight took off and I eventually made it to Ireland. I got a cab to my hotel, checked in and got comfortable, and decided to walk around Connolly Street a little bit. The weather was rainy and I didn't have my umbrella, but it felt good to get out, stretch and walk, and get use to the area around me. I walked down to the post office and then turned around when it began to rain really hard. I did stop by a little grocery convenience shop and bought a few things. When I asked for a bag, the cashier told me I'd have to pay for it...who would have thought! It wasn't right, but I was in not in the mood to debate it. But I did save it so I could reuse it and not get charged again. When I was back in my room, I was so tired, ordered room service (OMG the sautéed mushrooms were TO DIE FOR-they were WONDERFUL) and went to bed by 10pm.
We left the coach park after getting more pictures with everyone including Mari and Oscar (they came to see us off). Bob (our driver during the last three weeks) got us to Heathrow really, really early. Cynthia had the first flight at 1:50pm, then the Jaehnes at 2:10pm, and then Shanti and I left 3:30pm. Everyone else stayed in London. The Jaehnes were leaving from terminal 3 and Shanti and I (since we were flying BMI to our respective destinations) walked through the tunnels to get to terminal 1. We tried to check in at 11am, but were unable to do so until two hours before our flights. Surprisingly, the Jaehnes found us in terminal 1; they wanted to make sure we found the terminal ok and that we were good to go. I appreciated that considering the walk they had to take. So there we were (Shanti and I) waiting in the terminal waiting for the flights to take off. It is so damn boring waiting in the airport with nothing to do...
My flight took off and I eventually made it to Ireland. I got a cab to my hotel, checked in and got comfortable, and decided to walk around Connolly Street a little bit. The weather was rainy and I didn't have my umbrella, but it felt good to get out, stretch and walk, and get use to the area around me. I walked down to the post office and then turned around when it began to rain really hard. I did stop by a little grocery convenience shop and bought a few things. When I asked for a bag, the cashier told me I'd have to pay for it...who would have thought! It wasn't right, but I was in not in the mood to debate it. But I did save it so I could reuse it and not get charged again. When I was back in my room, I was so tired, ordered room service (OMG the sautéed mushrooms were TO DIE FOR-they were WONDERFUL) and went to bed by 10pm.
7/1/08 Tuesday
Today was the last day of class-how sad. We finished up discussing the book. By 12:30pm, the Jaehnes took us all out to lunch at a Chinese Buffet Restaurant. The Jaehnes are really generous in this way-at least 11 of us. The food was really delicious but the Jell-O (or what passed for Jell-O) sucked-it was way too sweet and had practically no flavor. We returned to their flat by 2pm to continue class. The "final" was to draw a map of our mental maps of the city to compare it to the first one we did earlier in the trip. My second map was more filled in than my first but not as substantially as everyone else's. I just didn't do as much touring of the city either in a group or on my own (but I have no regrets). I noticed that as I drew my "final" map, that I was able to draw the streets around certain landmarks in Bath (for example the Hobgoblin Pub, The Odeon, or The Podium shopping center). It's easier for me to learn my way around based on where landmarks are and not just by where the streets are.
At 3:30pm, class was dismissed so I went over to Sainsbury (similar to Safeway) to but the Guardian and the Sun. This is for preparation for my paper that's due when I get back from Europe. I tell you, I had the hardest time deciding if I was going to write it or not. I didn't turn in my contract until three days before class ended...that's because of all the trouble I had in deciding if I would write the thing or not. Everyone else had submitted a contract, so I finally decided to write the paper.
Dennis introduced the concept of learning and what it means and how it applies to class five days into the trip. He wanted contracts from us stating what we were going to write in our papers. I want to do a compare/contrast of media newsprint in the US and England. In order to do this, I collected the UK papers, and mom collected the US papers (during the hottest heat wave of the summer--thanks mom!) By the time I got home (the US), I had a week's worth of four different papers.
I got back to Stephanie's by 4:30pm and did my packing. I just have a few more things to add, but I'm essentially done. Stephanie's daughter Jessie and Jessie's friends Kate and Sam came over for dinner. Actually, they made dinner-all the food was great. One of the things I wasn't used to was when Sam asked me what I wanted to drink with dinner. All the beverages had some measure of alcohol in it...wine, beer, etc. I just chalked it up to 'it's a British culture thing!' Jessie did most of the talking, but she had such a strong accent that I couldn't understand much of what she was saying. I just sat there and quietly listened to all the stories. Apparently they were funny, because everyone laughed a lot. I remember thinking that this was the type of interaction I was hoping for during my visit--too bad it finally happened on the last night here.
It’s so unreal that this experience is over!
At 3:30pm, class was dismissed so I went over to Sainsbury (similar to Safeway) to but the Guardian and the Sun. This is for preparation for my paper that's due when I get back from Europe. I tell you, I had the hardest time deciding if I was going to write it or not. I didn't turn in my contract until three days before class ended...that's because of all the trouble I had in deciding if I would write the thing or not. Everyone else had submitted a contract, so I finally decided to write the paper.
Dennis introduced the concept of learning and what it means and how it applies to class five days into the trip. He wanted contracts from us stating what we were going to write in our papers. I want to do a compare/contrast of media newsprint in the US and England. In order to do this, I collected the UK papers, and mom collected the US papers (during the hottest heat wave of the summer--thanks mom!) By the time I got home (the US), I had a week's worth of four different papers.
I got back to Stephanie's by 4:30pm and did my packing. I just have a few more things to add, but I'm essentially done. Stephanie's daughter Jessie and Jessie's friends Kate and Sam came over for dinner. Actually, they made dinner-all the food was great. One of the things I wasn't used to was when Sam asked me what I wanted to drink with dinner. All the beverages had some measure of alcohol in it...wine, beer, etc. I just chalked it up to 'it's a British culture thing!' Jessie did most of the talking, but she had such a strong accent that I couldn't understand much of what she was saying. I just sat there and quietly listened to all the stories. Apparently they were funny, because everyone laughed a lot. I remember thinking that this was the type of interaction I was hoping for during my visit--too bad it finally happened on the last night here.
It’s so unreal that this experience is over!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
6/30/08 Monday
There was no class today. Kevin, Karla, and Diane went to Glasgow; Matt, Suzi, and Cynthia went to Paris; Jon and Shanti went to Dublin; Victoria and I stayed in Bath. None of them were scheduled to return until today, so Dennis cancelled class.
I started today by sleeping in til 10 am. Boy did it feel good to sleep in! We've been really busy these last 2.5 weeks. By 11 am, I was on my way into Bath. I decided I wanted to visit the Herschel Astronomy Museum. I walked from the bus station to the street it was located on, but at first, I couldn't locate it. It turns out that the museum was in the floor level of a flat. The street was completely residential...no businesses at all. Once I found the flat (#19), I rang the bell. A woman answered the door so I told her I was looking for the museum. She told me I was too early and pointed out the plaque next to the door. Oops...I was an hour and a half too early so I apologized and left. I never got back to tour the museum...
I went back to the post office to mail something then went to buy another movie ticket. I ate lunch before the movie, and after the movie was over, I went home to get the region 2 DVD player I bought. I went back into town to Mailboxes Etc. to ship it home. It wasn't cheap, but to have the peace of mind that it would get home safely and not have to carry it on board the plane was worth the money.
When I got back home, I watched the last half hour of the Men's Wimbledon quarterfinal as I made dinner. Andy Murray came back from 2 sets down to win. (Andre Aggassi won the Wimbledon Men's Final on July 5, 1992.)
I started today by sleeping in til 10 am. Boy did it feel good to sleep in! We've been really busy these last 2.5 weeks. By 11 am, I was on my way into Bath. I decided I wanted to visit the Herschel Astronomy Museum. I walked from the bus station to the street it was located on, but at first, I couldn't locate it. It turns out that the museum was in the floor level of a flat. The street was completely residential...no businesses at all. Once I found the flat (#19), I rang the bell. A woman answered the door so I told her I was looking for the museum. She told me I was too early and pointed out the plaque next to the door. Oops...I was an hour and a half too early so I apologized and left. I never got back to tour the museum...
I went back to the post office to mail something then went to buy another movie ticket. I ate lunch before the movie, and after the movie was over, I went home to get the region 2 DVD player I bought. I went back into town to Mailboxes Etc. to ship it home. It wasn't cheap, but to have the peace of mind that it would get home safely and not have to carry it on board the plane was worth the money.
When I got back home, I watched the last half hour of the Men's Wimbledon quarterfinal as I made dinner. Andy Murray came back from 2 sets down to win. (Andre Aggassi won the Wimbledon Men's Final on July 5, 1992.)
6/29/08 Sunday
One of the goals I wanted to accomplish while in England was to see a real cricket match. I went to see a cricket game today in Taunton. Somerset was playing the team from South Africa. I was interested in buying a ticket from Stephanie's dad (a huge fan) to attend the game. He had bought two tickets at one time, and apparently, they can only be sold as a pair and not individually. The reason why still remains unclear to me. But Stephanie assured me that I could buy a ticket directly from the stadium. She basically told me how to get to the stadium via the train (as opposed the Dennis' suggestion of using the bus). I purchased my train tickets yesterday, so I'm all ready to go.
Oops...one problem still remains. How to get to the train station from the house? My train left at 949am, but the buses didn't start running until 930am. Panic! I can't get to the train station via the bus in 10 minutes! I had no car, I couldn't walk...what to do? I realized the taxi would be my only option. I looked around Stephanie's office, located a phone book, and called a taxi service. The company I selected from the ad offered 10% off to students. I called the number, and after about 15 minutes, I had my cab ride to the station booked; it cost about 6 pounds.
I got to the bus station by 8 am, so I had a lot of time to kill. I wandered around the city and looked into the windows of all the shops. The town was completely closed up; the only business that was open at that time was McDonald's. After an hour and a half, I went to the station and up to the platform. 949 came and went...959 came and went...at 1009 the train pulled into the station. There was some sort of issue with the tracks, which caused the delay. I figured I had 5 minutes to find the stadium when I got into Taunton. I was in first class (very comfortable-leather seats and tables). We first pulled into Bristol Temple Meads. The conductor announced that, for whatever reason (the tracks, I think), the train was terminating at Bristol Temple. Damn, what am I going to do? I'm in the country, a foreigner, and have no idea what to do next...
We were told to disembark the train, so I did, and just milled around the platform contemplating my next move. The doors slid open 10 minutes later, and everyone reboarded the train. It was never explained why, but the train continued on its way. I am going to be soooo late...
I got to Taunton by 1130 am and asked for directions to the stadium. The walk took about 10 minutes, but it was obvious which structure was the field. I bought my ticket at the gate (it cost a little more buying on game day), and I was in. Yippee-a real cricket game! The seats are not assigned; as long as I stayed in my assigned area, I could sit in any available seat. I was in the second row, about five seats in. I was right next to the field. How exciting!
I went to this game without understanding any of the rules of the game except that one team needs to score more "runs" than the other one. There are pitchers (bowlers), batters, catchers, and "the fielders". The basic rules are: the bowler pitches the ball, the batter hits it, and the batter (and other teammate) run back and forth the length of the pitch (multiple times if possible). I didn't understand the scoring, how outs affected the game, or any of the strategies of cricket. The most perplexing thing about the match was that all the players on the field (and the batters) were all dressed in their whites. Where were the South African players? I know that none of the South African players were on the field because three of them, dressed in green and gold, came out to the field during an intermission to mug for the audience. One of them bowled the ball, the second hit the ball, and the third shagged the "hit". They were definitely mugging for us. The batter hit 2-3 balls "out of the park" over our heads, while we all cheered. For the 5 hours I was there, I never saw the South African Players on the field (except for those that entertained us).
I soaked up the atmosphere, literally and figuratively. I got a pretty nice sunburn (I was in pain for a couple of days) and I also got to experience what it was like to be a fan. It seems to me that being there in the stands and interacting with everyone else was more important that the match itself. People go to the games for the social interactions. From time to time, the crowd would applaud a play on the field, but most of the time was spent chatting with others. All the fans in my area must have been coworkers judging by their conversations. It's a chance to get together, talk, laugh, eat, and drink. Fans were able to purchase 4 cans at a time; that's more than someone can buy at Pac Bell Park or any ballpark. The fans behind me must have consumed 20 or so ciders (24 oz. cans I think). I know that drinking is part of the British social culture, but never seen that many ciders/beers consumed between five or six people. At least they didn't act drunk...
By 430 pm, I left. The match was still going and I was really sunburned. It was cloudy most of the game, but the sun broke through and I was in direct sunlight for an hour. I took the train back to Bath and grabbed a cab back home. I walked through the front door about 8 pm. Stephanie was in London helping her daughter move house and Miki was at her boyfriend’s son I was on my own again. I got some dinner and then went to bed.
Oops...one problem still remains. How to get to the train station from the house? My train left at 949am, but the buses didn't start running until 930am. Panic! I can't get to the train station via the bus in 10 minutes! I had no car, I couldn't walk...what to do? I realized the taxi would be my only option. I looked around Stephanie's office, located a phone book, and called a taxi service. The company I selected from the ad offered 10% off to students. I called the number, and after about 15 minutes, I had my cab ride to the station booked; it cost about 6 pounds.
I got to the bus station by 8 am, so I had a lot of time to kill. I wandered around the city and looked into the windows of all the shops. The town was completely closed up; the only business that was open at that time was McDonald's. After an hour and a half, I went to the station and up to the platform. 949 came and went...959 came and went...at 1009 the train pulled into the station. There was some sort of issue with the tracks, which caused the delay. I figured I had 5 minutes to find the stadium when I got into Taunton. I was in first class (very comfortable-leather seats and tables). We first pulled into Bristol Temple Meads. The conductor announced that, for whatever reason (the tracks, I think), the train was terminating at Bristol Temple. Damn, what am I going to do? I'm in the country, a foreigner, and have no idea what to do next...
We were told to disembark the train, so I did, and just milled around the platform contemplating my next move. The doors slid open 10 minutes later, and everyone reboarded the train. It was never explained why, but the train continued on its way. I am going to be soooo late...
I got to Taunton by 1130 am and asked for directions to the stadium. The walk took about 10 minutes, but it was obvious which structure was the field. I bought my ticket at the gate (it cost a little more buying on game day), and I was in. Yippee-a real cricket game! The seats are not assigned; as long as I stayed in my assigned area, I could sit in any available seat. I was in the second row, about five seats in. I was right next to the field. How exciting!
I went to this game without understanding any of the rules of the game except that one team needs to score more "runs" than the other one. There are pitchers (bowlers), batters, catchers, and "the fielders". The basic rules are: the bowler pitches the ball, the batter hits it, and the batter (and other teammate) run back and forth the length of the pitch (multiple times if possible). I didn't understand the scoring, how outs affected the game, or any of the strategies of cricket. The most perplexing thing about the match was that all the players on the field (and the batters) were all dressed in their whites. Where were the South African players? I know that none of the South African players were on the field because three of them, dressed in green and gold, came out to the field during an intermission to mug for the audience. One of them bowled the ball, the second hit the ball, and the third shagged the "hit". They were definitely mugging for us. The batter hit 2-3 balls "out of the park" over our heads, while we all cheered. For the 5 hours I was there, I never saw the South African Players on the field (except for those that entertained us).
I soaked up the atmosphere, literally and figuratively. I got a pretty nice sunburn (I was in pain for a couple of days) and I also got to experience what it was like to be a fan. It seems to me that being there in the stands and interacting with everyone else was more important that the match itself. People go to the games for the social interactions. From time to time, the crowd would applaud a play on the field, but most of the time was spent chatting with others. All the fans in my area must have been coworkers judging by their conversations. It's a chance to get together, talk, laugh, eat, and drink. Fans were able to purchase 4 cans at a time; that's more than someone can buy at Pac Bell Park or any ballpark. The fans behind me must have consumed 20 or so ciders (24 oz. cans I think). I know that drinking is part of the British social culture, but never seen that many ciders/beers consumed between five or six people. At least they didn't act drunk...
By 430 pm, I left. The match was still going and I was really sunburned. It was cloudy most of the game, but the sun broke through and I was in direct sunlight for an hour. I took the train back to Bath and grabbed a cab back home. I walked through the front door about 8 pm. Stephanie was in London helping her daughter move house and Miki was at her boyfriend’s son I was on my own again. I got some dinner and then went to bed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
