“Good morning everyone! So today we have a guest with us, Matt, with us who works at the collège teaching English. Matt is from Philadelphia, does anyone know anything about Philadelphia?”
*Crickets*
“CHEESE!”
What this genius was referring to was Philadelphia cream cheese. That’s the only thing they can think of when they hear “Philadelphia.” No Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin, Declaration of Independence, Constitution, former capital of the United States…nothing. One even asked me, after they realized that I was American and not French, if Philadelphia was on the West coast. Fail.
Their teacher Amélie, a French expat living in England, told me that they’re not very concerned with geography, languages or world culture. Even though they were supposed to be the best and the brightest from their school, the happenings of the day would prove otherwise. Most of them threw out the bag lunches that their family packed for them (they didn’t even drink the Orangina!) and opted for Subway and Starbucks, while others boasted about how they barely spoke any French with their host families and how they had to try so many different foods at last nights’ dinner. I must be getting old.
After taking a tour of Notre Dame (Fun Fact: I never realized that the door on the far left was different from the other two, but apparently it was made that way because the church believed that nothing could be perfect, except God) we headed to Beaubourg where Amélie, Matt and I sat at a café while the kids had some free time.
The afternoon was spent touring the Stade de France, the biggest stadium in France where they have rugby, soccer, track and field, cycling and motocross as well as concerts and operas. Our guide was really good, but I felt terrible for him because of some of the questions that the kids asked him i.e. How many people died and/or killed themselves here? What’s the most serious accident you’ve had here? The stadium is 900 years old. The light color in this area is wrong, it should be red since it’s closer to the fire station. Forget questions like “has so and so performed here?” or “how many goals have been scored here?” etc.
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| The Stade de France seats 80,000 spectators, and the Jumbo-trons are as big as a tennis court. |
Two days later on Wednesday I left for Belfast to visit my friend Sarah before heading to London to do the same with another friend, James. Going into this trip I had no expectations at all; not even the slightest inkling of what either Ireland or England would be like. Both places, however, were nicer than I ever could have imagined and I had a fantastic time. In both countries we were kept so busy that every night we were exhausted. Only two things were missing from the trip, a proper night out and a pint of Guinness. Otherwise pretty much everything got checked off the list.
Right, so first stop: Belfast. Sarah met Jackie and I at the airport and we did a mini walking tour of Belfast, making a quick stop to see the oldest pub in the city before heading to Victoria Square for some Peri-Peri chicken at Nando’s. The British assistants raved about this place (they serve Portuguese food) and honestly, their praise was justified. Awesome. If anyone wants to make a killing stateside, open one of these restaurants. I’m convinced it would slaughter Moe’s or Panera Bread.
We walked around a little bit more after dinner and did a tour of the waterfront along the River Lagan (they switch the word order for some reason) before Sarah’s dad picked us up and we headed back to her place.
The next day we got on the train and went to Dublin. It was a beautiful city that reminded me of Boston, which makes sense I guess considering that so many Irish immigrants settled there. We had a nice 15 minute walk or so into the center of town and after signing up for an afternoon Viking tour we went for a stroll through the grounds of Trinity College before heading to lunch. Again, I was treated to an incredible meal at Elephant & Castle, a New York style sandwich shop that was anything but. According to Sarah’s mom they’re a chain too like Nando’s; and again if anyone is looking for an investment opportunity, here’s another one for you.
After lunch we went on a Viking tour of Dublin. A Viking tour is basically the same thing as a Duck Tour that you’d take in Philly or Boston, except you wear Viking helmets and yell at people walking along the street as you drive by. I’ll admit that at first, I thought it was going to be kind of cheesy, but the driver was hilarious and I had a really good time. It was difficult to get photos of the sights, but we did manage to see a lot in the hour and a half that we were on board.
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| If only there was enough time... |
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| U2 Recording studios. |
That night Sarah’s mom and sister had cooked for us: Shepherd’s pie (no veggie in between the beef and potatoes though) with some Irish sausages for dinner and pavlova for dessert. After dinner we all hung out together talking and drinking for a while.
The next morning after we finished our bus tour of Belfast, one of Sarah's friends, Lucy, and her boyfriend Nathan drove us up to the Giant's Causeway - an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. After a hearty bowl of Irish lamb stew, Sarah, Jackie and I made the treck down to the Causeway, where this was waiting for us:
The drive home was filled with even more beautiful scenery. I thought Normandy was green, but Ireland takes it to a whole different level.
The next morning after an incredible Ulster fry made by Sarah's dad, we set off for the airport and on to London. Unfortunately for those of you reading this, you'll have to wait a bit longer, as I'm getting ready to go to Florence tomorrow morning. Just think, when I get back (and eventually update) you'll have London and Italy to look forward to. Ciao for now though!
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