Ferries, Trains, and the Underground

A blog post migration from a year ago. 

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     On March 22nd, I traveled the Irish Sea, saw a bit of Wales, and walked the streets of London for the first time. I also sat next to a ginger kid with cornrows.

     This day was a day primarily filled with travel. I left Ireland bright and early, catching a cab to the StenaLine Ferry in Dublin. I was quite excited to go on it, picturing a small, open air boat, where the mist of the Irish Sea blows in my face, and the boat rocks so much that I have no choice but to discover if I have the capability to get seasick or not. However, the ferry almost seemed more like a cruise than anything else. 

     I got on it no problem; it was a giant boat, honestly, with multiple stories, several layers filled with a car park, and plenty of places to relax or explore. The inner room where most people stayed was pretty posh; there were several comfy seats and couches, and even a teli playing a daytime program that sort of looked like a British version of Jerry Springer. It honestly looked more like a hotel lobby than the inside of a ferry. I also had internet access and an outlet to charge my ipod. 

     It wasn't long, however, that I decided to explore some. As soon as I stepped outside, the ferry appeared more, well, ferry-like. There were metal doors and hallways, and lifeboats lined the edges of the ship. Beyond the railing, the mass of ocean stretched out beyond the horizon. I walked around a bit there, but soon retired back to my seat indoors. 

     We landed in Holyhead, a small port town in Wales. I had a few hours to kill before I caught the train, so I walked around a bit, exploring the city center. I managed to find my way to a cathedral surrounded by a 4th century Roman stone wall. I then walked along a promenade to a rocky beach, which had ships dotting the harbor. I also found one part of the beach that was covered in green coloured rocks. I'm sure it was because of some algae or other such thing, but it was pretty interesting to look at. After that, I walked back and got on the train which would take me to London. 

     Although I didn't spend any extensive time in Wales, it was still quite a lovely place. The train took us through a good deal of the hilly, beautiful countryside, and we passed the castle in Conwy. There were plenty of sheep and other such creatures, and we went through many wonderful towns that I would like to (hopefully) get a chance to go visit someday. 

     I was sitting in a table seat, which means that I had two seats across from me and a seat beside me, and a table in between. Aside from a businessman who got on the train at a later stop, the only person who sat here was a ginger kid with cornrows. At first, I thought this kid was quite young--possibly just starting secondary school. He had piercings all over his face and a few tattoos covering his freckled skin. I sat across from him for several hours, and he was generally on his computer, or eating some of the several snacks he brought with him. When we were almost in London, his mother called, and then one of his mates. He talked to them for a bit, and went on about how he got a tan (I couldn't help but smile at this) and also how he had been in Wales for work, but now he was coming back home to London for a bit. Needless to say, I was a bit surprised to find out that this kid was most likely around my age. And it was just interesting to sit across from such a character. 

     When I got into London, I had to find my hostel, the Generator. I got off at Euston station, and stepped outside onto the street. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked. London is, by all accounts, huge. It was nothing like the other English towns and cities I had been to, and the overall feel of the city was different. It seemed so much easier to get lost, so much more menacing. The way people walked around was different, as well. They didn't watch where they were going, but instead more or less plowed through, bumping shoulders along the way. Admittedly, I didn't like London when I first got there. It was too much to handle, especially because I was there alone, and, aside from a very useful map that saved me countless hours that would've otherwise been spent getting lost, I had very little sense of where I was in relation to the city. I got to the Hostel as quickly as possible, and checked in. 

     This was also my first hostel experience, and it was overall, better than what I expected, but also worse. They advertised wifi in the room, but that, of course, was a lie, and the whole make up of the place seemed more like a warehouse with steel floors and bare walls. The shower did work, but its only temperature was scalding. The beds, however, were better than I expected, although I did share with twelve other women. Needless to say, I was quite tired after a long day of traveling, so, after contacting my family and boyfriend, I got into bed and went to sleep.