London baby!!!

Hey girls!! Iwas looking on the website for Astor Victoria and found directions there from the airport, just in case you haven't founbd it yourselves already!! Love you all!!!!

From Heathrow Airport by Underground (Tube/Metro): Take the Piccadilly Line (dark blue) to Green Park Station, change to the southbound Victoria Line (light blue) to Pimlico Station. From Pimlico Station, take the south exit and turn right at the traffic lights into St George's Square which becomes Belgrave Road. We are on your right at number 71.

shannon - when you get here

If you see this, we wanted to let you know that we will check the hostel around 4 for you and will try to keep checking there for you periodically, so stay there! See you soon! Oh and if you happen to see this, it would help you to know that after you get off the plain you should wait outside for bus number 3 which will take you to the metro station or "gare." There you'll want to take the train from platform 11 or 12 to the Gard du Nord and then you'll want to go up the stairs way to the end and follow the signs for #4 and take that to Simplon. When you get out of the station try and find Rue Calaincourt which is just around the corner. Our hotel is right at the beginning of it and the address is number 22.

I bought my pass and received it in the mail today!!
jenna

p.s. what did you mean by a check carry on?

to romania

Hey what airline are yall flying to Romania on and at what time?!?

I'm flying on British Airways at 9:45am. I was just wondering thanks

Jenna

p.s. with whatever company you are flying are yall allowed an extra checked luggage at no cost or no?!?

Bye!

Bye! I love you all and I'll see you soon!

Loose Ends

Hey Girls. There are several loose ends in here so make sure you look through for stuff that pertains to you.

Here is the metro pass for London.
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/london_travel_card.htm
Take a look and tell me what you think. We would get the central zone for 7 days (Jenna I'd get the 3 day pass and activate it for the day you get there -31st right?- sinced the third will be in oxford and the fourth we're just going to the airport). If we do go with this (which we should cuz it's way cheap) then Sheri and Marina, you'll need to buy yours tomorrow and have it mailed to my house and I can bring it to Paris for you. Call me, we'll talk.

Sheri and Marina:
Here is info about transportation to London from Paris.

For a flight from Paris to London:
http://www.kayak.com/s/flights.jsp?searchid=0_moJuujPHwNRQDwpVBy&completed=true
There really aren't any cheap train tickets. We totally got screwed with the whole terrorist plot because now everyone wants to use the train and prices have skyrocketed. suck. So I think it would be best for us to book one of these tickets. And since it's British Air we'll know exactly what to expect because their travel guides are plastered all over the place! (Checked Baggage I believe is 2 pieces, 51 lbs each). Anyway, my situation may be a little different because I'm getting a roundtrip ticket so you might not be on the same plain. I think the third option is the same as my return flight though so I'd pick that. Anyway, I'm going to book my roundtrip tomorrow, and I'd suggest you guys do the same with your one-way. Call me though before you do. 1-801-380-6078.

For the Paris Museum Passes, we could get the 4-day one for 45 Euros, and we can buy them there which is a plus because we're really short on time. Oh and it includes Versailles and I BET that the rail pass will take us to Versailles.

Paris Rail Pass:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/paris_visite.htm
Haven't really done "research" on this, but Rail Europe had the best deal for London so I'm assuming it has the best for Paris too. Plus, it really is a good deal. 5 days for 67 dollars with access to the two airports. Sheri and Marina, you'll have to buy it tomorrow with the London one and mail it to my house.

I've emailed Tarom Romania for luggage specs and I'll pass that along as soon as I get a reply.

Anyway, I'm going on about 4 hours of sleep, it's 2 in the morning and I have work in 5 hours so I'm going to bed. I'll work more on this when I get home from work tomorrow. Look and comment PLEASE! And call if you have ANY questions, I can usually talk at work. 1-801-380-6078.

Te Iubesc!

Hey Shannon and Megan, call me! Thanks!

Restrictions

My mom sent this to me in an email. . . My sister flew back from Ammon, Jordan yesterday and when they got to the airport they made them repack everything and make it fit in their checked luggage. She was only allowed to bring a book and a wallet, so maybe bring the biggest book you can find to read haha. Here ya go you guys . . .


Customer travel tips
The TSA has implemented the following changes to airport screening procedures, effective August 10, 2006. These procedures will remain in place as circumstances warrant.

NO LIQUIDS OR GELS OF ANY KIND CAN BE CARRIED ON THE AIRCRAFT.

Items that fall within this category include:

All beverages of any type in any size container, including bottled water.
Shampoo
Suntan lotion
Creams
Toothpaste
Hair gel
Other items of similar consistency
Such items may be transported in checked baggage.

Exceptions include:

Baby formula and breast milk, only if a baby or small child is traveling
Prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger’s ticket
Insulin and essential other non-prescription medications
Please note that all of these approved items must be presented for inspection at the security checkpoint. Customers traveling from the U.K. to the U.S. should expect even more extensive screening processes.
Any beverages purchased in the boarding area (beyond the security checkpoint) must be consumed before boarding, as they will not be permitted on board the aircraft.
In light of these directives, passengers may experience delays at security checkpoints. Departing flights may also experience delays as a result. Please arrive two hours prior to scheduled departure time for domestic and international flights, and three hours prior to scheduled departure time for flights leaving the U.K.
Because of current requirements, United has waived its excess baggage fee for customers who elect to check their carry-on baggage. This waiver is subject to change and customers should check united.com for the latest information prior to departure.
New carry-on baggage restrictions for flights from the U.K.
All carry-on baggage must be processed as checked baggage for all flights departing from airports in the U.K. Nothing may be carried in passengers' pockets. Passengers may only take the following items through the airport security checkpoint, in a single transparent plastic bag:
Pocket-size wallets and pocket-size purses, plus contents (money, credit cards, identity cards, etc. but not handbags or purses)
Travel documents essential for the journey (passports and travel tickets)
Prescription medicines and medical items sufficient and essential for the flight (i.e. a diabetic kit), except in liquid form unless verified as authentic.
Eye glasses and sunglasses, without cases
Contact lens cases, without bottles of solution
For those traveling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (wipes, creams, disposal bags)
Female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed
Tissues (unboxed) and/or handkerchiefs
Keys (but no electrical key fobs)
If an item does not appear in the list above it is not allowed.

Additionally, no liquids, gels or other items of similar consistency are permitted to enter screened areas except for:
Baby formula or breast milk if a baby or small child is traveling
Prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger's travel documents
Insulin and essential other non-prescription medicines
This also includes liquids and gel products purchased as duty free. All U.K. transiting passengers will be required to check any carry-on baggage they bring to the airport regardless of origination.
Additional travel tipsThe steps below are designed to ease your travel experience during this period.

Pack lightly. Try to reduce clutter to facilitate easier screening.
Arrive at the airport three hours prior to scheduled departure time for domestic and international flights.
Cooperate with security personnel at all checkpoints and gates.
Be attentive and vigilant to any suspicious activity and report it to authorities.
Never leave baggage or personal items unattended. United will do everything practical to ensure we provide the most accurate flight status information at all times. However, situations change quickly and many factors affect our scheduled operations. Please visit united.com or call 1-800-UNITED-1 for flight status information. You may also take advantage of:
Our United EasyUpdate service, which automatically provides flight status notifications via email, mobile phone or pager.
Our free customer-paging service, which will automatically notify you of your flights' status via email or your text-enabled cellular phone or pager.
At the airport you may check monitors located throughout the terminal for flight status updates.

Response to All the Wonderful Itinerary Comments by Marie

Yay for comments! Ok, so first of all, if according to you they have mass at the Sacre Coeur at 10:15, that is absolutely doable because we don't really have much at all that late any of the days. Does that work for you? If not, let me know and we will figure it out. And are you sure you can just go to them? Also, when exactly are you going to be getting there. That would be good to know and have on here cuz if you just tell me I'll forget. Ok, about the Musee D'Orsay, that shouldn't be a problem at all. Does it say how long the tour is? By the way, I'm not planning on necessarily taking tours everywhere because some places I figure I'd rather wander around on my own and not pay the tour price. But some places we definitely will want a tour. Moulin Rouge we'll just go at 10 and see what we can get and make sure we make it to the D'Orsay in time for the tour. As far as the Pompidou is concerned, I'm not all that interested in going because according to Megan half of it is basically porn (which would proooobably make it a less than ideal activity for Sunday :-). If you really want to go, we could go on Thursday night (open til 11 I think) and go to the Sacre Coeur on, say Saturday night. And I just looked at the pass and yeah, it looks great. It works for quite a few of the things we are going to and since they're pretty expensive, it would be worth it I'd say. You want to look into how we should go about getting it? And maybe there's one for London too, you wanna look into that? Ok, anything else?

Master Itinerary

Ok, so here's the deal. Marina and I are leaving in a little over a week (the night of the 17th) and after that our input on this blog should be pretty minimal if anything at all. So, I'm going to try to get everything all squared away by then and if y'all (thank you jenna) have any questions, issues, etc. please bring them up by then! I will have my cell phone, so you can text me (calling with it would be way expensive, but you can text me to tell me to call you if you need to), but that's kind of expensive too and besides I'd rather not have to deal with any of this ones I'm gone, so try not to. Anyway, I'm going to post what is almost the finished itinerary and it will probably (hopefully) be the last one I post unless there are major problems with it. It doesn't include some info, but that's because i don't have that info compiled yet. I'll have it with me in Europe, but it's not on here because I don't figure you really need to know, for example, which train we need to take to get where. Anyway, here you go.


August 18th (Friday)
- 8:30 pm arrive in Shannon airport
- 8:30 - 9 get luggage together and hire a taxi
- 9 - 9:15 Take taxi
- 9:15 - 9:30 Check into Jamaica Inn
- 9:30 - 10:30 Unpack/get ready for bed
- 10:30 Go to bed
August 19th (Saturday)
- 7 - 8 Get ready
- 8 - 8:30 Check out
- 8:30 - 9 Get to Bunratty Castle
- 9 - 10:30 Explore Bunratty Castle
- 10:30 - 11 Get to Cliffs
- 11 - 1 Explore Cliffs of Moher
- 1 - 1:30 Get to Doolin
- 1:30 - 2 Take boat from Doolin to Inisheer
- 2 - 3 Explore Inisheer (this is just because it's the best way to get to Inishmor)
- 3 - 3:30 Take boat from Inisheer to Inishmor
- 3:30 - 4 Check in to Norrin Ui Ghoill or however you spell it)
- 4 - 8 Explore Inishmore (some of this stuff is of course flexible - also, for this island, we don't have a very set itinerary because we're just going to be biking around seeing whatever we want and we don't need one)
- 8 - 9 Eat
- 9 - 10:30 Get ready for bed, etc.
August 20th (Sunday)
- 8 Wake up
- 8 - 9 Get ready
- 9 - 9 Explore (we'll maybe try and find some sort of church to go to)
- 9 - 10 Get ready for bed
August 21st (Monday)
- 7:30 - 8:30 Get ready
- 8:30 - 9 Check out
- 9 - 10 Get to Doolin
- 10 - 10:30 Get to Burren
- 10:30 - 2 Burren
- 2 - 2:30 Get to Dungaire
- 2:30 - 4:30 Dungaire
- 4:30 - 5:30 Get to Galway airport
- 5:30 - 7:40 Check in and wait to get on plane
- 7:40 - 8:55 Fly to Edinburgh
- 8:55 - 9:30 Get luggage and find taxi
- 9:30 - 10 Get to hostel
- 10 - 10:30 Check in to Globetrotter Inn
- 10:30 - 11:30 Get ready for bed
August 22nd (Tuesday)
- 8:30 - 9 Take shuttle (they leave every hour on the half and take like 15 to 30 min i think)
- 9 - 9:30 Walk to Castle/Get lunch food from store
- 9:30 - 12 Edinburgh Castle
- 12 - 2 Sir Walter Scott Monument
- 2 - 4:30 Holyroodhouse/St. Arthur's Seat
- 4:30 - 7 St. Gile's Cathedral
- 7 - 8 Eat Dinner
- 8 - 8:30 Take shuttle back (they go back every hour on the hour)
- 8:30 - 9:30 Walk around beach
- 9:30 - 10:30 Get ready for bed
August 23rd (Wednesday)
- 8 - 9 Get ready
- 9 - 9:30 Check out
- 9:30 - 10 Take Shuttle to city
- 10 - 10:30 Take bus to airport
- 10:30 - 12:30 At the airport
- 12:30 - 3:30 Fly to Paris (can't find my flight itinerary, so do you know what the exact times for this are?)
- 3:30 - 4:30 Get to Hotel des Olympiades and check in
- 4:30 - 7 Sacre Coeur
- 7 - 9:45 Louvre
August 24th (Thursday)
- 9 - 12 Moulin Rouge (not exactly how this works or when it opens)
- 12 - 3:30 Musee D'Orsay
- 3:30 - 5 Walk down the Champs Elysees
- 5 - 6:30 Arc de Triomphe
August 25th (Friday)
- 10 - 11:30 Maison de Victor Hugo
- 11:30 - 1 Lunch
- 1 - 4 Conciergerie
- 4 - 7 Notre Dame (we'll be there when they sing their nightime whatever it's called)
- 7 - 9:45 Louvre again
August 26th (Saturday)
- 9 - 11 Catacombs (only open for like 2 hour periods according to website, but if open longer we have generous time at lunch that we can cut into)
- 11 - 12:30 Lunch at Jardin du Luxembourg (pretty garden/good for people watching)
- 12:30 - 3:30 Musee National August Rodin
- 3:30 to 5 Boat tour of the Seine (they leave every half hour and take an hour and a half)
- 5 - 7 Dinner somewhere (i say we eat out like once a week and not just like grab something but really eat)
- 7 - 9 Eiffel Tower (open til like midnight, so we've got plenty of time)
August 27th (Sunday)
- 9 - 12:30 Church (my mom's looking into this, but this day is way flexible so it doesn't matter when it's at)
- 12:30 - 2 Hotel Ritz
- 2 - 6 Louvre (if we're tired of the Louvre by now we can do something else)
August 28th (Monday)
- Versailles (don't have this totally planned yet, but all i really need to plan is train tickets because the rest is pretty self explanatory I'm guessing)
August 29th (Tuesday)
- 7 - 10:30 Travel from Paris to London (still need to look into train/chunnel/ferry tickets)
- 10:30 - 11:30 Get to Astor Victoria and check in etc.
- 11:30 - 2:30 Trafalgar Square
- 2:30 - 5 Parliament and Big Ben
- 5 -7 Boat tour
- 7 - 11 Watch Play (Trafalgar Square or Royal Albert Hall depending on whether we can get tickets for a play at Trafalgar Square earlier in the day)
August 30th (Wednesday)
- 10:45 - 12:15 Changing of the guard
- 12:15 - 2 Hyde Park
- 2 - 5:30 Westminster Abbey
- 5:30 - 9 National Gallery
August 31st (Thursday) (not sure about St. Paul's hours because the site said it closed at 4, but abbey was talking about be able to be there when they sing at that wasn't til at least 5, sooo, hence the two options)
- 9:30 - 10:30 Abbey Road
- 10:30 - 1:30 Buckingham Palace
- 1:30 - 4 Saint Paul's Cathedral
or
- 9:30 - 10:30 Abbey Road
- 10:30 - 1:30 Buckingham Palace
- 1:30 - 5 Covent Garden shopping/people watching/St. Paul's Church (not Cathedral)
- 5 - 8 St. Paul's Cathedral
September 1st (Friday)
- 9 - 12 Tower of London
- 12 - 2 Tower Bridge
- 2 - 5 Globe Play
- 5 - 7 Dinner on London Bridge
- 7 - 8 Jack the Ripper Tour (starts at 7, goes for like 40 min i think)
September 2nd (Saturday)
- 10 - 11:30 Dicken's House
- 11:30 - 1 British Museum
- 1 - 2:30 Highgate Cemetary Tour
- 2:30 - 5 British Library Tour
- 5 - 9 Play at either Trafalgar Square or Royal Albert Hall (whichever we didn't see before)
September 3rd (Sunday)
- Oxford (once again, still need to plan, but shouldn't be too hard and unless you guys want to give me input on this, i'll just have the itinerary when we get there because i don't feel the need to post it at this time)

Ok, so that's the plan. Please comment if you have something to say. Au revoir!

Good Luck!!

I can't believe yall are leaving in one week!!! I'm so jealous I wish I could come, but it didn't work out for me. I hope that your packing and getting stuff reading to leave isn't too stressful. I'm just in Arizona working at blockbuster and watching too many movies. haha. have a great last week in the U.S.
~Jenna B.

Sheri and Marina

Hey girls. Ok, so I called the paris hostel and booked the 23rd for you. The only double room they had was the double bed private ensuite and it was 31.37 each. So at least you'll get a nice room for one night. Anyway, Marina I can't call Astor Victoria for your reservation because I'm not you. They won't let me discuss your travel arrangements. But they speak english so you can call them easy. Their number is 44 207 834 3077. When dialing, Dial 011 and then the rest of the number. Good Luck!

Sherri

Hola! So I have been trying to book hostels... I have booked the Jamacian Inn for August 18th the eight bed FEMALE dorm. I have also booked the Astor Victoria for Aug. 29-Sept. 3 the six person shared (I hope someone else from our group will at least be with me!!!) As far as Edinburg, I think the City Centre one or the Globe Trotter would be the best. The City Centre isn't as nice, but it's location is great-- the Globe Trotter is great, but the location is about 15 minutes from the city but right by the ocean. It has a shuttle, but I am confused because some of the comments said it was free, but others said it was 1.50 in whatever currency they use. So although the City Centre is a bit more expensive, the shuttle pass might add up. But take a look.... As far as Aran Islands... I was about to book when I realized that it was 35 EURO not dollars. Dang gina! Talk about expensive!!!! But I did find this other place, and it's super cute, but I know NOTHING about the location, or what the deal with this island is. But it's called Caaraig Villa- it's a country home. But I'm also wondering if it would be easier if we booked that together because I'm not sure if we would end up together otherwise, and besides, there is a 4 euro surcharge for booking. Check it out though and tell me what you think.... I just don't even know anything about the Aran Islands. http://reservations.goireland.com/affiliates/bkgPremInfo.asp?AffiliateID=6&provid=43&PremisesCode=ICSG2076&IsAdvanced=0&Dtls=True&postfromresults=1
Other than that... I'm working on Paris. Text me. I seriously have NO minutes and I am leaving for Idaho in the morning. The only problem is that the internet situation is sketchy because I'm not a student and can't steal their wireless like I can here. :) But let me know!!! Later girl!

London Hostel

I've booked Astor Victoria?? Have yall?? Jenna

Paris Hostels - Comment right away please since they are reeeeally filling up!

Ok, look at these hostels.

Garden Hotel (actually not a hostel...) - Really good location, and looks like a nicer one, no free breakfast, but it is pretty cheap, however, it's a little more expensive (but still not bad!).
Aloha Hostel (not a frenchish name, i know) - About the same price as the Garden Hotel (which really is still pretty good), free breakfast, ok location, one bad thing is there's definitely a lockout from 11a to 5pm. Do we think we'll need to be there at that time? Also, it got complained about a lot in the reviews.
Hotel Bellevue - The most expensive, but not by much. It's got a doable location, look pretty nice and has a free breakfast, so if it weren't for the price, I'd say it's the best.
Hotel des Olympiades - not the best, and no free breakfast, but in a doable location, and most importantly veeeery cheap.

Basically, moral of the story, don't wait to reserve hostels until the good ones are gone, so let's reserve these before even these are gone! Also, we're not going to get anything fabulous unless we want to pay more and I really don't, so we'll need to realize that it's just a place to lay our heads down at night!

Comment! Now! Please! Or call!

London Hostel - Hopefully Final Post

Ok, so everyone get online BY SUNDAY and book Astor Victoria 8 bed mixed dorm for whatever days you're going to be there. For the ones of us that'll be there the whole time, that's starting the 29th for 6 nights. Ok? Go! Do!

Let's get going!

Ok, right now hostels are definitely our main priority. They're pretty much the only things that will become unavailable if we wait too long. So, I'm urging you guys to get going on that. Namely, for all of us, unless there's an objection, let's all reserve Astor Victoria BY SUNDAY. If you don't book in time, you'll be alone in some random hostel and that's not cool, so just do it! For the Parisians, Shannon, what've we got and what're we going to decide? Talk to me. Calling is best. For Marina, call me and we'll book - this one's the most important as they are filling up FAST!!! I know you're busy, but as cheesy as it sound, the hostels aren't going to wait and I'm ready to book.

OOOOOkay, so I was all Miss Indecision about the Dan thing last night, but he TOTALLY just won points with me tonight and if he wanted to start something -anything- I think I'd be game. Story: So yesterday I had a pool party at my house at around 1pm and Dan and my best friend Richard ended up staying till about 10:30pm. It was a lot of fun but Dan acted like a total idiot most of the time and he just seemed really silly and immature to me. So I basically decided that the only reason I'd hook up with Dan at this point would be to see what it feels like to date the gorgeous football star and that wouldn't be fair to him or me and it would be really disrespectful to both of us. So today on the way into work I totally wrote him off as a potential boyfriend until further notice because that seemed the decent thing to do. Then today I finished work before Dan and went home to take a nap. Well he calls me as soon as he gets out and asks if I want a Romanian Lesson. I say sure and he comes over. We go swimming first and then we spend an hour or so learning Romanian at the kitchen table. PS. Never call someone an animal name or tell them to die in Romania... that is REALLY bad. Anyway. We call a couple of his old companions and talk for a while. Not knowing that I could understand, one of them asks Dan in Romanian if I am "prietenalui" (girlfriend) or "doar o prietena". Dan says "doar prieteni" which is nice because it cleared up some flirting things from last night that I was unsure about because, well, I don't know why he would have been messing around with my hand unless he was considering holding it. So now I'm like, good, only friends. That clears that up. Fast forward to twenty minutes later, we go downstairs to watch a movie and I hit his legs with a pillow to say "sit up". Well he sits up, grabs a pillow and puts it on my shoulder and the only place I could put my legs was on top of his. Totally harmless not reading anything into it. (it was a REALLY small couch and my bros and sis had the other couch. ) Long story short- by the end of the movie he has his hand on my waste. And for a good while it was just on my waste, not reading anything into it (once again, really really small couch) but then he actually holds my waste ya know? not, "I'm just putting my hand here cuz it's comfy" but actually holding my waste "because I want to hold you." So I'm sitting here thinking Oh My Gosh? is this really happening? Am I cuddling on a couch with the former football captain? Mind you, in high school he dated my friend who was like GORGEOUS and I was the dorky sidekick. Things like this did not happen to me. Dan Jacobsen was so unbelievably out of my league that I could barely talk to the guy let alone watch a movie with him! It was very surreal. So around this time I'm thinking, "ya know, I don't know what his intentions are but this was definately something that I never thought would happen and I'm pretty happy now no matter what happens."

So now I'm just not worrying about the friends, not friends thing because I honestly thought (and still do think) that nothing would happen (ya know, that whole respect thing). But then Dan decides to stay for dinner and I see this whole different side to him. He got along SO well with my parents and it was a really fun dinner, he was really great with my family. But this is the part where he wins points. I'm doing the dishes, and he goes out on the deck with my two little brothers and starts playing with them. I could see them out the window and he is being so good with them and I can tell they're having a really good time because they're laughing and you can just see that they think he's just so cool and they totally worship the ground he walks on now. Understand that the only role models my brother's have is my father who spent a year in prison and has like... the worst moral sense in the world, my brother who is an alcoholic and living with his girlfriend whom he just had a baby with (who is TOTALLY adorable by the way), and my step-dad who is such a good man, but he's a convert and isn't really that cool or whatever. Don't get me wrong, I love all of them and think they are great, but you should have seen my little brothers with Dan. Here he was; cool, tall, handsome, football captain, had just come back from a mission, was really funny, and was genuinely interested in playing with them and teaching them how to juggle! It was one of the coolest things I had ever seen with my brothers. Most of the guys that come over to my house just humor my brothers, if that. Most of them are too caught up with me or themselves to really notice them. And when Dan left tonight, my little brothers had such a good spirit. They were kind and peaceful and happy. I've never seen them act like that. So yeah. If Dan wants to be friends, that's cool (I honestly have NO IDEA what that boy is thinking). But I saw a totally different side to him tonight and I would totally date that in a second. And the best part of the night is when I'm out on the deck and my thirteen-year-old brother comes out and says, "Ya know, I think Dan likes you." When I laugh and ask why he thiunks that, he replies "I don't know, he just acts like he does and why else would he stay until 10:30 at night?" (What he doesn't know is that Dan's house doesnt' have central air and it's 93 degrees outside.) Anyway, I never expected to hear that from my brother, it was quite the bonding moment.

So there ya go. I've decided, I really like Dan no matter what happens and today was a very good day. THE END.


Now as far as hostels go. I'm totally fine about the changing hostels, but if we're gonna change I say do the cheaper one. The train ride isn't that bad and 23 bucks is a lot of money. I'm not mad, that's just what I'd prefer. If everyone wants Astor Victoria we can TOTALLY stay there. It's up to you guys. I'm going to bed now but I'll check the train pass thing tomorrow if I can. Luv ya lots!

Oxford/London Reservations

Ok, so here's the deal with Oxford. It would be nice to stay there for a night, but I don't think it would really help us to see much more than if we just went up early one day and left late the same day. Also, as Megan mentioned, luggage during the trip could be a problem and according to Shannon there's a possiblility of using the pass to get from France to England. Can you check on that Shannon? So if no one has strong objections to this, I'd say we don't need an Oxford hostel at all. Do we agree? That would mean that for the 3 of us (Marina, Shannon, Sheri) we'll need the London hostel for the 29th, 30th, 31st, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Or were we planning to get there the night of the 28th? Call me. We'll chat :-).

Marin - Hostels Again

Ok, so I like Clai Ban too, except.....it's already booked. In fact, a lot of the Aran Islands ones were and there were definitely some I wouldv'e been pretty interested in if they weren't booked, so how do you feel about Noirin Ui Ghoill? Also, for Edinburgh hostels, it sounds like the Globetrotter got better reviews and such, but on the other hand, Backapacker has such a cool location and it's really cute and more central. I find I'm far too easily swayed by looks. So what do you think? And yes, we should definitely try to book as sooooon as possible. I should be available pretty much the whole day, so give me a call when you get the next chance! Thanks!

p.s. Oh yeah, also we need to book a hostel for the night we get there in or around Shannon. The problem is, there don't seem to be any cheap hostels within walking distance, and the bus gets there too late for other cheap ones, so after exhausting many options, it seems like the cheapest thing we could do is stay at this one called the Jamaica Inn (funny name) which is a few miles away and we'd have to take a taxi which would cost like $20. However, since the hostel is only $26.55 and we'd be sharing the taxi fare it'd only be about $35. The only other hostels I found were either way more expensive or way further away (larger taxi fare). So what do you think about that?

Ok guys, I found three pretty detailed ratings on hostelworld for Greenwich.

"Once you figure out the train system it´s very easy to get to and from London. It takes about 15-20 but you do have to transfer. Greenwich is a really cool place, lots of small restaraunts and shops to visit. The actual hostel is nice, but there´s not much to it. It´s a good place. Hostellers get cheap food, which is a bonus!!"

"The hostel had a cool atmosphere, being above the pub. Cheap and convenient food and drinks. It was a little loud at night though, earplugs are recommended. Clean, average facilites. Good location right next to the Greenwich train station. Staff was helpful."

"Everything was very clean and nice. My fav. hostel in london so far. No security lockers though. Great bar downstairs."

That said, the train pass costs the same but the rooms are upstairs so it will be hotter. So we'd save about 35 dollars by staying in Greenwich at the sacrifice of the convenience and atmosphere of Camden. Do we think it's worth it? I know I really prefer Camden and it makes me sad to think that we wouldn't stay there, but at the same time, 35 dollars is a lot of money and I don't know how we could refuse saving that much seeing as that's like, five meals in london or two tours or a month of food in Romania. Anyway, let me know what you decide and then we can book tomorrow.

PS, we'll want the Central Zone 7 day pass for the tube. It's 39 dollars + tax and service fee. Although we MAY have to wait till we're in London to buy those because they might be activated the day you buy them. I don't know, the wording on the website is funny. Anyway, I'm not too worried about it, those will always be there and I'm really tired so I'm going to bed. Thanks so much for all the comments and thanks for the number crunching Marina, I owe you! Oh and on a more different note, Confusion reigns with the whole Dan thing because I thought I was firmly positioned in the 'friend zone' but we just spent the last 10 hours together and now I'm feeling some different vibes from him. That should be exciting except that I'm not really sure if I want to get into anything with him now, in fact I'm pretty sure that I don't. It'd be too complicated. So now I'm really, really, really confused and I've absolutely NO idea what to do. Ugh, August 23rd can't come soon enough.

Marina - Ireland Hostels

I don' t know if you found anything for Edinbourgh, but I did a search not on hostelworld.com (because they were booked) for the Aran Islands and found a Bed and Breakfast I want you to look at. Go to google and type search "aran islands bed and breakfast." The first one says "Cheap Aran Islands..." Click on that and go to the 2nd one down which is Noirin Ui Ghoill. That's the one I was thinking of doing. There's a couple that are 30 euro, but one doesn't have the right availability and the other one just had like noooo info about it which makes me a little nervous. But tell me what you think. And actually, call me as soon as you look there because I'll probably be at work without the internet and won't be able to check the blog to see what you say and I want to book this like RIGHT NOW because I don't want it to get booked like the others. Thanks!

I'm ALIVE.... barily!

Hey! I know you all think I've died, but EFY is really kicking my butt! It really is a 24/7 job. But I finally got around to looking at the blog and doing some research of my own. Here's what I am thinking... as far as London Hostels, I personally like Astor Victoria the best. It's actually $11.64 cheaper for the 8 bed than St. Christophers Camden's 10 bed. Also, the location is great-- it's within zone one of the tube, and is conveniently located near all the touristy stuff. I also like the fact that it is catered to the typical young backpacker like ourselves. Also, I looked at St. Christopher's Greenwich, and it is $23.28 cheaper than Astor Victoria, but at the same time, I am afriad that we would have to get a tube pass that encompassed more zones and/or spend more time riding the tube. But that's just me! Let me know what you think!!!! Sorry it took me forever to get to this... I've been in Idaho, Arizona, California, and Provo doing pretty much back to back sessions, and haven't always gotten the internet!!! But I love you all, and if you want to come visit, I am up in Heritage!!!

Thursday

I get to London on thursday night at like 7pm. Once I somehow figure out how to get to the hostel and drop my bag off. Sheri or anyone do yall know what I could do on my own while yall are doing the Jack the Ripper thing??
Jenna

Oxford

I would rather go to Oxford the night before, i think I'm the only one, so whatever. Do I need to call about the Hostel to reserve it, or is that in Paris I didn't quiet understand that?
Jenna

Abbi!!!

Ok, so I talked to Abbi and she was seriously so excited about us going to London. She sent me an email with a bunch of suggestions too and based on that I'm going to change around the London Itinerary a little bit and also include changes we've already talked about and see what you guys think about that. She didn't know much about Tube zones except that you're almost always going to just use Zone 1, except our hostel might be in a later zone and that the tube is your friend :-). So, just gimme a sec and I'll put up the new itinerary. It'll have the right hostel nights and everything too Shannon.

Ok guys, I called the Hostel. You have to make your own reservation for the Hostel, i can't make them for you so we need to do that today and tomorrow. Second. i was looking at St Chris's Greenwich and it's a heck of a lot cheaper (by about 30 bucks) but it's far out of the way. so the question is do we want to go cheaper and take the metro everywhere since we'll have passes, or are we happy with where we are? Let me know.
PS. The quy I talked to was from Australia and sounded really hot... this is going to be so muich fun!