Adventures in Printing

Ireland. Where the simple task of turning in a paper turns into an adventure. As I hopped out of bed around 1 o'clock in hopes of printing out a paper that was due today, I expected a simple trip to the nearby Rye Hall Computer Center to be all I would need. Unfortunately this was just the start of my journey. Rye Hall was closed so I wandered over to location number 2 at the Arts Block. This building was open, but literally every machine was in use and there was a line of 5 people to get the next available computer. This led me down to the library which I should have known would be a lost cause before I even thought of it. The place is already low on computers and with it being study week it was packed. While I was there though I attempted to change out a 20 so I could put a euro on my print account. Apparently they don't do this though so I had to get an over priced albeit delicious coffee from starbucks in order to break it. My journey then led me back to the arts block where I finally got a machine but soon found that it wasn't connected to the print network. I was getting rather frustrated when I finally found the best kept secret of NUIM. The Callan Foyer computer cluster doesn't have a printer, but it prints to the print hub in the Arts Block. I finally had my paper printed out and headed over to the sociology building to turn it in just to find the door locked. Typical. So I then made my way over to security who had to give my card special access to the building with the drop box. Finally, after 3 hours of running about, I successfully turned in my seminar paper for my ethnic conflict class. Personally I think I should get bonus points for the effort but I'm sure I'm alone in that sentiment. I've included a Google Map with all my meanderings for the afternoon for you to see the wild goose chase this task set me on!

Don't Feed the Student

After a few weeks back in Maynooth it was time once again to cram some clothes into a carry-on bag and hang out with the good people at Dublin International Airport. My flight to London was set to depart at around 7 in the morning so I had a couple options in getting to the airport. I could

1. Get a Taxi for €40
2. Take a bus that may or may not arrive when its supposed to at 4 am
3. Take the train the night before for €5.

Being the penny pincher I am, I elected for an airport sleep over and to take the train in the night before. I setup shop over by the 24 hour McDonalds and ordered my dinner. As I was leaving the counter, I noticed that the girl at the pickup area couldn't seem to find the customer who had ordered a batch of 20 chicken nuggets and a Fanta. Not wanting to see quality fast food go to waste, I shamelessly told the clerk that I would be happy to take the unclaimed food if it was just going to be thrown away. This earned me a dirty look that said "Really? You do realize this is McDonalds. The food isn't that expensive so if you want something just order your own!" Clearly this woman doesn't understand how exclusive my bank account is seeing as I just exchanged 40% of its membership for the meal I had just purchased! Anyways, as I watched the hours tick by before security opened up for the morning, I must have forgotten to take down my advertisement for multi-lingual services as I was approached by a frantic looking woman speaking what sounded like Spanish. I will recreate the scene to follow with clips from anchorman.

This of course was then followed by her friend who also didn't speak English but was doubly frantic coming in and waving her arms at their bags as she spoke in something that wasn't even close to any language I've ever heard...

So as my sleep deprived brain located the hamster that spins my thinking wheel, I started to attempt to piece together bits of what the calmer of the two was saying to me. Once I established that literally zero English was spoken by the two, and that they were in fact speaking Portuguese instead of Spanish, I took a shot in the dark to see if they spoke Italian. Fortunately they did and things began to click at that point. Apparently their friend was supposed to pick them up from the airport but never showed up. They were out of phone credit and couldn't seem to get in touch with him. This of course is a much smoother translation as the real conversation consisted of me recognizing some key words and them miming out the parts I couldn't get.  Eventually though I was able to help them navigate the top-up machine in order for them to have enough credit to make their call and they were on their way. This of course set off celebrations in my head as all my little neurons high-fived in jubilation for what just happened.

By this point I was just about ready to head through security so I gathered up my things and made my way to   the gate. Despite everything I've ever said about Ryan Air, they did what I paid them to do. They got me from point A to point B and the did it when they said they'd do it. So even with their crazy baggage policies and the sketchy fact that they had to arrange us on the plane a certain way so it could maintain its balance, they did their job. 

Upon arriving in Milton Keyenes, I was immediately greeted by my Uncle Larry and his co-worker who were on lunch at an Indian place just outside the train station I came in at. This first meal set the tone for what was about to be known in my collegiate history as the week of prosperity. As I sat down I took in the glorious sight before me of abundant food and drink as though I had never seen anything like it before. To my credit, it had certainly been a while! I tried a little bit of everything in front of me and found myself feeling full for the first time since the early days of Rome when I had money! As luck would have it, my uncle also believed in more than 1 meal a day! What was this magical gravy train I had stumbled on to?! 3 meals a day? More than one food item being considered a meal? Beverages?! 

The next day my Aunt Elizabeth was due to arrive in the early afternoon. I took advantage of having the morning free to wander on down to the hotel breakfast for some scrambled eggs and juice. I took my time afterwards reading the paper and letting my food digest before hitting the gym and doing some laps in the pool. By the time I was done and showered, Elizabeth had arrived and we were able to once again explore the culinary brilliance of Milton Keynes.

The next day Elizabeth and I did some sight seeing at Bletchley Park where they decrypted the code the Nazis were using to communicate during WWII. So by combining my interests in WWII and technology it was a sight to behold as they also had a museum for the history of computers there. It really is incredible just how far we've come in the world of technology since the days of computers that took up the whole room and needed drip pans for the oil coming out of them. Here's a picture of me standing in front of the "computer" that broke the even more enhanced code used by German High Command in WWII

After a few days in Milton Keynes, we boarded our train to London and were at the Tower of London a few short hours later. I was kinda surprised to learn that they really didn't torture too many people at the tower, but when they did they definitely knew what they were doing.

The place was primarily used as a base for government and military operations, but could be turned into a prison if need be. At one point it was even a zoo! Our self guided tour took us all over the complex including the room that held Thomas Moore, the armory, and even the pet dragon they had!  

That evening we decided it would be nice to get cultured. My aunt had booked us tickets for a show (Mayerling) at the Royal Opera House and it definitely had the feel of high society! The place was absolutely gorgeous and the show wasn't too bad either. (Only the top picture is actually mine)

 

The days to follow were filled with more London explorations including both the British and London Museums, Spamalot (the live version of Monty Python), and abundant amounts of amazing food! One place that particularly stood out as magnificent was St. Paul's Cathedral. The building still dominates the London skyline and has been of great importance to the city since it was built. Despite its Roman Catholic design, the church is protestant and continues to have services to this day. In particular, the high altar was specifically designed after the one in St. Peter's Basilica! As our guide showed us around, I began to really take in the importance of the building and was surprised to see a memorial to some of the American pilots who flew during WWII located in the back. To have a foreign group honored in a place so important to British heritage was a huge deal. Once we finished touring the ground floor, I climbed my second European dome and was treated to some amazing panoramic views of London from one of the highest points in the city!

Probably the biggest touristy thing we did while in London was see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We got there kinda early and were all standing about as the police gave the announcement about pick pockets in the area. After a group meeting with all the fine folks standing in my vicinity  we all agreed it would be best to not steal each others' wallets. This was probably good for the pick-pockets because all they would have gotten by stealing from me would be debt, so really they woulda just been doing me a favor!

As per usual, my time to return seemed to creep up all too soon. I'd like to thank my Aunt and Uncle for making all this possible by taking me in for the week and allowing me to experience everything to the fullest by supporting my financially useless behind. It still took me a few weeks after coming back to my student diet for my stomach to readjust to my meager rations. I'll close out with a few pictures that I didn't include from earlier but are nonetheless relevant complete with appropriate captions.

We wandered past a motorcycle shop after lunch one day and decided to shop around for a bit.

The Beautiful entrance to the British Museum

Arrivederci Roma

After Rachel departed back for the land of the free, I made my way over to my next hostel. I quickly found out this would be interesting due to the fact that literally zero English was spoken by my host. Fortunately I was able to muddle through our negotiations well enough with my limited Italian vocabulary to make sense of the check-in process and get to my room. The next few days would be fairly relaxed as I didn't really have too many things planned that required me to be anywhere at a particular time.

I had heard a lot about the Vatican Museums so I decided that they would be my next destination. After seeing a line that was wrapping around the Vatican walls, I decided that I would just blend in with a group who was going in through a special line. This worked out splendidly as it didn't seem to matter which line I went through because the tickets were all sold in the same area once inside. Once I finally got through the ticket counters I quickly realized that the place was going to be packed literally everywhere. It made it a bit difficult to navigate and there were a couple times I had to stand my ground (especially when secret Asian man tried to run right through me, bounced off, tried again, bounced off again, and then glared at me like i was being rude) but over all the pieces that were on display were fantastic. Words can't really do it justice so here are some pictures.

As you can see, it was rather glorious. I think a nice perk of being Pope would be getting to stroll about through the galleries without "foes pressing on from every side." Also there wasn't any photography allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but the sight was overwhelming. I did my best to take everything in as I admired the incredible artwork that covered every inch of the chapel. It was a bit surreal knowing that just a few short days ago the Pope was elected right where I was standing.

The next few days I merely wandered about trying to find some of the things I hadn't yet seen. Most of the attractions were small or didn't have much to see, but it was still cool to imagine what may have taken place there 1500 years ago. One example was the Circus Maximus. Even though people just use it as a walking path now, its a nice peaceful place to sit back with a cold bottle of water and relax under a tree. There were also numerous parks that I hadn't yet seen that were built around old Roman temples. Combined with the beautiful Italian weather, I couldn't have asked for a better way to rest up in preparation for Palm Sunday mass.

As Sunday came closer I was fortunate enough to meet up with Mary Nolan and catch up with her on all the work she's been doing around the Vatican. She was also kind enough to provide me with a ticket for a seat at Palm Sunday mass at St. Peter's Square. Throughout the week I watched as they decorated the square in preparation for Holy Week. By the time Palm Sunday came the central obelisk was surrounded by a myriad of plants and other decorations as it would be the starting point for the mass. I was lucky enough to be near the end of my row so I was close to the pathways Pope Francis used to cruise about through the crowd. It never ceases to amaze me how energetic, yet reverent the masses at St. Peter are. The Pope gets the reception of a rock star when he's interacting with the people, but everyone can stop on a dime to bow their heads in prayer when appropriate. Here are some pictures and a short video I was able to get from the mass.

Not long after a beautiful mass, it was time for my time in Rome to come to a close. I had one last meal at my favorite pizza bar in Trastevere (consisting of my usual pizza margherita and a Peroni) before grabbing my bag and hopping on a train to spend some more quality time in Fiumicino Aeroporto as I waited for my Aer Lingus flight to Dublin. I never had had such a hard time leaving a place behind as I did Rome. I never thought I'd experience a place so beautiful; from the general architecture, to the ancient sites integrated perfectly into the city, to the beautiful monuments that were built simply because they looked cool. Not to mention the incredible food and weather that accompanied my trip! Strangely, I look back now and I also miss having to learn bits and pieces of a new language and being sort of forced out of my comfort zone. Finding myself surrounded by a foreign language really hammered home the notion that I was abroad and even though it was a struggle at times, It was a fantastic experience that I would love to repeat again for perhaps a longer period of time.

Beware the Ides of March

Friday got off to a late start as the both of us were starting to feel the effects of constant activity for nearly a week straight. As we ambled down the stairs of our hostel and into the Roman sunlight Rachel realized that it was the Ides of March and we just so happened to be in Rome! We made our way over to the Roman forum to see if we could get a glimpse of them putting flowers on Caesar's tomb. Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of it all going down but thanks to modern technology I can still bring the image to you by stealing it from the internet!

Rachel's brother had given her money to pick up some cigars while she was out of the country so we went over to an Italian tobacco shop that may have been the classiest place we visited in our travels. Everything seemed to be made out of rich mahogany and the men running the shop were suited up. When Rachel explained what she wanted, we were lead up stairs through a couple locked doors and finally into a room where a wall to ceiling glass pane kept the cigars in a climate controlled state when they weren't being browsed. Each cigar was carefully laid out in front of us on a felt pad as Rachel inspected the quality of each one. As she was mulling over what she was going to get, I spied some leather furniture that looked like it was just the right amount of worn in to be insanely comfortable. I was not disappointed. I let the cloud that was my chair absorb me before Rachel came to her decision of what to buy all too soon. We completed our purchase and proceeded on down via del corso in search of sun glasses before heading to the crown jewel of Rome, The Perfect Bun.

The Perfect Bun may have been my favorite thing about Rome and I don't even care if you judge me as the American who just wants a burger because this place may be the peak of my burger eating experience. We got there a little before the usual Roman dinner time so it was relatively empty when we took our seats. Just the way I like it. We had a whole section to ourselves when our waitress came over to take our order. I got the Hell's Burger which is a little over half a pound of meat covered in jalapenos, hot sauce, cheese, and grilled onions. When I took my first bite of it, my taste buds were at the most ideal level of stimulation I've ever felt. It was like a symphony in my mouth! The melted cheese mixed with the hot sauce perfectly complimented the spices they had laced the burger with. Apparently those are kept secret but it would appear for good reason! If I could go back and visit one thing in Rome, it would be this burger place. Period. To think I was once skeptical about Rachel and Cammy telling me I'd have the best burger ever in Rome is almost laughable after consuming this culinary delight! Not to mention they were doing 2 for 1 rum and cokes when we finished our meal which to my delight would be more accurately named rum with a splash of coke. The only bad news there was they were still expensive so going hard to celebrate the meal would not be financially feasible. This wouldn't stop Rachel from ONCE AGAIN trying to get me drunk by taking 2 sips of her drink and proceeding to have me finish it. Somehow I managed to be ok with that.

The next day we had decided to go on a relics tour in hopes of seeing some of the actual relics. We started off at the Santa Maria Maggiore and while the church was beautiful, seeing the altar in which relics are stored is kind of like looking at the outside of a museum. Nobody really cares what the outside looks like if you can't see the inside! So we continued on in our quest and made our way over to the Lateran which is the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. Once again, cool, but where are the bones and pieces of clothing?! Bobby Fischer and the Lindbergh baby could be inside that altar for all I know! We started to make some progress when we went across the street to the auxiliary building for the Lateran and found the stairs Jesus had climbed to be sentenced by Pilate. St. Helen had brought them over from the Holy Land. We joined the many other pilgrims in climbing the steps on our knees. An activity which in my experience ranks as more uncomfortable than climbing a mountain made entirely of rock without any shoes or socks.

After the Holy Stairs we wandered a bit until we came to another church which turned out to be a relic jackpot. Here we were able to find the finger of St. Thomas that had poked through Jesus' wounds, pieces from the crown of thorns, some supposed pieces of the true cross (which there apparently are enough of in the world to build a battleship), a nail, and a copy of the Shroud of Turin  There was even a guy explaining Roman laws for punishment when we got to the shroud so it was interesting to hear his take on the significance for how Jesus was punished. Pictures weren't allowed in this particular church, but the next place that had pieces of the Sacred Crib did. Personally I think the crazy amounts of silver and gold plating takes away from noticing the actual pieces themselves, but its still cool to think how this stuff was recovered. The only bummer is a lot of things are under question for their authenticity due to the production and sale of relics during the medieval age.

It was starting to get late so we headed back towards our hostel to pack up Rachel's things in preparation to get to the airport. Since her flight left so early in the morning, it meant that we would both be spending the night there. We boarded the train and got to the airport around 11 and found a place to camp out in a 24 hour coffee shop. When it came time for Rachel to get ready to go, we said our good byes and I watched as she made her way through the security line and eventually disappeared in to the terminal.