My First International Trip

When was the last time you got paid to go to a foreign country!? Well I just got back from my paid vacation aka my 24 hour layover in Ireland!! This time last year was the first time I went to Europe for my Italy study abroad, now I am getting to go all over the world whenever a trip is available, and I couldn't be more happy. 

So what, it may have only been a short day there... but seriously, when was the last time you got to go to Ireland for the day? No big deal. 

We flew into the Shannon airport and stayed in Limerick. Despite my serious jet lag from lack of sleep the day before (Note to self: sleep the entire day before a trip across the big pond. Serious time change). Once we landed I snoozed for a quick hour, just to get enough energy to go exploring. One thing I have acquired while being a flight attendant is  the capability to sleep at a drop of a hat, even 15 minutes helps when you're always on your feet. The rest of my crew had either been to Shannon a million times before, or had no desire to go exploring (the bitchy new hire deserves a new blog post all herself, but that's another day). So I got up and got dressed for the chilly Irish air, grabbed a map from the front lobby and head out on my way. 

I absolutely loved wondering out on my own and getting lost in a strange city. I had no cell phone service, no one to talk to, and no where to be. Just me and the entire town of Limerick, Ireland. I know you're probably thinking wondering around in Europe with no way to contact someone in case of an emergency sounds crazy dangerous, but it was so perfect. It was my own period of relaxation. I had no one to answer to and I didn't have to worry about doing what anyone else wanted to do. I had free reign to walk wherever I wanted, take as many pictures and I wanted, and visit any place I wanted to go. I actually felt very safe on my own. No one looked at me like the crazy American tourist, I actually fit in... except for maybe the times I set up the timer on my camera and sat it down on random structures, like a park bench or trash can, to get pictures by myself. Oops. Guilty. 

The city was beautiful. It was a cute little town nested right in the Irish countryside. I could walk through next to the River Shannon and watch all the gorgeous swans swimming while I admired the rolling hills in the background and the wild flowers growing on the riverbanks and stone walls. I headed across the bridge to the bank to get some euro's then went for a nice walk by the River Shannon riverside toward's King John's Castle.

The castle was completed in about 1200 and parts underneath the visitor center are even older where they have found Viking remains from 922. It's amazing to walk around and know that people hundreds and hundreds of years ago used to live there and go about their day to day lives. Now I'm here exploring this medieval castle that they used to call home. If only those walls could talk, there is no telling how much they have seen. 

After my trip to the castle I walked through the city to the oldest building in Limerick which is still in daily use, St. Mary's Cathedral built in 1168. My favorite part of the cathedral was the outside. It had a iron and stone fence that went all away around it and a cemetery that had gorgeous old tombstones that date back as old as the church. 

Next I walked to I guess what you would consider the downtown part of Limerick where they had all the shops, restaurants, and bars. I ended up eating at the Burger King. I love seeing fast food chains around the world and seeing the different variations of the menu. They had a sign up advertising the Texan burgers they  had. I thought that was funny. After my Irish chicken sandwich with caesar dressing instead of mayo I walked to the little park next to the tourist center and searched for a 4-leaf clover. No luck, but I had to try. I walked back across the bridge back to hotel, where I bought a outlet converter out of a vending machine (cool, huh?)

and got ready to meet my crew for dinner. Last but not least, of course I had to I had to end my night eating fish and chips at a pub drinking Irish beer.

Overall a pretty successful first International trip. I fall more in love with Europe every time I visit. I love the beautiful scenery, the history, and the lifestyle. I can't wait for my next trip... which will be next week when I visit London!! Did I mention I love my job!? This is the glamorous part of the job I love and most people envy. I'll definitely take living in a crash pad a few nights a month if I get to visit Europe every chance I get.