June 1st

The last few weeks flew by. No longer did I have to worry about where I was going to sleep or running out of money. It was a pleasant journey, the only real conflict coming from the usual sibling trouble.

We enjoyed Cologne, Germany, even though it wasn't all that pretty or exciting (aside from the beer garden and karaoke). Then we went to Reims in the Champagne region of France (but not before "sleeping" at the train station in Luxembourg on the way) and enjoyed a winery tour with a tasting at the end. It's cray-cray how much skill goes into making Champagne. From there, we ventured with an overnight train to Avignon, which was like a dream come true, especially after my past visits to the Vatican. It was there that we met up with my mom and her fiancé, who were taking a fancy river cruise through France. We had dinner with the big wigs there and I told the tale of our sleeping on the streets just a few days earlier. We took a very nice overnight train from there to Frankfurt. We enjoyed frankfurters and apple wine and it was a pleasant day. 

Then my sister left and the friendly American girls who had showed up the day before also checked out. So I slept in and fought the feeling of loneliness that tends to latch onto you when you're the only one you know in a given country or area. But then the American girls came returned just as I was about to explore the city. They had their dates confused and would instead be staying as long as I was. So we ventured into town and tried apple wine, accidentally ordered a liter or two more than we meant to, and then again drank that night. We were joined by two Brits and a Chinese guy as well, and it was generally a good time, besides the headache from day drinking. I outsmarted Ryanair just as I outsmart all airlines, by putting an enormous amount of weight into my "personal item" (messenger bag) and making my travel backpack light and compressible. Then after I make it past the checkin, I just put stuff back in the big backpack. Easy peezy. And, of course, the Swiss Army knife always makes it through, but some conditioner in a container larger than 100 ml doesn't. Oh, and one important thing to note. Though I was staying in Frankfurt, the budget airlines airport "Frankfurt Hahn" is a 2-hour bus ride away from the main Frankfurt train station. And that bus costs €14.

So I flew from Frankfurt Hahn to London Stansted, and found my hostel quite late. Since I couldn't pick up wifi in the bunkroom, I was forced to get a decent night's rest. Then I awoke to one of the greatest sounds. A horde of Irishmen slowly waking up after a night of drinking as the Irish do. They were very friendly of course, but then I was due to venture into London proper. The weather was the best I'd seen thus far on the trip, so my selfies were spot-on (I assume). I also bought a few souvenirs, but with another Ryanair flight, I knew I couldn't do much. They didn't even check the weight of my bags this time, just made me throw away my toothpaste and mouthwash. Fortunately, they were nearing their ends. 

And now I approach the real vacation portion of my trip: my tour of Ireland and the ability to acquire souvenirs. I'm currently on the flight to Cork and look forward to seeing the "real" Ireland.