I Pissed in Their Drinking Glass {London>Dublin>NYC 2013}

Day 29, October 6th

This morning we left the weird hostel place ASAP. It totally smelled like piss right outside our "cabin" door because we had been peeing in a drinking glass and dumping it in the grass outside our door all night long. Ha! There was no fucking way we were going to put on clothes, trek out into the cold across the backyard and tip toe into the house to use their tiny gross bathroom every time we had to piss.

We headed back to Bill's - the Airbnb host we had stayed with in London at the beginning of our trip. Bill actually had Airbnb guests that night, but was nice enough to let us "couch surf" on his comfy sectional sofa in the living room. I was feeling a little under the weather, but not wanting to admit it.

After we dropped our things and got settled at Bill's, we had lunch and then we decided to see a movie since I wasn't feeling so great, but we still wanted to get out and do something. I'm so glad we did!

The walk to the movie theater was just gorgeous - basically all through Greenwich Park, which popped us out into an area that we hadn't yet explored.

Greenwich Park — Bill lived at the top of the hill and the town center was at the bottom.

The movie theater was an independent "picture house" so it was super cute. And the chairs were like giant recliners - way more comfortable than regular movie seats. We saw "Rush" and I actually really liked it!

Afterwards we walked around downtown Greenwich and it is just a classic cute little London neighborhood. It's also right along the water. We ended up eating dinner at Byron Proper Hamburger. I had a portobello mushroom burger and it was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. I love how, no matter where you go to eat, if you order tea - it is served properly. Even at a burger joint. Tea cup, saucer, lovely tea pot, etc.

We went back to Bill’s and I was still feeling pretty crap. At one point I woke up in the middle of the night with a raging fever and a raging headache like I was dying. I woke my boyfriend up moaning and he went to look for some ibuprofen. We didn’t have any and Bill didn’t have any so he went out literally at 4am to walk around town and try to find some. He came back because nowhere was open. That’s the last time I travel without basic medicine. That was just utter and complete fucking torture. We were pretty much just up at that point and as soon as the shops opened, he went back out and got me ibuprofen and that helped.

Day 30, October 7th

I was basically so sick I couldn't get off the couch. My boyfriend took care of me all day. We stayed inside the house all day and I drank tea and soup and slept and that was all I could manage. Bleh. At one point in the evening I was so feverish and sick that I was sort of just hallucinating — you know that point when you’re so hot that your body is just limp and you’re basically just out of it. Later Kris said that the Airbnb guests had come home and were sort of loudly talking to Bill and he was super annoyed because they could see I was sick on the couch — but I didn’t even remember. Like I vaguely remember hearing people talk, but I was just fading in and out and would’ve slept through loud music. It sucks being sick first of all not at home, but second of all in a shared space. Like it’s much nicer to be sick in a hotel room. But it could’ve been worse — Bill is cool at least and we were reasonably comfortable.

Day 31, October 8th

Today my fever broke and I felt good enough to get off the couch which I did because I wasn't about to spend another day in London inside the house.

We walked to the other side of Greenwich Park again and had breakfast at this super cute place called The Green Cafe. I had the best bowl of porridge I've ever had in my life.

Then we went home so that Kris could trim his ballsack and generally groom himself.

Once the smooth sack was attained we hopped on a bus and went into central London. We wandered around for a while and then went down this teeny tiny street and then turned down this alley way where a really cute looking pub was. I had another super tasty meal. It was a Yorkshire pudding filled with grilled veggies and cheese topped with bernaise sauce.

After dinner we walked along the Thames all the way up to Westminster Abbey and took some really fun pictures along the way:

And then we treated ourselves and took the water taxi back to Bill’s — it was really cool to be on the water at night!

Day 32, October 9th

This morning we checked out of Bill’s and walked through Greenwich Park and had lunch at a lovely french cafe before flying to Dublin:

Our flight to Dublin was quick and easy and we hopped on the city bus to our Airbnb. Our hosts were fantastic- they are super into natural health and healing and we had a lot to talk about. They were a really darling couple and the guy even made me some fresh ginger tea when he heard I’d been under the weather. They were just so nice!

That night we had dinner at a totally classic Dublin pub. It was dark and lit by candles and fireplaces, there was a beautiful wood bar, big chandeliers, it was way cool. The food was fantastic: Guinness pie and seafood chowder. And Kris had a house brewed beer:

Day 33, October 10

Today we had an easy afternoon flight from Dublin. We landed in NYC at 6pm and weren’t too messed up from jetleg — it’s easier going this way and with the shorter flight. It was 6pm NYC time and only 11pm Dublin time so we weren’t totally fried yet. From the airport we took a train to Grand Central Station and had dinner at our favorite buffet around the corner.

Then we went back to the station and took a train to New Haven to stay with a friend, Melissa, who we had never actually met in person. And that was the beginning of a most unexpectedly delightful week! Melissa and I "met" when I found her ad on Craig’s List and rented her apartment in Brooklyn for a vacation in 2005. Some years later we ended up Facebook friends (you know how Facebook just searches your email contacts to “find friends”) and then I got the urge to stop in New Haven on our way back to Arizona. She was totally down with that, so here we are! By the time we got to her house, it was late and we were actually fried at that point, so we just crashed out on her super comfy soda bed.