Tuesday, 3-12-96
7:50 PM London
1:50 PM E-Town
Tuesday evening, turned in my essay for British Society this afternoon, so I finally have time to do laundry… Much needed! The lady who works here just told me I have beautiful handwriting & asked if I was writing in English! Don’t quite know what to make of it, so I’ll take her compliment & leave it at that!
Back to Lori & my weekend in Ireland…
Christ Church Cathedral was beautiful & one of it’s walls, in the nave, was actually leaning (the “leaning wall of Dublin”)! The highlight of our visit to Christ Church, a beautiful old cathedral, was seeing the crypt! It was pretty spooky & Lori was especially spooked by it… When we got back upstairs she asked the doorman if he knew of any ghosts down there! He actually did & told us a story! He was a real character…
Next we went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It too was beautiful. When we first entered the church I bent down to take a picture of the altar & stained glass windows behind, from the back of the church, when things started falling out of my pockets & no matter how I tried, I could not get myself together! I dropped coins & when I bent down to pick them up, my keys, & then more coins & finally — for my finale — my camera too!!! It was more than a little embarrassing… Lori & I couldn’t stop laughing & she said many others were amused by my clumsiness as well!
After we left we walked up to the next street over — “Kevin Street” — to take a pictures, so I could show Dad there was a street in Dublin w/ his name! ☺︎ Then we headed back, tired from our long, but wonderful, day in “Dublin’s fair city…,” for the bus station.
We caught a 4 PM bus to Galway & struggled to stay awake during our journey there – for the countryside scenery that we passed along the way was breathtaking!
We arrived in Galway about 4 hrs. later! To our surprise Kerry Weston met us at the bus station! She then hailed a taxi — her treat, she insisted — & we went back to her flat to drop off our stuff. She lives in a lovely little village of flats on the Corib River! She has 3 roomates, 1 Irish, & the other 2 American. Actually they are her flatmates I should say… She has her own room!
Lori & I were hungry, so Kerry took us to a fun restaurant in town called “Eddie Rockets!” It reminded me a bit of Ed DeBevic’s in Chicago, only smaller & the waiters were nice! Lori & I both ordered very yummy dinners consisting of: cheeseburgers, cheese fries, and chocolate shakes! Actually it was especially amusing when we ordered cuz I ordered my: “I’ll have a 1/4 pounder w/ cheese plain, fries w/ a side of cheese (rather on it I believe), & a shake instead of soda.” Then Lori said, “I’ll have what she’s having!” Later I reminded her of the scene in “When Harry Met Sally” where Sally fakes an orgasim in a restaurant for Harry to prove women can & many might not know… Then a woman (Rob Reiner’s mother to be exact) in the restaurant says the same thing Lori did at “Eddie Rockets!” Lori was amused when I told her!
After dinner Kerry brought us to a great local pub (the name escapes me…) to hear some live traditional Irish music! It was really fun to observe the local patrons & especially the musicians who played a guitar, a tin whistle, a violin, & a bodrum! The bloke who played the bodrum really got into it & the violinist was a real cutie! In fact, I forget if I mentioned this already, but Lori & I found the Irish men much more good looking overall than the Brits we have seen here this semester in London! At one point in the evening the bodrum player invited a young boy in the crowd to play his instrument & the boy was talented as well & a joy to watch & listen to!
We were back at Kerry’s flat by 11 PM & crashed quickly after our jam-packed, though lovely, day! Lori slept on a futon of Kerry’s & I on the floor in my sleeping bag. Early the next morning (Sunday), Kerry & I were up to go to 9 AM mass at Galway’s Cathedral! I wanted to attend services at a “real” Irish Catholic Church! ☺︎ ♣︎ ✝︎ ☮︎
The mass went by quickly, as Kerry had warned they rushed things, there was little song — except by some monks, and we took communion by group up at the altar & kneeling to have it placed on our tongues… Very traditional! The highlight, which will be a great memory, is that at the end the celebrant/priest asked us to life up this mass to the Lord in honor of peace in Ireland & throughout the world! I was touched by this sentiment & even more so when he asked us to say with him the prayer of St. Francis! (Dad would have enjoyed it especially, since he likes that prayers so much & has had it framed over his dresser for as long as I can remember…)
Lori met us outside of the church, after mass, about 10 AM. It was a beautiful day — sunny, not a cloud in the sky, & the temperature pleasant! Kerry led us through town — full of cute shops & restaurants — to “Galway Bay!” The ocean front & surroundings were breathtaking… We sat on some rocks looking out at the water & just took it all in for a long while. It was so relaxing to take things slow & not feel as it we should be doing something touristy! After chilling & chatting ont he rocks, we walked along the beach and picked up some sea shells (hopefully Steven Wright won’t mind since his collection is so big! ☺︎)… It was so peaceful & wonderful! We lingered for quite awhile… It was weird to think that we were on the other side of the Atlantic than our friends & family from home. We also spoke w/ some locals who were out for Sunday walks w/ dogs & a man feeding swans etc.
Then Kerry took us to her favorite place for chow! At “Homeplate” we had our final extremely tasty meal of the weekend. I had a cheeseburger, home fries w/ cheese, & an orange soda. After lunch we window shopped, got some postcards, & sandwiches & other snacks for our long journey home!
We went back to Kerry’s flat to leisurely pack-up & hang out for a bit before Kerry walked us to the coach station where she left us. The whole trip (4 hrs. approx.) from Galway thru Dublin to the ferry Lori & I were awake, full of energy, giddy somewhat, and rather talkative… On the ferry we were in a similar state & got great seats in the lounge! We stayed awake the whole way across the Irish Sea! We wrote cards & chatted & people watched & took turns shopping at & spending our leftover Irish £ at the “Duty Free” shop! I bought another tape of Irish songs which is called “My ❤︎ is in Ireland.” The coolest thing about this tape is that it has a song daddy use to sing to me called “I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen!” It also has a song called Galway Bay,” & a funky version of “The Water is Wide” on it by a diff. name.
Once back on the coach at Holyhead Port, we both slept the whole way back to London! While away I received belated b-day cards from Tara & Dynamite! I got e-mails from Mom, Meg, Aida Guthrie, Cheryl & maybe others… But, I don’t recall. Most of my college friends from back home are on Spring Break this week, so my usual inflow of e-mail will likely be less than normally it would. Oh, I got another e-mail from Jacquie! ☺︎
Today is the 1st anniversary of Grampa Robert Axe’s passing… He & Gramma Mite — as well as Dad, Uncle Lawrence, Aunt Mary, Aunt Cara, and Aunt Francis have been in my thoughts throughout the day… I have thought a lot about the years of my life I was blessed to have known Grampa Robert, what I learned from him, and the events surrounding his death at this time last year.
Tonight I met w/ Fr. Tim before mass, for I had missed “Growing in Faith” due to my B-day celebration & London History field trip. After going over his lecture/discussion notes on the holy spirit, we talked some about my many questions about “details” of the Catholic “Church.” It was an interesting talk & spent some real time on the topic of life & it’s value (i.e. abortion, birth-control, & even in-vitro fert. etc.)…
Before leaving his office I mentioned that it was the anniversary of Grampa’s soul going to Heaven & he asked his name… I told him Robert Axe, as I spoke I got teary-eyed & a bit emotional… Then we parted for mass.
When he began to say mass he started by declaring the mass “to be for the repose of the soul of Robert Axe, Kathleen’s grandfather, who did one year ago today.” I was very touched & cried & sniffled all through mass… At the end I prayed to & for him & for all those he loved & who loved him… Then I went over to the statue of Mary & baby Jesus & lit a candle & knelt and prayed in his honor. I do hope and believe truly that Grampa Robert is at peace with God in Heaven now, bless his soul.
Well, I finished my laundry hours ago & got side tracked many a-time while trying to write in here… I spent most of the night goofing off w/ Lori, Mel, & Nick! I ❤︎ nights where you hang out w/ friends & laugh a lot & don’t get anything productive done, but that’s okay, cuz you sure had fun… That was how tonight was! It’s now 1:13 AM & way past my bedtime! Ruth just came in to clear up some rumor about her & some boy — also to tell us she has “pink eye!” That has gotta suck! I wouldn’t let her touch anything in the room, cause I know how contagious “pink eye” is… Not to be anal, just to be cautious! Well, I am tired & best be letting my mind & body rest.
CHEERS! ☺︎
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Note from Present Day Kathy: The semester I spent living and going to school in London was one of the few times in my life I did laundry at a laundromat, so I find it amusing when I comment about doing that in my journals.
Though I recognize time travel isn’t possible, as far as we know, sometimes reading these entries and looking at these old pictures I feel as if I am doing so on some level. It feels so cool to be able to revisit this time and these special experiences in my life, many of which I only have vague memories of without my journals and photo albums.
I don’t see (not her real name) Kerry often these days and have lost touch with (not her real name) Lori. However, I still appreciate getting to remember what a fun weekend we had together in Ireland! Kerry was such a great host and it was definitely one of the times during our semester abroad when Lori and I really bonded/our friendship grew.
As detailed as I was in these London Semester Journals, I sometimes wish I shared even more information about things, as I’d love to recall the actual ghost story the doorman told us at Christ Church Cathedral and other things like that.
I still find my clumsiness at St. Patrick’s Cathedral amusing and actually have a vague recollection of this happening. I think we have a tendency to remember experiences that were somewhat embarrassing.
In a time when we have cameras built into our smartphones, it’s interesting for me to reflect on a time when we had neither mobile phones or digital cameras. I took at least 25 rolls of film that semester, however looking at the pictures from our weekend in Ireland, I describe so many beautiful things, such as our ride from Dublin to Galway, that for whatever reason I didn’t take photos of. These days, not worried about using up film, I imagine I’d be taking a lot more than I did back then, which certainly has pros and cons.
Some of my most special and vivid memories are of times when I wasn’t trying to capture them with my camera and instead took mental pictures. One of those being the day our baby girl Molly was born and died in April 2008. A lot of that day is foggy for me, but I can always seem to call to mind a time when Bob and I were alone with her, after she died and our families, who had been there to support us and see/hold Molly, had gone home. We had dressed her in a special outfit and her body was lying in the cradle the hospital provides for newborns. She looked so peaceful and though sometimes I wish I had an actual photo of her then, I am grateful that I am able to remember without that.
I still love a good cheeseburger and fries, while also finding it hilarious that I was raving about how delicious the food in Ireland was, when that is what I chose to order at the restaurants we went to! I hope 44 year old me would be more open and willing to try cuisine that the country I am visiting is known for.
Ironically, I actually will have another chance to try different types of foreign foods soon, as Bob and I are gearing up for a business trip to Poland, that I am tagging along for later this month. I will also be taking a side trip to England returning to London for the first time in over 23 years. To say I am excited about my first trip back across the pond, after all these years, is an understatement!
Interestingly, we will be kicking off our trip with a whirlwind weekend of travel and adventures, not unlike this trip I took with Lori to visit Kerry in Ireland! From the time we leave O’Hare airport, here in Chicago, on a Friday evening, we’ll be in London (just at Heathrow airport), Warsaw, and Krakow, Auschwitz, and back to Warsaw by Sunday night, so Bob can go to work the next morning. It’s a lot to fit into a short period of time, but we believe it will be worthwhile. We’ve hired a private tour guide, via ToursByLocals.com in Krakow to help us make the most of our 24 hours or so there.
Though saying, “time flies” is so cliche, it is hard for me to believe it has been over 24 years since my paternal grandfather, the first of my 4 grandparents to die, left this world. It meant so much to me that (not his real name) Fr. Tim, at Newman House in London, said mass that day (23 years ago) in honor and memory of my Grandpa Robert. When I am in London for 2 days later this month, I look forward to visiting many of the places that were special to me back in 1996, including Newman House in Bloomsbury. I doubt Fr. Tim will still be there, but I intend to ask if they know where he is now and/or how he is doing.
Since I began blogging in April 2007 and with the advent of social media, which I use to chronicle and share many of my present day life experiences, I’ve done very little private journaling. As Bob and I head back across the pond later this month, I am considering bringing a journal and giving it another go. I’m sure I’ll still share plenty here and/or on Facebook and Instagram about our overseas adventures and I look forward to seeing how it feels to journal again.
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Reminder: Unless I’ve been given permission to use people’s actual names, in most cases I’ve removed or replaced the names of the real people who were part of my journey/experience there, in effort to protect and respect their identities/privacy in my London Semester Journal entries. I will also not share details that I think and feel are too personal for anyone I interacted with, my loved ones, and me.
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Here’s the back story of My London Semester Journals from 1996, including what prompted me to revisit and decide to share them here in 2018. And here’s a list a list of the entries, which I will update as I share them.
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