Cheers Mate

Saturday:

The last time I posted I was in Torino, Italy in a Holiday Inn and I was freaking out, lets be honest. I freaked out for a long time after that but now I am on my way to relaxing a bit. I am currently in Bristol, England and on my way to Ireland tomorrow morning. I know what you're thinking, how did I get here? I'll explain:

I woke up in Torino and got on a train to Milan that took about two hours which wasn't bad. It was all pretty nice actually. I get to Milan, and being the spoiled kid that I am, I would assume the airport isnt too far from the train station. So I ask around about where the airport is and the only thing these people can say is "bus". So I look for a bus. I find one that has a butt load of people on it and I go up to the driver and ask if its going to the airport. He asks me "Which one?". I wasn't ready for that curveball so I just said whatever was on the front of the bus, so I responded with "Malpense?". That was dumb. I am on the bus (that cost me 7 euro, what a ripoff) for 55 minutes. Holy shit is the only thing I can think of. I am the only one who speaks english and I can't just ask to get off because I would be stranded in the middle of the Italian country side which may seem nice, but not nice at all.

So we get to the airport and all I want to do is get to Ireland. So I go up and ask the lady at the ticket stand about their flights to Ireland (the night before I looked up flight times and whatnot and there were three flights leaving from an airport in Milan for Ireland, I was in the wrong airport). She says she has no flights to Ireland at all. So I ask what is going north that will get me out of Milan for cheap. She tells me Scotland, Amsteram and Bristol. Scotland and Amsterdam were way too much money and I had never heard of Bristol. Great. So I talk with her for a while and I pay for the one in Bristol that leaves like 6 hours later that night.

I try to check in and they wont let me because its too early so I have to sit my ass in the waiting area for nearly 3 1/2 hours. They have a strict policy on the carry on bag that you bring so if it doesn't fit in this designated box then you have to check it for 20 euro. I was no down with that so I kept making sure my bag would fit by readjusting all the crap in my pack. I finally check in and everything is cool. I go through security, have a piece of pizza and I am at my gate with hours to go. I go to buy a water and my passport is gone. Yea I know, shit!

So I'm absolutely flipping out. Pulling everything out of my bag, going back to the pizza place, asking these Scottish people in kilts if they have seen it. Nothing. So I'm running through the airport looking for this thing. I go through the airport 4 times front to back re-tracing my steps every time. Nothing. I get emo and I sit at the gate thinking my life is totally shit. I have to come home because I can't do this on my own apparently. But then I think about where it could be. So I go back and ask the check in lady if she has it and she doesn't. I'm about to cry. Literally and I'm walking through security for the 10th time and God looks at me and says stop being such a little bitch, and shows me my passport that is laying against the security line. Holy shit. He made me realize that my day could have gone from bad to worse. I am very thankful for having a bad day. That was the first time in a long time that I felt that God has blatantly spoke to me.

So I'm on this high, because I found my passport and I'm not a little bitch anymore. I get into Bristol at around 12 at night and I get interrogated as if I'm a terrorist by the check in people. I get through the check in and I go to take out money and then there is this girl on the phone and she is talking to a friend of hers. She is talking about how she can't find and open hostel and blah blah blah. So I ask her if she is backpacking and looking for a place to stay and she says yea. So we decide to share a cab and split the fare. She agrees and so we find this travel lodge all the way in the center of the city. We split this family room and we start talking. She is this crazy British lesbian with arm-pit hair than I do who has the most filthy mouth that I have ever heard. She was so freaking cool and I couldn't stand it. I showed her a picture of Kyra and the only thing she says is "DAMN SHES SO HOT!" and I was speechless.

That night couldn't have worked out any better because if I hadn't met her, I would have paid full price of both the cab and the room. It's funny how things like that turn about and how sometimes even the most different people can be the person that you are looking for. She was the first real friend I have made here, and she really has helped me get back on my feet just by being in the right place at the right time.

Now I have been in Bristol for two nights and will spend the night here again at another hostel and will leave for Dublin in the morning. Bristol is a quaint little place and I'm happy that I got a chance to stay here. I got an all you can eat pizza place the other night and if they would have known I was an American, I'm not sure they would have let me in. I nearly put them out of business. I asked them if they had any Ranch Dressing and the girl said she had never heard of it. I nearly fainted.

But I'm looking forward to Ireland and not spending an arm and a leg every time I need a place to crash. I booked ten nights in a hostel where I got a really good deal, and now I'm just chillin. I will do what I can to post from Ireland but I doubt it will be for at least another week. I look forward to seeing/hearing from all of you.