Awkward and Awesome Thursday: It's Spring Somewhere

Even the ciguenas look cold!

Awkward:

• It is unusually sunny and warm in both London and Dublin today, but I wouldn't know because I'm back in Avila where it is inexplicably snowing and raining at the same time.
• The Hunger Games comes out tomorrow, and I missed being able to go see it in an English-language theater by two days! 
• Pret a Manger. It's a really popular cafe chain in the UK. How does one pret and why do it to a manger? And in a cafe, no less!
• There is no such thing as a double-decker bus in England. All the "buses" are double-decker. If they're not, they're called "coaches." Mind blown.
• Coriander and cilantro are the same thing. Mind also blown.
• Tummy ache from too much candy.
• I'm really not much of a romantic comedy girl, but being in Ireland has me really itching to watch P.S. I Love You again.
• The horrendous and poorly made boots that (barely) got me through England and Ireland and were sliced into a pair of summer sandals the minute I got home. My blistered and bruised feet will never be the same . . .
• So, we meet again, London Gatwick, for another rough all-nighter on the airport floor. After all we've been through together, you still send your snooty security guards to kick me off of the comfy sofa in the cafe and force our crew to seek refuge (and a precious few hours of sleep in the multi-religion prayer chapel).

Awesome:

• Hitting up an old time sweets shop in Dublin. Root beer barrels, black cherry sours, and licorice allsorts until I die <3
• The Cliffs of Moher. Here is a heavily-censored description of these breathtaking beauties from an Irish friend: "It's the mother-friggin' edge o' the world where they make weather an' crap!" We'll just go with breathtaking.
• Our tour guide on the trip out to Galway. Hi-LAR-ious. And Irish people in general. Hi-LAR-ious.
• Not getting drunk on St. Paddy's Day in Ireland :-D. No hangovers. No regrets. Tons of memories.
• Hubby letting me use his laptop since my keyboard is broken. I'm sure it was a real sacrifice swapping from a clunky Dell to a superfast gaming computer ;-). The mouse works just fine, after all.
• Free Irish music and dancing. Free! And Irish!
• British fashion and lifestyle magazines. It's a whole new world of print media love.
• This six-level bar in Dublin called The Porterhouse. It has so many staircases, and the live music practically hangs from the ceiling. Plus they have the most legit and delicious-looking cocktail menu I have ever seen. Kristen and I got food instead because we are hungry and poor.
• The bucketloads of new friends from Madrid, Barcelona, Argentina, Uruguay, France, Canada, Germany, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Australia, and China whom Josh and I met at the hostel and whom I hope with all of my heart that we will be able to keep in touch with forever.