Thursday 23 February 2012

Slags and Statistics - 3 days in Dublin

Last weekend I spent my time in Dublin with 200 other students from the World @ Warwick society. I’m not sure if it was the sleep deprivation or the copious amounts of Guinness but I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in a long long time (A particular half an hour stint of laughter caused by Silkie buying a 4€ cheese sandwich comes to mind, you probably had to be there).
Cheese sandwiches aren't actually funny are they.

My preconceptions of Dublin I must say were completely blown out of the water. I heard Dublin is expensive (it’s not too bad), that the only thing you can afford to buy is Guinness (Carling is cheaper) and that all Irish people are drunks (we met an Irish girl who doesn’t drink, just doesn’t like to).

What surprised me most about Ireland? For lack of a better term: the slags. Now I’m not saying that all Irish girls are slags, far from it, most Irish girls are pretty classy and respectable, but when an Irish girl decides to slag out they go all out! I thought England was the nation of inappropriately dressed ladies with short dresses and heels even in the snow but Ireland goes one step further.
Sorry didn't get any pics of slags but I got this at the Guinness factory.


Asides from the nations aversion to tights even in driving rain and it being only 5 degrees outside: one particular girl comes to mind; bright orange, make up an inch thick, hair that hadn’t been brushed in maybe forever, stumbling up the stairs in her 6 inch heels, her bum cheeks poking out the bottom, nips out the top and in case that wasn’t enough flesh on show the whole ensemble had two holes in the side to let her stomach protrude outwards.

And it’s not just the girls, I saw many a boy greased back hair trying desperately to get his hands into a girls knickers at the bar. READ MORE>>

Tuesday 14 February 2012

Interview with Denise from The Art of Slow Travel

Den Den at the Berlin Wall

Name: Denise Pulis

Where are you from?: Malta

Where are you now?: In Hanoi after having lived in Zurich, Switzerland for almost 2 and a half years.




What are your current travel plans?

I’m in Hanoi for the next three weeks to complete a CELTA course, then I’m travelling around the country for another 3 weeks, then flying to Singapore and travelling there for  1 week, before finally and officially emigrating to Melbourne Australia. Phew that sounds like a lot of work!

What inspired you to travel? READ MORE>>

Friday 10 February 2012

5 Strange Things About Germany

1.       Access to Medicine

People regularly cross the tracks (left) despite the fact that the 300kmph ICE passes through here many times a day. Yet you can’t buy paracetamol.
Germany is a nation known for its no speed limit autobahns, where the German citizens happily zoom up and down at 100+ miles an hour, all day every day, while moaning about our motorways like we’re the mental ones. Yet you can’t buy paracetamol in the supermarket because of the government’s fears that you might top yourself. When I was in a pharmacy and I asked for the medicine. The sale assistant showed me an aisle full of herbs and honey. I stated “No the REAL medicine” she looked at me intensely as if she was checking that my eyes were functioning properly. “This is the REAL medicine” and she walked off shaking her head. To get paracetamol you have to go to the Apotheke and describe your symptoms to see if you are deemed fit (or unfit as the case is) for the product. It’s only open during school hours and even then it is 5€ a box. I had my mum to send it over; it was substantially cheaper and more convenient.

2.       Girls school wear

Girls in Dirndls show more individuality than the average German girl day to day!
As Germany is situated between France and Italy home to two of the biggest fashion capitals of the world, it baffles me how German girls only have the one look. As in Germany there is no such thing as a school uniform, day in day out girls all across Germany squeeze into their skinny jeans, hike into their converse and slap a T-shirt on top. In school we were dying to express ourselves and from a fashion forward place like Britain I really find it hard to comprehend their lack of desire to spread individuality (she types in her sweatpants). Their banal fashion could possibly be down to the fact that the only cheap, fashionable young girls clothes shop they have in Germany is H&M, but even they, I believe, sell dresses, skirts and all manner of items of clothing. Come on ladies mix it up a bit. READ MORE>>