Roll out the Red Carpet Please…

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I thought about what we could do for our last day in Ireland after three weeks of non stop drinking, traveling, sleeping in tents and cars, and about 3 hours of rest a night. The best I could come up with was the movies. We hadn’t done anything with a hint of normalcy during the entire trip. A day at the movies was just want we needed, but we ended up getting a lot more than we paid for.

I was going to change from the clothes that I wore the day before, but I no longer saw the point. Everything that I had with me was equally dirty, worn, and nasty. We were very familiar with being in dirty clothes. As we walked down the street, I noticed several other people that looked like they were wearing bar clothes. I assumed that they were doing the walk of shame that occurs after hooking-up at the bar the night before. Their presence made me feel better about myself.

We walked into the movie theatre on O’Connell Street and purchased our tickets. The lady at the counter was friendly like most Irish people. She handed me the tickets, smiled, and said enjoy the movie. I smiled back and said thank you.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and I tried to hand my ticket to the attendant. At most theatres, the attendant checks the ticket and tells you which direction to go in. As I tried to pass the ticket to the attendant, he gave me a dirty look and shooed me away.

“That attendant was rude. He just shooed me away. You should say something to him,” I said.

“I don’t think that was an attendant. He was wearing a nice suit, was more ripped than a wrestler, and he had an FBI style earpiece. I don’t think saying anything to him is a good idea,” my husband replied.

“Maybe there is someone famous here.”

“Well, there’s no one around.”

We didn’t think any more about the rude man and we loved the movie; it was all that we could talk about as we walked down the stairs.

A red carpet was laid out at the bottom of the stairs. Music was playing and several security men now lined the theatre entrance. I walked up to one of the security men and asked what was happening. He said, “Are you serious? You don’t know what’s going on, really?”

I told the guy that we’d been backpacking for months and we had no idea what was going on.

He said, “It is the premiere for You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. Adam Sandler is going to be here in about 30 minutes.”

“No way! You are joking, right?” I replied.

“Really. He will be here soon.”

After realizing that we were Canadian and telling us how much he loved Canada, he told us that he’d bring us to a press and media area where we could hang out when Sandler arrived.

We repeatedly thanked the guy and waited in the movie theatre with disbelief.

This is unbelievable. I love Adam Sandler.

The fans lined the street and pushed through the crowd to make their way to the front. They heard about it on the radio for weeks. Some people called frantically to get tickets to the premiere and they were dressed in their finest clothes. Reporters and photographers were there taking pictures and covering the event in front of a camera grew. We were at a Red Carpet Event and all we had to do was go to the movies. It was the epitome of being in the right place at the right time.

Welcomed by cheering fans, Adam Sandler and Rob Schnieder appeared on the carpet. They both worked the crowd by signing autographs, posing for pictures, and talking to the hoards of happy fans.

It was a surreal experience, and I was star struck. I was standing there watching them so intently that I almost forgot to take pictures. I did manage to get a perfect picture of each of the celebrities separately, and Adam Sandler’s autograph. We also snagged tee-shirts that were the perfect keepsake, and it covered my scraggy, stained tee-shirt.

They made their way into the theatre and we began walking back to the hostel.

“That was awesome! I can’t believe how lucky we were to just be there,” I boasted.

“I know. I’m shocked!”

It turned out to be one of the most exciting days in Europe and we only planned on going to the movies.

40 thoughts on “Roll out the Red Carpet Please…”

  1. Hi,
    Wow, that is definitely being in the right place at the right time. 🙂
    It was very nice of the guy to give you such a great spot as well, you got some fantastic photo’s good on you. 😀

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    • Thanks! We were continuously impressed with the hospitality of the Irish people. It truly made the entire Ireland experience special. I long to return someday.

      Keep the comments coming; they are appreciated.

      Lesley

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    • We watched Batman, and timing seemed to be on our side during the 11 weeks in Europe. Have you ever been?

      I love your photos! They add to the excitement of my pregnancy.

      Although backpacking, sky-diving, white-water rafting… have been fulfilling, the anticipation of my child is the most rewarding experience of my life. I can’t wait until she is born.

      Thanks for reading,

      Lesley

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    • We were blessed with great timing during our European trip. We were able to see the Pope in Italy, Jack Johnson in France, the Queen in England, and Adam Sandler in Ireland. That’s not to mention the prostitutes in Holland (haha).

      Thanks for reading,

      Lesley

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  6. Talk about good Karma! A little normalcy can lead to incredible adventures if you approach with the right frame of mind and a traveler’s spirit! Congrats on a great bonus!!

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    • During that European vacation, timing seemed to be almost perfect for each country visited. We were able to see the Pope in Italy, Jack Johnson in France, the Queen in England, and Adam Sandler in Ireland. That’s not to mention the prostitutes in Holland (haha). We always journeyed with an open mind and schedule and it led to some great experiences.

      I don’t think that I will ever be able to travel with such freedom or little concern. I’m glad I backpacked when I was younger.

      Thanks for reading,

      Lesley

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    • During that European vacation, timing seemed to be almost perfect for each country visited. We were able to see the Pope in Italy, Jack Johnson in France, the Queen in England, and Adam Sandler in Ireland. That’s not to mention the prostitutes in Holland (haha).

      Thanks for reading,

      Lesley

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    • This trip was a few years ago 🙂

      Since I just started blogging about three months ago, I’ve mixed new trips in with old trips.

      Currently, I’m living in California and the closest I’ve come to having 3 hours a sleep would be my afternoon nap. 🙂

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      • It’s actually easy to tell if the posts are new or old by the color of my hair. Currently, my hair is brown and I don’t plan on coloring it during the pregnancy. During my Europe trip, my hair was a horrible blond color, which was solely because of a “team commitment” and during my teaching trips/adventures in New Brunswick, my hair was pinkish red because of a Run for the Cure fundraiser.

        🙂

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  11. it’s not just being in the right place at the right time — your blog shows it’s BEING in the right place and knowing how to appreciate it. thanks for sharing your delight with us, Lesley.

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  15. The Queen in England or Adam Sandler in Ireland… hmmmmmm, let me think about that for a minute!…

    ADAM SANDLER!! Brilliant timing on your part tho and sound advice from the hubster else you might not have got to the other more friendly security guy… I’m off to find where you’ve been my end of the world now though.

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  16. Hi Lesley, Thanks for dropping by my blog. So happy to hear that you had such a great time in Ireland. I hope the weather was ok when you were sleeping in a tent. I really enjoyed your story about Adam Sandler!

    Emmy

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    • We loved Ireland; it is in my top five countries that I’ve visited. the weather, however, didn’t cooperate the entire time that we were there and we were often soaked in the tent or slept in the car.

      Have you ever been to the USA or Canada?

      Lesley

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      • I have been to the USA – I spent a summer in New York City when I was a student. It was an amazing experience for a 20 year old – made me feel so grown up! I would love to go to Canada – it’s in my top 5 countries to visit!!!

        Ireland is a great place but the unpredictable weather can get very tiring after a while – it rains so much in summer so it makes planning BBQs, outdoor parties or camping trips very difficult. Lots of things are organised spontaneously when we wake up on a sunny morning.

        Your trip looks amazing – I would love to take off for a few months like that. I like dipping in and out of your blog 🙂

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  21. Great story! I agree that it is hard to believe when you bump into someone famous. My family and I were out for pizza in Chicago and bumped into Peter Jacobson that plays Doctor Taub on House. He was just standing in line waiting for a pizza! I love Adam Sandler! I would have been thrilled 🙂

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  24. Hi Leslie,
    Thanks for stopping by my blog. You are the first person outside of my family to comment. Your adventure blogs are awesome. These are the types of adventures people hope to have. The types I have had tended to be the scarier kind. My third daughter thought that when you have kids, you are supposed to devote your whole life to them. She didn’t appreciate the types of adventures we were having. Well, neither did I, but what you going to do. Life happens to you while you’re planning something else. I hope your life with your new child will continue to have good adventures.

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    • I can’t wait to show my daughter new countries, cultures, and adventures. Although she will always been my first concern and the heart of my happiness, I will not stop exploring or experiencing new things; she will just be at my side from here on out. Some people, me included during some of my life, walk around in a haze; they go through life for the weekend or for vacation only to forget to enjoy it. I want to show my daughter that life is beautiful and there is too much to experience to not seize the day.

      I like your post on Disaster Food Preparation and it reminds me of an incident that I had a few years ago while driving on the highway. I think in memory of that, I’ll post about it today.

      Thanks for taking the time to comment; it’s appreciated.

      Lesley

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