I just wanted to make it official -- I've finished my London/Ireland blogs!!!!! It only took10times longer than the trip itself, but now it's finished!
Now, to present day posting. Yay!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Epilogue to the European Whirlwind
Well, we got up early to catch the bus to the airport, luggage in tow. It was a quiet flight back for us, long, but we were pretty tired and eager to get home. It was an AMAZING trip, but we were both really homesick, missing our husbands...
Turns out there were crazy thunderstorms in Chicago, where we landed back in the states. As soon as we able to turn on our phones, we were bombarded with texts and voicemails from Michael, Joe, and the airline, letting us know that our flights to our respective homes were canceled. ACK! We got in line to claim our luggage and I was able to get re-booked onto a flight from O'Hare to LaGuardia, and then back to RDU. Brian, unfortunately, would have to wait until the next day to get to Seattle. Which really sucked, because he was supposed to go back to work that day, and now had to pay for a hotel and wait another day. My flight to New York was uneventful, and I waited for a few hours in the crappiest rat-hole of an airport I've ever seen -- LaGuardia airport SUCKS!! It smells, it's old, and I was so annoyed at how long it was taking to get home, I was in a really bad mood.
Finally, I made it home, and as I headed toward the baggage claim area to meet Joe, I was peeling off layers of coats, since it was 75 degrees in NC! Joe was actually waiting right outside the security area, and I have never been so glad to see him! Home at last, exhausted. Brian made it home the next day.
What a wonderful trip! Brian and I both want to go back to Ireland (and I want to go back to England), but next time, we'll bring the hubbies with us :).
Turns out there were crazy thunderstorms in Chicago, where we landed back in the states. As soon as we able to turn on our phones, we were bombarded with texts and voicemails from Michael, Joe, and the airline, letting us know that our flights to our respective homes were canceled. ACK! We got in line to claim our luggage and I was able to get re-booked onto a flight from O'Hare to LaGuardia, and then back to RDU. Brian, unfortunately, would have to wait until the next day to get to Seattle. Which really sucked, because he was supposed to go back to work that day, and now had to pay for a hotel and wait another day. My flight to New York was uneventful, and I waited for a few hours in the crappiest rat-hole of an airport I've ever seen -- LaGuardia airport SUCKS!! It smells, it's old, and I was so annoyed at how long it was taking to get home, I was in a really bad mood.
Finally, I made it home, and as I headed toward the baggage claim area to meet Joe, I was peeling off layers of coats, since it was 75 degrees in NC! Joe was actually waiting right outside the security area, and I have never been so glad to see him! Home at last, exhausted. Brian made it home the next day.
What a wonderful trip! Brian and I both want to go back to Ireland (and I want to go back to England), but next time, we'll bring the hubbies with us :).
Monday -- a Bunch of Blarney
This is going to be short... it's been a long day, and I'm pretty beat.
We got up at the buttcrack of dawn to catch a shuttle bus to the airport. We flew to Cork this morning, and then took a bus to Blarney Village and the Blarney Castle grounds. Wow! It was an amazing trip! Beautiful, mystical grounds, and an amazingly clear gorgeous day! They really dangle you waaaay down to kiss the Blarney Stone!
After we toured the Castle we explored some of the grounds. We were able to see some ancient rock formations and a Druid cave. Oh, and some fairies, too -- "Heyyyyy!" :)
We took the bus back to Cork to have a late lunch, and then caught a bus to get back to Dublin. It was a long trip, even though it was an Express bus route. By the time we got back to Dublin we ate dinner, and went to have an Irish Coffee at the hotel bar before going up to pack. We head home tomorrow, bright and early!
G'night!
More pictures (click here!)
We got up at the buttcrack of dawn to catch a shuttle bus to the airport. We flew to Cork this morning, and then took a bus to Blarney Village and the Blarney Castle grounds. Wow! It was an amazing trip! Beautiful, mystical grounds, and an amazingly clear gorgeous day! They really dangle you waaaay down to kiss the Blarney Stone!
After we toured the Castle we explored some of the grounds. We were able to see some ancient rock formations and a Druid cave. Oh, and some fairies, too -- "Heyyyyy!" :)
We took the bus back to Cork to have a late lunch, and then caught a bus to get back to Dublin. It was a long trip, even though it was an Express bus route. By the time we got back to Dublin we ate dinner, and went to have an Irish Coffee at the hotel bar before going up to pack. We head home tomorrow, bright and early!
G'night!
More pictures (click here!)
October 23, 2010 -- Dublin on a Sunday
Dublin was much better today. Cold, but dry. We walked ALL over today, saw a whole lot, all on foot. We got up early, and left the hotel to find some breakfast, and it was SO COLD outside!!! And windy, too! Well, we walked down the middle of O'Connell Street (the median is rather large), found our airport shuttle bus stop for tomorrow and Tuesday, and took lots of picture of the art installations down the median -- statues, mostly, and a really tall spire.
We walked down to the river, found the Ha'Penny Bridge and did our morning self-portrait. We crossed the bridge to head to Grafton Street to find coffee. Being Sunday, however, in a church town, not much was open at 7am -- except Starbucks. *sigh* So, we caved, had lattes and pastries, and thawed out for a bit to figure out our plan. From there we walked to St. Stephen's Green -- WOW!!!! It was beautiful and AMAZING! Lots of monuments, gardens, fountains, benches, and green spaces. Lovely, truly lovely. Left there and headed toward the "Cathedral District." Went to St Patrick's Cathedral (of course), saw a bunch of other churches, as well as St Patrick's Park. "If it's old, it must be important and therefore I must take a picture of it" became my picture-taking mantra :).
We stumbled upon Dublin Castle, and impulsively decided to take the tour -- super interesting!! Ate lunch nearby, and headed back out. Wandered down to Dublinia, a Medieval Interpretive Center that looked interesting from the outside, but it was way way expensive to get in, so we passed on it. SO, what was left to do in Dublin? The Guinness Storehouse, of course!! We took the tour -- it was AWESOME! The atrium was designed to look like a giant pint glass (the world's largest, to be exact) -- very cool. The tour takes you from the ground floor, and spirals up, and goes through the brewing process and how it has changed over the years. At the very top is the Galaxy Bar or something like that (Gravity Bar, actually), and it had the most AMAZING views of Dublin -- almost 360 degrees around! We were able to get a free pint of Guinness as a part of the tour, and it was THE BEST PINT !! So yummy and smooth... mmmmmm. We met an Irish Rugby team there, and they invited us to join them for the evening, but we politely declined. I don't think we could keep up (or come close!) with them.
The last thing that I really wanted to do? The Leprechaun Museum. Unfortunately, though, it closed about 30 minutes before we got there... so sad :( ... I was disappointed, but we wandered off to a nearby bar called The Church -- it really is an old church! It now houses a bar/cafe/restaurant/lounge-y kind of place, but the still has the structures and details of a church. Including the organ pipes and marble carvings of bible verses and monuments on the walls! Brian and I each had an Irish Coffee there, and left to find dinner at a more affordable place.
We went back to the hotel to settle in early, since we have to get up early to fly to Cork and kiss the Blarney Stone!
G'Night!
Some pictures (click here!)
We walked down to the river, found the Ha'Penny Bridge and did our morning self-portrait. We crossed the bridge to head to Grafton Street to find coffee. Being Sunday, however, in a church town, not much was open at 7am -- except Starbucks. *sigh* So, we caved, had lattes and pastries, and thawed out for a bit to figure out our plan. From there we walked to St. Stephen's Green -- WOW!!!! It was beautiful and AMAZING! Lots of monuments, gardens, fountains, benches, and green spaces. Lovely, truly lovely. Left there and headed toward the "Cathedral District." Went to St Patrick's Cathedral (of course), saw a bunch of other churches, as well as St Patrick's Park. "If it's old, it must be important and therefore I must take a picture of it" became my picture-taking mantra :).
We stumbled upon Dublin Castle, and impulsively decided to take the tour -- super interesting!! Ate lunch nearby, and headed back out. Wandered down to Dublinia, a Medieval Interpretive Center that looked interesting from the outside, but it was way way expensive to get in, so we passed on it. SO, what was left to do in Dublin? The Guinness Storehouse, of course!! We took the tour -- it was AWESOME! The atrium was designed to look like a giant pint glass (the world's largest, to be exact) -- very cool. The tour takes you from the ground floor, and spirals up, and goes through the brewing process and how it has changed over the years. At the very top is the Galaxy Bar or something like that (Gravity Bar, actually), and it had the most AMAZING views of Dublin -- almost 360 degrees around! We were able to get a free pint of Guinness as a part of the tour, and it was THE BEST PINT !! So yummy and smooth... mmmmmm. We met an Irish Rugby team there, and they invited us to join them for the evening, but we politely declined. I don't think we could keep up (or come close!) with them.
The last thing that I really wanted to do? The Leprechaun Museum. Unfortunately, though, it closed about 30 minutes before we got there... so sad :( ... I was disappointed, but we wandered off to a nearby bar called The Church -- it really is an old church! It now houses a bar/cafe/restaurant/lounge-y kind of place, but the still has the structures and details of a church. Including the organ pipes and marble carvings of bible verses and monuments on the walls! Brian and I each had an Irish Coffee there, and left to find dinner at a more affordable place.
We went back to the hotel to settle in early, since we have to get up early to fly to Cork and kiss the Blarney Stone!
G'Night!
Some pictures (click here!)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Dublin!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We made it to Dublin!
We're tired and it's raining like crazy, fits the mood, I guess.
We found the hotel, and wandered Dublin a bit. We saw the Book of Kells -- the Long Hall is amazing! We found a pub in the Temple Bar area that had some awesome Trad music, but it was also crazy-crowded! We had a couple pints, ate at another pub, and headed back to the hotel.
Tomorrow's our one day in Dublin, to see the sights, so we have to figure out the plan.
Me, I'm not so enthusiastic today. I'm homesick, and miss Joe terribly. The rain didn't help much either, but hopefully things will be better after a good night's sleep.
Goodnight!
We made it to Dublin!
We're tired and it's raining like crazy, fits the mood, I guess.
We found the hotel, and wandered Dublin a bit. We saw the Book of Kells -- the Long Hall is amazing! We found a pub in the Temple Bar area that had some awesome Trad music, but it was also crazy-crowded! We had a couple pints, ate at another pub, and headed back to the hotel.
Tomorrow's our one day in Dublin, to see the sights, so we have to figure out the plan.
Me, I'm not so enthusiastic today. I'm homesick, and miss Joe terribly. The rain didn't help much either, but hopefully things will be better after a good night's sleep.
Goodnight!
FRIDAY! (October 22, 2010)
** Note to any readers (if there are any): I've been lame and not finished the Ireland Poo Journal entries, but I'm back at it! I think, though, that I will finish them without photos, as you can see the pictures at http://s1090.photobucket.com/home/orshadow2010/index **
We stayed in town, taking a taxi to St. Patrick's Cathedral & then walked around all day. It was great! Except for the wind and rain.
We saw some lovely sights, went to a lot of shops, and got our TATTOOS! They look awesome, and had a great experience with the tattoo artists. Inkfingers in Galway was the studio, and Steve (from Australia) and Joe (from Ireland) were our artists, and it was LOVELY!
Brian and I wandered into some pubs on our list, and we heard some Irish music at a couple of them. (Brian had a Galway pub list downloaded to his iphone, along with a walking tour and historic sites!) And we also enjoyed pre (and post) tattoo Irish Coffee at Taaffe's (I think that's how it's spelled!). Yummy! Just like Grandma's -- heavy on the "wee bit"! :)
So, we did a little souvenir shopping, at some fantastic fish and chips at McDonagh's (so good!), lovely tea and scones, and more Guinness, of course :). A good day overall.
We made it back to the B&B, and figured out our bus transport to Dublin, took pictures of our tats, and sent them to the hubsters. We're pretty much packed, so we'll shower and finish packing in the morning, and leave after breakfast.
But now it's time to write some postcards and hit the hay.
G'night!
We stayed in town, taking a taxi to St. Patrick's Cathedral & then walked around all day. It was great! Except for the wind and rain.
We saw some lovely sights, went to a lot of shops, and got our TATTOOS! They look awesome, and had a great experience with the tattoo artists. Inkfingers in Galway was the studio, and Steve (from Australia) and Joe (from Ireland) were our artists, and it was LOVELY!
Brian and I wandered into some pubs on our list, and we heard some Irish music at a couple of them. (Brian had a Galway pub list downloaded to his iphone, along with a walking tour and historic sites!) And we also enjoyed pre (and post) tattoo Irish Coffee at Taaffe's (I think that's how it's spelled!). Yummy! Just like Grandma's -- heavy on the "wee bit"! :)
So, we did a little souvenir shopping, at some fantastic fish and chips at McDonagh's (so good!), lovely tea and scones, and more Guinness, of course :). A good day overall.
We made it back to the B&B, and figured out our bus transport to Dublin, took pictures of our tats, and sent them to the hubsters. We're pretty much packed, so we'll shower and finish packing in the morning, and leave after breakfast.
But now it's time to write some postcards and hit the hay.
G'night!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Off to Inis Mor!
Thursday, October 21
It's been another great day! It was a gloomy, cloudy start, but we decided to brave it and head to the ferry to tour Inishmoor (Inis Mor), the largest of the Aran Islands. We walked down to the bay to catch the ferry shuttle bus (after another yummy breakfast at Amber Hill, and dropping off a bag of laundry). It was crowded, but there were two seats up front (across the aisle from each other). After the icky bus ride to Galway, I decided to get some Dramamine, just in case I needed something a bit stronger than ginger, so I was ready!
The trip was about 45 minutes long, winding around Galway Bay, through several towns and rural areas, including Connemara, I believe. As we went, I saw fewer and fewer signs with any English on them.
We arrived at the ferry port, loaded onto the boat, and found some seats. A lot of older folks on board -- a couple of tour groups, I think. The ferry ride was fairly uneventful, a good sign, considering the rain last night, and the overcast skies both made me worry about water travel... my Dramamine did make me a bit sleepy, though.
Once we left the ferry it was a short walk from the pier to the village of Kilronan, where we decided to get on a mini-coach tourbus. It turned out to be a great way to see the island, that's for sure, but the tour guide was no Desmond :(.
We stopped at the bottom of a steep hill that turned out to be the tallest point of the island. It had a circle fort at the top called Du'n Echla, and there was a signal tower/light house next to it. Well, there were ruins of these buildings there, I should say It was a brisk, steep walk up the hill, but the views were AWESOME! We wandered around, and then headed back down to the mini-coach, and then we drove to another fort area. Well, we actually stopped at a little set of shops and the visitor's center where we went through to get to the actual fort. This fort was called Du'n Aonghasa, and it was 2500 years old! The ruins stood on 300-ft cliffs, so we had another climb to the top. We got some coffee (meh) and some scones (yum!) and off we went! Great views once again, and we even saw a leprechaun's house on the way up!
The walk was great, though a bit rocky. It's a lot like the Burren, rocky, with some grass and vegetation in and around the rocks. And Cliffs!! with NO railings!! Ack it was scary! After spending a long time up there, we wandered down the hill again and did some shopping. We had to wait a while for one of our tourbusmates to come back to the meeting spot -- he was off buying some sweaters. Once we were all there, we loaded back up and went to the ruins of Seven Churches -- amazingly old! 7th or 8th century, I believe. Lots of tombstones and carvings.
We then drove down to the end of the island "as close as we could get to the States". There were two small islands off that coast, but were uninhabited (there's an automatic lighthouse on one now). We saw many thatch cottages, including one from a 1930's movie "Man of Aran" -- sounds interesting. We drove past the Seal Colony, but since the tide was high there were no seals :(... We then headed back to the village and our tour was over.
A bit chilly and hungry, we decided to get some tea and food, and went to the American Bar
(where everyone was speaking Gaelic!) for some potato & leek soup and brown bread. So yummy! Refreshed, we shopped some more. Brian bought me a cute little black sheep (since we've decided we're the black sheep of the family), which I promptly named Desmond! I keep adding to his name, too... so far it's Desmond Seamus Patrick... who knows where it will end :)! Now Phil the Squirrel has a friend!
We headed back to the pier, and after nearly being run over by a swarm of old people in a tour group, we loaded up , sat down, and fell asleep. We then got on the bus back to Galway, and it was PACKED! The heat was cranked, and I felt like I was BAKING, so we got off as soon as we could to get some fresh air. We walked to Salthill to find some dinner, and decided to go back to Lohan's (where we ate the first night), and I had a pint of Guinness. It was lovely! Brian added a shot of Jameson's to his (ew! -- the bartender hadn't even tried that before!) Dinner was good, but dessert was DIVINE!! Bailey's Cheesecake! It was like mousse, so yummy! We walked back to the B&B and worked on some details for our Dublin trip (we had to research train v. bus -- bus won out!), and got our laundry back. Yay for clean underwear!!
Now, it's time for bed. No alarms set tonight, we're just waking up whenever. We're going to Galway tomorrow to check it out in the daylight, and possibly get our tattoos! there are some historical sites, too, and hopefully some music to be heard.
G'Night ALL!
It's been another great day! It was a gloomy, cloudy start, but we decided to brave it and head to the ferry to tour Inishmoor (Inis Mor), the largest of the Aran Islands. We walked down to the bay to catch the ferry shuttle bus (after another yummy breakfast at Amber Hill, and dropping off a bag of laundry). It was crowded, but there were two seats up front (across the aisle from each other). After the icky bus ride to Galway, I decided to get some Dramamine, just in case I needed something a bit stronger than ginger, so I was ready!
The trip was about 45 minutes long, winding around Galway Bay, through several towns and rural areas, including Connemara, I believe. As we went, I saw fewer and fewer signs with any English on them.
We arrived at the ferry port, loaded onto the boat, and found some seats. A lot of older folks on board -- a couple of tour groups, I think. The ferry ride was fairly uneventful, a good sign, considering the rain last night, and the overcast skies both made me worry about water travel... my Dramamine did make me a bit sleepy, though.
Once we left the ferry it was a short walk from the pier to the village of Kilronan, where we decided to get on a mini-coach tourbus. It turned out to be a great way to see the island, that's for sure, but the tour guide was no Desmond :(.
We stopped at the bottom of a steep hill that turned out to be the tallest point of the island. It had a circle fort at the top called Du'n Echla, and there was a signal tower/light house next to it. Well, there were ruins of these buildings there, I should say It was a brisk, steep walk up the hill, but the views were AWESOME! We wandered around, and then headed back down to the mini-coach, and then we drove to another fort area. Well, we actually stopped at a little set of shops and the visitor's center where we went through to get to the actual fort. This fort was called Du'n Aonghasa, and it was 2500 years old! The ruins stood on 300-ft cliffs, so we had another climb to the top. We got some coffee (meh) and some scones (yum!) and off we went! Great views once again, and we even saw a leprechaun's house on the way up!
The walk was great, though a bit rocky. It's a lot like the Burren, rocky, with some grass and vegetation in and around the rocks. And Cliffs!! with NO railings!! Ack it was scary! After spending a long time up there, we wandered down the hill again and did some shopping. We had to wait a while for one of our tourbusmates to come back to the meeting spot -- he was off buying some sweaters. Once we were all there, we loaded back up and went to the ruins of Seven Churches -- amazingly old! 7th or 8th century, I believe. Lots of tombstones and carvings.
We then drove down to the end of the island "as close as we could get to the States". There were two small islands off that coast, but were uninhabited (there's an automatic lighthouse on one now). We saw many thatch cottages, including one from a 1930's movie "Man of Aran" -- sounds interesting. We drove past the Seal Colony, but since the tide was high there were no seals :(... We then headed back to the village and our tour was over.A bit chilly and hungry, we decided to get some tea and food, and went to the American Bar
(where everyone was speaking Gaelic!) for some potato & leek soup and brown bread. So yummy! Refreshed, we shopped some more. Brian bought me a cute little black sheep (since we've decided we're the black sheep of the family), which I promptly named Desmond! I keep adding to his name, too... so far it's Desmond Seamus Patrick... who knows where it will end :)! Now Phil the Squirrel has a friend!We headed back to the pier, and after nearly being run over by a swarm of old people in a tour group, we loaded up , sat down, and fell asleep. We then got on the bus back to Galway, and it was PACKED! The heat was cranked, and I felt like I was BAKING, so we got off as soon as we could to get some fresh air. We walked to Salthill to find some dinner, and decided to go back to Lohan's (where we ate the first night), and I had a pint of Guinness. It was lovely! Brian added a shot of Jameson's to his (ew! -- the bartender hadn't even tried that before!) Dinner was good, but dessert was DIVINE!! Bailey's Cheesecake! It was like mousse, so yummy! We walked back to the B&B and worked on some details for our Dublin trip (we had to research train v. bus -- bus won out!), and got our laundry back. Yay for clean underwear!!
Now, it's time for bed. No alarms set tonight, we're just waking up whenever. We're going to Galway tomorrow to check it out in the daylight, and possibly get our tattoos! there are some historical sites, too, and hopefully some music to be heard.
G'Night ALL!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)