Me at waterfall in Ring of Kerry
Me at waterfall in Ring of Kerry
Going out in Kilarney
Going out in Dublin
Longest City name in England
Me infront of the coast - Ring of Kerry
Ring of Kerry - about to be blown away
Chelsea and Me in a valley in Ring of Kerry
View from a cliff in Ring of Kerry
Beach on Ring of Kerry
Im in Atlantic touching Home!!!
At Blarney Castle...about to make my way up to kiss the stone :)
Me, Emilie, and Sara at Red Fox Inn having IRish COffee
View from cliff on RIng of KErry
John, Kara, Emily, Jessi, Me at water fall at Blarney Castle
Im having some trouble uploading the pictures..i will uplaod a TON more tongiht so stay tuned!
I added some more...i will try to keep adding. If you click on the picture then it will give you a better view :)
That is what you have to say in Ireland everytime you pass over a bridge...it is a little hello to the little people (Leprechauns) who live under the bridges.
This weekend was a LONG weekend to say the least. It all started Wednesday night at 6:30pm...We all boarded the coach to drive to Wales, where we arrived at 2 am! Needless to say, I was awake the whole bus ride. We got onto the ferry and it was like a cruise ship! There were restaurants and couches and lounges and everything! So guesssss what I did.....SLEPT! haha...my group was the only one on the ferry except for 10 other people so we spread like the plague on the couches. We arrived in Ireland at 6:30 am and went to a hotel to eat an "Irish" breakfast which consisted of baked beans, nasty sausage, some more poor quality English meat, and an egg. We freshened up and hit the road again for 2 hours. Next Stop...Blarney Castle. This is the location of the famous lucky Blarney Stone...which you have to KISS in order to get lucky!! Yes...I kissed the stone that millions of people (who probablly possess diseases unknown to man) kissed! It was quite exhilarating. I got my picture taken because it is quite an ordeal to get to the stone, so there are officials that help you. We walked around and saw the lovely sites of Blarney, had lunch, got some Euros, and boarded the bus again! Next Stop...Kilarney! Kilarney is a famous town, but small and quaint town in Ireland. It had lovely restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. It was so small and welcoming, we all knew our way around by the time we left! We spent the night here...more like crashed and burned.
NEXT DAY!! Wake up at 8am and board the bus once again...but this time is was a happy time. We took the Ring of Kerry tour from 9am until 4:30pm. This is a circuit of scenery sights along the Western Ireland coast that has some of the most amazing scenery that I have ever seen. I got to touch the Atlantic!! ... I was touching home :) We went to the Red Fox Inn which has some of the most famous Irish Coffe in Ireland. It also has ponies and the largest dogs in the world! I tried some Irish Coffee (which is Coffee and Irish Whiskey), a combination of two things that I never drink and dont enjoy. It was good, but I was tired of it after a couple sips. Next we went to some cliffs and beaches and valleys and waterfalls which all had breathtaking scenery...and all of which had some historical significance, but who cares about that?? HA Kidding! We got back to the hotel and got ready to PARTAY! We went to dinner at this small restaurant and had the best meal that I have had in the UK this whole trip. I had homemade Lasagna, mashed potatoes, and 4 different kinds of veggies (I had my 'Greens' Oma :)After that we went to a pub with live Irish music which was so much fun! We got the musicians to sing my friend Happy Birthday. Everyone had a Guinness (except me)...since it is brewed and apparently amazing in Ireland. The cool thing about this place was that the front was an Irish pub and the back was a night club with Hip hop and fun dance music. So if I may make a 'Hannah' reference...We got "The Best of Both Worlds" :)
NEXT DAY! Wake up at 8am and made our way to DUBLIN! Dublin is home of the Original Guinness Brewery and the Original Jameson Whiskey Distillary. It is also famous for the shopping and Temple Bar District...which is where all of the hoppin' bars and clubs are. Having Euros was awsome...it was like we were steeling everything...because the Pound is so expensive. However, in Dublin they didnt let us feel like we were steeling anything. Dublin was so much fun and a totally different feel than Kilarney. It was such a big city with some crazy people and Leprechauns...I saw them everywhere! We went shopping and site seeing most of the day and then went and ate at The Bad Ass Cafe! haha...we had to. After that we went to get ready to go out and 'Hit the City'! (Tik Tok anyone?...its a song for those who didnt get it :) We went to the famous Temple Bar in Temple Bar DIstrict, and it was packed like Bourbon Street when the Saints win the Superbowl! I met alot of really nice people...some Irish some from New York haha. I met a surprisingly large amount of people from the States that night. We got the Live Irish musicians to play Gallway Girl (This is the song in P.S. I Love you that Gerard Butler plays for Hilary Swank when she is in Ireland) It was awsome! The night was full of awsome memories and tons of great jokes!
Finally!!! Homeward Bound! Loaded the bus at 645 am...3 hours of sleep. Wonderful. By this time I was as homesick as anything, bothered. (Hello, its for you. Bothered.), and wanting to come back to Texas so bad!! This was mostly because I couldnt talk to mom and dad for 4 days because I couldnt get an internet connection. bummer. But I stuck it out and made it all the way back to the manor before crying!! Haha...yessss....We made our way to the ferry station and boarded the awsome ferry and took full advantage of it by sleeping the whole time again :) Got back on the bus at Wales and stopped at a city in Wales with the longest name in the whole United Kingdom
LLANFAIRPWLLGWYNGYLLGOGERYCHWYRNDROBWLLLLANTYSILIOGOGOGOCH.
Meaning: The Church of Mary in the Hollow of the White Hazel near the fierce Whirlpool and the Church of Tysilio by the Red Cave.
No...there are no typos. That is the name of this city in Wales...which is basically a tiny as a needle, but an enormous tourist attraction. We stopped their for lunch and made the rest of our way back to the manor!
Now I have to give a Presentation tomorow and a test on Wednesday :) Hoooray! NOT!
I am staying at the manor this weekend... I was planning to go to Wales. But after that 5 day trip I just cant get the idea of anymore travel in my head. And I also have a heavy amount of work building up on my plate.
However, I have booked some exciting trips recently for the future. THese are not school trips...these are ones that I have decided to take with a separate group of friends. I am going to Prague in April and Amsterdam to see The Dave Matthews Band the beginning of March!! So I am very excited and cannot wait for that :)
I am missing home more than ever right now. I love it here and I am making some of the best freinds ever, but there is nothing like home...OR TEXAS! I miss it and everyone so dearly. I really miss the sweet girl and the little bug (a.k.a. Emma and Riley)...I think of them all the time. Especially when I see puppies...which is alot. I think of everyone all the time... and my bank account is depleting rapidly!! haha and my hair is getting a little ratty and unruly...suffice it to say that I will be in need of a severe highlight treatment when I get home :) I just cant beleive that it will be summer when I get home...like an 8 month vacation!!! Except not because school is kicking my little hiney right now. The food here isnt getting any better...but I have gotten to the point where I can stomach any kind of food...well maybe not any...Actually not that much at all. But im working on it! One thing that I have been fortunate is staying away from any and every sickness!! Even after kissing the Blarney Stone!
Well I have a presentation waiting for me that isnt going to finish itself. I will post soon! I love you all very much and I hope that all of you have been well and enjoying the Texas snow :)
Ali
P.S. I love you :)
I haven't officially ranked the places I'd most like to visit, but I have no problem giving Ireland the top spot. It sounds like a fascinating country. I'm distraught that you didn't try the Guiness. With all the heavy drinking you've been doing, you could have AT LEAST tasted it. I guess I have no choice but to plan a trip there to taste it myself. How does next weekend sound? Lauren and I miss you dearly. Going back to the view just isn't the same without you. Keep having fun, study hard, and be safe... we'll see you before too long. Love you!
ReplyDeleteDano!! Well I did TASTE the GUinness and it wasnt too bad...but not my cup of tea either. I think about being in lview with all of yall every day! I miss you guys so much. Oh and next weekend sounds great! I wil see you then :) Love you!
ReplyDeleteI loved this post! I am so jealous about your trip to Ireland! I miss you very much, but we will see each other again before we know it. I like how you guys "spread like the black plague" on that sweet ferry! haha! I look forward to seeing more pictures from Ireland! Derrik and I have gotten alot accomplished on the dining room this weekend! I can't wait for you to see it! Also, Riley had a tick on her that was the size of that one we found on Nick that one time! It was ridiculous! Derrik was freaking out! He had never seen one that big before! Also, the snow has been unbelievable! I know you are probably getting your fill of snow over there! We miss you and love you! Come back to us ASAP! Good luck with the homework!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got a chance to visit Ireland! Shelby would have a stroke.. When do you think is the best time of the year to visit Ireland? And is that longest town name real? I tried to pronounce it but I just started singing the Mary Poppins song.
ReplyDeleteAnd as for even mentioning Gerard Butler in this blog....he is so masculine and good looking and not to mention has the best voice and accent EVER. ahhh. I agree with "Dano"...you should have at least tried the Guinness.
Have you been watching the Olympics?? Did you happen to see the video of the Georgian luge guy who died? If not, you should look it up, he looks like a ping pong ball (he was going >90 mph after all) but can you imagine being the next guy in line to go after him?? I would have just told them they can forget it...I'm going home. And if you didn't see the opening ceremonies, you didn't really miss anything. I think Canada is trying to change their image from hippies to Indians/Eskimos....
It is so cold here in Houston, but apparently it is worse in Longview and even snowed quite a bit there...Chris was making me feel really bad yesterday because he was wearing jeans and a short sleeved shirt and was telling me he needs a jacket (he has tons of jackets, just not thick ones b/c after all it is Texas, and Houston at that) and so we tried to find a jacket for him but failed...and he started telling me how cold he was and that he needs a jacket really bad. He sounded so neglected...it was pitiful. (all of that was irrelevant but I felt really bad for him)
by the way, when do you make it back to "the states"?
hahaha!!! oh Christopher...what are we going to do with him. And YES i did see the luge guy!!! that was awful! This probablly isnt the best time to visit Ireland because it is still pretty cold especially if you are going to be on the coast which is the best place to go :) so tell Shelby that! I heard about all of that snow! crazy! and as for that city..yes it is real and i almost fel out of my chair when you said you started singing Mary Poppins!! hahaha! I will be back in the states May 1st! I love it here but I kind of cant wait to come home, especially since it will be summer and we can have pool time! and I can fry myself like an egg like last summer at your house haha! love you and miss you :)
ReplyDeleteALI!!!!
ReplyDeleteSOOO sorry I haven't been posting very often! I have been super busy at work... and REALLY exhausted! I do LOVE reading your posts! I too cannot wait to be able to quote the Three Musketeers with you! ("That sash, was a gift to me, from the Queen of America.") haha!
I am so jealous you get to see Dave Matthews! In AMSTERDAM! Gosh, you are getting to do so much cool stuff. I think Danny and I have decided that we are going to do our graduate work overseas. I mean, after reading about all of your excursions, we just can't help it!
I do wish you could have been there for our super bowl party! It was incredible. Also, I wish you could have come with Grandma, Nanny, Mom and I to see Valentine's Day! It was so funny, and Taylor Swift SO reminded me of you! hahaha Mainly because of how she looked, not too much of how she acted.... (well, maybe a little. haha!)
I love looking at all your pictures! They are so great! It will be fun putting them all together in a scrap book later! I hope you are keeping all your tick stubs and ferry tickets and brochures and things to put in your scrapbook as well! Are you going to have to buy another duffel bag to get everything back to the States with you?!?
Anyway, call me soon! I miss you terribly! The Bug is almost as big as Nick now! I will try to get better about keeping up with your posts.
LOOOOOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!
-L
oh Lauren!!! I cannot beleive how big the Bug is getting! and yes i am trying to keep everything I get so that I can scrap book it later. I love taylor swift and i cannot wait to go and see Valentines Day! or Dear John or The Last song! or Dear juliet! Oh there are so many!!! I know that things arent the same without me there because they arent the same here without guys :) I miss you both so much and I cannot wait to have a big party at the house! or sleep in my bed for that matter. dad told me the other day that my room missed me and it made me sad haha! Well it is very late here so I will talk to you later..i love you so much!
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