YouTube Favorites

This is my latest YouTube Fave! You must watch the whole thing beginning to end! It takes place in Belgium. Just a little fun to add to your Thursday!

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Famous Quotes in Yosemite

When you travel in Yosemite you bump into all kinds of people and get to hear various "Did he/she really just say that" quotes. I will be posting them on this blog to share with all of you and to hopefully give you a little chuckle.

3. While I was in El Capitan Meadows, I overheard a man who was looking into his telescope at the climbers on El Cap. The "tourist" wanted to know how climbers get the rope on the rock to climb the wall. Being an expert on climbing (I mean, he did have a telescope after all!) the man responded with, "Oh, they just lasso a rope and the lasso hooks to the top." For those of you who don't know, or have never seen it, El Capitan is over 3,000 vertical feet high. Lasso? I don't think so.

2. "When do deer turn into elk?" -random person walking near us asking a friend. I was unable to hear the answer.

1. My personal favorite, "What time do they turn off the waterfalls". This a tourist asked a climber and he jokingly responded with "Midnight and they turn them back on at 5am". Love it!

Bushmills Distillery 1/7/09--Last place we visited!

The Bushmills Distillery is the oldest distillery in the world, even before King James! This is the only place where I have been able to drink whiskey without gagging. It was smooth like butter baby.

Dunluce 1/7/09

Ok, this was my favorite, favorite, favorite castle. It was built in the 1500s on the edge of a sea cliff. One night, while the servants were preparing dinner for the lady of the castle, it collapsed and fell into the ocean, taking the servants with it! This was the final straw for the lady of the castle. She already despised the ocean because she did not like the sound of it. She thought it was distracting and that it disturbed her sleep at night, so she moved inland. The castle was built on top of a sea cave. This made me think that one day the entire castle will be at the bottom of the ocean with the rest of it.

Belfast 1/6/09

Belfast is still considered the U.K. and for my personal convenience this totally sucks. I had to try to transfer all of my Euros for Pounds--such a pain! Do you know how much money you lose every time you convert it? A LOT!

Anyway... although Belfast was once considered to be one of the most dangerous "B" cities (Bosnia, Baghdad, Belfast), it has since turned around completely. The locals "claim to fame" there is that it is the last place where the Titanic departed from. When you point out, "Well, I don't know if you heard, but the Titanic sank". They respond with, "Well, she was fine when she left here!" For some reason, I did not take any pictures while I was there (I got food poisoning so maybe that had something to do with it). Imagine the Village in NYC with cobble stone streets and Irish accents...

Castle of Cahir

Just a short drive from Cashel, I went to the Castle of Cahir. This castle was HUGE! The largest one I've seen so far! A family occupied the castle well into the 20th century. On my way out, the chatty tour guide told me some interesting facts. Did you know that the reason castles contain spiral staircases is for protection? Most people are right-handed and it is much harder to draw your sword and attack a castle going up a spiral staircase than it is to defend yourself (sword in hand) going down. Who would have thought?!

Rock of Cashel 1/5/09

Although it looks like a castle, it is actually a giant church that expanded throughout the centuries. St. Patrick was even a visitor! There was not a cloud in the sky when we visited, it was a rare, beautiful, sunny day in Cashel. Even some of the original paint (that the protestants tried to destroy with lime wash) remains. The caretakers of the Rock of Cashel are in the process of renovating it and having all of the original paint restored. Hands down, this was one of the most magnificent ruins we've seen thus far!

P.S. If you wish to be buried here, you would have had to been added to the waiting list in the 1930s!

Aughrim!

Today was a very special day! I traveled to the blink-and-you'll-miss-it town that my grandmother grew up in. First, I visited her church after mass and just sat for a bit to take it all in before heading out to the cemetery. I tried to locate the gravestones of my great-grandparents but the graves were too old and weathered to read any of the names. However, it was still a wonderful experience just to be there.

Random Abby in Ireland 1//2009

On my return to Gallway, I came across this beautiful abbey.

At my hotel I enjoyed an incredibly sanitary spa where everyone wore "hats" or bathing caps for the rest us. I certainly got a kick out of looking at all of the old, saggy men in their man-kinis wearing their "hats" you've never seen so much Lycra in your life! Sorry folks, I didn't bring my camera into the spa!

Canamara National Park 1/3/2009

After all of the very heavy meals that I have been gorging myself with, I went to Canamara National Park (which is free by the way, ALL of their national parks are!). I went to a nice hike to the top of the mountain and ran down. It felt so good to be outside, doing the things that I love. It felt like home!

Ireland 1/2/2009

After the Cliffs of Moher, I headed off to the Poulnabrone Tomb. This tomb was only 3,000 years old (in comparison to Newgrange) and discovered in the late 1980's. An interesting fact I came across as I was touring was that scientists are still unable to figure out how the tomb was actually built. Surrounding the tomb were forts just like the ones that we visited a day earlier in our trip, but it was so frigid (imagine the coldest you've ever been and then dunk yourself in an ice bath and add a wind machine-- that's what I mean when I say "frigid") that I could not bear to walk the 500 yards to check them out. What I needed was a hot meal! So I went to Gallway to a local hot spot and filled our bellies with another heavy Irish dish.

Cliffs of Moher 1/2/2009

Pictures cannot even begin to show how magnificent this natural wonder is.  The Cliffs of Moher shoot 700ft high out of the calm ocean below.  Walking along the cliff's edge, I can honestly say, was the first time I can remember being afraid of heights.  The wind was hollowing too (notice the really attractive wind gear we are wearing!), it was amazing that we didn't blow into the ocean!  I would definitely put this on "a place to visit before I die" list.

Adventures in Ireland 1/1/2009 Continued

Happy New Year's All! Today I drove the Ring of Kerry which was so beautiful. I stopped at three forts and two ruined seaside castles along the way (a picture of one is above). I spent the night in Dool. It is a shame that my time was so short lived in there. The pub was just what I've been looking for this entire trip and the activity lodge where we stayed was so POSH!

Ireland Adventure 1/1/2009 yup '09 baby!

I spent New Year's Eve in Killarney. The Irish, to say the least are crazy and somehow manage to become even crazier on New Year's Eve. The girls on New Year's dress like... well, let's just say they don't leave much to the imagination. And, of course, being the exotic American girl, I got "hit on" multiple times. However, being the good little one that I am, I was tucked away in bed by 12:30am.

12/31/2008 Last Day of 2008!

A nun cut me in line for the bus today. Yes, a nun. I let it slide since I figured her chances of getting through Heaven's Gate are far greater than my own. (Shocking, I know.) Besides, I have the gift of eloquence now. That's right, I kissed the Blarney Stone! Since no one else was interested in making the trek down to Blarney, I bussed it on my own.

Growing up (as all little girls do) I wanted to be a princess and live in a castle. I don't think I share those feelings today after visiting a real one. Castles are cold, dark and dreary. Yet, somehow, they still remain magnificent.

It was nice to freely explore and wander through Blarney Castle. The grounds were spectacular with tons of walking paths. And, once you get to the top, you have the pleasure of kissing the stone.

The process of Kissing the Blarney Stone was uneventful and probably one of the least ladylike moments of my life. One man flips you over and shoves you far down this hole to kiss the stone while another takes your picture. I know, eloquent indeed.

Day 2 12/30/2008

Finally! I got my suitcase last night! Having clean clothes is definitely a relief.

I went to the Guinness Storehouse last night. I cannot believe that they have been brewing in the same exact place since 1759! Normally, I could care less about where/how they brew the beer but this place was really neat. I even stopped to read the plaques with information. Most importantly though, I learned how to pour the perfect Guinness; in, where else? The Pour Room. (The above picture is me enjoying the beverage at the Guinness Ghostbar).

After the brewery I went out to eat to enjoy another Irish dish. The food here is so heavy, hopefully I will get used to it. I promise, you cannot even get a salad in this country.

Since I did so much traveling yesterday, today I took the day off to relax, get out of Dublin, and get over jet-lag.

Day 1 12/29/2008

It's day two in Ireland and yes, my suitcase is still missing and I have been wearing the same clothes for 3 days (includes sleeping!) nice, I know. Now that that is out of the way...

Today I went and toured Dublin Castle. It was pretty neat. I was not blown away but was happy to be inside a castle! After all, is it not the dream of all little girls?

After Dublin Castle, I went to Newgrange, which was AWESOME. This place is indescribable. It is over 5,000 years old, and took over 400 years to be built (all man power and no mortar)! The guide told us that it is thought to be the oldest roofed building on the planet.

The picture above is me standing in front of Newgrange.

Travel Day 12/27-28/2008

After arriving at Heathrow International, I stood in line for our fourth security. As I walked through the metal detector, I set it off. I then was pulled aside to be violated (I'll just leave it at that) by a female TSA. Groggy, smelly and tired after travelling for 20+ hours, trust me, that this the very last way you wish to be welcomed to Europe (or maybe you do). Once I arrived in Dublin my luggage was lost. So far, my trip was not off to a good start. Upon my arrival at the hotel, my first order of business was to shower, the second (of course) was to find the closest pub. The pub was exactly what I needed. Great music, fantastic food, and even better beer. I promise, Guinness does in fact taste better in Ireland. I'm not sure why exactly. But I assure you, it does. After gorging myself with a heavy Irish dinner (or would it be breakfast?) I arrived to my hotel to see my suitcase still lost...