Been a while!

Well since we last updated Ryan and I have been keeping very busy! We’ve moved onto London and have been traveling all over. We’ve had a few adventures since we got here- I stuck my feet in the English Channel, Ryan finally tried Pimms (My favorite British drink of all time), and this morning we accidentally broke into Westminster Abbey before it was open! We’ve also done a tour of the Houses of Parliament & Westminster Palace, seen the White Cliffs of Dover, gone up in the London Eye and checked out the British Public Library where we saw the original Guttenberg Bible! The only downside so far has been trying to find breakfast – it’s been a nearly impossible feat every day and although I don’t mind picking up a Porridge to-go, somebody (ahem) thinks it tastes like glue. We’ve also been missing our internet (which is why this update is soo delayed) and AC (and cold water.. very strange hotel) but it’s starting to cool down into the 70’s here so we’re much better today. So far we’ve had nothing but hot sunny days (as I jinx it all), haven’t had a very typical experience in Ireland or England. Can’t wait to go to Paris where it was 100* today!!! We’ve still got time for it to cool down though. Tomorrow we are heading up to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle which should be a fun but very long day so more to come later! Here’s some of the highlights until then.

Big Red with Big Ben!

Trying his hardest to get into to Hogwarts… Luckily King’s Cross Station can tell its wizards from its tourists!

Just don't look down!

Ryan, his Pimms, and the Tower Bridge- AMAZING spot for lunch tucked away behind the tower of London and the bridge.

So far so good on the weather…this is what its been like the whole time!

Somebody found a Blue’s Clue!

In the English Channel!

Like I said we've got plenty more to share and to see, but for now Cheerio London!

Old Jameson Distillery for breakfast, Guinness Brewery for lunch... Off to a great start today!

 

Well we bid farewell to Bootsie and Therese :( , but not before we went to two amazing places today…The  Jameson Distillery and the Guinness Brewery! Was it a little early to start drinking whisky at 10:30 in the morning? Maybe. Was it awesome? Heck yes.

Me and my "Golden Ticket" to whiskey tasting!

 I was one of the lucky few to do a whiskey tasting and got to compare Jameson, Jack Daniels, and Johnny Walker black label, I had to give the nod to Jameson. After that it was on to the Guinness Brewery and a drink or two (or three) in their spectacular Gravity bar. While it was cloudy out today, we still had a pretty good view of Dublin from the top of the brewery. It was really cool to see the birthplace of Guinness and to see the Arthur Guinness Lease in person! Guinness has the lease for the land that they are on for 9,000 years! Good to know there’s not going to be a shortage any time soon!

We made a stop yesterday at the Waterford factory and got to take a tour of the facilities, seeing how the crystal is made and meticulously crafted.

Waterford crystal in progress...

Waterford Viola!

The top and bottom piece were not held together yet... She was verrrryy careful!

While on the tour we saw the U.S. Open trophy being made, well, actually it was the second one. The first one broke and they had to redo it on short notice. They let a girl on the tour hold it and she and the craftsman who was working on it, looked rather worried about the prospect of her dropping it. It’s an amazing factory filled with skilled artists who have devoted their lives to making the coolest and most striking crystal I’ve ever seen. 

It doesn’t feel like we’ve been in Ireland for the past week, it’s been a blur so far! I can’t believe we’re heading to a different country in two days!!! This trip feels so different from the American counterpart, having everything be condensed into about a week at each place, and being on such a strict schedule!

Out of the certifications I have, this might be my favorite! I'm an official Whiskey Taster now!

The original Arthur Guinness lease, giving them 9000 years on the property!

So much Ireland... So little time!

As Ryan said we're having a great time in Ireland! We're currently just outside Killarney National Park where we've been exploring as well as driving around the Ring of Kerry. Tonight we've been relaxing and enjoying a beautiful celestial themed pool/sauna area and tomorrow we head back towards the other side of Ireland! Can't believe tomorrow is the last night of our tour!!! It's gone by so fast! Here's a few highlights from our County Clare and County Kerry adventures.

Ryan and his falconry buddy TJ.

 There were a lot of really cool activities to try at the castle, but we settled on Falconry and are so glad we did! We also got to take the bikes and rowboat out too. Nothing quite like riding your bike through the woods and seeing a castle in the distance!

View from the Rowboat!

Peeking out from the trees...

A few shots from our hike in Killarney - Torq waterfall above and the view from the top below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The edge of Valencia Island just off the Ring of Kerry!

Bootsie climbs the stairs at Staigue Fort built 1000 BC we managed not to destroy too many stairs!

Cliffs of Moher are amazing!

I can’t believe how beautiful it is here and how amazingly nice everyone is. The hotels we’ve stayed at so far are really cool! Staying in Castles is so much better than motel 6! The first attraction that we’ve seen is the Cliffs of Moher, and they were breathtaking! I can’t imagine being an early settler or seafarer and traveling along those ragged cliffs. It was a nice time to travel along the tops and to look down at the ocean below.

The Cliffs

we made a friend!

As for the food here, I tried my first black pudding, not knowing what it was, and then finding out shortly thereafter… wish I had known beforehand! The Guinness here tastes completely different and is more smooth and delicious then I could have ever believed! That and the Bailey’s we’ve been enjoying almost every night could be trouble!

One of our first ruins!

I’ll have to post later of our amazing activities here at the Castle (yes we’re staying at a castle) once I get the pictures from Bootsie and Therese.

I still can’t believe I’m in Europe!!!

The cliffs with the observation post that was built on the highest part.

Some statue we saw while driving through the plethora of roundabouts! (Seriously there's a TON)

Helloooo out there

Yeah we're sleeping in a castle nbd... We made it to Ireland!!! After a day of relaxing we've already taken a bike ride around a local irish village and hit the cliffs of moher which was awesome. We are currently checking out the music/ bar scene at our castle in newmarket on fergus!! I'll post pictures soon once I can figure out how again!! But we've arrived and are living it up! Tomorrow either heading to the aryan islands or doing some falconry - can't wait!!

3 days and counting!!!

Only three day left until we get back out into the wide world!!! It still doesn't feel like it's real... So much to do in the way of packing but at least we have a place to stay in 3 out of the 4 countries we're visiting. Nothing like waiting until the last minute!!!

I can't wait to share our experiences with all of you out there in the interwebs!

Jenn and Ryan's Ultimate Multicultural Learning Expierence

Welcome back everyone! Ryan and I are at it again... This time we're headed for Europe and we actually managed to do a little planning this time (barely). After a long day of zorb-ing (try youtubing that) we booked our final leg of the journey - a sleeper train from Paris to Italy. So the schedule is as follows: all over Ireland, London, Paris, and Rome. We've got trains and what not to each place but if anyone has suggestions on where to stay and what to do we're open!!! Check back next week to see the beginning of our adventure!

That's All Folks...

After a quick stop at Big E's we finally made home for Thanksgiving.  All the way around the country and back. It only took us 14,457 miles, and 10,248 pictures! Who wants to see the slide show of them all?  We saw 28 states and only have about 6 more that we think are worth a visit. And it only took us two weeks to finish our blog once we got back! We don't quite know what's in store yet, but keep checking back for our next ultimate adventure because you never know when we'll hit the road again... Europe anyone???