Where to Even BEGIN!

I really don't even know where to start. I can't really explain how amazing the last two weeks have been. I can't describe the places I've been. I can't portray in words the friendships I've made. I can't begin to tell you all of how my life has been since I've left Scotland. I can show you pictures, but I've got WAY too many to put on here or on Flickr so I think I'm going to just have to wait until I get home for that. I'll do my best here to simply tell you where I've been and put up a picture or two.

It all starts in Ireland.

I spent a day in Dublin tasting Jameson Whiskey, having a pint of Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse and just generally walking around the great city of Dublin. I felt like I had already been there before for some reason, so maybe that's where I am in my dreams. I've discovered that the more I travel the easier it is to find your way around new cities. It just becomes natural to remember which was is which and where the bus or train station is, which usually becomes your center point of focus since it's where you start your journey in each new place. I went to Belfast for a day and took a tour of Northern Ireland by going up to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and up to the north coast of Antrim where the Giant's Causeway is. THAT is an interesting place. Perfect 3D hexagons jutting from the ocean. Upon arriving back in Dublin that night I readied myself for the week-long tour of the Republic of Ireland that was to follow.

We spent 5 days in Ireland traveling the perimeter of the whole Republic. Day One was spent driving through central Ireland stopping at the Hill of Tara (seat of the high kings of old), Trim Castle, the John Locke Whiskey distillery, Knock (a popular place of pilgrimage) and our final destination of Westport where we spent the night with our pints of Guinness and traditional Irish music. Day two was the beginning of the GREAT scenery that followed in the days hence. It started with Clew Bay and on through the Connemara and the Valley of Doolough to Galway where we finished the night with traditional Irish dancing and a bit of clubbing at a place called Central Park. Day Three was through the Galway Bay to the Pol na Brone Dolmen and the Burren, which is basically just all limestone and is said to look like what the moon would look like. We stopped at a GORGEOUS beach for lunch, then we went to the Cliffs of Moher, which is REALLY a place to see. The water was turquoise and simply beautiful. We finished off in Doolin where we had more Irish music and I had a lovely chat with two couples from Glasgow who wanted me to call them when I got to Glasgow so they could walk me around. Day four was easily the most photogenic. We crossed the river Shannon before heading to Dingle via Kerry and it's beautiful countryside. We stopped on Slea Head for a view like THIS:

The whole day was basically that kind of view. We finished off in Killarney where we didn't really enjoy traditional Irish music but a cover rock band instead. Not exactly fitting, but fun nonetheless.

I spent my days trying to be cheap but ending up spending money on food and Guinness anyway, but it was in the company of those we met on our trip who, by the end of the week, seemed to be childhood mates. The quick bonding on the bus with the Canadians and Australians and Scots and fellow Americans made the week so much more invigorating and worthwhile. Traveling in Ireland was great not only because of the views but because of the people who we shared our views with. It was amazing being able to spend time with other people my age who LOVE to travel and who are simply making the most of the life that God has given them. Some do it for reasons other than that, but it all came down to getting out of our boxes and exploring some of the world around us. I will DEFINITELY go back to Ireland someday, and now I at least know some places that I'd like to go back to! If any of you want to go to Ireland for a true Irish experience, I'd just say go on the same tour that I went on, but if you don't want that, Doolin and the Dingle peninsula are the places to go. Small and surrounded by gorgeous hills and mountains and coastlines, these truly capture the heart of traditional Irish living. I LOVED it and unless you're weird, you would love it as well. Now that you've read about Ireland and if you think that was nice... just wait till I write about Scotland. It was the same trip, only different people (mainly Australians and New Zealanders) and views MUCH better than Ireland. I didn't think it was possible, but it happened. Yeah... wow... cheers...

Future Postings

Be on the lookout for future postings strewn about here and there. I'm on the road for the next week and don't always get internet access but I AM having an amazing time. I've been across half of Ireland so far in the past couple of days and with the next three will be making my way back across. So yes, the postings will come eventually, but I think I'm just going to have to put together a huge slide of the pictures and videos I'm getting. And believe me, you want to see them. This place is CRAZY awesome. Ok, I'll let you know then. Bye.

Wandering Shephard, Not Quite Desperado

I like to imagine that certain points in life can be described simply with a soundtrack. I'm not quite certain what song would describe my time over here in England, but I'm sure if I think hard enough I'll come up with something. For the next month, however I'm going to be living to the beat of "Wandering Shepherd" by Dan Fogelberg. I'll be heading all over Ireland and Scotland and Italy and seeing a bit of France and Greece in the next 5 weeks starting tonight. I'll be that "traveling pilgrim" that will rest for several nights in airports and on the beach with a bottle of wine and some cheese. I'll be that "wandering shepherd" and I'll keep wandering until the flight home on May 7th when "Desperado" by The Eagles will take over. Then it'll be all about "drawing the queen of hearts" and enjoying the "fine things that have been laid upon my table," and not always wishing for "the ones I can't get." That being said, let's put down the needle and let the music begin. (Yeah, I said needle; records just sound better!)

Tonight I fly from London to Dublin where I'll spend the night in the airport before spending the day drinking Guinness in the Factory and learning how Jameson Irish Whiskey is made. I'll spend the night in Dublin and in the morning head north to Belfast to walk around town and try to get a feel for what it's like to be in a place where fighting has been going on for YEARS over independence and religious motives. After sleeping in Belfast on Saturday night, I'll spend Sunday in the footsteps of giants at the Giant's Causeway and possibly visiting the Bushmills distillery before heading back to Dublin for the night. Waking up early Monday, we'll start the tour throughout the whole of the Republic of Ireland for 5 days. Sleeping in the Dublin airport that Friday will ensure that I'll catch my early flight to Glasgow next Saturday. I'll spend the day in Glasgow, possibly looking up some old family lore and legend before going to Edinburgh to get a dram and head to bed for the night. Sunday in Edinburgh (probably one of my favorite cities thus far on my travels) will consist of Liturgy at St. Nicholas, the Edinburgh Castle and perching on Arthur's Seat to watch the sunset. Monday, I'll leave on another adventure tour from Edinburgh westward to circumnavigate all but the northeast of Scotland, even stopping for a day on the Isle of Skye. Once we hit Edinburgh on Friday though, I'll be ready for some warmth. Good thing it's next on the schedule.

On Saturday, April 19th, I'll fly from Edinburgh to Nimes in France where I'll catch my train through Avignon and the Provence region into Nice where I'll get to spend a day on the beach and a day searching the French Riveria before flying from Milan to Athens on the 22nd. Catching a train to Thessaloniki will take me to my hotel, the Queen Olga , where I'll be staying for two nights before ol' JWey comes to town VERY late on Thursday the 24th. We'll be staying in that hotel for the next three nights whilst we explore Thessaloniki and spend PASCHA IN GREECE! Plenty of church, then plenty of celebration and "Christos Anesti! Alethos Anesti!" and plenty of lamb and wine later, we'll go to Athens for a day on Sunday and Monday. Monday night will be spent on a ferry to Bari where we will either rent a car to drive through Italy or catch a train to Rome. Either way, Rome, Pisa, Florence and a couple of days in the Cinque Terre region will round out the warm-weather travels before we fly to Paris on May 4th for two days. After wandering around looking over burgeoning artists shoulders at their new masterpieces while eating croissants and nursing a bottle of wine for two days we'll fly to Oxford to get my things that I'll be leaving here, having one last pint in the Eagle and Child and heading to the airport in London to come home. The the good times will be over!! Ok, not really, cause then life will truly have to start, once I get back... :) This is going to be fun... Cheers!