Day 24 Back to the States

My final adventure was getting back home.  I got up early so I could say goodbye to the boys.  They seemed a bit tired that morning because they probably had too much fun over the weekend.  Plus going to bed immediately after eating dinner so late and going immediately after has gotta be a little strange on the system.  The three of us sat at the table eating breakfast before they left for school with their dad.  I got some kisses and hugs goodbye from the three of them and off they went to start their day.  

We said goodbye and off I went out of the apartment, said goodbye to the Seine and headed up to the T2 line.  I hopped off at La Defense, bought my ticket from the same girl who couldn't help me before (she was the only truly curt French person I encountered) and off I went to the center of Paris via the RER A line.  Once in the middle of downtown, not that I would know it because I never left the station I transferred over to the B line to the airport.  For the second time I needed to go to the end of the line.  All and all it took me a little over an hour to get to the end of the line.  The nice thing was I didn't have anyone else touching me while traveling in the middle of the day.  It was a nice way to conclude my metro experience. 

When I finally got into the airport it took a bit of time to get checked in.  They have 3 large terminals with the number 2 terminal having probably 8 arms on it.  I found 2G and walked almost the entire length of the check in desks.  I checked in in one area and was sent to another location further down to check my bag.  That might have been a mistake because I have to pick it up in New York after customs.  Finally I made it through the passport check and into the terminal.  They were very efficient getting everyone though bag checks and through the metal detectors and I didn't even have to take my shoes off!

Once I got in there were all the fancy shops and a couple Paris souvenir shops.  I stopped in the souvenir shop and bought a small travel wallet with the money that Alice would not take.  After I found the macroon shop that I was hoping was there.  I bought some of them to take home with me to share with the family since I knew they were good from the day before, in fact too good.  I swore to the money gods for buying the wallet and not finding the macroons first.  So I had a bit left to spent in Euros buying a soda and some Kinder bars.  

Finally it was time to board the biggest plane to date, the A380.  Two complete floors full of passengers.   The plane is huge!  We got off late due to baggage getting on board and then sat on the runway for a while.  Finally almost an hour late we were off for the States. Since I was an Air France flight it came with an aperitif of champagne before the meal.  The meal was actually pretty good and of course had a bit of cheese on the side.  I watched a couple movies and never got up from my seat for the entire 8 hour flight.  Wow!
I got into New York city around 2 in the afternoon.  I went through customs again very quickly.  The US residents line was practically nothing while the visiting passports and visas had at least an hour.  Good thing because I only had about an hour between my flights.
Per security requirements I had to claim my bag, only immediately to recheck it about 30 steps away so it could be checked by American security.  Right...
The next step was finding my terminal.  I had come into the international terminal and needed to find the domestic.  I looked on the map and it looked like it was next door.  So a wandering I went.  No there, not there.  Oh the terminals are not connected.  Go outside and walk to the terminal.  Ok...  We I finally made it there with about 30 minutes to spare.  I got on my flight to Kansas City which was a little commuter jet.  3 seats across with about half of the plane open.  My last flight had 11 across with no open seats.  A bit of a difference. 
I made it home by 7pm which was 3am in Paris.  I stayed up for a couple hours to try to get back to central time.  I had such a fantastic time on my entire trip.
London, Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon, York, Hardrian's Wall

Scottish Border, Edinburgh

Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh

Glasgow, Loch Lommond, Belfast, Giant's Causeway, Aran Islands, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Killarney, Blarney Castle, Rock at Cashel

Dublin, Llangollen, Cardiff, Bath

Bath, Stonehenge, London

London

London

Versailles

Disneyland Paris

Paris

Paris

I hope that I get to have an experience like this again in my lifetime.

Day 13 A Ferry to find my name

We left Dublin early to catch the ferry back across the sea to Whales.  The ferry ride was not the smoothest due to the winds.  Whenever I got up to walk around it probably looked like I was drunk.

I assure you that my Irish Coffees had worn off by this morning.  The ferry was not as fancy as the last one when we went over to Belfast.  It also seemed like there were far fewer passengers on board as well.  Put the pretty boats on the more traveled routes.  Makes sense.  Three hours later we arrived in my 5th country of the trip.  And still only one stamp in my passport!

Our drive to Llangollen was truly gesticulate.  I never knew that it was so stunning.  I had heard it was pretty but it was even more than that.  Since we were in Wales, the land of my name I kept trying to get a picture of one of the signs.  I saw 5 different places with Bryn in their title.  Super awesome.

We took a little break in the town with the longest name ever.  I would attempt to spell it right but its crazy long, 56 characters long. It totally an old people on tour tourist trap with one big store and nothing much else.  We had a quick lunch at a pub and back on the bus we went.

 We arrived at Llangollen around 4pm.  We were supposed to get in earlier but because of the ferry being a bit slower due to the winds.  Most of the local attractions were already shut down for the day.  There are horse drawn boats, boats for hire and again more horse drawn carriages.  

 I decided to go for another hike. It seems like when i war my dress slacks it means hiking.  I climbed up towards another castle ruin at the top of Dee Valley.  That's right, Dee Valley.  I walked from the bottom of town all the way up.  I used surface streets on the way up until that base of the hill area.  

I talked to a very nice woman from the Canada.  She had lived in the England for 11 years and never been to Wales.  That's like never visiting St Louis from KC. 

  I caught my breath while I talked to her for the super steep hike.  It took me about 25 minutes to reach the summit.  The castle at the top was in ruins.  Only a few walls and archways are still remaining.  Otherwise it was an open green space.  

 I ended up talking to another very nice person from Ireland and playing ball with his dog while I caught my breath again after the hike.  I had a very nice time talking with him and enjoy the views.  I ended up staying at the summit for about an hour.  The views were spectacular.  I could see the city below, the aquaduct from afar, and valleys full of sheep.  I hope some of my pictures turn out from the top.  Much nicer than shopping around town and taking a nap.

 Our whole group of 21 plus our guide and driver went to the Corn Mill restaurant.  The restaurant used to actually be mill.   The water wheel was still there with the water flowing. We ended up coming in two big groups.  I got a hard cider which is very popular in the UK. Our food took over an hour to get.  Mine came 15 minutes after everyone else's in the group.  I order an starter of 3 scallops.  1 hour 15 minutes for 3 scallops.  They should have at least given me a free drink for that wait. At least it was a cool looking restaurant right along the riverside.

The pictures I took in Llangollen were some of my favorites from the entire trip.  

Day 12 A Day in Dublin

Our full day in Dublin started later than any of our other mornings at 10am.  Most people had stayed out late the evening before so most of them were worse for ware.  Our hotel was very close to the main downtown street of O Connell where tons of people were always around.  Our first stop was at the National post office next to the millennium spire.  

The spire is 120ish meters tall, even taller than the statue of liberty.  Supposedly it used to be polished surface but it is no longer that way because of the blinding tendencies.  

From the post office we crossed the river to the more collegiate part of he city. We walked into Trinity University.  We walked around the square in through the bell tower.  Trinity has a similar super stitiom to KU's bell tower where if you walk though it during finals time you will fail. 

An interesting fact about the school is that until 1970 if you were a Catholic you had to ask permission to attend the school.  It was built outside the original center of the city by a Protestant queen so no Catholics allowed.  Maybe they needed permission from the Pope.

There were quite a few more stops along our walking tour to go so we didn't stay long.  Our next stop was at the House of Lords.  Like many of the other government buildings around the city there are 3 different figures on the tops.  They varied depending on the buildings but mostly had a figure for commerce and justice plus one additional figure. 

True to any city with a large university here has to be night life area near by.  In Dublin it is the Temple bar area.  For a city that is known for it's puns there really aren't that many.  We were told that Dublin has the fewest pubs per capita compared to the other cities in Ireland.  Temple Bar area has the most in one area and is lengendary for it's nightlife.  Everyone from our group went there the previous night.  They even saw an authentic bar flight where a guy got knocked out.  

We continued on to the west side of the city stopping across he street from Christ Church Cathedral.   The building was massive.  We did not get a chance to enter and I didn't have the opportunity to head back but it was really nice to see.  

Our last stop before our extra for the day was at the Dublin Castle.  As far as castles go it didn't really look like much of one.  We walked into the courtyard to looked around a bit.  

Most of the buildings were built 300 years ago and didn't quite have the details that some of the other buildings we had seen.  In retrospect Dublin Castle and Trinity college have very similar looks.

After walking for about 2 hours we made it to our last stop at the Guinness storehouse.  The building is very impressive.  The visitors center was built about 25 years ago in the shape of a pint glass.  At the bottom of the glass is the lease that Arthur Guinness signed for 9000 years. Not kidding, 9000 years.

The displays were impressive but there is not too much more you can learn about how they make beer after visiting 3 breweries before.  My favorite part of the displays was all the advertising material from the past 100 years or so.  Also they had the different bottles dating back to 1890 that were made from stoneware rated than glass.

At the top of the giant pint glass there is the gravity bar.  This was the highlight of the entire building.  You could get your free pint, aka included in your ticket price, and look at a 360 degree view of the city.  Looking at a city and seeing practically everything it has to offer is really amazing.  As for the pint I liked the taste of the beer alright but the after taste is killer.  I only drank about 1/4 of it before my upset stomach started to rare up like if likes to when I drink any type of beer.

I enjoyed the view of the city a bit longer before heading back to Temple Bar to find lunch.  After drinking Guinness and hearing about the steak and Guinness pie there I had to find some pelf my own.  I was successful and it was delicious. Even the mushrooms taste good and most of you know how I feel about mushrooms. And again some potatoes on the side.  Some people's entrees in Ireland had 3 or 4 potatoes side dishes.  No kidding.  

Some of the girls were keen on shopping but I was not in the mood so one other girl and I headed back to the hotel to do some laundry.  I also tried to take a nap but the hotel was loud and our room was hot.  And the sheets are strange.  So far I've only had one place with a top sheet, blanket and comforter.  Everywhere else you only got a comforter with a washable sheet covering it.  Its been warm in some places which led to being too hot while sleeping.  But so far I've survived.

At 6:30 a group of 11 from our 21 went back into town to grab some dinner.  Again the portion sizes where huge so I decided on a soup that was small but I couldn't even finish.  I also had an Irish Bailey's coffee could have taken up some room in the stomach.  

Day 11 Getting the Gift of Gab

Another food item to cross off the list.  Black pudding.  Basically taste like a heavy sausage with a little more fat than a usual sausage.  Not too bad.  So if you are counting - Yorkshire pudding, haggis, Irish coffee in Ireland, and blood pudding.

We left our hotel in Killarney early to start our drive to Dublin.  But it wouldn't be a good driving day if we didn't make a couple stops along the way.  Our first stop of the day brought us to Blarney Castle.  

The castle sits within a massive park.  This of course is where the famed Blarney stone is where if you kiss it you will be gifted with the gift of gab.  The stone sits at the top of the castle.  You have to walk up about 4 or 5 stories worth of spiral staircases.  Once you reach the top you sit down with the help of an assistant and grab the bars behind you.  You lean back while holding on and kiss the stone which is below the stone you are sitting on.  They even have an official photographer with the kiss cam.  

Now I official have the gift of gab and should be able to talk my way out of any situation.  

The rest of the park was beautiful.  Arboretums, gardens, streams and paths that wondered all around that castle.  I could have spent a couple hours there easily.  But we only had a little over an hour so I stayed close to the castle and wandered the paths around there.  And off we went to the town of Cashel.

Cashel is well known because of the Rock of Cashel.  The Rock of Cashel is a cathedral that dates back to around 1100.  It was used before that as the location that the local area would crown their kings.

  Most of the church dates back to he 1270's.  Some of the painting from that time still survive.  Which is amazing when you find out that the building has been is disrepair for at least the last 250 years with no roof to protect some of it.

  It reminded me of Edinburgh Castle because of the rock base it was on.  It is the famed home of St. Patrick.  I think that I was the only one in the group that paid to get in but for €6 it wasn't too bad of a price. 

Our destination was about 2 hours from Cashel so in went a movie on the bus.  

I logged all my experiences while the movie was playing. We arrived in Dublin at about four.  A couple girls and I headed down to the main shopping area.  There is a chain called Primark that everyone had been raving about.  Its like TJ Maxx and Target combined but cheaper.  What did I buy? A Disney shirt of course.  I couldn't help myself.  

And I bought a couple other souvenirs at a tourist including another thing that I cant live without, another tin which will be loved and used when I get home.

We had dinner at our hotel which was pretty close to downtown.  I planned on going out with some people after they finished their Irish night. But I missed them when they headed into Temple Bar.  So I ended up staying in for the night and got a good night's sleep.

Day 10 The Cliffs of Insanity to a National Park

We left our sketchy hotel in Galway and headed south to Killarney in the south.  But first we stopped at the cliffs of Moher.  The cliffs of Moher have been used in many movies including Harry Potter and the Princess Bride.   They look to be about a 400 foot cliff from the top to the water.  

The cliffs were a straight drop down made from a dark grey rock. After raining heavily in the morning the sun came out and made for spectacular view of the cliffs.  The grass on the hills on the top seemed to glow with the sunlight. There was also a little castle at the highest point of Moher with great views from every angle.  The cliffs were awe inspiring.  

 I did climb over a bit of the wall that i was not supposed to to get a different angle which was absolutely worth standing in wet mud only 5 feet from the edge to see it from there.  

The gift shop and restaurant were built into the cliff side with a view of the cliffs.  I bought a small reusable bag.  I know that my bag purchase is a shock, when everyone else bought a ton of tourist crap with clovers on it.  My main souvenirs might be a bag from each country and maybe a tin too.

We drove further south and made a pit stop in a small town.  Compared to the UK's stone buildings Ireland's buildings are painted and colorful.  Each store front is usually painted a different color.  We grabbed some sandwiches and I bought a cream pastry for a little extra sweet for the day.

Our drive down to Killarney was beautiful.  The southern side of Ireland is beautiful.  Of course that was when everyone was watching a movie on the bus and had closed all the curtains.  So I headed up to the front and looked out the front window.  Everyone else missed some distant castles, beautiful seaside, and islands in the distance along the way.  I've noticed that in Ireland we are seeing a lot of buildings from castles to farmhouses are in some level of disrepair or complete ruins compared to the UK.  I assume it is from all the hard times that Ireland has had over the years.  But anyways it is part of their culture.

To cut some time off our journey we took a ferry across a waterway to cut off over an hours of our driving journey.  The ferry was just a little one and for only 20 minutes.  Quite a bit different than the sea crossing.  But I suppose the boat corresponds to the size of the crossing.  It was nice at least to get out and stretch my legs, get a different view of the landscape and enjoy some sea air.  Then off we went.

 Our overnight stop was in Killarney.  A small town on the south side of the island.  It is home to the first and largest national park.  So far it was my favorite time in Ireland.  

The alone time was refreshing and so was the scenery.  There is a herd of Red deer in the park and I was fortunate to see 5 of them.  I just set off wondering in the park and wondered towards Ross Castle on a loch.  

That is loch number 2 for those who are counting.  I looked at some postcards of the rooms inside the castle and found it more beautiful on the outside area than it would be inside.  

What a beautiful place.  If I were to go back to anywhere in Ireland the national park would be it.  There were little boats that would take you around the park.  There were other castles and abbeys all around along with mountains, open fields, animals, old homes and flowers all around.  I tried to find a path alongside the loch but was unsuccessful but i enjoyed the views from where ever I was.  I could have easily spent a few days inside that park and the Ring of Kerry area where it is located.

Our whole group went back to our hotel, Darby O'Gills, and everyone grabbed their computer and phones to use the wifi.  Ah this is traveling in 21st century.  My kindle died for a while but I was able to reset it and recover all the writing that I had done so all you lovely folks could read about my adventures.