5.12.2009

Goodbye Ireland


My camera died and these were the last few pictures I took.  I kept forgetting to charge the battery.  Oops.  We left yesterday (Monday) for the long flight home and made it safe and sound.  As glad as I am to be back in the US (hooray for Dunkin Donuts) I can't help but think about the next place to visit.  I hear New Zealand's got some good things to offer.  Plus who could go wrong with the homeland of Flight of the Concords?  

Blarney Castle





The first two pictures were taken from Blarney Castle.  It's where the Blarney stone is.  I wouldn't kiss it, too unsanitary.  But it was the only castle we went to that we could walk around wherever we wanted and was left barrren.  The last two pictures were taken in a cave.  I can't remember what it was called...or where it was.  The specifics of this trip are all blurred in my head at this point.

5.04.2009

Cliffs of Moher Number Two

This sign says it all...



We noticed other people walking along here so naturally we had to investigate too.  These pictures don't do it justice.  I was terrified.  However, Leslie was not.


We walked to the tower on the very last point.  It felt like miles.  By the end of it we didn't even notice we were walking just 3 ft from a 500 ft drop.  All we focused on was going to McDonald's once we got back to the car.

Dun Aonghasa

This was really amazing.  These were taken at Dun Aonghasa.  You could literally walk up to (and off of) the edge of these cliffs.  It took me awhile to get over the fact nobody put a fence or railing up.  I'm too used to America.  We sat on the edge and watched the water crash against the rock about 330 ft below us.




The view from the edge.

Inishmore

These pictures were taken at Inishmore which is one of the Aran islands .  We took a ferry from Galway and rented bikes once we got out there.  It was a perfect day to go.  Sunny with a much loved cool breeze.  We were absolutely exhausted by the end of the day and fell asleep on the ferry back.  So worth the blisters and sore legs.


This is the view from Dun Aonghasa which is a fort built on the edge of a cliff on the highest point of the island.
Jill fell into some gross brown water.  I first asked if she was ok and then told her not to move so we could get a picture.
We climbed the rocks at the beach.
In the middle of the huge rocks were little caverns where you could see the water rushing in from the ocean.  They were so deep and surprisingly unnoticable as you are walking along.  Jill had to point this one out to me; otherwise I would have walked right by it.

4.30.2009

Bye Crystal :(

Crystal left this morning.  We had an amazing time.  I'm so glad that her and I could do this together.  There were too many laughs, stories, and embarrassing moments to even remember.  I'm going to miss her a lot.  
This is the Newgrange tomb at Bru Na Boinne.  It's somewhere around 5,000 years old and pretty incredible to see.  We walked inside the passage to the center which is 20ft long where we were surrounded by about 200,000 tonnes of rock.  It was cramped and narrow and then the tour guide turned off the light to show how on the 3 shortest days in December the sun enters the chamber and lights the tombs.  After she was done I got out of there pretty quick.  But I'm glad I saw it.  There was neolithic art all over the inside of the tomb and the rock me and Crystal are standing behind was probably the best example of it.

WICKLOW!

I love these trees.  Moss was growing all over them almost to the end of the branches.
This cemetery was amazing.  
It was raining pretty bad that day.  I'm glad Crystal brought those raincoats.
This orange was gross.
Wicklow National Park.  It looked like a deserted wasteland.