B&B Pics

Pics along our drive!

The view from our B&B in Kells

The sun setting from our B&B

My cute cousin :)

What we saw once we parked the car at the B&B :)

What life is all about!

10-27-10

Today we left the small town of Killarney and started our way around The Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is breathtaking just as everything else! Before we started this drive we were thinking Ireland was pretty but we still were not convinced of all the hype. Well once we started our drive we saw what it was all about. This drive is spectacular and one I could drive multiple times. You are on windy mountain roads and every turn you have an amazing view. We stopped multiple times to take it all in and get some photos, I am sure there were some places we could stayed forever but we had to keep going!

We reached our B&B in Kells by late afternoon. What we saw there we were not expecting; the view was marvelous. We were greeted by the kindest host and she quickly sat us down in the sunroom which overlooks the bay and fed us some hot tea and homemade cake. Our host was so cute and warm and she refereed to us as “the girls”. We felt as though we had a mother away from home for one night.

As my cousin and I sat there we were both speechless. We are in the middle of Ireland, looking at the most amazing view, drinking hot tea and most importantly we are together. For long moment we were silent and then we looked at each other and both of us had tears in our eyes. All we were thinking was that this time and this moment is worth all the money in the world and we are truly blessed to be here.

After our tea we wrapped up and decided to head down to the water to check out the views. As we walked down the very muddy and poop filled path, we passed all the farm animals and made it to the waterside where the sun was setting and we got some stunning shots. We decided to keep it low key tonight and stay in for dinner so our host kindly made a homemade Irish meal, which was delicious. We had potatoes, ham and greens....needless to say our plates were wiped clean. We were lucky enough to eat with a few other guest and surprisingly two of the 3 were from Georgia. So we had lots to talk about and had a wonderful evening. Our night ended with some Irish coffee and we headed back to our rooms stuffed and ready for some sleep. Tonight was a night I will never forget!

Ireland Pics!

Night out in Dublin!

Wish wish wish!

The Blarney Stone....not what I was expecting.

Me barely kissing the stone and holding on for dear life :)

Fiddledidoo :)

We arrived in Blarney yesterday afternoon after a very long ride and rushed to see the castle before it closed. Making it 30 minutes before close we ran up to the castle, climbed the extremely steep steps, that I almost didn't make up...never knew I had a fear of heights, then we kissed the Blarney stone in hopes of getting the gift of eloquence! To be honest I wasn't so sure about kissing a stone that every one has put their lips on, but the guy that worked there really convinced me and well I had already gone through the trouble and fear of the stupid steps so I figure I would make it worth my time.

So I laid down, leaned back and well my 5ft frame didn't get me to the stone, so the guy had to basically hold me upside down and I finally managed to kiss the stone! I never knew that the stone was at the bottom of the castle wall and you are looking at the ground below you.

After the castle we walked through the gardens and went to the wishing steps, where they say you have to close your eyes and climb the steps thinking only about your wish. If you make it up and down the steps with your eyes closed then your wish will come true with in one year. Now, if you decide to climb the steps with your eyes closed and backwards then you are even closer to your wish. Of course my cousin and I did it once with our eyes closed and then just in case, I decided to do it going backwards as well. So I wished my wish as hard as I could and didn't peek once!

My cousin didn't go for the backwards bit and once we started heading back she looked at me and said "you think my wish will come true even though I didn't do it backwards...maybe I should do it, just in case". We both busted out laughing and headed back to the steps where she walked up and down with her eyes closed and backwards, so now there are no reasons why our wishes shouldn't come true. So mark the calendar, on 10-25-10 I made a wish that I can not disclose but I will let you know in one year if my wish comes true!

After Blarney we headed to Cork, checked in our hotel and hit the town. We decided on some Indian food for dinner which was a first for me. It was better than I thought it would be and I will definitely go back for more. Once dinner was done we went to a local pub for a beer. We didn't think it would be a crazy night seeing that it was a Monday, but after about an hour they had a live band come on and the party was just starting. People here are so friendly and ready to get to know you. We quickly meet a few people and the drinks started flowing. Every time we looked down our new friends had more drinks waiting for all. We hung out with the nicest couple that were celebrating a birthday and a few others. The band was amazing and we danced the night away. It was a great time and an unexpected night, which to me those are the best ones!

More pics from Broadway

The top of the mountain....we made it!

Our stop to enjoy the view :)

Views from our hike up

These sheep are everywhere!!!

The tower of Broadway

Pictures from Broadway!

Broadway...cutest little town!

My Favorite breakfast @ a Mom and Pop's Tea House

It was very cool...the hat was much needed!

Main strip of Broadway

Wrapping up England and heading to a happy place!

I have so much to catch up on due to the fact that we have not had any Internet.

The past few days have been full of much excitement and lots of driving! After we happily left Cheltenham, we drove to Broadway for a day stop and it was a site to see. Broadway is a town of maybe a handful roads with one main strip where the city center is. This cute little town won our hearts from the minute we drove in. The buildings remind of you of a time long ago and you feel so cozy and relaxed. We started at a cute mom and pop’s tea house and ate a delicious English breakfast, which has so far has been my favorite meal on this trip. After breakfast we decided to walk the city...which was not to hard to handle. We walked down the streets and looked at all the cute homes covered with beautiful red ivy. People would pass by on horseback and there were rolling fields of grass with wild animals wondering. We decided to take a little hike up the mountain to see a well known tower. We bravely decided to take the steep route, only because it was the shortest way and we were up for a little challenge :) We started our hike pretty cocky and thought it wasn’t even steep, but little did we know what lied ahead. I have to say it would have helped if we had actual hiking boots on or at least some sneakers, but either way after a very hilly and quite steep hike we made it to the top and it was well worth the view. Once we got up there and took some amazing photos we headed down a different route, getting a little lost but we made it down and in time to move the car before our meter was up!

We arrived in Oxford that afternoon and checked in our room. We stayed in one of the colleges and had a single room that was intended for one, but we managed to sleep three in one double bed :) That’s all part of the territory when traveling and we had so much fun just dealing with what we were deal. Oxford itself is a beautiful town with amazing buildings and history, the people on the other hand I can’t say the same. We did however have a wonderful host there which was one of my cousins friends and he was kind enough to take us ladies out the two nights while we were there. Oxford just fits in to every stereo type that you have. We saw people walking wearing outfits that you would never think people wear and having intelligent conversations. I by no means am saying that is bad but it was quite different and they are all in their own worlds.

We left Oxford early on Saturday morning and headed back to the London airport in order to head off the Dublin. At the airport we sadly parted with one cousin who headed back home. I had a few issues at the airport only because we decided to flight with a small airline and they of course had to rip me off as much as possible and charge 20 pounds for every kilo my bag was over. So, after a bit of research, I decided to send one bag to Munich where my cousin is and I will pick it up once I get there. In a way this was the best solution because I don’t have to deal with two bags traveling around Ireland and Scotland. If you really think about it 20 kilo’s is nothing and to charge a per kilo rate is just a rip off. I guess we were getting a deal with the cheap tickets so they had to make up for it.

We arrived in Dublin in the afternoon, rented a car and headed out to my cousin’s friends house. They were kind enough to give us a room and some home cooking! It was wonderful just to be able to do some laundry and eat at a kitchen table. Last night we went out in downtown Dublin and stopped at a few pubs. The Irish are every bit what you think. They are super nice and friendly and at the same time they are heavy drinkers that love dancing to some good old country folk music. It was a sight to see, at one point while we were walking down the street I saw a drunken Irishman fall in the streets and women if ALL ages were getting wasted and dancing the night away. So far I love the simplicity of it here; everyone seems to be happy and easy going. Tomorrow we head out for Cork and will make our way around the country!