The American Triangle, Ireland, Part 3

Let me take a step back to our day of imbibement. Tanner and I had planned to go to Cork on Sunday and so prepared accordingly by going to the station to purchase advance tickets. We strolled into the station near our B&B, and the one we would leaving from the next morning for our island tour, and went to the ticket window. I asked politely for tickets to Cork and he goes, no trains running on Sunday. Oh, really?

Why's that, I asked. And he proceeded to point to a poster on the wall behind us that stated, "Strike" and listed out the multiple dates which said strike would take place. I looked at the guy somewhat incredulously and decided to just call it a day. Some things are just so different outside of the states. Planned strikes? Days in advance? Printed on a poster? Ooooook then.

I walked out defeated, knowing I wouldn't see Cork, the Blarney Stone or the Castle and then cheered up as I was met by a much more fun poster outside of the station: RIVERDANCE, 20th ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCES.

Um. Oh. Em. Gee. Breathless Becca. This show, the one first shown to my 10 year old's eyes on PBS, was what catapulted me into my love of Celtic and Irish culture. What a sign, literally! I immediately looked up tickets for Sunday's performances and after slight pressure from me, Tanner agreed to go. How serendipitous, I nearly cried right there (but I didn't...I reserved the tears for the actual show, not joking. The feels, I had them.).

Spring forward to Sunday morning and we were able to enjoy another full Irish breakfast, nice and relaxing. We then walked to Kilmainham Gaol a mile away after passing through the gardens of the Museum of Modern Art.

MoMA

Very cool plaza, not unlike the Louvre!

The gaol (jail) was full of very fascinating stories. The last time it was used was for the Irish Revolution and how those men were treated was eye-opening considering they had TWO cells, one which was a sitting room with a fireplace and a serving man where they could bring their own home furniture to lounge in. Sweet treatment! Dublin has done a good job of maintaining the structure and sharing its history so Tanner and I really enjoyed the tour.

Can you name the movie that was filmed here? It's a smidge obscure. Hint: Daniel Day Lewis starred and it was nominated for several Academy Awards.

After wrapping up there, we headed to lunch with a few detours for "exploration time". With a quick refreshing change at the B&B we made our way, walking, to the theater near Grafton Street. How perfect once again that I was getting to see St. Stephen's Green unplanned as well as Grafton Street, made famous to me by Flogging Molly.

After the opening number my eyes filled with tears as I recalled the first time I ever watched it on PBS. It was both hilarious, because of it's absurd attire and "acting", and also TOTALLY AWESOME. I had a blast. And if you're wondering whether or not the famed sequined shirt was present, you betcha it was! The lead guy was no Michael Flatley, but he did a damn fine job trying.

The show wrapped and we left to wander down Grafton Street and see the park. Our last day on vacation, last day abroad, last day to potentially find the ONE souvenir I was most wanting. I had pretty much given up hope at this point that I would find the ring that I wanted. London was a bust considering I couldn't even find a jewelry shop. Edinburgh showed promise at one shop but they didn't have my size so I moved on. Inverness held few shops and shoes ended up being my souvenir from here. Dublin was last. My desires were simple, I felt...simple gold band emblazoned with some element of celtic culture. Surely this couldn't be so difficult, I said to myself when we first embarked on this trip. I was wrong.

But the universe knew what was up. Firstly, the strike which left us abandoned in Dublin on our last day. Secondly, the location of the theater and timing of the show...20th anniversary? For anyone that knows me knows numbers, and celebrations surrounding numbers, get me every time. Thirdly, the fact that the theater was located near Grafton Street which I had intended to visit when first considering the trip but never planned it properly once the plans settled.

We walked lazily down the street to the park and lo and behold, a jewelry shop, sitting idly on the corner across from the park. I looked in the window and liked what I saw. I'll run right in real quick just to see, I told Tanner. Less than five minutes later, I was the proud owner of what has now become my favorite souvenir of our trip abroad. Good thing I planned for this ring because it was the only ring I got while on said trip, much to the dismay of my girlfriends. Also to their dismay, a posted picture which confused them profoundly questioning whether or not we had gotten engaged. Poor girls, they are so mad at Tanner.

The one true ring.

I still wear this ring nearly daily, even though I used to swear up and down that I hated and subsequently would never wear gold. Having the moment in the shop and then enjoying the last of the beautiful weather in Dublin really rounded out our trip. We enjoyed one last pub and one last pint that evening before returning home to pack and prepare for our early flight home.

Ultimately, I think we're both most impressed with the following facts:
1) There was only one unsettling fight that lasted only a brief amount of time
2) Only two mishaps at a train station (the first being the far more costly and the second ultimately providing cost savings)
3) While all cities rained the day we left them, we only once got rained ON in Dublin our first evening there
4) We traveled really well together and were already excited about future trips to plan

While we were exhausted by the end, we both thoroughly enjoyed every country for each of the experiences we had there and each of the events or places we visited and learned about. Epic trip, completed.

Epilogue:
We landed in Houston and immediately drove out to Milo's foster Nana and mama's house to get him. We missed him so incredibly much and were beyond thrilled to have him back to hug attack and wrestle with. Life happiness, ongoing and awesome.

Also, check out this sweet collage I made.

The American Triangle, Ireland, Part 2

Our first morning in Dublin we made sure to tell our B&B hosts that we were heading down for a full Irish breakfast, which I failed to mention yesterday. It was awesome. Eggs, sausage, beans (my personal favorite), bacon, mushrooms (for Tanner, not me), tomatoes and toast. D-e-licious! Our second morning we had to leave extraordinarily early so we snuck downstairs in the dark, grabbed some yogurt from the fridge and were on our way to the train station for our tour of the countryside.

Tired and happy faces.

We boarded the train for our first leg of the journey and watched the city slowly disappear and the quaint villages come alive. Travelling by train really is fantastic. Outside of the very, very dirty backpacker sitting near us that smelled atrociously (hey fella, baby wipes can be your new BFF) it was calm, quiet, cozy and the scenery was beautiful. There were several stops planned for this trip and we knew we'd be away from Dublin until close to 10PM. Talk about a long day!

After hopping off the train, we were picked up by charter bus for our first destination: Bunratty Castle. With floors, walls and windows dating over 500 years old, the place was stunning. I am in awe just knowing that feet from generations past stomped these floors, were in that dungeon, took these winding stairs. We learned a few neat things about castles like how the stairs were always circular because if they were invaded the army coming up had their right arm (fighting arm) blocked and the home base army had theirs free to swing. Clever, right?

Mind you, those stairs were TIGHT. How on earth did men and women in the clothes they are depicted in pictures wearing make it everywhere???

Old and still beautiful.

Irish flag on ramparts we watched!

The whole village next to the castle has been kept up and currently houses adorable shops. 

After spending a few hours here, we boarded the bus again and headed for lunch! Guinness stew, here I come!

It did NOT disappoint. Perhaps best stew ever*!

With our bellies full, and a quick stop to the local chocolate shop (YUM!) we were back on the bus and headed to the Cliffs of Moher!

Look at that handsome man.

The colors all looked fake, the entire thing was mesmerizing and even our tour guide was in awe because he said the weather was typically overcast, cloudy, foggy, rainy and cold or some combination thereof. Thank you, travel gods, for this gift!

After making it across the entire island, coast to coast, we were through exploring and were back to the train station to catch our ride home. It ended up being really enjoyable as we had already started chatting with another couple on the tour and it turned out they were from Dallas! We spent the entire train ride chatting about books, Dublin and their trip so far (she'd had food poisoning for 4 days of it!!!) and their jobs and life back home.

We strolled home from the station and promptly went to bed. The next day had turned into another Dublin exploration day, story to follow as to why, which worked in our favor as we wouldn't have otherwise been able to visit Kilmainham gaol.

The American Triangle, Ireland Part 1

We last left our invigorated travelers on a train from Inverness back to Edinburgh, but only briefly, before they hopped an afternoon flight to Dublin. Just as in all previous cities to this point, the skies opened up and cried for the loss of these two Americans as they waved goodbye.

Bye, bye Scotland I WILL see you again.

I was completely fascinated with taking this flight. I wondered what might be different. I thought how cool it was to be taking a flight NOT in the US or coming FROM said country. That being said...

Things that weren't any different:
1) We walked on the tarmac to get to the small plane (been there, done that)
2) It was an older plane (looking at you, United without TV screens in the back of the headrest)

We flew through the grey rain and suddenly the deep blue sapphire waters of the Irish Sea, though I think it goes by many names, were there for us to see. It was incredible, though it still didn't defeat my reverance held for Inverness' waters.

The flight was short and uneventful and landed not long after takeoff, hooray short distances! The sun was flying high when we got there and it felt great not only because it was IRELAND but because it was our last country destination and this is where we were to conclude our trip. THIS was the land I have longed for over 20 years to visit and which I thought would prove to be a powerful place for me. Again, throwback to the last post, Scotland won this trophy by a landslide.

Bright and sunshiny daaaay!

Can I haz plate for souvenir, please? Airport food winning!

Evening walk along the river that splits the city.

We took an airport shuttle to the metro nearest our bed and breakfast and walked the 1/2 block to it. I was immensely surprised at how close it was because on a map it didn't seem that way. Growing up in Texas has its perks and its pitfalls, ha.

The owner of the bed and breakfast was a very entertaining older, greying Irishman who somehow within minutes had engaged Tanner in a very thorough discussion of Seinfeld and all its glory. I do not agree with this so Tanner was quite thrilled to have someone to talk to about their shared love of "great" TV. Ironically, this was the one place on our trip where we did not watch TV at all, not the entire time that we were in Ireland. I am excluding Netflix binge watching the many TV shows I discovered while abroad, of course.

For our first evening, we strolled down the river and ended up at a nearby pub for some grub and a Coors on tap. I had to. I was in Ireland and it was on tap all the way from Colorado. I was also treated to an entire conversation between four people held in Gaelic and only Gaelic. It was mesmerizing.

The next day was our day to explore Dublin so I was pretty excited. We bought tickets for a tour of the Jameson distillery immediately followed by a tour of the Guinness factory and then planned to wander the rest of our time. The weather was a mix of sunny, chilly and grey at different times. We started with a tour of the Jameson distillery and found out that it was just a storefront now....the REAL factory was moved to Cork many a moon ago. Thankfully, it was still interesting and we got what became my new favorite drink, a Jameson and ginger ale.

I was a little obsessed with this light.

Really interesting learning about the distilling process and why whiskey's are so different.

The reason Jameson is so clear as compared to Jack Daniel's and tastes so different from Scottish whiskey is because it is distilled three times whereas America does it once, Scotland does it twice and they roast their malt/barley/whatever with PEAT. Yeah, old school, makes a ton of smoke, PEAT. Suffice it to say, Jack is meant for shots or an old fashioned (as I learned just recently in New Orleans) and Jameson is meant for Ginger Ale and Scottish whisky is not meant for me.

Whisky at 11am following a full Irish breakfast? Why not.

Favorite new drink.

We ended up chatting with another American couple there and before we realized it, we were all wandering through the streets on our way to Guinness. Apparently we were being good tourists and capitalizing our drinking freebies all at the same time.

Guinness has a fascinating history that started with signing a 9,000 year lease. Yes, thousand. This was for 4 acres of land next to the river (and just down the street from our B&B) that eventually was bought out by the company and expanded to 50 acres. Really cool facts about Guinness, I tell you. Today the building is constructed like a pint glass and you travel each floor learning about the entire process from ground to glass. My favorite part, however, was getting to practice pouring our own pint and realizing that most bars in the states ain't doin' it right.

Successful graduates of the pour program!

Please note: the harp on the glass is VERY INSTRUMENTAL (pun!) in the proper pouring of a Guinness.

45* angle, check.

Go only to the harp, check.

Let rest for up to 2 minutes until all of it is dark, check. CHEMISTRY IS COOL!

Straight pour just until foam hits rim, surface tension!

After indulging in mostly just alcohol for our morning/afternoon, we determined we needed proper food. We walked down towards Christ Church Cathedral, following the river, to get in a little sight seeing as we hunted and foraged for food. We ended up at a burger place that was pretty tasty in a highly trafficked area down the way from the church. It was an intermittent sky day so sometimes you were chilled and sometimes you basked and purred like a kitten. Dublin is a great city, very walkable and pedestrian friendly, but it is absolutely an urban jungle. It is cobblestones, brick buildings, tight streets and densely populated. With Dublin's general history, I understood that but I was ready for greenery. I was ready for rolling grass and blooming flowers and an old Irish pub.

Thankfully, that's what I'll post on tomorrow! And what an incredible day it was, luck abounding with the weather and drivers and photo opportunities and good conversation.

The American Triangle, Inverness, Scotland

I can admit, it was a frightening moment when I realized I was as far north on the planet as I had ever been when we arrived in Inverness. Not to mention the thought that just north of us was sea...a lot of it. And to the near east and west...water. A lot of water. And it was cold and rainy and such a foreign concept to be so far north of the wall.

  We arrived in the gloom and grey and misty rain that is Nessie's hometown midday and quickly got turned around irrelevant of the fact that the city is minuscule compared to the cities we'd already been in on this trip. We finally figured out where to go and began a very, very steep ascent to our apartment home for the next two days.

I had done some Trip Advisor research prior to this trip and had made use of it in each city thus far (which I have had yet to mention) but I was most excited about the coffee/bike repair shop that was just up the, again very very steep, hill from the apartment. I quickly assessed the menu board and baked goods and was happy to see my favorite caramel chocolate shortbread in attendance.

After noshing on goodies and catching some free wi-fi, the homeowner met us up at the apartment to let us in and show us around. It was adorable and cozy and just right for us once again!

Sunshine!

This ended up being a more favorited part of the trip because we spent many more hours in the home than any other city and it was so relaxing. We walked around the pedestrian friendly city that evening and then had an amazingly delicious tapas dinner before crashing early. Travelling is exhausting!

What a great vantage point to take in some of the city!

I have tried desperately to describe the color of this water since returning but have given it no justice. This image has stuck with me most fervently of all of the trip. I have no idea why.

The next day we woke up and ate a light breakfast we had picked up at the grocery store the night before and went on our way for the day. I bought a pair of shoes which have turned out to be my 2nd favorite souvenir from the trip and we found some Scottish goodies to take with us as well. I found a store called FRASER's and got super ridiculously excited and took entirely too many photos of it all because of the main character in Outlander. Jamie Fraser....anyways...

One of many....

We made our way through the city and walked a few miles to get to our boat to see Nessie. We got intermittent sunshine too and it made the walk very nice.

We saw signs like this all over Inverness and Edinburgh regarding the Scottish Independence vote that was in a few weeks' time.

We're on a boat. And it's frigid. And then it started to rain.

Interlocking gates. The River Ness is actually a canal.

Urquhart Castle! Nessie's in these waters!

The ruins were incredibly beautiful. Just seeing the bones of something is so powerful.

The view from on high...I refused to go up there because of the slew of people and knew I would have a panic attack or maim another visitor if I did...so Tanner went.

Can you see her???

We got back from the boat, entirely frozen, and wandered back the few miles we had walked earlier that day. We took in a few more sites before going home and relaxing before a well recommended restaurant reservation.

Inverness Castle which is now a courthouse. Like legit.

The dinner was delicious and both Trip Advisor and our hosts were spot-on in its delectableness. Go to The Mustard Seed!

Venison!

Chicken!

Once again, we were blown away with the genuine and sincere responses and assistance when we had to discuss Tanner's nut allergy. The UK wins! USA 0, UK 1M. After a delicious dinner, we strolled home in the ever decreasing temperature to sleep one last night north of the wall.

While Inverness proved to be the most relaxing city we went to, I was happy to leave the chilled to the bones feeling behind us as we headed south and then West across the waters to what I had originally thought would be my all-time favorite obsessed over locations: Ireland. Spoiler Alert: I ended up loving Scotland entirely more...mostly because of how I felt while I was there. Like I was born to be there. It just felt...right.

Very early...

Gaelic!

Train travel is still my favorite, even after being on so many on this trip!

Here we come Ireland!