The Sea

We drove to the coast today and went on a boat ride out to some beautiful cliffs that I can't remember the name of. :) We met a friendly dolphin along the way, and I actually took some pictures that don't include the girls - so you know it was a beautiful sight!

totally thought this was a shark at first...

The size of these cliffs literally took my breath away

Is that amazing, or what?

So we've all decided we'd like to become farmers and live in Ireland forever.  After all, I'm 1/4 Irish, you know.  I meant to try to track down relatives from my mom's side of the family, but as it turns out there is more than one O'Connor family here.  Go figure...  

We will begin the long journey back home tomorrow morning.  Praying for an uneventful (and possibly a little restful?) flight. :)

A Royal Feast!

We attended a Medieval Royal Feast at a nearby castle tonight.  We were referred to as "My Lady" and "My Lord" and "Nobel Guests" throughout the entire night.  From the moment we entered the castle courtyard it was as if we stepped back in time.  We were entertained by dancers, singers & actors wearing authentic medieval costumes.  It was so much fun!  It was an evening filled with legends, storytelling, Irish dancing and more...  The girls received several compliments on their good manners/behavior during the show and dinner. :)

Practicing her best curtsy

Cheers!

Okay, they can behave like nice young ladies for only so long...

Killarney, Ireland

Today Andy surprised us with a horse drawn carriage ride through Killarney's breathtaking countryside.  I can't think of a better way to see Ireland's beautiful lakes, meadows, castles, old bridges...  It was amazing.

Blarney, Ireland

I can already tell that Ireland is going to be my favorite destination during this vacation.  It is so beautiful.  There are no words...  Today we visited the Blarney Castle where all five of us made our way to the very top of the Blarney Castle Tower (over 100 steps up an extremely narrow stone, spiral staircase) were hung upside down over the side of the tower wall and kissed the Blarney Stone!  I am always amazed with the things I allow the girls to do to experience different cultures. :)

We drove to a beautiful seaside village for dinner, and were in absolute awe of Ireland's stunning countryside.  We had to drive slowly and come to a complete stop a time or two to avoid hitting sheep, goats, rams and even a deer who all wandered onto the small, winding road that led us from one village to the next.

Here are a few pictures from our first couple of days in Ireland:

 

The Blarney Castle

Mia kissing the Blarney Stone

At the very top!

An Irish legend says that if you walk up these "wishing steps" backwards, with your eyes closed your wishes will come true.  Mia wished for her tooth to fall out, that she could fly, and that I would have another baby.  Haha!  Well, hopefully the first wish will come true, anyway...

Beautiful Ireland...

We decided we'd eat at the restaurant with the most "Irish-sounding" name.  We came across an O'Brien's, a Fitzpatrick's, an O'Conner's, a McCleary's, an O'Callihan's...  We settled on McCarthy's where we listened to a live Irish band during our dinner.  Cheers!

Sterling, Scotland

We left the lovely bed and breakfast that Andy arranged for us and spent some time exploring the countryside before leaving beautiful Scotland.  Rolling green hills covered with sprays of wildflowers, pretty wooden fences, old stone bridges… I love how after nearly 20 years of marriage Andy automatically knows when to drive really slowly by a winding stream or charming cottage without me even having to ask so I can snap a picture.  And occasionally he knows when to pull over altogether so that I can capture an image he knows I would like.  This has been so fun. :)

Here’s the difference between Andy and I when it comes to pictures though…  Mia and I hopped out at this picturesque setting along the highway.  When we got back into the car Andy asked to see the picture.  He looked at this darling photo of Mia, that I thought he’d be so impressed with it because I literally had 5 seconds to compose my shot for crying out loud… :)  

“So where’s the picture of the bridge?”

“It’s right there, behind Mia”

“That’s a picture of Mia, not a bridge.”

Tomorrow we will fly to Ireland where we will tour Cork, Blarney, Kilarney and then up to Shannon before we head back to the US.  We are so excited!

Edinburgh, Scotland

"Real men wear kilts"

We literally weren't off the plane 5 minutes before we began seeing men dressed in kilts!  We've been trying to talk Andy into wearing a kilt while in Scotland for months now with no success.  Which is why we were so surprised to find him playing the bagpipes and sporting a kilt this afternoon while we were walking around the city.  Weird. 

All joking aside, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever been to.  The architecture reminds me so much of the old, beautiful buildings and churches we saw in Italy.  We've had a great time strolling along cobble-stone streets, exploring castles and learning more about this culturally rich country.  There is a constant hum of bagpipes and church bells everywhere we go that has made this experience so... I don't even know the word.  Authentic, I guess?  Edinburgh is exactly how I've seen villages in Scotland portrayed in movies and picture books.  It's stunning and breathtaking and so refreshing...

And the Scottish accent is the sweetest thing I've ever heard, especially when children speak - and by the sounds of my family, I'd say it's contagious!  We can't seem to let it go.  It's hilarious!  We actually got online and practiced the different accents we would hear during our time in the UK before we left, but now that we're surrounded by it it's hard to stop.  We are a funny, funny family...  

West Parliament Square

Enjoying the view...

The Edinburgh Castle

The Royal Mile

Greenwich Village

This was probably my favorite day so far.  Walking around Greenwich Village, souvenir shopping, listening to music, eating ice cream, feeding the pigeons...  It was absolutely lovely (said with an English accent, of course).  

I've given each of the girls a "photo assignment" to complete during our time in the UK.  They each needed to choose something to photograph consistently during our vacation (in addition to the hundreds of other pictures they've been taking -  I wonder who they get that from?)  Hannah chose clocks, Maggie chose doors, and Mia chose houses.  Then churches.  Then dogs.  Then shoes, cars, statues...  When we get home they will each get to put together a Shutterfly book featuring their photos and I'm so excited to see how they turn out!  This is one of the doors that Maggie shot and I just couldn't help myself.  :)

We will fly to Edinburgh, Scotland first thing tomorrow morning.  I am so excited I can hardly stand it!

Cheerio!