Just to clarify, we are in the Republic of Ireland (in the south) and not Ireland (the north). To get you more familiar with the country we are exploring, here are some of its claims to fame: U2 (Bloody Sunday has new meaning) Gaelic Language Tristan and Isolde movie Guinness Far and Away movie Celtic crosses (a mix between the early Christian missionaries crosses and the native Celtic circles) Potatoes (and the multiple devastating potato famines) St. Patrick (the superstar missionary credited with converting all of Ireland) 3 leaf clovers-used by St Patrick to explain [View Full Entry]

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I have seen more rainbows in Scotland than I have seen in my entire life combined. I need to figure out exactly why we can see this optical illusion....its strange seeing something that isnt tangible. Maybe its this thought that provoked me to contemplate rainbows on a deeper level... The Life of a Rainbow Short-lived Beautiful Colorful and Bright Bring smiles to peoples faces Are only achieved with the correct balance of rain and sunshine Sounds a bit like life, if you think about [View Full Entry]

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Rachel's not much of a beer drinker, so I've had to really pick up the slack. For as many amazing things that we've seen with our eyes, it would be a pity to leave the rest of our senses out of the journey. So this is the up to date record of the tastes that at least one of us has enjoyed. See if you can figure out which one of us that is... European Beers Conquered in the Glory of Adam: 29 Leffe (Brun and Blonde) <--- Both Really Good The Legendary Hobgoblin <--- Tastes like Shiner Bock Spitfire Old [View Full Entry]

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An update from the Isle of Skye... The Isle of Skye is decieving--its actually a massive island 60 miles long in the Northwest of Scotland. Yesterday Adam and I hiked through marshland to see the old Nordic castle ruin of Castle Moil. Apparently, a beautiful, busty blone Nordic princess strung a chain across the body of water that flowed by the castle so that the ships couldnt pass by without paying a hefty fee. If she was pleased with the payment, she would pay the sailors back by baring her chest. Our tour guide suggested we visit the castle and "get [View Full Entry]

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The Traveler When you have communicated without using words, When you have been invited into a stranger's home, When you have found that "different" is not synonomous with "bad" When you have found that people everywhere have the same fears, concerns, and joys that you do, When you find more similarities than differences between cultures... Then you have discovered the true difference between world traveler and tourist. Looking back at our past week in Scotland, I have inadvertently received Scottish and English History 101. To rhythmically oversimplify: Many many ki [View Full Entry]

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We have arrived in the land of William Wallace, haggis, and tartans. After a nine-hour bus ride, Adam and I trekked our way across Edinbugh to the Castle Rock hostel-just across the street from the Edinburgh Castle. We were lucky enough to have the highest building in the city as our landmarker. At night, Edinburgh looks spectacular-purple and white lights illuminate century-old buildings. What a stark contrast from the cosmopolitain, modern London! After we checked in, we decided to dine at a local pub, where we were fortunate enough to coincide with a local musician who played Scott [View Full Entry]

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Consider Stonehenge checked off the list of "Places to see before you die". We toured the giant tourist stones in the rain, which Im learning is not actually typical of England. The audiotour left me unsatisfied...still no answers to "Who moved these 45 tonne stones?" Why did they do it? And even more importantly, "how in the world did they get them here?" The audiotour only provided the answer of "giant rafts" and "probably for the sun god". The amazing thing is that one-third of these rocks are buried beneath the ground, and the concentric circles were probably erected hundreds [View Full Entry]

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I am overwhelmed with the generosity of people here. I made a pact that when I grow up I will invite others into my home with as much goodwill as I have experienced here. Our generous hosts, Robina and Iain, have welcomed us in, without much previous knowledge of who we are, and offered to let us stay "as long as we like". What a tempting offer! We were whisked away from the train station in a BMW Convertible (no, really, were not impressed) to their darling house in Petersfield. We were then turned loose to have free reign over [View Full Entry]

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Goodbye London...hello Brighton! For two and a half days, we walked miles around London, exploring the city's districts. Just imgine walking from one side of New York City to the other in three days. We coincidentally arrived for London's biggest festival-the Thames River Festival-and were enticed into playing on a gameshow on the Yahoo! bus (where ALL of the questions were trivia about London...very unfair) and heard a concert by Stunt-Man (some UK boyband) and watched the equivalent of Mardi Gras during their Night Parade. On Monday we took a bus to Brighton, where we were me [View Full Entry]

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We made it after a ridiculous amount of hours in the air and in airports with zero problems. It was almost eerie to have no delays, no changes in itenerary, and no lost luggage. We got into London at 7:30 this morning and made it through customs by 9:45. On the flight, I learned that airplanes have windshield wipers. My next quest: how often are the planes washed? Thanks to Rachel's PLANNING, we booked a hostel before leaving the states online. We took the well-marked Tube all the way to Raithethorpe neighborhood and checked into the hostel. Unfortunately, we couldnt get [View Full Entry]

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