Our day "off" Thursday was quite welcome. Julianne and two of her roommates stopped over for some pool time, but the water was super cold so I didn't get in. She was heading back to Minnesota the next day, so that was our last visit with her while we were here. Friday we decided to be a little ambitious, knowing things would likely get pretty hectic on the Fourth. We started off at the Smithsonian Institution Building (The Castle); not much to it, but it was a super cool building. From there, we headed over to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. That place had some very neat exhibits - there are two floors, an Imax theater and a planetarium! We saw tons of planes, several space suits, space exploration vehicles and satellites, huge missiles, ... read more

*Computer issues delayed posting on Monday. This morning we took the subway up two stops to King's Cross train station; home of Harry Potter's Hogwart's Express. I got to take a stereotypical tourist photo at the added Platform 9 3/4, and we ventured into the little gift shop. We didn't buy anything, but it was still neat, and ignited my inner Potter fan once again. From King's Cross, we took the subway over to Westminster. So many sights today! We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the Parliament, Westminster Abbey, went up in the London Eye, and walked through both Trafalgar and Leicester Squares. We'd just missed the Changing of the Guard at ... read more

Today started off nice & leisurely, with a walk down to the nearest market. There are no stores like Cub or Target here, you just go into these little stores reminiscent of gas station convenience stores - on steroids. After we dumped our goods off at the apartment, we went to a restaurant we'd passed advertising brunch. Without looking at the menu, we walked right in to Cock & Bull and asked for a table for two. This place was really cool, but clearly didn't cater to vegetarians. The main attraction, poised high on a pedestal in the center of the warehouse-esque place, was…an actual cow inside a gigantic glass tub of bluish liquid (likely a formaldehyde cocktail) with a rooster sitting on top of its back. Hence the name - Cock & Bull. I couldn't ... read more

Today I'm back in Dublin again, well, actually I'm in a suburb called Malahide just to the north near the airport. I got in around noon and went straight to Malahide Castle. This one was pretty cool, who am I kidding…they all have been. Also a museum like the Kilkenny Castle, but they let you take pictures inside as long as you don't use flash. The story behind this castle was that it had been in the Talbot family for over 800 years until the last descendant was forced out in the 1970s because she could no longer afford the taxes. The property went to the government and is now obviously open to the public. There are 2 trees several hundred years old on site, those were quite a sight. After the castle tour, I wandered ... read more

The place I stayed at last night in Blarney had dogs, and it made me miss my kitties back home. When I checked in to my new place in Waterford, I was super excited to learn there are kitties here! They aren't allowed in the guest sections of the house, but the owner let me snuggle with them for a few minutes near the doorway. It warmed my heart. The drive to Waterford was uneventful. Once I got into town I dropped off my laundry (they don't have laundromats where you do your own out laundry here, you have to drop it off and pay someone else to do it) then went to the House of Waterford Crystal. This place has been on my must-see list for months, ever since I watched a Rick Steves episode ... read more