Toppa the mornin to ya

Today was the last day of our 3 day adventure.  We said goodbye to Mark....our awesome Paddywagon driver and were given Darren....a not to exciting one haha.  We missed Mark!!
We left Kilarney and headed 2 and a half hours to Blarney to visit the castle and kiss the Blarney Stone.  Was really neat to go inside the castle and explore all the little rooms as they used to be.  The stairwell to get to the top was a spiral staircase that got increasingly smaller as you reached the top.  Once up there we waited our turn to kiss the famous stone.   The jolly old Irish guy holds onto you as you slide backwards, upside down over what feels insanely high up (don't worry there are safety bars below) to press your lips against that cold stone surface that so many others have kissed too haha.  All in good fun!
We had 2 hours to explore the grounds, shops and eat lunch.  I happened to find another yummy salad!!!  yay for me.  Attempting to eat good food after all the snacks and traditional Irish food I've been devouring.
After we left Blarney we had a 3 hour drive to our next stop at (fill in the blank castle :) )
We were there about half hour then made our final trip back to Dublin.  I was only a 5 minute walk from my new hostel which was awesome with all my gear.  I AM IN HEAVEN!!!  After staying in the last two hostels with one bathroom/shower combo for twelve people and only one room key I have just walked into paradise!  It's on the main street right on the water of the river, close to everything, beautifully decorated with big rooms, a cinema, computer and kitchen room and where I'm currently typing to you from and my most favorite of all, is the hammock/beanbag room.  It's painted like the sky with flowing colors as you relax in the hammock and finally have some peace and quiet.....this is a backpackers bliss!

 After 3 intensely busy days there is nothing better then coming back to a place that feels like home and is enjoyable.....except maybe a shower....which is something I'm also about to go and do because I am dirty!!  Because we only had one shower in the last hostel I opted to wait the extra day anyway......my hair just gets curlier the dirtier it gets anyway lol.  I wouldn't be the first person I know of to warn you to not stand too close in case I stink :P  Just kidding, I'm not that bad!
Tonight I plan to do NOTHING, shower, catch up on my blogging, eat and sleep.  Tomorrow I'm meeting 3 of the girls from the tour to go shopping and maybe head to the old jail which is supposed to be a really neat tourist attraction.
In the meantime I'm going to surf the interweb as I rock gently back and fourth in my very own hammock <3  Ahhhh this is the life!!!

The mighty Cliffs of Moher

Alrighty…it’s been a busy few days so I HAD to sit down and blog tonight even though I really should get some beauty sleep!  Some of it might be point form that I will fill in later once I have time to look back on notes and pictures.

I can’t currently get online at the moment so am just typing this and will upload it later but because of that I can’t remember what I last wrote about, or what day it was for that matter.

Well a brief recap….I took the bus/ferry from Belfast to Dublin, I think I wrote about that.  Spent a few days in Dublin.  Visited the Guinness factory and enjoyed a pint.  Joined the free walking tour with the Sandeman’s group.  Went on a pubcrawl Thursday night and headed off early for my 3 day tour with Paddywagon on Friday morning.

The first day we headed to a little town called Cong.  Visited the Ashfield (think it was called) castle where Pierce Brosnon got married.  What a stunning place!!  The we went to Kylemore Abbey and Victorian walled gardens, I find it fascinating to read all the history and see how they managed to build these gorgeous stone structures so many years ago.  I took some time and paid my respects to those that laid there in rest.

From there we stopped at Corcomroe Abbey…so glad I took pictures of the these places or I’d never remember their names!

I was so tired once evening rolled around and we arrived in Galway.  He had an hour to settle and head out for the evening.  Foung a cute pub for dinner and I actually found a really yummy salad for once….yay!  Getting a little tired of Beef and Guinness stew and lasagna’s…..any everything comes with potatoes, sometimes two different types!   So I REALLY enjoyed my salad…..mmmm J

After dinner and watching a huge soccer game on the big screen we headed out to more of a club type scene.  Great fun but stayed away from the alcohol after my big night the night before.

On our way home we got roped into visiting Cowboys or Coyotes..... as all the clubs have people out recruiting you to come to their bars and will actually walk you there, offer deals ect…..so we went as a whole crew.  The girls were dancing on the bar like in Coyote Ugly…..there was a mechanical bull and a really cheesy karaoke DJ.  We watched some of the girls ride the really pitfull mechanical bull then headed for bed.

This morning we headed off at 9:30 and said goodbye to Galway….I really like Galway and would love to spend some more time there rather then just one night.

On the road out the highway this morning we stopped at a wishing well in the middle of no where where you step up onto a rock and make a wish, then throw a coin from your right hand over your left shoulder….if you get it directly in the water you wish comes true.  A few of us got it in but most bounced off the rock structure first so maybe we’ll get half our wish??  Haha

We visited what they call “The mini Cliffs of Moher”  we had another perfectly sunny day…..didn’t look at all like November!  I’ve been soooooo lucky.

This part of Ireland is much different scenery wise then the North was.  The north has big open green green fields where as here in the South it’s much more rocky and not nearly as green.  I was surprised how different it really is!

We stopped in Doolin for lunch and had a little visit with a local donkey (yay animal contact….I miss my animals)

After filling our bellies with amazing food we made our way to the real Cliffs of Moher.  I’ve heard how windy, cold, foggy ect it can be up there but yet we had more glorious sunshine.  Was slighty windy but no more then it would be on a normal day the at the West Coast.

Took some super pictures I’m really excited about.  We became part of the risktakers and  took our life into our own hands as we crossed the paved walkway and got a little closer to the edge.  Your not supposed to, yet hundreds of people do as theirs still a perfectly safe walkway to go along….it’s just dangerous because with the wind people have been blown off and killed…apparently it happens quite frequently.

We boarded our bus and had a 3 hour drive into Kilarney which is where we are tonight.

Our hostel is less then glamourous but I’m sure I will encounter some worse then this one through my travels so I’m trying to keep an open mind.

Had another hour before we got ready to repeat the night before.  Dinner, drinks, dancing…pretty common.  Was another fun night and I really enjoyed it here.

Tomorrow is our last day on the tour as we make our way back to Dublin.

So on that note I must get some sleepy down time!!

Guinness for All!

I arrived in Dublin yesterday evening.  Found myself a bite to eat, had an awesome shower in my 10 person dorm room with an en suite....what a nice feature!  The water was hot and pressure was fantastic....these things make a backpacked quite happy :)  Little things....like full length mirrors in rooms go a long ways for good ratings haha!
This hostel is also awesome cause it offers something free to do every night!!!  Last night was wine and cheese, tonight was a free dinner, tomorrow is free beer whooo hoo!!!  It's called The Times Hostel on College street in Dublin,  within easy walking distance to everything you could possibly want.
Today was laundry day.....hated wasting the morning but it needed to be done.  I was starting to stink....and the type of stink cause by sink covered up by perfume lol....ok maybe it wasn't that bad or maybe I just got used to my own company lol :P
So now every article I currently have to my name is clean....yay!  Great feeling.  After I was done with the "chores" I headed out for the day.  I meandered the busy streets and darted in and out of a few souvenir shops.  I haven't bought much so far but my "thing" is to by pins, like their flag or something that says the name of the country I've been too.  It's cheap and it's fun to find them.
I want to buy an Ireland sweatshirt but have yet to find the right one I want....wanting what you buy is very important when living out of a backpack with limited space!
I grabbed a quick bite to eat at Burger King....first time I hit a fast food place but after realizing my budget seems to be dwindling quite rapidly without really spending it on anything besides food and shelter I think I'll be dining alot more often in the cheaper places of fast food...ugh....life of a backpacker is so not glamorous....just FUN! 
From there I made my way to the Guinness Factory.  What a neat place, all 7 stories of it!  Once at the top you get to enjoy a free pint in the gravity bar and lookout over every angle of Dublin.
I stopped to pet the horses that were pulling carriages and people around.  Such good ponies they are.
At the free dinner tonight I was chatting with some girls about the life of a backpacker and how we all get "fashion envy"  visiting all these amazing places with beautifully made up women in their fashionable outfits meanwhile any makeup we put on in the morning has since run down our faces as we navigate the streets carrying everything on our backs like perfectly practices turtles haha.  Oh well Ce la vie!
Some of the girls from the hostel and I are going out in search of live music this evening which usually isn't more then a few steps away.....from pub to pub to pub.
So better go get ready!  Talk soon!
    Shawna xoxox

Giant's Causeway

Went to bed late again last night.  Wasn't doing anything special but was shocked at the news of losing Hickstead yesterday!  Had to watch tribute videos to him.  Can't believe the loss of such an amazing, once in a lifetime, world class horse.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Eric Lamaze and his team <3

Got up around 8 am this morning and headed down for my freshly made warm English breakfast....yummy!
I only had about a 10 minute walk to meet my tour guide for the day and like that we were off to the Giant;s Causeway, rope bridge, Derry and the Dun Leuce Castle.
Another super sunny day but darn COLD!  It was freezing this morning and there was frost everywhere.
The bus with Paddywagon tours was nice and comfy and our guide Troy was hilarious!
The rope bridge made my knees shake more then I thought it would.  Don't worry I took a video so you can see what I went through :)  That felt pretty high, and wobbly haha.
From there we headed to the Giants Causeway.  What an amazing wonder of the world....how the heck did those rocks get like that??  Had the perfect conditions for pictures.

We then loaded up and had a quick photo op of what is said to be one of the most haunted castles ever before heading into Derry, the walled city.  Back in the day they built the walls to separate the English from the Irish, however the Irish couldn't afford to build the wall so the Englished paid for it on the condition that the town put London in front of their name....so it is now called Londonderry.....or Derry to the original people.  It's complicated but a really interesting place with a great feel.
Had an hour and a half drive back to Belfast and now I'm relaxing for the evening planning my day tomorrow as I'm off to Dublin....yay!!

MTV Music award craziness!!!

Ok the past two days...where do I even begin!!  I left the Edinburgh hostel Saturday morning at 8:30 am.  Had a pretty good trek to the bus station with my bags...I better have fanastic legs and buns by the time I'm done backpacking haha.
I'm so happy I sleep well on public transit as it made the just over 3 hour bus ride go fairly fast.  The Scottish countryside was incredible and much different then the highlands I had seen the day before.   Green rolling hills everywhere that stretched to the sky and right down to the ocean.  Rocky terrain and tons of sheep and cows to see.

The bus dropped us offat the ferry terminal and we had a 3 hour wait til the ferry arrived.  Boy oh boy was that a trip!  It was a beautiful sunny day and yet that 3 hour ferry ride rocked back and fourth the whole way.  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it without being phsyically ill.  Insert green sea sick face....bleck!
But after what felt like forever we docked in Belfast Ireland around 6 pm.  I had met a nice older man who pointed me in the right direction for which bus to get on from there to get to Europa bus station and then find a cab to take me to my hostel.   When I walked out of the bus station I was launched into a sea over screaming girls hoping to get a glace of Justin Bieber as apparently he's staying at the Europa hotel.  Chaos!
I made it to my hostel and as I was checking in met a super nice Aussie girl who asked me if I was heading out for the night....we instantly hit it off and made a plan!  Right was time to shower and get reasdy pronto!  Then we hit the town.  The hostel staff gave us some bar reccomendations and told us what was going on around town.
Little did I know that I would be arriving in Belfast the same time as the MTV Europe music awards and all the HUGE named celebrities which turned little Belfast into quite the buzzing little city.  Nothing like this has ever been hosted here before.
It was a great time, we found a more local pub that was filled with University students as the school is close by.  Our original plan was to hop around a bit but we mostly just chilled there for the evening.  Once the bar closed of course we wanted food before heading home....well this is when the trash of ALL kinds come out of the woodwork.  There was terribly drunk people falling in the streets, girls with as little clothing on as possible....you could actually SEE many bum cheeks hanging out of dresses as they teetered on their 5 inch high heels.  Yep classy!
We spotted a KFC and decided that would work.  Upon going inside to the swarm that was already in there we witnessed....I'm not even too sure what to call it.  There was garbage EVERYWHERE.  There were mountains of bags, fries and drink cartons on all the tables, the chairs had been removed from the restaurant, there we cops behind the kitchen and quite the trail of blood on the floor....we had obviously just missed a pretty big brawl of sorts.   I was definatly not in Canada anymore.  This was 110 times worse that any crazy Vancouver night I've EVER seen.
Well we made it out alive and back to the hostel.  What a day!
Onto today, Sunday.....I slept in late after staying up til 3ish.  Woke up to another amazing sunshiny day....I have really lucked out as I have yet to hit rain and I'm in Ireland, it's un heard of!!
So I set out for the day to see Belfast.  I stopped along Botanic Aveune at Maggie May's cafe for a uber yummy breakfast before carrying on.   I headed back past Europa Hotel where swarms of teenie boppers in crazy amounts of make up with their hair done to the nines were screaming every time the doors swung open.  I quietly stood but joined the masses haha.  It was fun.  Saw two people from Jersey Shore and apparently Katy Perry walked by but being short as heck I totally missed her.  Had enough of that scene so I kept walking.
 I just happened to head by city hall as they were setting up for Jason Derulo's sound check.  Wasn't expecting too see much so people were fairly sparse but I decided to keep watching.  I'm glad I did as it turned into a full on mini concert whoooo hoo!  All of a sudden people came from everywhere but thankfully I was pretty much in the front row and had a perfect place to watch from :)

After that was done I decided I wanted to head up to Odyssey arena which is where the awards were being held.  The buzz of the city was incredible today.
The Swatch team had a stage and screens set up doing flash dances and drawing for tickets.  I watched a for a minutes and decided what else have I got to do I stood in line.
3 hours later I was at the base of the stage and hoping to get my chance to shake it to be entered in the draw.  As 6 o clock was getting closer it was not looking good that I'd get up there.  Much to my happiness they cut the line a few people behind me and I was in the running.  Though still with too many people and being out of time they put our names in the draw but we didn't actually have to get up and dance, just cause we'd been waiting so long they knew they had to keep us happy.  I hoped with every ounce of me I'd win those tickets....much to my dismay my name wasn't called.  The last woman's name that was called was super cute.  She was older and she spoke a few words about living life to the fullest and just because she's older and was there alone she still wanted to play to.  Upon coming of the stage she was bombarded by people, one guy in particular.  She made a few calls and since her husband was overseas she had no one to bring.  The people swarming her suddenly got worse.  I happened to say a few words to her and try to help keep the crazies away as I stood quietly yet still hinting towards loving to have a ticket :)  Well it came down to a 50/50 chance....a coin toss.  After one of the security guards had already done a few coin tosses it came down to this other guy and me.  Well like always I should have went with my gut as I changed my call at the last minute to tails, and I lost boooooo.  So I was sooooo close to actually being inside that venue tonight watching all the incredible stars performing tonight.....Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Beyonce, pretty much anyone who's anyone was there.  Sigh.  I'm a good loser and stayed posotive and supportive.  She appologies immensly and genuwinely felt bad.  I understood.  On that note I had had enough of being an adoring fan so I headed back to the hostel hoping to catch it live on TV at least.  No such luck, hostel doesn't get the channel and online streaming ins't working.  Darnit.
So here I sit in Belfast, on the biggest night in their history not at or anywhere near the MTV music awards.  Oh well, the rest of the day was a good run while it lasted.
So I didn't do much touring of Belfast but I sure had fun!!
I'm off toa tour of the Giants Causeway and Derry tomorrow so off to bed now.  Sweet dreams all!

The higlands and the coos

What a super fun filled packed 2 days!!  Woke up early this morning after staying up way too late.  Indulged in an amazing shower at midnight and felt luxurious getting into bed clean!  However forgot that my phone was still on Sweden time so was up an hour earlier then need be....damnit!  6 am gross.
Headed back down Princes street to the Royal mile and met our tour guide from The Hairy Coo!  And after signing in 24 of us climbed aboard the quaint little bus.  As Donald our guide said she was built in the last century, she wasn't built for comfort or speed she was just built haha.  We had sooo many wonderful stops I can't even remember them all.  We saw castles, lakes, lochs, hairy coos, adorable little towns, towering bridges and stunning Scottish countryside.  I've said it before and I'll say it again....I LOVE SCOTLAND!

It was a free tour where you tip the guide what you can afford or feel what it was worth.  It was worth the world unfortunately I'm a poor backpacker so only coughed up 8 pounds.  Great deal for me :)
We ate at cute little places and walked alot including up a mountain side to a monument.  My feet are actually sore today as are my calves after sprinting up the mound yesterday!
Upon returning back to Edinburgh after a whole day out I had an hour to kill before setting off for another nighttime tour....The real Mary Kings close!  What a neat story!  It's like a whole underground town with a history filled with fear, terror, sickness and death.  But at one time that was street level.....strange to go down there after seeing where it is today.  Fascinating!
Me and the girls wandered the Royal Mile and made our way back to the hostel. 
I feel ill....I have eaten myself into a food coma and can now fully understand why the common life expectancy of those living here is 65!  I ate my first deep fried mars bar today...both yummy and sickening at the same time.
I think tomorrow I shall go one a healthy food hunt and eat salad and nothing but green food hahah.   Healthy food is pretty hard to find around these parts though.  Really it is.  Here's to will power and hoping I have some!!
I'm gonna upload my pics and head off to bed.  Have an 8 and a half hour bus/ferry ride to Ireland in the morning.
Till next time....g'nite all!

Lookit the cute lil hairy coo.....(said with a scottish accent)

Edinburgh and Beyond....

Edinburgh castle in all it's glory ontop the no longer active volcano it lives on.

I had the most awesome day today!!!  After a late start from not sleeping very well I got ready and wandered out the hostel by 11ish.  I leisurely strolled down Princes street and through the parks.  I took some pictures, and ready my Let's Go Europe book while I killed some time before the free walking tour.  Closer to 1 I made my way up the Royal Mile, grabbed a Starbucks...mmmm....and met up with the guides.  For 3 hours we wandered, marveled and took many photos.  I LOVE EDINBURGH!  So far this might be my favorite place, even considering Bath.
After the walking tour we headed for a pub.  I tried Haggis....didn't order one for myself because I'm still revolted by the mere thought of it but I took a fork full, put it in my mouth, chewed, swallowed and survived haha.  The spice to it is actually really good but as I was processing my taste buds all I could think of were the ingredients....YACK!  But at least I tried it in Scotland, yay me :)
From there we decided to keep wandering together, a common theme after these tours.  Walk walk and keep walking.  We decided we wanted to try to find one of the ghost tours for the evening but nothing too late as some don't start until 9 pm. 
We had heard the Mary Kings Close was a good tour and at 4:45 we found out there was one at 5 pm.  Instead of being rational and just calling to see if we'd make it we pulled an Amazing Race episode and took off out the door gears grinding.  Well we in fact made it there by 5:02 as it's a good 15-20 minute walk from the hostel, red faced and out of breath to our dismay....SOLD OUT.  HAHA Of course it was but it made for great fun and a good dash of exercise.
So we bought a ticket for tomorrow and headed on our way.  After sitting to regain our breath we wandered around the corner to a Chocolate Cafe. OMG it was beyond decadent!  I had a white hot chocolate and a brownie....which I barely finished...this coming from a certified chocoholic.  I was impressed!  Yummm
We decided upon a Double Dead tour we were going to do at 7:30 so had a bit more time to kill.  We visited some shops and wandered around the cobblestone streets then made our way to the tour meeting place.
We went down into the underground tunnels and taverns and heard the haunting stories from the past.  Edinburgh is considered one of the most haunted cities in the world and people come from all over to prove the paranormal.  It was fantastic....I love that stuff!
After a bone chilling tour under the streets of Edinburgh we made our way back to the roadways and down to the Cemetery in Greyfriars Graveyard where J.K Rowling got most of her inspiration for the characters in Harry Potter as well as the Hogwarts school which sits up on the hill.  We walked amongst the gravestones as our guide told us stories from long ago.  We then entered into the Covenanters Prison which is usually locked off from the public.  A very chilling place to be as the owl hooed and bats flew above us.  We stood inside the Black Mausoleum which paranormal investigators frequently watch as there have been over 100 reports of people fainting while inside as well as being physically attacked.  I'm kind of hoping something strange shows up in my pictures!
That was the end of our 2 hour ghost tour.  So yet again we walked back across the main sights back to our hostel.  I'm thankful for my super good shoes as even with them my feet are sore today so am looking forward to shower and to jump into bed clean for another action packed day of sightseeing tomorrow!

This picture was taken after our sprint of failure....notice the red and glistening faces haha