Castle!

Wow! I love Edinburgh!

Today I got to experience the castle! It was so cold though which I feel like hindered my experience a little. However it was such a beautiful place and it is amazing the history there is locked in there. I feel like living in the past would have been so cool and interesting. So the castle was important for King James IV, V, VI as well as Mary Queen of Scots. All of them are related some way or another and they are all connected to the castle. I think one of the coolest things I got to see was the Scottish Honors. It was just a beautiful place to explore and become acquainted with. The other cool parts were when going through the different rooms of the castle and being able to see the Great Hall for example or seeing the room in which Mary Queen of Scots actually gave birth to James VI or just her bed chamber in general.

 I wish I could have spent more time there but it just got so cold! Not really good when I already have a bit of a cold myself. So afterwards I just went back to the hostel (where I am now) and caught up on some of my blogging and have a free afternoon and evening! Then tomorrow is our free day here in Edinburgh. So who knows what I might get to see tomorrow.

Until tomorrow!

Busy Day!

I’m a day behind! But here is what happened yesterday (It was just a very crazy day!) 

So we started off the morning with a walking tour of Edinburgh. It was so beautiful. The views, buildings, and history are just magical in my opinion. We got to just walk along the streets including High Street, The Royal Mile, and Princess Street plus many more. We saw different buildings like the customs house, and my favorite the Elephant House. The significance of this building is that this was where Harry Potter came to life. We also passed the street of inspiration for J.K. Rowling for Diagon Alley. It was just so cool to feel myself there and see her coming up with these different ideas for these places. We continued through the streets and actually went to the top of Carlton hill and we had a whole view of the city. I am just so awestruck with how beautiful it was there.

The next part of the day was to see St. Giles Cathedral. The significance of the Cathedral was that John Knox created this Parish and therefore the Cathedral is Presbyterian. I thought that this history was very cool. I also found it cool with the Order of the Thistle that they have in the secret chapel to the side. The queen appoints people to be part of this order and they have services in there regularly. I just found it so interesting that the small space was used for such important matters.

Then we took a really awesome tour of Mary King’s Close. I personally had no idea what it would be like doing this tour. However, I had a blast learning all about it. Basically what happened was back in I believe the 1800’s the city council wanted to create a new Chambers building and decided they would just cut some of the buildings down and place it on top of the old foundations of the houses. But in the mid 1900’s someone was doing research down below and found all of this archeological history. The houses were so well preserved and were still right there on Mary King’s Close. In our tour we went through different houses and what it was like to live down in the small spaces provided. We also got to experience what it was like for people to have the Plague and how the people responded to it. Then we were able to walk up the old Mary King’s Close. Close meaning Street by the way!

After this we got some dinner and then traveled to the spot for our Celtic Dancing. The type of dancing we participated in was called a Ceilidh. In a way it was like line dancing or square dancing. All I can say though is I had a ton of fun! I personally enjoyed when it was just a two people dance but all of them were ultimately fun. I couldn’t have had a better time!

Then we returned to the hostel and I crashed for the night!

Sorry for this being a day late!

Until later!

History!

Another traveling day! Not as long as the one before but still pretty long.

Today though we had stops to see Nessie as in then the Loch Ness Monster! She was quite charming actually! And then a stop at Culloden Battlefield where the major battle between the Scots and the Government occurred and that changed the history for the Highlanders. It was a really cool place to visit.

The coolest part in my opinion actually had nothing to do with the battle site itself but rather with the history behind my own family. I remember once my Grandma telling me about our family history. In particular though the name that stood out yesterday was Fraser. I come to find out yesterday that indeed we are a part of the Fraser clan and Simpson which means son of Simon is where our family comes from further. I have fallen in love with my genealogy and I can’t wait to discover more when I return home and ask more questions to my family.

Then we made it to Edinburgh! I have fallen in love with the city! Our hostel is considered a 5 star hostel and I can’t wait to see what this city is like!

Until tomorrow!

 

Nessie!

What a fun day. It really was! We went to the Highlands of Scotland today!

We started off going to Loch Lomond. It is just as beautiful as I could have imagined. It is so pretty. It really lives up to the beautiful song that I originally actually played my freshman year of high school with the Arundel High School Chamber Choir. It was just so beautiful.

Then we traveled to Glencoe. This mountain range was very interesting because of the history behind it. The main thing being that the Glencoe Massacre occurred here between the MacDonald’s and the Campbell’s. The MacDonald’s were notorious cow hoarders and would steal other people’s cows and in 1692, 8 of the clan were murdered. However because of their safe haven in the mountain some of them were able to survive and bring their story over to America.

After this we went to Loch Ness in search of Nessie! But before we took our cruise we did get to explore a little bit of the city of Loch Ness. It was so quaint and cute! They really enjoy the history behind the Loch Ness Monster and the myths behind it. They really used this to influence a lot of their stores and a lot of their attractions. After lunch we got to watch a Clansman Show where we were shown what kind of lifestyle the Highland Clansman lived. Including how a kilt is worn and made and the kinds of weapons used in time of battle. I also learned that the Highland Scots are very tough warriors and would do anything to save their land. Then we got onto our boat and went on the look for Nessie! It was so much fun even though we knew nothing would be down there it was still fun to just look and have a good time. We learned about some of the equipment on the ship that is used to discover what is underneath the dark surface of Loch Ness. Then we got back onto the bus and traveled to Drumnadrochit where we will spend the night.

Until tomorrow!

 

Is this a Harry Potter novel?

Well another day has come to pass and so far it has been a pretty good one at that!

We started off this morning at Kelvingrove Museum. Which consisted of many pieces of art and historical artifacts. I felt like I was reliving my time in my Western Humanities class. For example there were a couple of Rembrandt's as well as a Dali painting that I fell in love with. There were some Ancient Egyptian exhibits as well. And of course one of my favorite parts were all of the Scottish Culture exhibits. Those were all very interesting to me and I enjoyed learning a little bit more about their history. This museum is on the same grounds as the Glasgow University. Which has the towers that were used in some of the Harry Potter films.

Then we traveled to Necropolis and St. Mungo's Cathedral. The Necropolis was so pretty and very old. It was the cemetery attached to St. Mungo's. It is a Victorian Cemetery that has over 3500 grave sites. It was beautiful. And then the Cathedral was just as beautiful! It had such wonderful stained glass windows and the whole church was just amazing. The acoustics were very nice and something I noticed. The coolest part in my opinion was the actual grave of St. Mungo. It was so interesting to see all of the history in this Cathedral. Of course the Harry Potter connection here is the name of the Cathedral which correlates to "St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies" and this is where Neville Longbottom's parents are located and there are multiple scenes from the book that take place here. I just think it is so cool all of the history and all of the connections that come together.

 Until tomorrow where we go to the Highlands!

Traveling day

So today was a relaxing day with just traveling through the countryside of Ireland and finally making it over to Scotland! But before we made it to Scotland we did do some adventurous things!
 
Such as. . .
 

We stopped in Glenariff. Which is similar to the Highlands in Scotland but they are still in Ireland. There were some very pretty waterfalls that we were able to see and look at and the hike was very fun too. Even though I may not be very fit it was still an adventure and one that I am thankful I got to experience.

Then we hopped onto a ferry and traveled from Ireland to the coast of Scotland. Then we proceeded to drive into Glasgow. There is so much of my family history that I am thankful to learn more and more about each and every day that I can't believe some of the stories I have heard about the fact my grandfather even left the same port that I entered. I am so thankful to know my history and how it has influenced my family.

Following this we made it to our hostel and settled in for the night!

Sorry this is late! I forgot to post last night seeing as I was super tired after a very long travel day!

Until later.

 
 

Giant's and more!

Wow what a day! *I keep trying to come up with other ideas of how to start but I feel as though I am unsuccessful!*

Today we took a ride to Derry! Where we had an amazing tour guide who taught us so much about the city. He had such a love for his city and such an appreciation for everything that happened in the city. He was very blunt about some of the history behind all of the fighting that happened in the late 90's. However I feel like it helped a lot to understand what was happening. The city was the only non-sieged city in Ireland as well as in Europe! It had some really awesome history within those walls. I really feel like I understood what was happening with that city and the pride they all have. One of the major things that happened today as well was going inside to the St. Columb. While inside we got to see some very old tapestries that were from WWII and they were brought there when the person came back healthy and strong they would bring back a flag and they hung them and they are there forever. We also got to see the chapter house where there were some very interesting artifacts. Such as a chalice that had been used since 1615. As well as some other interesting books as well as some reproduced copies of some of the manuscripts from the Book of Kells. So cool!

Then we traveled to the Giant's Causeway. I am going to be honest I thought that when they said Giant it was the name of the person who discovered it not a literal giant. Here is the myth which comes from a cite online http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/Folklore-and-Legend.T1153.aspx:

The Causeway story tells us that Finn lived happily on the Antrim coast with his wife Oonagh until he discovered he had a rival in Scotland known as Benandonner.   Finn was frequently taunted by Benandonner from afar and on one occasion Finn scooped up a clod of earth and hurled it across the sea at him but missed.  The huge clod of earth landed in the middle of the Irish Sea making the Isle of Man and the depression formed from scooping up the earth filled up with water to become Lough Neagh.
Finn finally challenged Benandonner to a proper fight and decided to build a causeway of enormous stepping stones across the sea to Scotland, so that he could walk across without getting his feet wet. But as he approached and caught sight of the great bulk of Benandonner, Finn became afraid and fled back home, with Benandonner hot on his trail. In his haste as he ran, Finn lost one of his great boots and today it can be seen sitting on the foreshore in Port Noffer where it fell to the ground.
The story takes a humorous twist when Finn asks his wife Oonagh to help him hide. Clever Oonagh disguised Finn as a baby and pushed him into a huge cradle, so when Benandonner saw the size of the sleeping ‘child’, he assumed the father must be GIGANTIC. Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway as he went in case he was followed.
The story concludes that this is the reason that the Giant’s Causeway exists in north Antrim, with similar columns at Fingal’s Cave on the Scottish island of Staffa.

It was beautiful! And a place I am thankful I took the time to go all the way down to. It was overall such a beautiful experience. Then we came back to the hostel and I took a trip down from the hostel towards a church that actually has been seen in the show "Game of Thrones"! The view was so nice and the weather was really awesome too!

I can't believe that tomorrow I will be in Scotland! I have officially completed a whole week overseas! I am excited to be getting on the road towards another new adventure.

Until then!

Bridges and Boats!

Today was a traveling day!

 

However there was a lot of awesome stuff that happened before arriving to the hostel tonight. While traveling through Ireland it was beautiful to watch as the landscapes changed from being farms to being large mountains and just full of majesty. Overall it was such a beautiful place!

 

In Belfast it was really fun! Stopping at the Titanic Museum and center was one thing I can now cross of my bucket list. I was amazed at the history behind it. The fact there was much before that happened the Titanic was made was just very interesting. I loved learning about the history and how the ship was made and then how the recovery began. The lunch was really interesting too because of the fact the plates and the silverware were authentic to what was used on the Titanic. Then we boarded the bus and headed to Carrick-a-rede which is a set of cliffs that has a rope bridge between the different cliffs. I did climb all of them and made it to the end which was pretty fulfilling! I had such an amazing time climbing the hill. Then we checked into our hostel in Ballintoy and had a nice dinner and then relaxed!

 

Not a long blog tonight because of the wifi not being the greatest! Oh well!

 

Until tomorrow!

 

 

Dublin day 2!

Today was a good day.

Well first want to say a big congratulations to Ireland for having passed the referendum for equality. That is a big deal and is certainly a big piece of history that we get to experience while we are here.  

We started the day off at Trinity college where I got to see the famous Book of Kells! It was just as amazing as everyone had told me. However what people did not tell me about would be the long room following the actual Book of Kells. First let me just say though the Book of Kells was super interesting. I think it was really cool how all of the symbols lined up and how the scriptures were portrayed. The long room though like I said was my favorite part. Seeing one of the first copies of “Harry Potter”, “The Hobbit”, and “The Hunger Games”, plus many more was just super interesting. The research they had to do to correlate all of those titles into specific categories was just really interesting. Plus one of the only remaining harps left in Ireland was also really fascinating and beautiful. My appreciation for it was of course very high.

Following this we took a bus tour of Dublin. I enjoyed being able to see the outer parts of the city. Walking around does not give us the whole view of the beautiful city that is Dublin. However we did stop at one point to look at the Famine memorial. It can be said that we feel the sorrow that the Irish have felt and while standing there I was wondering what it would have been like to live through this and I can feel some of the sorrow that the Irish must feel. But I would never be able to feel the true sadness they did while dealing with this Great Hunger, as they refer to it.  I thought that all of the tributes in the architecture that they had were really cool. The fact that they each have a specific purpose or even that all of the old buildings are being turned into new ones is just very cool and something we don’t see very often in the states. Following the bus tour we went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I thought that the architecture was beautiful and some of the history inside of it was even more remarkable. They have the “Door of Reconciliation” for example that was used to create peace between two different warring groups and they have that displayed. I also fell in love with the organ loft and the organ.

After that we came back to the hostel relaxed and then went to dinner and returned and am just relaxing for the night. Tomorrow we travel to Belfast!

Until then.

P.S. I won't lie: tonight I am feeling the effects of being home sick and it is not fun. If you are reading this feel free to send me a message about what is happening around you back in the states! I would love to hear what you are doing too.

Dublin!

Another crazy day!

Today we traveled a lot and had to wake up early. We crossed basically all of Ireland going from Galway to Dublin. We stopped in Clonmacnoise however b

efore getting into Dublin.

Clonmacnoise is an old monastery. It was originally built around the 4^th century. But between warring groups and other disasters caused the original structures to come down. Now the ruins that are left are made from stones. It was a beautiful set of ruins that had a lot of history. There were a lot of different kingdoms that shared the land and two different types of churches. There were also a lot of different kinds of crosses and ruins that were just very interesting. I really enjoyed it and it was beautiful. The different crosses represented different types of biblical and pagan scriptures.

Then we travelled the rest of the way to Dublin! Where of course the first stop was to the Guinness Brewery! It was so interesting to finally see how this beer was created. I think my favorite part was being able to see all of the old commercials that they have made throughout time. But then I got to try a Guinness at the factory and I am still not all that much of a fan.

Overall a really awesome day! I can’t wait to explore Dublin more!

Until then!

Aran Islands and Irish Music

Wow! Today was a whirlwind of so much exciting and adventurous sights and sounds!

First I started my day off with some wonderful hostel breakfast and then we traveled to the ferry where we would go to the Aran Islands. The Aran Islands consist of 3 islands that are the only places that have Gaelic as their first primary language and English as the secondary language. To listen to them speak was so amazing. The fluidity and intonation was just so beautiful! While traveling through the biggest island, Inis Mor, we traveled towards the top cliffs. This was terrifying for me because of how short I am and how I do not do hikes very well. However, I overcame my fear and actually made it to the top of the cliffs where I was able to take some awesome pictures and just see the water from above. Although I did complete this feat the rain and the wind were not helpful and neither was the fog when trying to look out into the horizon. After successfully making it back down to the bottom we stopped for lunch at a local pub. I ordered a chicken sandwhich with some chips and an awesome brownie. Then we went back onto the ferry and back to our hostel.

The best part of the night I believe was going to Trad on the Prom. I knew that Irish music was something they all considered very important to them but after this evening and listening and experiencing what it is truly like I have a larger appreciation for it all now. As I sat there listening to the first song I literally cried I was just so emotional over the whole experience. After listening to some more of the music I was just so fond of how good they were. The dancers too were phenomenal I was just so amazed at how they were together and how they could move their feet that fast! I loved it all. The Bodhran player was super good as was the fiddle player. I really just enjoyed the whole performance and I would love to see another set of traditional Irish music again!

Here is the link to Trad on the Prom and their website if you would like to learn more about them or hear some of their music!

http://www.tradontheprom.com/

Until next time!

Galway!

This is my blog post for yesterday 5/20/15! Totally forgot to do this last night. It’s been a pretty crazy few days that’s for sure! Also just like yesterday pictures may be hard to post until a later time but they are beautiful for sure!

So yesterday we had a walking tour of Galway. It was really awesome to start off and see all the history that was surrounding us and the hostel we were staying at. The first thing we saw was the original Claddagh ring store. The importance of this was the fact it was named after the Claddagh village which was right down the road. The ring has the two hands surrounding the heart and the crown on top. Then we traveled along the streets and stopped at this beautiful church named St. Nicolas. There were a ton of cool things that occurred here including the fact Christopher Columbus had actually stopped there before he discovered America. There is also a grave in this church for Jane Eyre. There is some debate though on whether it is the Jane Eyre that was inspired to create Charlotte Bronte’s book. Following the church we walked throughout the city and traveled to the Queen’s college. It looked a little like Hogwarts but was super beautiful. Major people studied there like the guy who discovered the electron and some famous surgeons as well. Also Prince Charles was there the day prior to us arriving! Then we walked along back through the city and along the promenade and it was just a beautiful sight. After resting for a while and having lunch we ventured out onto the 2 mile long promenade to where there is a rock wall that will bring good luck if you kick it. We can say that we did it! We can also say we placed our feet into Galway Bay! Then we went back and had some dinner and then explored the city some more later that night.

It was a crazy busy day and it was not hard to fall asleep last night!

Make sure to check in later tonight for my adventures from today where we traveled to the Aran Islands!

Until then!

Cliffs of Moher, Burren, and Galway!

This is posted a day late due to the fact the internet here isn’t all the best. But here is what happened today on our first trip out as a group.

First let me say that I really enjoy Ireland a lot so far. It is such a beautiful country and one that I am excited to be traveling around. Our first stop today was back to Shannon airport where we met up with the rest of the group. Then we traveled to the Cliffs of Moher. I’m not really sure what I was expecting. I think I just pictured more rocks like what I saw when I went to the Grand Canyon. But just like I was shocked by how large and beautiful the Grand Canyon was the comparison to how the Cliffs of Moher is insane. They were so beautiful. But also super windy and I was scared while walking down the path that I might trip over myself and fall towards the water. I thought it was interesting that they were like that naturally. At first the group went to O’Brien point where there was this quaint little castle and it was just really nice. Then it started to rain and it was a weird type of rain too. It came in waves and fell in sheets. By the time we returned to the bottom of the hill I was drenched and had rain in not too great places. However after exploring the little shop and eating some lunch we ventured out towards Hag’s Head where we dried off a little because of how strong the wind was. I found some awesome picture spots too that made it really awesome to get some photos. Then we all got back onto the bus and started driving towards Burren. It was an interesting trip as we learned about the different landscapes. For example more towards Cliffs of Moher we could see where different farms that had been hit by the potato famine were located. But when we got closer towards Burren, which means bare and rocky land in Gaelic, it was evident that the limestone was a prominent figure for the land. It was beautiful to look at both locations.

Then we finally made it to our hostel! I had never been to one before and was not really sure what to expect. When we arrived I was placed in a 12 person dorm room filled with bunk beds and a bathroom. Its cozy to say the least! Once we arrived we then traveled to our welcome dinner where I had a seafood chowder, rib eye steak and chips, and a soufle cookie. It was delicious! Later on that night I traveled throughout the city with some friends and just explored. Then came back to the hostel because it would be a long day tomorrow!

That was my first day in Galway! Until next time!

Also just wanted to note that because of the wifi I will be unable to post the pictures to this until a few days from now! Sorry!

I made it!

Wow! What a crazy day it has been! I have finally arrived in Shannon, Ireland and tomorrow I will be leaving for Galway and Cliffs of Moher tomorrow morning!

So what happened today? Well here is the run down. . .

I flew out of Dulles and traveled to Heathrow, London and then flew to Shannon, Ireland. It was really cool being on the British Airways flight and then transferring to Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus kind of reminded me of Southwest airlines in the states. Customs and security were interesting. I got asked so many questions and got so confused I was afraid that I would mess up! However, I did not and I made it safely through to where I needed to go.


I thought it was really awesome that I got fed on the British Airways flight. They gave us chicken and rice, a salad, a roll, and some cheesecake for dessert. They also gave out wine for the meal as well. Then they also gave us a type of breakfast bar. It was kind of bland but it was a good kick start before I left for Heathrow. Once I got to Heathrow I found my terminal which was crazy to get to with different places to go and changing of everything. My flight was actually delayed due to rain and I was afraid I wasn't even going to make it. However, I did stop and got myself a lovely croissant and an iced vanilla latte. Both were very helpful in sustaining my hunger. Then I finally boarded my plane and flew onto Shannon, Ireland!

Getting to the hotel was really awesome since it was literally right across the street. I made it and met one of the girls I would be traveling with and we went and had lunch. We also had our first ever pints of Guinness. Let me just say that I don't like it as much as I thought I would. But everyone did tell me I probably wouldn't like it so it didn't really surprise me that I didn't. Afterwards I took a nap to get over the jet lag and then we went to dinner and met up with some of the other girls traveling with us. The meal was awesome with a Caesar salad and to end the night some carrot cake.

Overall it was an awesome day! I can't wait to see what the Cliffs of Moher actually look like in person!

Until next time!

Packing, preparing, and soaring!

I never thought I would write a blog! But here I am! This blog is intended to be a place where at the end of the day I can just throw my thoughts on paper! As some of you may know I will be traveling to Europe this summer with a CIS Abroad study abroad program titled "The European Experience". I will be going to many places including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, London, and Barcelona. I am finishing the packing, gathering the last few things I will need before I head overseas currently! I fly out this Sunday and will arrive first in Shannon, Ireland and await my journey there. Feel free to follow me on this adventure as I go on a trip of a lifetime!

Until then!