Last Day in Dublin

This was it. Our trip was almost done, so tonight being our last night it was time to go hard and then go home. We headed out to the pubs with a few others that were staying in our hostel. Of course the pubs were crawling with people. Everyone was in a festive mood considering Christmas was right around the corner. The music was fantastic and there were so many people to talk to. We ended up Irish Dancing with an older man who swept both of us off of our feet and dragged us to the center of the floor, where everyone formed a circle around us and began to clap with the music. Although our dancing skill are not fantastic, we did have a blast and must say by the end of the night we were Irish dancing quite a lot. We also hung out with a French bachelor group, where one of the fellows was getting married shortly, saved a girl from an old man creeper by puling her to the dance floor, and talked with people from Germany and Amsterdam. The night was a success and the next morning we finished our stay in Dublin with a full Irish breakfast of meat, meat, and more meat :)

Camera Mishap... Again

We finally made it back to Dublin after spending an interesting night in the airport. Fortunately, we stayed up with salt and vinegar chips, a number of random old school games (literally) such as MASH, and walking around aimlessly for hours. By the time we were back at our hostel, we were exhausted and fell asleep instantly until someone came into the room and yelled out "what smells like moldy feet?" 

Although, we would like to say we were wondering the same thing, in actuality we knew exactly what smelt like moldy feet. It was us... so shower time it was. And it felt so nice to not only take a shower, but to wear clean clothes again. 

After being as clean as we were ever going to be on this trip, we had a mission- find a new camera for Kristen's friend Bernard. So remember how when it comes to technology we always seem to break it. Well it happened again. What a surprise. This time it happened with the camera that we had ended up borrowing from Bernard. We had put the camera into the same bag as the detergent and lo and behold the digital camera screen ended up ruined due to the detergent. (Disclaimer- we were not trying to wash the camera with detergent as the camera guy may have thought when we told him what happened.) Anyways although the camera still worked for the most part, we couldn't give Bernard his damaged camera back without feeling completely awful about it. He had been so generous in the first place to even let us, of all people, borrow his camera. So after some looking around and some funny looks from the camera salesman, we found a camera to replace his other one. We think that will be the last time anyone lets us use their stuff again, especially techy stuff. There seriously is a curse on us. 

A Shopping Muesum… You say what?!

After getting a semi decent night of rest after trudging our way to our hostel at two in the morning in London, we were ready to explore. However, it wasn’t the typical London sightseeing because we had already seen all of that our last trip to London. No, this was a girl kind of day and we were excited. We were going to go and see the shopping stores that people couldn’t stop talking about- Harrods and Kara Harvey.

We walked through Kensington Park, looked at Kensington Palace (we were too cheap to actually buy tickets to tour the place) and rented bikes for half an hour until we finally made it to our destination.

Now you may be thinking how ridiculous it was of us to go to London and go shopping when not only are there way more magnificent sights in London but we are two broke girls with absolutely no cash. And yes that all sounds about right, but then if you actually went to Harrods you would probably beg to differ. Harrods is an absolute spetactical. Not only because it is Christmas, but this store was basically like a shopping museum or a “Disney World” for adults. It had absolutely everything and anything you would want. Every floor was a maze of the best designer fashions, décor, and the like. It was absolutely incredible and both of us could not stop gawking at what we saw. Although we could probably not even afford the toilet paper that we used in Harrods, we decided to splurge and at least have tea time because that is what the English do. Our waitress brought us out five little delicious desserts and hot vanilla tea. It was perfect. By this time our feet were also killing us from walking all day, so we sat for hours just conversing over our teacups. To end the night, we walked through a Winter Wonderland festival in the park, listening to Rockabilly music for a little bit and then hustled back through the dark and foggy park, where the light was literally flickering and Kristen’s arm almost fell off because Brittany was clenching it so hard. Luckily we made it back to our hostel and fell asleep in seconds after a long day of shopping, or more so watching other people shop.

Going into Hysteria

So overall our trip has been great. We have met some wonderful and interesting people. We have seen so many spectacular sights. And we have eaten some of the greatest food. But our time is winding down and with that we have become exhausted.

We keep on going because that is what we have to do, but we smell (if you don’t know how bad we smell read the post from before…), our feet are sore, and our eyes keep on getting smaller every single day due to the lack of sleep. Don’t get us wrong we are still enjoying ourselves but at the same time, we are to the point of getting very excited about being home in our own beds, smelling clean, driving around on our own terms and not being broke out of our minds.

But with a few days left we can handle it and with it comes a lit bit of craziness, some silence, and a lot of hysteria. We have taken a crazy amount of stupid pictures, half the time can’t understand each other because one of us is speaking in tongues, and have laughed for long periods of time about absolutely nothing. It gets really bad when everyone else in the hostel is sleeping and you come into the room and start laughing for no apparent reason and can’t stop. Oh we are having a blast, but we will both be happy when we get home and are able to become normal human beings again.

Peace Out Greece!

Well, we have done what we have set out to do in Greece- relax. But now it is time to head on off to London. We are glad we went to Greece and probably would do it again, preferably in the summer next time. 

So what we observed in Thessaloniki... most of the guys are gorgeous with their dark hair, light complexion, and nice face features. The women are also very pretty for the most part, but the ones we seemed to encounter were not the nicest. There are quite a lot of street vendors and homeless people and the city is not that clean. It does, however, have beautiful views of both the mountains and ocean. They have a lot of cool cafes/ bars. The food, especially in the bakeries, is very cheap. For the most part everyone speaks English so you can get along quite easily. They have quite a lot of Starbucks- Yay caffeine! We probably wouldn't head to Thessaloniki for the shopping because for some reason the stores seem like they are selling pre-worn clothes, but if you are looking for shoes they do have quite a lot of those. 

Also when you are in Greece you must eat a gyro. They are super cheap and quite tasty, but for warning that it may upset your stomach later... 

Greece is great, but we are ready to see something new again! 

It's Movie Time!!!!

Like we said, we were planning on being lazy in Greece and doing pretty much nothing and we have succeeded. For the past few days, we literally have sat at cafes, eaten gyros and watched movies all day long. The list so far... American Beauty, V for Vendetta, Wedding Crashers, Bad Santa, The Usual Suspects, Casablanca, and Sound of Music. Maybe a little ridiculous, but we have enjoyed every minute of it! Yesterday it was cold and wet outside and neither of us really felt like walking around. 

But while being recluses in our room, we have laughed hysterically (maybe we are becoming a little crazy in the coconut after spending so many hours with just ourselves) and have been beyond honest with each other. It has come to the point where Brittany may punch Kristen or Brittany will be tackled by Kristen, but even though each of us knows what really gets under the other person's skin, we still are really enjoying each others company :) 

So Fresh and So Clean

Okay so we are going to be real with you folks who are still reading our blog. We smell. Real bad. We are on our twelfth day of sharing the six shirts that we packed between us and the selection of semi-clean clothes is dwindling right before our eyes. Although Kristen’s sense of smell is very limited, Brittany has made it clear that we are literally living in stink at the moment. Not only are both of us somewhat ashamed of going out in public, but Brittany literally can’t even wrap up in her own sheets because she smells “Brittany stink.”

Not that we haven’t tried to stay clean and smelling nice. We have deodorant, body spray works to a point, and then Brittany came up with the genius idea of rubbing nice smelling dryer sheets on our clothes as well. But after awhile even these techniques don’t make much of a difference after between the two of us we wear the same shirt at least two days in a row.

Traveling… we take the bad (or should we stay stink) with the good! Hey at least we haven’t come to the point our friend Mike has come to where the store owner was literally spraying him with Febreeze when he walked into the store… 

Soaking Up The Sunshine :)

Ahhhhhh... there is not much more to say than it feels really nice to feel the sun beaming down on our skin again. It has been way too long since either of us have felt more than a few minutes of sunshine, but yesterday we were able to go to a fancy coffee shop right next to the water and sit outside for a good few hours, people watch, and get a little sun on our face. Besides the fact of being pestered by street vendors every few minutes, both of us couldn't help but smile and enjoy the weather and the greatness of not doing anything all day.

You could call us lazy, but we are on vacation and it was exactly what we needed. Last night we even had the opportunity to go out and meet some new people, but we decided to stay in, eat lots of delicious bread and anchovies (Brittany's pick), and watch The Sound of Music and American Beauty (both really good movies btw). We were laughing about how lame we looked, but we were enjoying every minute of it... and to be honest the exact same thing may happen again today and we are okay with that! 

Appreciating the Simple Things in Life

Ahhh... the life of a traveler. If there is one thing that a traveler has to be it would be- not being picky. After Roma, we have finally stepped foot in Greece, where for the next few days we are just going to take it easy, enjoy the water, and sit in cafes all day and basically do nothing. ( If you haven't realized yet, traveling takes a lot out of you and every once in awhile you just need some rest and relaxation, so that is exactly what we are going to do.) 

Although we are not complainers, our last hostel in Rome was pretty disgusting. Everyone there was sick and who knows if some bug was just going around there or if it was the mold growing in the shower, but it was dirty and you never felt very clean there (It could also have been the fact that we are sharing six shirts between the two of us for the sixteen days we are not in Ireland, but whatever...). Furthermore, our beds were super squeaky and it felt as if you were basically just sleeping on some springs and every move you made sounded as if the bed was literally going to collapse :( 

However, because the circumstances in Rome were so bad, when we came to Greece, we both felt like we were in heaven in some sense. We are not sharing a room with complete strangers, but instead we have our own room!!!!! Not only that, but in our room we have one twin bed, and one double bed. It is kind of mind blowing! They also brought us a heater, so we can actually be warm. And one of the best things about this whole thing is Kristen actually bought face wash at the market this time instead of lotion as she had done in Rome, so our faces can actually be clean. Actually the best, best thing about Greece is the food is super cheap and the gyros are to die for!

The thing is when in another country (especially one that does not speak English) it can be difficult to get around. (You can't even guess what the Greek are saying with their alphabet because it is just so different... ) But it makes the simple things such as buying face wash or getting where you want to go that more exciting when it actually does happen :) 

P.S.- The guys here are not so bad to look at either!

In the Nick of Time

Wednesday was another travel day. We had seen enough of Rome and we were ready for our next European destination! At this point, we both would probably consider ourselves pretty savvy when it comes to traveling. We know what we are allowed to bring, how to go through airport security and where to go once we get to our next destination; however, man, were we wrong this time...

We had gotten through airport security, we were two hours earlier than our flight, and at this point had nothing specific to do but to take it easy, people watch, and just wait for our flight. (Unfortunately our computer had run out of juice, so we could only people watch while at the airport, but we did have a great spot, so we weren't complaining). After analyzing probably the entire terminal population, our flight was finally called to board. We got into line and when we got to the front desk, where a lady was checking our tickets, she looked at us stupidly and said that we did not have our tickets stamped and needed to go back out to the front desk and get them stamped in order to board the plane. 

We both looked at each other in a panic, but we really had no other option so we ridiculously ran to the security gate and asked if we could get our tickets stamped there without having to go all the way back through security again. The guard looked at us as if we had four heads and said no, so we ran under the security tape and went up to the next place we thought would help us out- the information desk. The lady there just told us that we need to go to desk three. 

At this point, ten minutes had passed and we both were losing hope. We only had ten minutes left before our plane took off. Not knowing how we were ever going to get through the long line of people waiting to get their tickets stamped and pass through security in time, we decided our best option would be to go to the front of the line and ask as nicely as possible if we could skip in line. Luckily, we found a couple who spoke English and they were more than open to let us go ahead of them (We probably looked so pathetic and on the verge of tears that they thought this would be the least of our worries). 

We finally got our tickets stamped and there was less than ten minutes until the flight was supposed to take off. We were pushing it to the limit. We ran to the security and asked if we could jump in line. At first they were hesitant, but then they allowed us to (again it was probably our sad looks that helped). 

We kicked off our shoes, threw our back packs into bins and stepped through the metal detectors as quickly as possible. When our stuff went through the machine, we literally threw our shoes on, grabbed our bags and ran like prison escapees back to our gate. Fortunately for us, the airport was on the smaller size, but that didn't change the fact that we looked like complete idiots while racing through the airport. If we didn't make it, we had no idea what we would do because there was only one flight there. 

When we got to our gate, there was one man there waiting for us. After checking our stamps, he opened the door and a bus was waiting for us to take us to our plane. We had made it! Both of us were shaking with adrenalin when we sat down on the plane, but then we couldn't help but laugh. We felt as if we were just part of an action film and we had just made our deadline before a huge bomb went off (okay, maybe a little extravagant, but it was crazy). The airplane doors closed and we finally could breathe again. We were off to Greece!  

A Visit from Our Aussie Friend

While in Rome, Brittany had been staying in contact with our Aussie friend, Hamish, who we had met  back in Dublin. (Now in previous posts, we may have said his name was Hamlet or something of the like, but his real name actually is Hamish). He was in London and being the awesome person he is, he decided to fly to Rome for a couple of days to hang out with us before he headed back home. 

It was absolutely great! Although we had only hung out with him in Ireland for a few days, it was nice to see a familiar face again. At this point too, both of us were pretty exhausted and sick, not knowing what exactly to do in Rome anymore, so Hamish was able to help us out (not to mention he is a great photographer). 

We walked everywhere. First we had an Italian breakfast- which is a cappuccino (it is very small compared to Starbuck's sizes) and a croissant. Then we went and saw the magnificent Vatican, all the grandiose statues inside, and the castle near by. Then we ate some more pizza and pasta. (We probably will never get tired of Italian food). After sitting and talking at the cafe for a couple of hours and our waiter bringing us free mochas (we have realized that if you stay at a place for long enough, they start bringing you free stuff... not sure if they just feel bad for us or they actually are just being kind, but either we take it gratefully), we went and saw the famous four river statue and walked around the small Christmas market. 

Sadly, it was really beginning to rain and although Hamish had other ideas of places we could go, at this point we were just cold and wanted to go back to the hostel and watch a movie. However, on our walk back to the hostel, we took the most random pictures ever. It was hilarious and although everyone around us were probably staring and thinking how stupid we looked, we didn't have a care in the world (Well Hamish may have, but he looked stupid with us anyways). We ended up cuddling up under the covers and watching Angels and Demons since most of it is filmed right in Rome and it seemed appropriate. 

Half way through the movie, we had to take a break and go out and meet Hamish's friend Franny, who is Australian as well but is in Italy studying Italian. She was supper sweet and we ended up eating delicious gelato and going to a bar where we met many of her fellow classmates who were from around the world. 

It was a successful day and we were glad that Hamish was able to come to Rome and meet up with us. We are thinking the next place we should meet him is in Australia ;)

Money, Money, Money

"When in Rome..." That seems to be the only thing that we can say with certainty about Rome. Last Thursday, Brittany went to the ATM to take some money out; however, when the ATM said that the money would be dispensing, nothing actually came out. At first Brittany thought that she just lost her mind, but then Kristen looked around too and it was true- the money never came out. Now maybe you are thinking someone stole it while we weren't watching, but that was not the case either. Kristen had been standing guard the entire time (actually she was just standing there waiting, but same thing). The worst thing about this whole situation was that, Brittany being her tree hugging self (not really), didn't ask for a receipt, so there was not even a shred of evidence that she really did take out money. At this point, it looked as if Brittany's two hundred and fifty Euros disappeared into thin air. 

But already being tight with money, we decided our best option would be to go into the bank and tell them the situation. We walked into the entrance, and we were completely at a loss of what to do. Before actually getting into the bank, you had to put your bag into a locker, then you had to walk into what looked like a time capsule, place your thumb on some kind of reader (we guess), and hope they accepted you. Furthermore, only one person could go into it at a time. Once you were in the thingy majig (that is the only way to really describe it), the entrance to the actual bank would possibly open, possibly not. It was a complete game of chance. After being denied at least five times into the bank, we didn't know if it was us or the actual door (it was very temperamental), but at this point, we both were ready to just give up completely. Eventually the door did slide open for Brittany and she quickly slid in before the door randomly decided to deny her access again. 

Sadly, the only news she got was that she would need to call the bank in a few days or so when things got processed and then they would see what they could do. We were not expecting much considering that dealing with banks in general are a mess, and we were in a different country. At this point we gathered that they probably just thought of us as "stupid Americans" spinning lies, even though that was not the case at all. 

A few days later after many failed attempts to call the bank, we walked into the same bank (after another long time of trying to get through the doors again...) hoping that some how we would be lucky and guess what... we were! After waiting no more than ten minutes, Brittany got her two hundred and fifty Euros and we walked out of the bank with tears of joy! (In all seriousness, it probably took longer to actually get into the bank, then to actually get the money). So Brittany got her money back and life was good again. We think the only thing that would make it better is if banks could just give us free money and contribute to our  great travels :)

A Little Bit About Rome

Some people like living here, others hate it. We have decided that it is a nice place to hang out for a little bit, but we both wouldn’t want to live here for a long time. The monuments and fountains are huge, but after awhile they all begin to look the same. There is tons of shopping, but with having little money the only shopping we can do is window shopping. There are tons of delicious food, but if we were staying any longer than a week we would get very fat. The metro is very easy to use and the streets are semi- easy to navigate. There are quite a lot of little streets that go all over the place. 

Then there are the people. Some are nice, but most are very much just to themselves (they are not like the Irish people at all). The only exception would be the umbrella men who are constantly badgering the tourists to buy an umbrella for only "three euros!" At one point, Kristen was in such an awful mood that she considered pushing one of the umbrella men to the ground, but fortunately she controlled herself. For the most part all they seem to do here is work and we have yet to find a place where they actually hang out to meet others. It seems for the most part they stick to what and who they know. Also, they have a terrible sense of direction. One person is always telling us one thing and the next person is telling us the complete opposite. Rome is its own place, and it has been great to visit but we think only to visit

Family Dinner!

Being away from home sometimes can be difficult. Not only are we sleeping on some of the most uncomfortable beds (the ones we are in currently squeak uncontrollably and make it seem as if some one else is in bed with you, even if that is not the case... yeah a little embarrassing), but we are also living out of suitcases that have begun to smell (according to Brittany like moldy peaches) and we miss our families at home. 

However, in these situations you also have to make the best of it and that is why meeting people and having those "family" moments are so crucial, even if we only have met them for a few hours these people, in some sense become your "family," and that is why last night was so great. 

We had met these two American girls named Maddie and Kara, who actually reminded us a lot of ourselves the first time we went backpacking because they were only eighteen and had just graduated from high school. Anyways, us and a few other people from our hostel ended up making an Italian dinner at their hostel (because sadly, our hostel only has a microwave).

It was perfect. Mike, worked his magic in the kitchen, since he was an experienced chef back in the states, and the rest of us just watched in amazement, dipped our fresh bread in the hot butter/garlic sauce and listened to classic American Christmas music. After diner, we even had cake and ice cream and sat for hours just listening to music, talking, and laughing. 

The funny thing is even though none of us really knew each other, we all had a great time and it really did feel like a family dinner. We guess that is what happens when you travel for awhile- just the smallest sense of home can make those special "family" moments with strangers.

The People We Have Met Along the Way

Since we are always staying in hostels, we are constantly meeting new people. Emanuel, Flavio, Mike, Cassidy, Picalo, Marco, Kara, Hugo are just a few we have met along the way. (After awhile the names start to all mix together and you really can’t remember who you were just talking to, but that is another story).

It is so great, though, because everyone is open to meeting new people. A lot of people even travel on their own, so when they do finally make it to a hostel they are looking for people to hang out with too. Whether it is just sitting around and sharing stories of travel or asking about where to go and what to see next, there is always something to talk about. It is so neat meeting so many people, each with his or her own story and life. Don’t get us wrong there are sometimes those creepers that we just try to avoid, but for the most part hostels are the best and probably safest way to meet some of the most memorable people. What is even greater is if the person that we meet really is interesting, we can usually hang out with them the next day so we never get too bored of just being with each other :) 

When It Rains, It Pours

Sadly, the rain from Ireland decided to follow us to Rome. But we are in Rome, so rain or shine we were going to go out and walk the streets, taking in all the grandiose buildings and eating the best Italian food. Although Brittany was still waking up and Kristen was awake but for some reason had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, we took to the streets anyways.

When we say that we walked the entire city in one day, we really did. We walked everywhere. Sometimes we were lost (actually most times we were) and sometimes we had to go just a few blocks further to see the next greatest sight. For the most part, however, our heads were always down because of the constant rainfall. We literally walked in the rain for a good four hours and by the end of the day, both of our feet were numb to the cold wet rain and our nose were dripping. But we ended up seeing so much.  It probably wasn’t the brightest idea considering that we now both our fighting awful colds, but we did get to see The Coliseum, The Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, and a bunch of other really old statues in the rain.

When In Rome

Not really having a plan or a way of communication besides email and Facebook, it seemed impossible for us to actually meet up with Kristen's dad, who was also traveling around Europe on his own, but when in Rome...

After a few short emails between each other while in Dublin, we decided spur of the moment to meet in Rome for a few days. Communication was limited, and in the end before our flight took off, the plan was to meet at the train station around 9pm (FYI- the train station is quite big and we did not pick a meeting place since we really had no idea what it looked like in the first place. We pretty much just took our chances). But some how with luck being on our side, when we got there, it took no more than ten minutes to find each other. 

It was pretty crazy to think it even possible to meet with such a vague idea of anything, but we pulled it off. Arriving pretty late and being starving little children (not really), we quickly found an Italian restaurant and sat down. It was fantastic. The homemade pasta was delicious and we were all just thrilled that we had all arrived in Rome and met up so easily. After dinner it was around 11:30 and we all were pretty exhausted, so we just went to bed, getting a great night's sleep and waking to our first full day in Rome.

Sadly it was raining when we woke up, but we did not let that ruin our day. Instead we decided what better way to spend the day than go shopping. (Kristen's dad did need a makeover and Brittany is the fashion guru). So after a major rain downfall, we walked into the first men's store we saw. It was great, we had such a fun time picking out a more "European" style outfit for him and at the end of the night, we have to say he looked pretty "dapper" (Brittany's lingo). After making Kristen's dad all spiffy, he treated us by buying us some warm and elegant jackets and a delicious, authentic Italian meal. 

We were quite spoiled. Although Kristen's dad is only staying for a few days, we have to say this was a great way to start our adventure in Rome!

Off to Roma :)

Although we have had such a great time in Ireland, we just couldn't help ourselves from going to other places in Europe.  As you know we really had no set plan and it just seemed like the right idea to go see some more of Europe. So we got rid of our big backpacks, smooshed some clothes into the smallest bags we had, and to Roma we went!

Lucky for us, some of the people that we had met told us about Ryanair, which has really, really cheap flights so jumped right on board and looked to see where the cheapest flights were going in Europe and that is where we headed. The actual flight was quite funny because it felt like you were actually watching a live shopping network. Every other second they were trying to sell us something whether it was cigarettes, perfume, or food, but it wasn't a bad price to pay in order to go to Rome.

So far Rome has been great! It is a lot cheaper than Ireland and every street that we walk on has something beautiful and old to look at. Even after walking the streets, eating amazing homemade pasta and gelato, and sitting in cafes along the street, it still is unbelievable to both of us that we are actually here and we think that sometimes we might just be imagining the entire thing, but then we wake up to an old Italian man just singing "Roma" to us and we know really are here!

Technology= Fail

So this trip, we have learned that the technology gods really hate us. Both of us in one way or another have broken or had extremely bad luck when it comes to our gadgets and gizmos. In the first place, we really didn’t bring that much technology with us. Neither of us even have a phone, but with every piece of technology that we did bring something bad has happened with it.

First there was the camera. One day as we were walking the streets of Dublin and there was a picture moment, Kristen took out the camera but it completely just stopped working and the lens thingy was stuck. We ended up having to buy a new camera because we had to document our trip in some fashion.

The next piece of technology was Brittany’s Ipod. We were in our room one night listening to her music (because for some reason she really is not a fan of Kristen’s music… strange) and all of a sudden all of her music just disappeared on her Ipod. She was left with nothing. Fortunately for Brittany, Kristen was kind enough to let her to download her music for the rest of the trip so she does have some music on her Ipod even if it isn’t any of her punk/rock music.

Then there has been the constant stop and go of the wifi with our computer. We constantly have to go to cafés and the like in order to get free wifi. Not that it is at all bad, but even when our hostels advertise that they have free wifi, our computer does not seem to recognize it… maybe we are just too impatient and want a reason to go get some bread, but in all seriousness our computer is very slow. So much so, that one day when we were in Starbucks trying to get online, our computer wouldn’t get online at all. Every other person around us was online, but we were unsuccessful.

Technology is just not our friend, but we have learned to be a little more patient with it and now just expect that something bad is bound to happen when we do use it. Maybe one day we will figure it all out.

The 8th Wonder of the World or Food? Hmmm...

So on Sunday, we decided to be really big tourists again and take a tour bus to what they advertise as the 8^th wonder of the world the Giant’s Causeway, which are these beautiful rock formations on the coastline of Northern Ireland hat came about from an acient volcanic eruption. Although Kristen had signed them up for the tour the day before without a clue in the world of what the tour exactly consisted of, we were both quite excited to be leaving the beautiful city of Belfast behind us.

On the way there, we drove along what they said was the fifth most beautiful coastline drive in the world and in hindsight it was quite gorgeous even if they had lied to us (who knows). We also walked across a hanging rope bridge that crossed the cold, but stunning Atlantic green waters and then we made our way to the 8^th wonder, the Giant’s Causeway. When we got there, however, it was around three o’clock and time for our daily meal, because we were getting hangry pants. Luckily, there was a cute little pub near the scenic path of the Giant’s Causeway so we decided to stop in there first to get something to eat.

First, let us make it clear that since we were on a tour we only had an hour and a half at this location so we had to be somewhat cautious of time, but at this point food was our biggest priority and we thought we would have plenty of time for both. Unfortunately, our time management skills need some work. After eating a delicious meal of vegetable pie with mash potatoes and finishing it off with toffee pudding next to the fire, we had only thirty minutes to go see what we were suppose to see in the first place. Also, we should probably mention that in order to see these rock formations, you had to walk approximately twenty minutes there and twenty minutes back.

So knowing time was of the essence and having our bus driver give us a look of craziness for trying to still see the rocks or for picking food first, we booked it on down the path. Now when we say book it, we mean it. Brittany even for a short while ran (Yeah, serious business). Anyways we made it down there, took a few quick snapshots and booked it back up the hill, making it in perfect time for our bus (actually, we were even earlier than some of our other fellow travelers). We were quite happy that we not only had an amazing meal, but we also got to see the 8^th wonder.

As pathetic as it may seem, food in our book seems to come first in whatever circumstance. As we got off the bus at the end of the night our bus driver asked if we had made it to see the rocks and after we assured him that we did (who knows if we actually did, but we did get some beautiful picture shots and we think we saw it…), he congratulated us on being the fastest tourists to ever see the rock formations. Yay us! 

Iremerican

One of things that we enjoy most about traveling is people watching. Yep we sound like creepers, but everyone does it, we are just admitting it. So after getting a semi- nice sleep Friday night (actually let us rephrase that, it was a pretty bad night’s sleep), we headed out to town.

So first you may be wondering why we were not able to sleep. Well it all comes down to the beds. They were plastic and as Brittany says, “When beds are plastic it just makes you want to piss all over them.”(Explanation: no, really don’t have one on this). So with the beds being plastic, sleep was limited and since Kristen couldn’t sleep, she actually saw her first fight that night outside her window where a guy literally pushed a woman right into the middle of the streets, but that really has nothing to do with the story at hand…

So anyways after our interesting night of basically no sleep because of the plastic beds, we headed out to the city to see if we could find the better half of Belfast. However, as we stepped outside we realized how absolutely freezing outside it was and although we were all for exploring the city we settled on going into the stores, trying on shoes, and listening to Christmas music and enjoying the warmth. Nevertheless before completely quitting our adventure of walking the city and “acting” like we were really shopping, when in reality we were in their stores’ just to steal their heat, we did go into the center square where there was a Christmas festival and we drank not only real hot chocolate, but also split a kangaroo burger (very chewy, but good).

After hopping from store to store for awhile, we ended up going to a mall where we could stay warm for more than five minutes at a time and that is where we ended up sitting at a café for probably more than three hours just people watching and finding some interesting observations.

So here goes what we think of the Northern Ireland folk- they are pretty much American except ten years behind us when it comes to style. But in all seriousness, in general, Ireland is pretty much American.  The guys our age wear a lot of Abercrombie and Hollister... a little weird. They all use a lot of hair products whether it is hair gel, hair dye, or hair spray. The girls wear a lot of make-up. And the sad and not so kind observation that we kept on making the most is the Irish people we were seeing were just average. No one was particularly attractive. Harsh? Yes, and it probably isn’t entirely true, but we just wanted to share a little of our people watching experience with you!

The Not So Happy Side of Traveling

After being in Dublin for quite awhile, we decided it was about time to venture out again and go see Northern Ireland. A bunch of people we had met so far suggested going to Belfast so not really having any specific plan, that is what we decided to do Friday morning.

As we walked to the bus stop, both of us started to regret going shopping the other day. Although we are not exactly sure how much we were carrying, it felt as if both of us were carrying a really big dead body on our backs (kind of morbid, but true). To make it worse, we passed the bus stop and kept on walking another twenty minutes until realizing we had missed it in the first place.

When we finally made it to the bus, we were thrilled but unfortunately our bad luck was just beginning for the day. We ended up taking a double-decker bus, which is quite exciting; however, being on the top we realized it sways a lot and both of us got nauseas, not to mention the overwhelming amount of round-abouts we went around at least once (we think the bus driver may of thought himself actually driving a roller coaster (if that is at all possible), so we actually went around the round about a few times before actually making a turn).

After our heads stopped turning when we got to the central bus station, we headed to the information desk to see if we could get a map. The lady was quite helpful and she asked if we needed help getting to our hostel; however, us not being the brightest had forgotten to write down the actual name of our hostel and gave her some very vague ideas of what we thought our hostel might be named. “Well,” she said, “It could either be this one,” as she pointed out on the map, “or it could be this one on the other side of town.” Well, with us not really having a clue we took our chances and headed to the one that sounded most promising with our big backpacks in tow.

Sadly, if you have not figured this one out yet, we had picked the wrong one. So after Kristen asked a very drunk man for directions (not her smartest moment) and we had been walking in the ghetto for awhile, we went to the first hostel we saw, stupidly asking if we had made a reservation at their hostel. Sadly, we had not. After finding out the news, we headed out again, not only annoyed from walking to the opposite wrong end of town and being sore from our backpacks, but becoming hangry pants.

After a long silence of walking through one of the most depressing cities we have ever seen, we finally made it to our hostel, which really was on the other side of town. Fortunately for most of our trip we have been very lucky with our hostels, but this one did not hit the mark. We had done very little research on it and ended up staying in a very ghetto part of town.

At this point, we were both a little down, so after getting some food at KFC (Ireland seems to have a lot of them and let’s just say the food is not like it is back in America) we decided to go to bed. Yes it was only five o’clock, but we really were not in the best of moods and to be completely honest we both pretty much wanted to sleep away our time there (even though we had booked the room for three nights).

Funny enough, it ended up that neither of us were able to sleep the full fifteen hours we had been wanting to, but it was okay. We both ended up getting some sleep so although we both still were not exactly happy with the circumstances, we ended up laying in our beds, laughing at the whole situation, talking for hours, and figuring out answers to the world’s problems or more so ours. What started off as a very bad day, ended up being not so bad and filled with laughter :)

An Irish Thanksgiving

With both of us being in Ireland for Thanksgiving this year, we decided it was necessary for us to at least attempt to make a Thanksgiving meal and celebrate the American holiday and we also wanted to show our Aussie friend, Hamish, what it was all about. With that being the case when we woke up Thursday morning we headed to the store. Kristen was in charge of the sides, which ended up consisting of mash potatoes and cooked carrots and Brittany made her famous fried pecan chicken. So yes, it wasn’t completely the typical American Thanksgiving meal with turkey and stuffing, but it was close and we were excited to do some real holiday cooking.

Even though there was only three of us, we made a meal for a small little army (hey, we are American), so we ended up sharing the meal with some other American girls who were at the table. However, even with their help, we had leftovers (Yep, now it was a true Thanksgiving). If we have to say ourselves, the meal was absolutely delicious and we stuffed ourselves. We even bought a chocolate cake for dessert, because sadly they did not have pumpkin pie.

After the meal, we headed up to the common room where we did some real R&R. We watched movies for the rest of the day since American Football was not really a possibility and let’s be real neither of us really ever watched football to start with. One of the movies that we watched was National Lampoon’s Christmas (funny enough it is a movie that both of our families watch during the holiday season, so we felt it appropriate and although everyone else in the room, mostly Aussies, were not fans of the movie, we made them watch it anyways. It was the perfect Thanksgiving and for being in a different country we pulled it off pretty nicely. We hope everyone else had a very Happy Thanksgiving as well!

Museums are not for Everyone

Today after doing a little damage shopping (hey, we are girls- no shopping at all is impossible) we headed to Ireland’s history museum. Now some of you may be saying “Wow, that sounds like fun” and others are probably thinking the complete opposite. Well that is how it went when it came to us as well, and because of that, it was quite an interesting afternoon.

Luckily, for the most part, we have enjoyed all the same activities and know how not to get on each other nerves; however, today Kristen really had to control making really “smart” comments and Brittany had to control herself from beating Kristen up after some of those just too perfect “smart” comments slipped from her mouth. (So, if you haven’t guessed yet, Brittany, being her nerdy little self, enjoys museums and learning new “fun facts” (she even got the kids museum activity sheet when we got there and yes she actually filled it out). Kristen, on the other hand, has a little more difficulty enjoying these great wonders of history.

Although both found the preserved bodies of the bog quite interesting and a little disgusting, the rest of museum was Brittany territory only. But when traveling with someone, one always has to give and take a little, so Kristen did try to be on her best behavior.  In spite of this, at one point, Brittany thought Kristen had gotten kidnapped; however, Kristen was just in a corner reading a book about Oscar Wilde…

Yes, we think the only way to really describe the day would be interesting. Our Aussie friend, Hamlet, also joined us and was a much better “team- player” compared to Kristen. But while he was in the bathroom, we both had to laugh because we knew it wasn’t his thing either, he was just playing the part of the kind gentleman, who thoroughly enjoyed the arts. Whatever the case may be, by the end of the day, Kristen probably owes Brittany once again…  

The Pub Crawl

So being in Ireland, one must do what the Irish do, which apparently means drink… A LOT. No in all seriousness, both of us, although we like to have fun, have not and actually cannot keep up with the Irish and their drinking abilities. It is absolutely crazy. Actually the section where our hostel is located is Temple Bar, believe it or not. So with that being the case there is literally a bar, or pub, on every single street corner and with that comes the constant fiddling, the very plastered and “Jersey Shore” looking Irish girls, and the best entertainment. So after going out on our own a few nights in Dublin we decided we needed to participate in at least one Pub Crawl and see what it is all about.

Being our cheap selves (do you see a theme?), we decided to go out Tuesday night, because it was half off and we also could do it the next night for free. We went to five different bars (one was actually in the movie P.S. I Love You and although we really don’t remember the scene it is cool to say that we went there anyways). At each bar, before we went in we got a free shot (however they were baby shots) and then the rest of the drinks at the bar were discounted. Sadly, even with this being the case, we both ended up spending more money than expected. We guess that what always happens…

But while “crawling” through these pubs we met quite a cool group of people from Australia, who actually was part of our walking tour in the morning. There was Courtney, Beck, and Phoebe (who not only looked like Phoebe from the show Friends, but also acted like her. It was great). We ended up teaching them the American way of how to play Beer Pong and Brittany got quite competitive. It was the Americans against the Australians and the entire bar was watching and cheering. It was so much fun and quite hilarious especially when the Aussie girls started swatting the balls while still in the air. Fortunately, with a little more practice we beat them but they absolutely loved it and even after some trash talking we were all still able to be friends.

The night ended like all drinking nights do, with a trip to McDonalds or as the Aussies say Mackies. With two double cheeseburgers and curly fries (yep that is right, they have curly fries) the night was a success.

Homemade Cooking or Something of the Sort...

Living on a pretty tight budget, we have managed to figure out ways to save a few extra Euros here and there and one such way is buying food at a grocery store. Lucky for us, the hostels we have been staying at have fully equipped kitchens so we are able to actually cook warm food! (Yes, this is a very exciting fact, and we may sound somewhat pathetic telling you this, but if you were walking around in the cold, wet rain too you probably would be just as excited about warm food.)

So after taking a free walking tour of Dublin and feeling numb in our feet and hands from the bitter cold, we decided to cook pasta with our new Australian friend named Hamish. It is cheap, delicious, and warm. What more could you ask for? Off to the grocery store we went, picking out the cheapest pasta, the cheapest sauce, some off the shelf tiramisu (we were having an Italian meal, so although probably not a very authentic Italian dessert for two girls on a budget it was quite a treat), and of course the bread (you can absolutely never forget that!).

With our hands filled with food, we quickly went back to the hostel to prepare because at this point we were getting a little hangry pants and that is no good. The pasta was delicious and although starved so at this point we probably would have eaten anything anyways we still think it was nice to have cooked a meal. But if we are being completely honest, we must give most of the props to Hamish, who was the main chef in this endeavor. Nevertheless, when it was all said and done, we were quite full and happy people with leftovers to spare :) 

Hanging Out with the Brennen Brothers

Unfortunately both of us never grew up with a brother; however, this weekend we were able to stay with Bernard and his family and we had a blast and decided both of us want a brother in our family! Mom what do you think??

Besides having an identical twin (who Kristen mistakenly thought was Bernard the first time she met him…oopps!), Bernard has four other brothers as well. Although we never met the two older brothers this trip (since they do not live at home), we were able to hang out with Sharron, who is the smart, mature fifteen year old; Dermot, who is the jokester and the one we stayed with in Dublin one night (not the brightest idea); and Keiren, who is the much quieter and studious twin.

They were such a sweet family, and at the end of our stay, we both wanted to just put the entire family into our pocket and take them with us. They were very entertaining. Just like any other family who has their quirks and ways about them, the Brennan family did as well. Although for the most part the brothers were on their best behavior (following Bernard’s warning), they were all constantly bickering like siblings do. Whether it was what day the week really should begin on or what was the name of bread we were actually eating, they each had their own answer. Most of the time we just sat there, listening and observing (and although they do speak English we think that we only understood about 32% of what they were actually saying, so for the most part we would just nod and smile).

However, we really have to say, they were very hospitable (besides the bathroom… which Brittany even said she would clean, but that never really happened). They made us typical delicious Irish meals, allowed us to do our laundry, and constantly were building the fire (which was the only heat source in the house… it was a bit chilly).

Sadly, we went back to Galway today with Bernard who has to go back to class, but we had a great time and will always remember our time with the great Brennen Brothers!

Working on the Farm

Saturday morning, Kristen’s friend Bernard (who she met at Johnson and Wales in America, but now lives back in Ireland) and his twin Keiren picked us up in Galway and took us to their farm in Sligo, which is about an hour and a half away.

It was the coolest experience. Although Bernard and Keiren are not big fans of working on the farm and more so the business men, the two younger brothers Dermot and Shannon love it and were ready to show us around. After putting on farm clothes (or more so borrowed sweatpants and sweatshirts from the boys) and our wellies (big farm boots), we headed out to the farm with the younger two and they showed us about.

From the cows to the alpaca named Christopher (who Brittany later named Topher for short), we saw it all.  They had dogs, baby cows, beef cows, milking cows, and chickens. We were even able to feed the cows and drove around on a four wheeler to count the sheep. Also, we got to drive the tractor around! Sadly, Brittany being herself and being quite unlikely when it comes to transportation, broke the four wheeler on a whim and we had to take that back to the farm so they could fix it.

On the bright side, it was actually kind of sunny out (which we are finding out is very unusual for Ireland) and although it was still cold outside, when we came back from our farm work (or more so watching the boys do farm work and them fixing all our mistakes) there was cabbage stew and tea prepared by the older boys simmering on the stove top. 

Hostel or Dorm Room?

Since being in Ireland, we have been staying for the most part in hostels. Now we know that some people have some scary ideas of what hostels are really like, so we like to set the record straight.

Hostels are more or less like a college dorm room. We usually are with ten to twelve other random people. If you want to keep to yourself you can, but if you want to meet someone new, you also can very easily. Everyone is very friendly. A lot of them would probably be considered hippies more or less with their very minimalist outlook and long hair.

We sleep in bunk beds and can’t complain. They are pretty comfy (better than the floor at least). The showers have warm water; however it stops working after about twenty seconds so you have to continually push a button to keep it going, but really no big deal. There is free wifi, a lounge room, and sometimes free entertainment to boot! We also get a free breakfast (toast and coffee) if we get up in time (but that occurs probably only half the time). The best part is the staff. Everyone is so friendly and helps us with any question we have.

We think if anything, the biggest complaint we have would be the snoring and farting that you hear throughout the night. Yep, both! After awhile you do get used to it and fortunately for Kristen she can’t smell anything anyways so the farting is not really an issue, but it is comical. And although both of us are very mature people, we can’t help but chuckle just a little bit when we do hear something a little ghastly come from a random corner of the room.