Scotland!

This week has been amazing!

Lets start on Thursday.... I booked my tickets to go to Brussels, Belguim!! My friend lives there and im gonna go see her!! I've heard it's absolutely beautiful, especially in summer and im soo excited!
Also it marks the one month exactly until we are in Spain!! Yay for heat! Yay for beaches!!

Ok so Saturday morning in the wee hours (4:30 am) I had to go catch a bus..to the airport. Now the. Or all busses take about an hour to get into the city but they don't run this early :(. So I had to take the bus that stops in every little town along the way, it takes 2 hours! So I had to leave that early in order to get to the airport early-ish!

So I finally get there and through security... And just chill out! It's so fun watching ppl. Also it great there's heaps of ppl at the bar already drinking lol that's Ireland or ya I guess!

So my flight was delayed and I'm getting annoyed cause I only have 2 days I need all the time I can get! It was t that long though and once we got boarded and left it was only a 30 min flight! Lol so by the time I got there I think it was like 8:45 lol. I was soo excited because from the airplane I could already see different castles and stuff so I knew it was gonna be good!!

Once I got there I had to change my moolah and get on a bus that would bring me into the city center! I was soo super bummed because they did t stamp my passport :(

So it's about a 30 min ride into the city center and as we were driving through other towns on the outskirts of the city I was in complete ahhh!! Everything was soo huge and soo old and just looked like something out of a movie! Now granted I know that most of Europe is like this but Ireland is not so this was my first real old European holiday!

So once we got into the city I had no idea what todo..at some point I needed to meet up with Steffy my friend that's going to school there. So I wandered around a bit but like seriously had no idea which way was what... So I got into one of the goofy looking cabs and went to steffys place to drop off my bag since I was staying with her!!

When I got there... She wasn't here ugh...I tried calling but it didn't work :/. Soo then I went walking around that part of town, found a Starbucks Woohoo connected to wifi an finally got a hold of her! She herself got locked out of the apartment so she was at some friends place!! I told her that I wasn't gonna just sit around, cause I only had one day for the city soo I went up to the castle and looked around and the. By the time she was back! So I dropped my stuff off and we went bak down to the main city! We walked down the royal mile and say more castles and the queens holiday palace and then we crossed the river and went down Rose Street...it's a very posh street that has heaps of markets and lil cafes. We met up with one of her friends for a coffee!

After that we walked all around, "New town" Edinburgh, just lots more old buildings and lots of statues!! We were headed to the edge of town where the other castle sits and we were gonna go up there to watch the sun set! So we got over there walked up...hung out!! But it was still ages til the sun set and it started getting a but foggy. So we though forget this!! Lol. We had to walk back across all of town. We were gonna have a little crepe party at Steffys for dinner!

So went to the store and got some stuff!! Then headed back to her place. Apparently form the week me and Steffy spent together in Australia she thinks im the most brilliant cook! So for the crepe party everyone made their own filling..and everyone shared! I made this cream cheese filling with some strawberries...everyone was raving about it and saying how they ever tasted anything so wonderful and how they could eat it forever lol. I was like Omg it was 3 ingredients not that big of a deal!! But I'm glad they all liked it!

So after that we all kinda just sat around and talked about different countries and languages and stuff because, there was a guy from Russia, a girl from Spain, 2 girls from Italy, a girl from Australia and me! Soo there was quite a few different nationalities goin on there!
By 2 am I was spent I needed to go to bed...I had been up for 22 hours. And I had to go up early for my highland tour in the morn!

So for the tour, we met up at this place right down town. It's called The Hairy Coo tour. And you go around the highlands in a bright orange bus. Kinda silly!

But we left around 9 and headed up to Stirling! It's supposed to be the most important city in Scotland. We went up to the Wallace (brave heart guy) monument and saw where he had his battle and the bridge where the whole war went down. The tour guy knew so much history it was amazing and it was all interesting stuff. But the end of the day I can tell you the whole history of Scotland pretty much!

So we went to the monument nod had to walk up this big hill to get to it and I totally biff it!! Fall right on my face!! Lol. So I have a bruised knee, a muddy knee, spilt my coffee and got mud on my camera not to mention the huge blister I got the day before!! Oh well, just my luck!!

So we looked around there, it had the most amazing view! Another huge castle right in town! This town is also the passage way to the highlands and you can see the distinction between the highlands and the lowlands!

After that we headed up...the first place we stopped was actually the only lake in Scotland! The rest are lochs! It was very cute and quaint, it had a little church across the way and little island! They have a ferry that goes across it but they said you never know when it will be there or when it will come back across lol

Next we drive up huge mountain into the national Forrest...we stopped at a little waterfall. Was very pretty but it reminded me a lot of Washington or Oregon lol. I said that to the tour guy and he said that a lot of people tell him it reminds them if British Columbia and I was like well yea...that's like Washington...people here get so confused at where I'm from when I say Washington! Oh well!

Went went to this little village in the middle of no where for lunch. After that we went to find the Hairy Coos! :) We driving along and stopped at this pretty like that had a small lil church across from it and some "castle" vacation Holmes. Then we all get back in and start driving again and all the sudden, this foreign chick starts yelling all crazy in some weirdo language and laughing and all slapping her husband. All that had happened was we drove by some of the highland cows lol the tour guy all looked back and was like, were gonna stop don't worry with this like crazy look on his face!! It was so funny!

So before we got out he had to warn us about their horns and how they do this spaz thing and shake their head all crazy so don't get to to close cause their horns will stab you and he told us how someone had gotten their jaw broken and another girl had her front teeth knocked out!! So everyone was a little scared!! Lol. I wasn't scared, they are cows! Even though yes they can hurt you with their horns, they are still ore scared of you then them. So I went right up and started petting it. They had some bread that you could feed them and everyone would go up close enough so that their out stretched arm would be sorda near the cow and drop the bread. I was like omg!! So I was the one right near the fence picking up the bread and actually giving it to them. They had crazy long tounge s they wrapped around the bread soo I was making them stick it out so ppl can get their pictures lol. I should be doing the tour lol they had silly cow hats that he said we could use to take pictures with, of course everyone else is boring and I was the only one to use a hat!! It was great!!

Then we headed back to town and stopped a couple more times along the way! He pretty much talked the whole way about all the history and junk and when he wasn't talking he put on all these Scottish singers and there was one group that played all really popular songs but with the bag pipes it was rally cool!

Once I got back into town I headed towards Steffy place and it was right at sunset and everything looked soo beautiful and so I just chilled out in "the meadows" right near Steffys place!
It was soo pretty and seriously the nicest weather!

This weekend worked out so perfect...one it was not raining which was amazing cause scotland is rainier then ireland and it was soo beautiful...those are the two main factors that made me fall in love with the city and would come back In a heartbeat!!

I had to get up bright and early the next day and head to the airport....I did t mind because the city was soo cool with the sunrise behind it and completely empty!!

It had to be the perfect and much needed weekend away!


<3 lynds

A castle a week makes me a happy girl!!

Soo this week didn't do a whole lot...Jen goes and sees her friends a few times a week...she went into the city and went shopping by herself soo in those time I'm either watching the kids or hanging out...addictive to Netflix....have I said how much I love it and that I can even get it in this country! It makes me happy!!

Anyway one of the days we took the boys for a swim...they have never been swimming and we didn't want them to freak out when we got to Spain!! Which by the way is exactly a month away!! Woohoo. Anyway they were fine!

It was soo funny Jen was talking about Amber the last girl how she said her and her friends back home sat around and played board games and how pathetic is that...I was like I love board games hahah she's like never once have I ever wanted to play a board game...and then she went on to saying how everyone just drinks here and if your dont drink then you don't have many friends....I'm like what kinda boring weirdo alchy place is this!! Lol

Soo Saturday I had planned to go into Dublin and do whatever..go to museum or just walk around but Miriam, the neighbors daughter asked me if I wanted todo something this weekend and since I would have been just doing stuff by myself, I asked her if she wanted to come with....she said she would but then she also asked if I wanted to go anywhere else because she would be driving!! Then she mentioned that Kilkenny has a nice little castle to see and stuff and I was like... Brilliant lets go!! So it was about a 45- hr drive...and it was raining of course! But she's super sweet, very quiet but that's fine I did most the talking anyway!

So we pull into town and there is a ginormous castle right in the middle of town...it was crazy, and then the river circled all around one side of it and It was soo cool!! I was all...I thought you said it was a lil castle lol. So anyway we went and did the tour and you just got to walk around and see different stuff... I warned Miriam that I love taking cheey pic and so she said that's fine as long as she didn't have to be in them. Lol soo it worked out perfect hahahah but yea got a lot of cool pictures. Later we went to town and walked around and had lunch at this super old place and we ate in the dungeon! It was lots of fun!

Then on the way home....we're just driving along and then...BAM...sheep in the road!!! Totally l
Iike the movies!! I was soo excited and was laughing soo hard! Cause it wasn't like open fields, they had somehow escaped...and idk it was just funny! But later she said that she had never seen anyone so happy to see a sheep!!! Lol. When we got back to town it wasn't that late soo she took me up to the Rock of Dunmaise...it's an old castle ruin in Porlaoise. You can see over 3 different county's from up there!! It has a great veiw...but it was kinda foggy oh well!! It also is in the movie Leap Year! Woohoo.

So then this week we went over to Limerick for the day. I didn't get to see much cause it was raining and we just went to a kids play place and then to the shopping center! But it's still nice to get out and have a change of scenery!

<3 lynds

P.s. I'm going to Scotland this weekend!! :)

Finally!!!

So this week it's been finally warming up!!!
But by warming up I mean not snowing..and to like 50 degrees lol.

So on Saturday I ventured out to go to Malahide! It's a nice little beach town north of Dublin! I didn't realize it was a beach town though until later!!

Soo I left around 9... Took the bus into the city...from there took the tram to the train station and then took the train to Malahide! Woo

So I went off to the town and to find me a castle!! And I found it!! Huge big castle...after you walk loads around the castle grounds..but alas there was a castle right n front of me!! I went on the tour of it...and of course I'm like my mother ...I was the only person to ask any questions or speak up in the whole group of people! It's soo interesting how old the history is of the castles....this one in peculiar was lived in my the same family for 800 years!!! That's crazy!!! After taking
pics with the castle you got to walk around the gardens....I was cracking my self up taking stupid pictures with the timer...in between groups of people walking by!! Lol.

So after awhile I ventured into the town...figured I might as well spend the whole day here, since it took forever to get there lol. I found a littles farmers market they were having and I over heard someone say ...down at the pier....blah blah. And I was like what I'm near the beach?? I mean I know all of Ireland is near the beach but I really had no idea where I was lol Soo. I asked a lady and she told be to just walked down a street and I would be there!!!!

Now I was already in a good mood....it was sunny clear day...I was at the castle... I was headed to the beach!!! And then what do I see before me!!! Starbucks!!! Over looking the water!!! Yay!!

Now like I said....I'm not squally obsessed but when I see one it just makes me happy!!

Anyway soo I had my coffee and then I was off to explore the beach!

It was soo weird....there was tons and tons of just flat sad...I think the tide was out but still....in stead of there being sand doons and stuff just all flatness...and there was barely any waves....people said partly because its a "sea" not an ocean! But whatever! Lol

But I had heaps of fun!! Like I said before I was cracking up taking stupid pictures and laughing at how dumb and crazy I must look to others seeing this girl by herself cracking up!! Anyway it was fun and very pretty!!

Sunday went to meeting and as we were leaving rocks came flying over the back wall and one hit a car next to me and set the alarm off and then it flung and hit the car door I was standing in front of...the brothers yelled for me to get in the car and then they ran around the side trying to scare off the kids....I was like OMG!!!!!! What's going on!! It's soo weird!! They have been having heaps of issues with that.

Anyway that night two of the bros in my hall have a little band and they were playing at a pub...so so e peeps from that hall go down to support them and everything. So it was the first time that I did anything with anyone besides meetings. It was fun met a couple cool people from another town over and the boys played...they were good!! It was fun!!

<3 lynds

Sick again :(

This week has been pretty I eventful! Just work!

Jen alaways has something going on...soo she's always meeting up with her friends or they are coming over soo there is always something!!

This weekend I did nothing again! Mom was mad at me for always being alone..and said I should go somewhere....so 3 hours later I call her back and tell her I booked a trip to Scotland in 2 weeks!! Woo

On Tuesday...it was sunny!! So we wanted to go somewhere...we went up to Kildare village and she showed me an old castle and look out tower. The gates were open so we went and was looking around I was taking dumb pictures but we saw that the tourist dates aren't until may! So I couldn't go up the tower but that's fine because I got todo dumb pictures without everyone being there!!

There was a cemetery off the side a bit and near there, it was this weird barrier soo I went to look in it and it was a burial vault.....I'm guessing whee they burned people. The gate was open soo I had to go in...it was weird!!

After that we went shopping... It had a Starbucks! Closest one to me! It's so dumb...I don't drink a lot of Starbucks when I'm back home but when I'm over seas I'm kinda obsessed with it!! Lol

That's pretty much all the excitement for this week!! I'm trying to lay low and save my monies, like for Scotland!! :)

Oh and now I'm sick again....darn Ireland....I never get sick!!

<3 lynds