Walking Tour of Edinburg? Aye!!!

Edinburg has had to of been one of the most dreary cities in the back and forth of rain yet we did not let that stop us from embarking on a 2 hour walking tour!

Our lovely guide, Izzy, was just so funny and amazing. Plus she had a lot of great stories. Up to now we had opted out of walking tours and things like that but we were obviously missing out cause it was so great. We visited the Royal Mile, Edinburg Castle, saw the school thought to be inspiration for Hogwarts, went through tight ally ways, Princes Garden, and even spent some time with the dead and "witches" in the graveyard. All the way enjoying Izzy's great stories of the struggles of Scotland and Edinburg.

After an amazing tour, we had to finish our last minute shopping! Of course that included some cute Scottish bag pipe playing duckies to add to our collection. :) Can't wait to get my duckies to their new home in my new apartment bathroom. Ha

We returned to our hostel for a break and decided to try the restaurant at the hostel with some nachos. And while they were good they didn't hit the spot. So we of course went on the search for ice cream! What can we say we like our gelato!

London is soon on the horizon but Edinburg and Scotland have been amazing.

Train through the Eye

Alas I have finished my book series :( therefore it is how I have found myself sitting within a incredibly fast moving train pondering my thoughts.
Alas our train is headed to the fair city of London, our finial destination and I must confess, a highly anticipated one. I am unsure of the appeal however a part of me believes that it lies within how it's history is richly embedded within our own. You can never outrun the past, even though it maybe forgotten the essence of it grips you by the shoulders and whispers in your ear.
Anyways on a real note... When we finally arrived in London (5 hours after we left - there was an hour delay due to flooding) we found our hostel with ease.
Now before this trip I was dead certain that Texas can never make up it's mind about the weather however the UK is TEN TIMES worse! First of all there was that ice cold rain in Dublin and then again in Edinburgh, now London. When we are our way to our hostel the sun was out and it was incredible warm so we took off our jackets when we decided to tour the city. Big mistake! Soon a bone-chilling rain ran ferociously through us. Oh well you live and learn. So we went to London Bridge! First: London Bridge is lame and I think if it fell down no one would really care. (K that's a lie many would care) The Tower Bridge however (you can see it from the London bridge) is amazing and is the famous one you see of London. Upon our stop we saw a sign indicating the way to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (however I am older than it but it's built using the same design and tools as the original and includes a thatched roof!) In our wandering to find this theatre we came across a market that had grill stations. Our first London meal :)
Anyways we took off wandering found the Globe which I would love to have seen a play in! They have a standing yard that is only £5 right in front of the stage (maybe next time though). Anyways we wandered our way to the London Eye (commissioned by British Airways in 2000) which is technically not a fairs-wheel as it is only supported on one side. But what a sight! Absolutely wonderful! From the tip top you can see out 20 miles out! I would definitely go again! The trip will only get better!

Monty Python, Braveheart, and Nessie! Really what can go wrong?

Many people have asked me what has been my favorite so far and I had no idea what to tell them. Well today, today has been my favorite however I haven't begun to tell you the tale.
First of all when we were getting ready for bed last night we (Jimma noticed first) that our beds were already made which is odd since we just spread out our sheets and didn't actually make our beds. Problem is that every bed had bedding on it and we could see where our clean sheets were shoved on top of lockers. We talked to the front desk who assured us that the room was not over booked and helped us strip and remake our beds ( however I could just imagine someone coming in, drunk, and curling into bed with us... Well the boys came in at four and it was kinda funny as their conversation went like this:
Guy 1: dude someone is in my bed
Guy 2: what?
Guy 1: dude is someone in your bed
Guy 2: dude someone is in my bed
Guy 1: dude that's bull **** are there any beds
The conversation went on for a while longer with some not nice words exchanged however they went down to the front desk to discuss the problem instead of waking people up.
Anyways after a few more hours we rose to begin our tour of Loch Ness! As we waiting in the mist for our bus, well nothing exciting happened we just waited in the mist or our bus. Our guide, Don short for Donald, or you can call him Donnie or The Don (as he prefers) was a delight! He began our northward journey through Edinburgh, past the ramparts of Stirling Castle through the Trossachs, crossing the wilds of Rannoch Moor and into the famous Glencoe! All the while telling us stories of William Wallace (who is credited to the name Braveheart through the movie however he wasn't the true Braveheart as we will later learn), and King James VII, Rob Roy, and many clans that battled each other and the English.
The scenery is absolutely beautiful!! The weather for the UK has been rainy for the past few weeks therefore mist has been rising off the mountains covering the top but the sight is mystical and soothing to me. There are streams that flow down the mountains, in between the lush green countryside. Rocks (boulders actually) glitter the ground as they have fallen from the top of the mountain. Sheep and cows sleep and snack in the rolling mountains and grassy valleys. Then came the Highlands, which are just as beautiful and more magnificent!
Now the bus ride was making us a bit car sick as the roads became even more bumpy and twisted and the air stuffy (although Don has tried very hard to keep it cooler and the vents on high. Now I would never want to drive on these narrow curvy roads and here is why: we were parked off the side of the road so that other large vehicles can pass safely. Since we stopped I opened my eyes (since the passing scenery wouldn't make me feel more queasy) just in time to see a massive truck hit the side of the bus, at the exact spot I was siting at. Luckily he grazed the side of the bus and not hit full force (that would have been worse) however there is a good size hole directly below my seat as well as a few on down the back of the bus (as you'll see in the pictures attached). After a few moments though we were back on the road. Kinda makes your heart flutter though. All in all no serious harm done (the bus may disagree).
Finally only a few more minutes remained until we settled at Loch Ness! We had to rush to get to out boat that would take us around the black lake in hopes of catching a glips of the infamous Nessie! One it was freezing and the wind seemed intent upon stealing my hair or using it as a weapon against those siting beside me. Unfortunately Nessie remained hidden from our sight (honestly I wouldn't have come out for some of the people on our boat either). After some light shopping (as in ten minutes) we rushed back to the bus for the second leg of our adventure!
Our next set has gone without incident as we resumed our history lesson (as well as a lesson on Scottish whiskey, which is the best ever and about the Angel's Share). As we leveled back out of the Highland, I finally stopped feeling as car sick as before. The scenery is still breath taking!
We talked about the Stone of Destiny and how the English tried to steal it. We learned about how the guards defended it and failed. The English took the stone easily, many kings and queens were crowned sitting on top of it. Well the Scotts had actually hid the real stone and basically gave them a stone that sat on top of the sewage system. Much to the pleasure of the Scotts! Our guide is hilarious with his accents and stories. Now the "Stone of Destiny was stolen again and broken however they broke it on accident and put back together with a hollow tube that contained a document as Scotland as an Independent nation and given back. Lately the stone was returned to Edinburgh however many Scotts don't care about it. There were many stories he shared as well as several places in Edinburgh we must go visit, and visit we shall... Tomorrow :)

I'm on a BOAT!

Ok more like I am on a ferry but still a girl takes what she can get! Today we left the beloved Ireland for the cold and beauty of Scotland!

The best way to do this was to get on a Ferry to take us across the Seas. Our Ferry was nothing we could imagined, it was more like a cruise ship lounge area. We enjoyed the soft seas with our books and iPods in hand. Such a wonderful trip. Once we docked in Cairnryan, Scotland, a bus took us to the nearest train station where we took a train to Edinburg.

Beautiful beautiful fairy tale Edinburg. Where the buildings look like story books and the cathedral castle like structures make my heart fall in love. Such a picturesque town! Even with the cold and rain it was still absolutely beautiful! Good thing we are staying 3 nights here!

We spent our night walking down the Royal High Mile street going in an out of store after store and just enjoying the city around us. Saving touristy things for another day. When the rained poured a little harder, we ducked into a fun cafe and enjoyed a breakfasty dinner of croissants and waffles.

There is so much more to explore but tomorrow a day trip to the Highlands is calling our names. Edinburgh we will be back shortly.

There comes a time for war and a time for peace

K I know this is coming a little late (as Jimma keeps reminding me to write it lol) but rest easy and have a read of my account of Belfast. First of all our time went too fast (hehe) and before we knew it the day was basically gone (like the warmth). After another train ride (you know it had actually been a few days since we were on a train) we arrived in the city close to lunch, had a walk around to our hostel. You know when you walk in a neighborhood and you feel kinda sketchy for just walking by... Yeah that was the direction we were heading in however our hostel was wonderful and it had a dog (and really cute Irish guy whose brother owns the hostel). So first things first tomorrow we are leaving on a boat (crazy excited right!) so we needed to go book a ferry (who would have thougt of that) now the really nice guys at the hostel told us to grab a cab and tell them to take us to the docks (all I could think was Irish mafia would be mad about us intruding on their turf but I think they'd accept me). Rest assure we took a different approach, we asked the train station about it and he told us to decide which of the two we wanted to take. Therefore after finding the line in which to take we hailed a taxi (they called us one) and we set out on my first ever taxi ride to go down to the docks. Super easy by the way and they set us up with a straight through to Edinburg.
We returned to the hostel in hopes if catching a Black Taxi tour that takes you through the Protestant side of Belfast as well as the Catholic side and tells you about the troubles between the groups (every time someone would say troubles I immediately thought of Haven which will hopefully be starting soon). Well we got stuck talking to the CRAZY lady (my fault to be sure) for a few hours and then finally decided I take the tour when a lull in conversation presented itself. Well she decided to join us (my fault again) but I think it was good because she kept asking the guide question upon question therefore I didn't feel bad when I only asked a few. I was surprised by the division of the town including an extremely tall wall and gates that closed at night. Plus Protestant kids are building gigantic bonfires (with stolen material) in three parts if their side to light on July 11 for July 12 they march the city. I loved being able to learn about the history as I didn't know much about it and was surprised by some of the things I learned. Sometimes hatred and fear cloud judgment and the true purpose of life. It's easy to keep and hold a grudge, it's hard to let one go.

You're Hot than You're Cold (Rainy)!

The half way mark has come and gone, Southern Europe has come and gone... But alas we are not sad for with their end comes the beginning of the UK/Ireland portion of this trip. Too Ireland we go!

Of course our morning started to early for my pleasing (4:45 am) but with 2 metro lines and a shuttle bus to get to the airport it had to happen. Getting through security at airports seems to be a huge problem for Kyndall. For those who have forgotten the peanut butter incident of DFW (shame shame) go reread and come back.... Now with that fresh on our minds, Kyndall tries to go through security here in Paris is first pat searched and then once again has her bag flagged for suspicious items - obviously the French don't know what a compact mirror is. Ha!

Then we arrived in lovely Dublin! I had decided by the time we were on the bus to the hostel that people are more friendly here. With a funny bus driver and a bus assistant, our arrival to the hostel made for a good time. We arrived around lunch so we had to hit up the Temple Bar area. We found that an Irish breakfast brunch on a Sunday was a great idea so we sat at a nice cafe and ate a full meal... Kyndall with the traditional Irish breakfast and me with their version of pancakes and bacon.

After stuffing ourselves, we wandered down to Trinity college to see the landmark. Then we shopped a little finding our Irish duckies to add to Swiss and English duckies! We walked down the famous O'Connell street shopping and bridge. Enjoying ourselves accept for the hot and cold rainy mess we were in. One minute hot sunshine the next rain downpour sending you hiding in movie entry ways! We continued our shopping spree out of complete exhaustion an returned early to the hostel for wifi and reading break as our feet ache!

Day 2 of Dublin. We started the day with a late start. We began our sightseeing in old city where we saw the Christ Church. The architecture was just breathtaking. Then we went to see the Dublin Castle, only to be slightly disappointed at the lack of it. However we enjoyed the Records Tower before continuing on. Upon wondering away from it we stumbled onto a little market that we browsed. Then we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was nice to sit in the gardens and take in the day. We then embarked to Four Corners. On our return trip to the hostel we shopped a little and got lost a little. Around 2 we began our search for an Irish coffee for Kyndall to try. Our search came up a success with Irish coffee and carrot cake for Kyndall and chocolate cake and a coke for me. Being able to sit and talk at the cafe just made our afternoon. Then we shopped a little more. As it grew later we decide to call it a day and spent the night in the hostel lobby enjoying the time and our books.

All trains (at least night trains) lead to Paris

Oh me oh my we find ourselves once again in the city of Pari! Now in all honesty I had no desire to make our way here to this great city. In part I believe that everyone makes a big deal about it and on every travel thing you see it has the Eiffel Tower embedded on it therefore in my desire to be different I strive to see something more unique. However I was no different than any other tourist of this massive city.
We arrived via night train (as all our night trains seem to lead) (I think someone had great desire for me to set my eyes upon its wonder). Paris was slightly cooler (I mean quite a bit) than the sparkling city of Nice. Once again we loaded our bags and set out. Now most people know that I am an awful judge of time and distance therefore what we thought would be a short walk to the other train station where our hotel was located at took roughly two hours (maybe more) to get there so I guess you can say we backpacked through Paris (but seriously that backpack get heavy after awhile). We finally threw our bags (kinda dropped on the bed) of our hotel room and set out to see the city.
Our first stop was Notre-Dame. Wow it is beautiful, there is something about the pride one has to make their cathedral (their place of worship) a sight to behold. Now I like my humble little church however the art that goes into the design of the building is worth seeing. It kinda takes your breath away. Now one of the coolest things we saw was on a bridge behind the cathedral couples carve or write their name on a lock and clip it to the fence for it to never be removed (a symbol that they will last a lifetime kinda like marriage except you can't unlock it without the key).
Now onward to the Eiffel Tower! Well it is tall! Haha I will admit that it is something to see, my recommendation however is to go up it. It is always amazing to look at landscape from a high mark. It is here we decided that crepes were calling our names! :) After a brief pause to charge my exhausted camera battery, we set out to wander the city. Well Kyndall turned down a road without looking to see what it was and therefore we saw interesting parts of the city and found a place called Euro Fried Chicken (I can't imagine it holding a candle to anything in the south). During our wandering we stopped by a chocolate place and gathered a sampling of macaroons. After a stop at the Louve which is something I didn't imagine it being (I mean I knew about what it looked like but I wasn't expecting the location of it. It restes in the middle of a large courtyard with triangular pounds surrounds several glass pyramids with the largest as the entrance into the Museum. Something unique indeed.
However the best thing I could recommend is to visit the Eiffel Tower at night. We caught it as the sun dipped down beside it as we ate our macaroons. First of all they had a rise one that tasted like roses it was weird, just saying. It was so nice though as many people gathered in the grass vin front of it. Groups played futbol and ate snacks while the sun disappeared until another day. For now we bid the rest of Europe farewell as we turn our sights on Dublin and the rest of the UK!

Some Beach, Somewhere

While Italy has been more than fabulous to us, it was time for us to make a departure and head towards our last Southern Europe Country - France. First stop the lovely beaches of Nice.

While the trip to Nice from Pisa was about 6 hours it felt so short as we sunk into our train routine. Get on train, pull out Kindle, check for a plug, adjust brightness and begin reading. I was not much of a reader before this trip, but all this train time has made me more appreciative of my Kindle app.

After 3 train changes and a lunch of crackers and water, we arrive in Nicw! Ready for a late beach night. But we had to rid ourselves of the extra weight (seriously this pack is starting to be a slight pain). We checked into our 25 euro a bed 6 bed dorm and went to see it only to find every bed looking occupied. We went back to lareception only to be upgraded to a private 1 bed room with private bath. Such a great thing.

The night was spent on the Nice pebble beaches. Such a gorgeous. Sight from a rich blue to turquoise waves to the lovely grey pebbles it was a beauty to see. I enjoyed some time floating on the waves and just listening to the waves pour in. And an hour laying for a tan and reading. After some time we embarked to find something fruity to quench our taste buds, a cocahabana smoothie was jus what we needed before a return to sleep.

The next day we woke up late with no train to catch dropped our bags in the luggage room and went to the fruit and flower morning market in the old city that our hostel recommended where we got bread, bananas, apples, peaches for a snack. Then we went up another thousand steps (ok maybe not that many) to the top of the Nice Castle. We took in the beauty of such a wonderful place. Even stumbled upon the waterfall. All before noon and all before returning to the beach for some more tanning. When it got to hot to bare (and my fear of extreme burn kicked in) we went up to the castle again to eat in the shade and read some. Then back to the hostel to confirm our travel plans and prepare for the day of Paris ahead.

A night train to Paris awaits us along with our half way mark.

Lean on me...

Oh dear dear Pisa how you have arrived at perfect timing (well us, since you live here and all). Pisa actually takes less than a day to see so its a perfect stop to relax and recover from the get up and go mentality that the two of us have been running on. Jimma unfortunately felt sun drained and overwhelmed with the heat therefore sweet Pisa stepped in to save the day! As its been the most relaxing day!

We found our hostel with relative easy took in the cool air and some water and sauntered (seriously because it takes 20 minutes sauntering) across the entire town of Pisa to where the famous tower leans. Behold it leans! (no we didn't doubt that it did however it is interesting to see) I was surprised to see the tower was surrounded by the Duomo (cathedral) along with other buildings as most pictures show only the tower (with people holdin' their hands out to prevent it's fall). We wandered around town for a while and deciding that some time out of the sun and some clothes washing must be done (you'd never think two people would be so excited about washing clothes!) While hanging out in the hostel we met this lovely couple from Australia who have been traveling for 4 months and still have 3 to go! A soul searching/mid-life crisis at a young age as they put it. Along with them we found the BEST pizza in town as our dinner (none but James could finish his share) in this cute off the street cafe from which our full bellies need some time to recover!

Thus as the sun began its descent from the sky we set out again to observe this curious tower within the cloak of night. We were told that the sight is magnificent with light that lit its features for all to see and ravel in. Never believe the words that people say (well you can just take caution because one person's life changing sights are not necessarily someone else's). The sight of the tower at night was beautiful and calming. We sat and read for awhile under its it's dim glow but imagine looking up and seeing a tower that is silver against the midnight blue sky shimmering above you and enveloping you in its magnificence. Be that as it may it is a sight to behold and cherish in.

The night slowly tugged at our sleepiness and sent us forth for a nice shower and much needed sleep as tomorrow another country and thus adventure awaits us!

Land (well building) of a thousand steps

Best thing about a train ride is when they offer plugs so you can listen to music without draining your battery. Therefore here is L.E.O.'s maiden voyage!!! (For some odd reason I associate L.E.O. with ships alas as I do not know why.) It's a good thing because we were starting to think we only brought him for pictures (which he doesn't mind one bit). Onward to Florence (which is nothing like its Italian name, Firenze) I wonder what awaits us...
New best thing when you can find your hostel without turning down a wrong street! Now unto Florence and the wonders it holds. Armed with a map an water (lots of water) we started on our journey throughout Florence and can I say we make every minute count. Our destination the Pizzale Michelangelo (which rumor has is the best view of the city). Along our journey we check out the mercato centrale, the Basislica of San Lorenzo (that should have been L.E.O.'s first name), the Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore, Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, Piazza della Signoria, the Uffizi Gallery and over the Pante Vecchio finally towards our last stretch up to the Piazzale Michelangelo. To be clear it is a hike in 90 degree weather and at the top there is no shade but the view is simply amazing as all of Florence laid before us. Some things capture your attention while others capture your heart! Technically the later happened but never fear the sight does take your breath away in a splendid way. Needless to say the hike an four bottles of water where well worth laying our eyes upon it.
Random question what is it about the phrase y'all that makes people want you to repeat it over and over again?
So next thing (after gelato because let's face it I take after my mother and am addicted to ice cream and Italy makes the best ice cream ( Blue Bell gives it a run for its money though)) a quick change and off to tour through gorgeous churches!
Do you know how many steps it takes to get to the top of the Dome in Florence? Well we don't either but I'll tell you it's quite a few and then some. (Update from Jimma: about 460 steps according to google) I felt like I was in a dungeon (well on my way to a dungeon) with the fun steep steps and tight spiral stair cases that frankly never seemed to end. The art work however is exquisite on the. bottom of the dome and when you reach the top on the outside the view is amazing (probably better than the Piazzale Michelangelo). The buildings were so close and yet so far below you (and the people looked like ants so you felt like you could rule them all! not really but it's a thought, not really on that either, maybe I should read less Empire capturing books). All you can really do is inhale deeply and enjoy the moments you are given. All day I have seen things (some slightly inappropriate things) that I just know my brother would like (not that Chad wouldn't but he is a bit classier lol) and it makes you realize how important all moments are because you never know when one will really matter.
After feet soaked in the pool (sandals through Europe may not be my smartest plan, yes I brought real shoes but I'm stubborn and don't want to wear them all of the time) and some nice conversations (plus a bit of Internet time) we give blessings and sweet thoughts to Florence and anticipate Pisa in the morning! Farewell dear readers as you never know what tomorrow may bring!