Chapter 2....

Ok friends....Now that our big adventure has concluded, it's time to start another one! This will be Chapter 2 of Christi's big adventure. I am planning to go back to London and take an English languange teaching course that will enable me to teach english to non-english speaking people all over the world. It's a four week course and I am hoping to start on Sept. 19.

I'm leaving for London on August 22nd and going to do some more traveling with my friend, Elena before starting the course. So, here I go on another adventure! Wish me luck!

You can always email me at christiscorp@yahoo.com

Last stop...Dublin!

With just a day in Dublin, we decided to take the hop on/hop off bus tour. This is a great way to see a lot of the city and decide where you want to spend more time after the tour. We caught the bus just off of Grafton Street which is a great pedestrian shopping area with tons of stores. We looped all around Dublin and saw the infamous Christchurch Cathedral, the Trinity College and so many of Dublin's great spots.

We "hopped off" at the Guinness Brewery and had a great tour of all that is Guinness, with a final stop at the top of the 7 story building where we were rewarded with a pint of Guinness! Being that we did have to "hop" back on the bus, we didn't drink the entire pint!

After the bus tour, we headed over to Temple Bar which is a really old part of Dublin and is filled with little restaurants, shops and tons of bars. The Temple Bar, one of the most famous, was having a Guinness Book of World Records event and we stopped in for awhile to check it out. Dave Brown was attempting to play the guitar for 100 hours straight! You can see him live right now on www.templebarevents.com...we saw him on Monday night and he will be playing until Thursday!!! Anyway, it was pretty cool to see a Guinness world record attempt just after being at the Guinness Brewery. We then headed to another pub with traditional Irish music and had dinner and listened to the live Irish Folk songs for the last time...boo hoo! All in all, we really loved Ireland, our mother land, and can't wait to go back and see more of it!

Dingle!

We headed down to the Dingle Peninsula to check out the sights and we weren't disappointed! We found our dream homesite...it's that little stone house on the top of the cliff above the secluded beach...heaven! It's a fixer, but we are up for it! Our drive around the peninsula was just amazing and every corner we turned was a new gorgeous view. The water is crystal clear blue and the hills are so emerald green. We can see why they call it the "Emerald Isle"!

We also went out to the Blarney Castle! Kissed the Blarney Stone!!! It was quite a harrowing adventure as you can see in the photo...it's three large stories up into the castle, you hang upside down over the edge of the castle...have a mini heart attack, then kiss the stone upside down while this old guy supports you as you lean back and hope he doesn't drop you down the side of the castle! But we can say we did it...that's all that matters, right? The castle was really great too. The gardens are spectacular and the property is beautiful.

We also went to a great little pub in Tralee and Keely had her very first sip of beer...ever! Of course it was Guinness! Don't worry...she only took the one sip! I drank the rest :) But you have to have some Guinness in Ireland!

Ireland at last!

We finally made it to Ireland and started our trip in a little town on the west coast called Doolin. It did take two, twelve hour days of traveling...in taxi's, on buses, ferries, trains and a rental car! But we made it and have decided that the roads here in Ireland are great compared to the roads in Scotland...no offense to Scotland.

We found a great cave in Doolin with the largest stalactite in Europe! It was so interesting and we got to go down into the cave and see all kinds of wonderful "cave stuff". After our cave adventure we headed out into the wilds of western Ireland and found the Cliffs of Moher which were made up of layers and layers of silt deposited over millions of years. It was SUPER WINDY up there and very cold!!! We almost got blown off the top! But the view was worth it.

Next stop was The Burren...or the surface of the moon...whichever you may prefer. It is the craziest place with smooth limestone that was originally a tropical sea, then the material was crushed by the glaciers and smoothed out into what you see in the picture. Very interesting and such a contrast to the vibrant green hills surrounding it.

Doolin is also known for it's Traditional Irish music and we were able to visit a couple of pubs and here some great sounding stuff!

Isle of Skye...more of Scotland's gorgeous scenery!

The Isle of Skye is one of the many little islands off the west coast of Scotland and has the most amazing landscapes. We stayed in Protree this little harbor town and our guest house is the pink one in the picture. Super cute and the hosts were wonderful. We drove around the entire island and found some beautiful spots, as you can see in these pictures. We hiked up a very steep mountain to get to The Old Man of Storr, a volcanic plug (Keely and I are standing in the forground) and also these amazing cliffs called Kilt Rock because the layers of volcanic rock look like the pleats of a kilt. The island was breathtaking! The only odd thing was that as we were driving around on these one lane roads...little lambs would just be walking in the middle of the road and we would have to come to a complete stop for them and wait for them to saunter off to the side :) My left side driving skills were put to the test here, but I am feeling very accomplished now!

After a long day of driving we were off to the nearsest pub where we found this great guitar player who "forced" me to play the tambourine and later dubbed me "Whiskey" and Keely was to be "Tequila" for the rest of the evening...our new Scottish names...and no I wasn't drinking whiskey...he asked me my name and thought I said whiskey instead of Christi! Ha! Those Scottish lads are so amusing!

Inverness, Scotland...where is the monster?

So we came to Inverness in search of the Loch Ness Monster...no monster, but lots' of castles! We saw Cowdor Castle that is still in use by it's owners. The Cowders...go figure. We saw an old ruined castle, on the shores of Loch Ness, and we saw a castle that has been rebuilt and is just for show now. They were all glorious in their own way.

We rented a car for this part of our journey...and drove on the opposite side of the road, opposite side of the car and the stick shift was on the left! Quite and adjustment and very scary for a day or so...but then I got the hang of it and now I am a pro! Good thing too because we have a lot more driving to do in Ireland!

We had some cool weather but enjoyed it and Scotland is so green it's hard to believe. After all the castle -going we are heading out to the Isle of Skye to see more of Scotland's gorgeous landscape!

Edinburgh, Scotland...plaid is king

Edinburgh was a nice ride up from London on the train...no changes! That means no getting off the train and lugging the heavy bags up and down a ton of stairs and so on...Nice!

Our guest house was beautiful and comfortable and an easy bus ride or walk into town. The Edinburgh Castle was first on the list of things to do. It was an all day affair with lots' to see and so much history. Our weather was not very cooperative but we managed to stay fairly dry.

After the Castle we sauntered down the Royal Mile which is a long street with lots of shopping and restaurants and such. We shopped and shopped and found some great Celtic Jewelry and some plaid...we had to! We ended up in a great little pub with a group of people that were playing Scottish folk music. It started out with four and grew and grew until there were about 10 by the time we left...all playing different instruments. It was a real treat to listen to this group and the Scottish pub food is excellent! Keely even found a great new favorite drink...ginger beer (non alcoholic!). Edinburgh is an old and elegant city with so many magnificent buildings and little steep alleyways called "closes" that drop you down from street to street. We loved it!

Next day look ominous and so we opted for a bus tour around the city and down to see the Britania, the decommissioned Royal Yacht. We figured we could stay inside the bus if it poured, but we were lucky and it was not so bad. The Britania was amazing and it was so interesting to see where so many diplomats and the Royals hung out. Our tour of the city was very informative and we had lunch at the Botanical Gardens. The city is filled with young people due to the University being in town and it feels so safe and has a very friendly feel to it. But...on to Inverness to see the Loch Ness Monster!

London is great mate!

London has been so incredible! We got to spend some real time here, and we were staying with our friend Kieran who was the best tour guide ever! We started downtown with a nice driving tour of the major hot spots, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Parliament and Downing Street, the theatre district, Chinatown and the new olympic venues they are building for 2012. The next day we walked all over London and climbed MANY steps (I was still recovering from the Eiffel Tower!) starting with The Monument, the tallest free standing column! Then we waltzed over to St Peters Cathedral, totally gorgeous to walk up another million steps! I'm fine now... We went on a great river cruise to see London from the water and then went into the O2 Arena for drinks and finally back to Kieran's for some R&R.

The weather had been perfect, but when we got up the next day it was looking very threatening and by the time Keely and I got to the station to catch the train to town...we were soaked! Kieran had to work and we were on our own this day but we made it to downtown on the train and the Tube and ended up going to see Pirates and then got great seats to The Lion King at an old, beautiful theater on the Strand. It was absolutely wonderful and we both loved it. Also shopped in Covent Garden for a bit (it's covered!)

Of course...we had to go "clubbing" in London and so Kieran and his friend Mark took us out...We had a great time...I am told :)

When we got our entertaining tour guide back, he took us to Hampton Court, King Henry the VIII's "love shack". It was so beautiful. You will see me and Keely in one of the rooms and also with some guys who were part of a reenactment they were doing that day. It really is just a "lovely" place, as the British say.

Keely and I took our last day and went back into town and saw the Tower of London, the oldest palace in England and the Tower Bridge, which you can see here. The bridge just happened to be going up when we were standing on it! Only happens a couple times a day, we are told.

London was so fun and it's a fabulous city with so much to do and see and it's so clean and safe. We had a ball and Kieran made us feel so welcome and was just the best host ever! Thanks Kieran!!!! Cheers!

Paris in the spring time!

Paris is amazing and beautiful! We stayed in the cutest little apartment in a great area near Notre Dame. It was nice to have our own space and be a part of the Paris day to day... Our apartment was adjacent to a great pedestrian walkway that was filled with little cafes, fromage(cheese)shops, wine shops, fruit shops. The Parisians buy their food each day, fresh. We stocked up on the essentials and had the best stuff for our breakfasts and snacks each day.

The Eiffel Tower was magnificent, as you can see in Keely's brilliant photo. We also had a great shot taken at the top of the two of us. We were really inspired by it's grandeur and size. Had a nice 6oo step walk up to the second level that was "a piece of cake" after Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe...NOT!

Speaking of Notre Dame...Crazy! We walked up to the top of that and the view was amazing, the gargoyles were great and we just really loved it with all it's history and glory.

We saw so much in Paris that we just couldn't put all the photos on but we loved the Louvre, L'Orangerie Museum(with Monet's incredible Lillies series), Napoleons Tomb, the Champs Elysees and the most incredible palace, Versailles. We missed a few things but that leaves something to come and see when we return...because we have to go back to Paris!

Computer bump in the road...

Hi to our loyal followers! We have been having tons of fun and have now been to Paris and London, however....the computer is out of batteries and we have yet to find the appropriate converter. We hope to find one in the next day or so and then we will be sending some great pictures from Paris and London.

We leave for Scotland today and are so excited!

Just wanted to give you a quick update from my friend's computer here in London and we will be back in touch soon!

Peaceful Provence

We arrived at our beautiful french farmhouse and were so happy to see this gorgeous, quiet place. Our room was so nice and had a giant bathtub!!! I have truly found my french love...that tub! We made good use of it after long days of wandering Provence.

We rented a car and needless to say had some difficulty with the roads and those pesky roundabouts! :( I am going to start a coalition to ban all roundabouts! Luckily our hosts took pity on us and lent us their GPS and boy was that the greatest thing. I love that girl! I am going to either rent or buy one for Scotland and Ireland. It makes the day so much less stressful!

Ok, so we got the GPS and got on the road to see the little hilltop towns all over Provence and here are a few that we visited. The orange one is Rousillon which is my favorite...you all know I love orange! Then there is Lacoste which is all light colored stone and very quaint. We met this funny Irish gentleman there, who had written a book called "Two suitcases and a dog" about how he ended up in Lacoste. and we ended up getting his book, signed too! He was a character and his book was hysterical. The last picture is me and Keely in Les Beux which is supposed to be one of the oldest.

We went into the Camarge one day, the area near the sea that has a wetlands, and saw the famous black bulls and white horses and also went into the Bird Park and were amazed to see hundreds of pink flamingos! It really was something to see.

Finally we found this little ancient village of "Bouries", little rock huts. They built these huts with just the hammered stone, no mortar or anything holding it together. It's just the angle that the stones are set at and the perfect fit of each one. Amazing!

Altogether, Provence was a spectacular place and we thoroughly enjoyed it and our wonderful farmhouse...and our bathtub!

Nice is nice!

After a LOOOOONG day of train travel from Cinque Terre, we arrived in Nice to a "nice" rain storm. We dried off and found the nearest bistro and also found our very own piano player! He played Sting's "It's probably me" for me...Sweet! We became best friends :)

The rain continued, along with some very loud thunder and lightning, the next day as we explored Monaco. Even in the pouring rain it's a very beautiful city. They were getting ready for the Grand Prix and we got to see the course first hand!

We ended up back in Nice and found the city to be very pretty and the beaches, although all rocks, were really beautiful too. The water is a light turquoise, almost like the water in the Caribbean. Wish we had more time to take a dip...but on to Provence!

Cinque Terre...Steep!

First injury of the trip...Keely "tripped" (actually slid)on the steep streets of Manarola. This is a steep little town!

We had to lug our suitcases up a VERY STEEP street to the top of the hill, but it was worth it when we got there. Our little guest house was beautiful and had an amazing view with a great deck overlooking the entire (tiny!) bay. After a few hours of walking all around the town, we were ready for a rest with a view on the deck and a glass of wine...the usual!

The town grows grapes, olives and lemons on these steep slopes and it's really quite an amazing thing to see. Great seafood too!

Lake Como...Gorgeous!

Lake Como is one of our favorite spots so far...relaxing and beautiful. No wonder George Clooney has a place here! Our hotel was right on the lake with a great little restaurant and sun deck. After the busy Rome and Venice, we were so happy to just sit on the deck and sun, eat and relax. Our room had a nice lake view and we basically just lounged on the deck all day.

Just a note...driving on the tiny one lane road around the lake from the Como train station to our hotel was enough to cause an anxiety attack! So we needed a little R & R after that!

Ahhhh....Venice.....

We arrived in Venice at the end of a long day of travel and got off the train and onto the Vaporetto, or water bus. We inadvertently took this the wrong way and got to have a nice long look at the Grand Canal before we finally got to our stop near the Rialto Bridge. Our hotel was nearby and although we had read that it was almost impossible to find....miracle of miracles...we found it without a hitch! We had a wonderful dinner on the canal and explored Venice in the evening to find a beautiful, romantic little city on the water. Every corner we turned there was a cute little shop or restaurant. It's so magical in Venice!

Next day, after checking out the amazing San Marco Square, we headed out on a ferry to Burano which is a small island off the coast of Venice and is well known for its hand made lace. We explored the small island which has the most colorful buildings we have ever seen. Each building is painted a different vibrant color, as you can see in the picture we took. So adorable! We did a lot of shopping and got some great lace and Murano Glass jewelry...even some custom stuff for the picky Christi... :)

Back on the ferry and to Venice, we ended up enjoying the evening at another canal-side restaurant and then back to our little guest house to try to get some sleep...the night before we had the living dead staying next to us with a cough that kept us both up all night! We said a prayer and went to bed. Luckily we all made it through the night.