ze paris!

We arrived back in Lugano and realized that we needed to figure out where we were going that weekend! Thus, we planned Paris in a couple of hours only three days before leaving. Not to mention we were also busy planning our second ten day. Needless to say, the week flew by and before we knew it we were running (yes actually running) from our final italian exam to the train station.

10 hours and 5 trains later, we arrived in Paris! We were a little worried about our hostel, partly because we were afraid it would be far away but mostly because we booked it super last minute and it was the only one we could find with availability. It turned out being fine with the exception of the super weird french wolverine receptionist guy who checked us in and waking up Sunday morning with absolutely no power.

Once we got settled, we headed out to explore the area around our hostel and grab dinner. We found a cheap osteria type place and stopped in for wine and pizza. The owner was the cutest little man and we could tell he was excited for our business by the way his face lit up. So excited that when he brought out our wine glasses, he twisted them in his fingers and flipped them in a 360 to put them on our table in front of us. When he went to put down my glass, it slipped out of his fingers and shattered all over our table. He gasped, apologized about 100 times and cleaned up his mess right away-- we couldn't stop laughing!

After dinner, we walked around looking for a bar to check out. Most of them were packed and because we were traveling in a group of 12, we settled on one that looked cool but didn't have too many people in it. We got a few drinks and Mitch came back to the table and started telling us about a guy he just met at the bar. "The people here are so friendly! Guys aren't usually that nice". We kept to our own table chatting and began to notice this tendency. That was when we realized that we were most likely in a gay bar. The girls were cracking up but the guys were speechless. We finished our drinks and decided to walk back to the hostel and call it a night.

The next morning we woke up, ate our regular free hostel breakfast of cereal and bread, and caught the metro to the Latin Quarter to meet our free walking tour at the Saint Michel fountain. We were a little early, so we killed time by taking pictures and checking out some of the street vendors. We already couldn't feel our feet when the tour began, but we decided it was the best way to see the city in the short amount of time that we had. An hour and a half later, we were rejoicing when we heard we would be stopping at Starbucks for a mid-tour toilet break. We all ordered venti coffees and knew by looking at one another that the tour was going to stop there for us. Our tour guide said she didn't blame us (it was miserably cold) and we tipped her a few euros before waving her and the rest of our group good-bye. We finished our warm drinks from heaven while we mapped out a plan for the rest of the day. We had about 6 more hours to see Paris before we needed to head home and change for dinner.

We decided to start by going back to the Latin Quarter area to go inside Notre Dame. The line was long but moved quickly and the view inside was well worth it. Next, we walked to Sainte Chapelle excited to witness what many said would be the most beautiful church in Paris. We found out it was going to be about 6 euro to go in and after questioning it for a minute or so, we decided we had to. I am so glad that we did. The view inside the church looking out was absolutely stunning- 7 TONS of stained glass made up the walls of the chapel. It was so difficult to fathom the amount of time and effort that had to have gone into it. I could have stared for hours but my neck got sore and we knew we needed to keep our day going if we wanted to see everything on our checklist.

The next stop was the Louvre. We waited in line for tickets only to find out that we didn't need any since we could get in free with our Swiss Visas. Excited about saving the extra ten euros, we checked our coats (also free) and agreed to meet back in about an hour and a half. We split off and I found myself exploring the ancient egyptian art with Jordan and Kerry. We walked around, making sure to check out the Mona Lisa, The Wedding at Cana, and Napolean's apartments before meeting back up with the group.

From the Louvre, we hopping on the metro and took it to eh Arc de Triumph. We took in it's glory and the glory of the traffic madness occurring all around it before heading back underground and making our way to the Eiffel Tower.

We got off the metro a couple stops later and couldn't believe our eyes. There it was. After dreaming of witnessing it in person for years, the Eiffel Tower was right in front of me. We hung out for a little while and watched the light show start at the top of the hour taking pictures and gleaming up with wide eyes and even wider smiles. Once everyone had enough time to snap pictures and soak it all in, we walked to a nearby crepe stand where we ate our banana nutella crepes so fast we could have set a world record. Then we headed home to regroup and get ready for the night.

We showered and got ready for the night by grabbing cheap bottles of wine and blasting music in our lime green hostel room. We were planning on going out for a nice Parisian dinner but we lost track of time and had to grab something quick on our way out.

We took the metro and found a club that was recommended by friends called O'Sullivan's. For some reason, only Mitch, Jordan, Kerry, Megan and I ended up getting in and staying, but we figured we would make the most of it so we headed to the bar. That was when we realized it was already nearing 1:30 and that the only way we could get home was by taking the Metro with our passes.... which didn't open until 4:30. So we shrugged and headed to the dance floor to wait it out.

When it reached 3:30, we were ready to go so we headed to the coat check line to retrieve our stupid black puffy coats that I would have gladly left there if it didn't provide so much warmth... (you try wearing the same coat everywhere you go for 2 months). Of course, the coat check never goes smoothly. There is something about drunk boys that causes them to misplace their ticket or in this case NOT EVEN NOTICE THAT YOU ARE ALREADY WEARING IT (Jordan!). 30 minutes later, we all had our coats and we left the club to wait for the metro. Realizing we still had about a half an hour to burn, we took cover in a cafe that seemed way too nice to be open so late/early. A nice man in a black apron brought us gourmet ham and cheese sandwiches and we sat giggling until it was finally time to go home. We walked to the metro station, turned the corner to head down the steps and NOPE. The gates were still closed. Looked like the metro wouldn't open until at least 5. There was no way we could keep burning time. Exhausted, we hailed a cab and felt stupid for not thinking of getting home this way earlier. We split the cab fare and stumbled into our rooms to get a REM cycle in before waking up again and spending our last few hours in Paris.

The next morning, we all ate breakfast, stored our luggage, checked out and took the metro to Sacre Coure for our last tourist stop before boarding the train home. We dodged the sketchy could-be pickpocketers and climbed the steps to the summit of Montemarte, the highest point in Paris. We admired the view and then headed inside Sacre Coure to check out the interior and witness the Sunday mass. The church was, of course, beautiful, as was the choir that sang in the background.

Before we knew it we were out of time and hurrying back to the hostel to grab our bags and then to the train station. We got to the train with about 14 minutes to spare and realized that we wouldn't get a chance to eat for the next ten hours since our train only stopped in sketchy French ghost towns. That's when we power walked around the station and outside in search of something cheap and easy. I walked out of the front of the train station and peered off into the distance searching the horizon for.... BAM! There it was. The golden arch. I ran back and grabbed Megan and Rachael and we decided to make a break for it. We sprinted to McDonald's and waited impatiently as the SLOWEST WORKER EVER (of course) took her sweet time dropping ketchup packets into our bags one by one. We got our food with 5 minutes to spare and we took off like lightening back toward the station. Everyone was staring at us as we dodged cars and ignored crosswalks. We looked like three tyrannosaurus rexes trying to balance our ginormous backpacks by holding our McDonald's bags with two hands in front of us as to not spill the drinks inside. We were dying of nervous laughter and slid onto our train platform with at least a minute to board. We walked through the train cars until we found the rest of our group, whose jaws dropped in jealousy when they saw our bags of burgers and fries as they held tiny cold ham and cheese sandwiches.

Satisfied, we ate our food, relaxed, lent against our window and dozed off. About an hour later, I woke up to my Ingrid playlist blasting in my Bose noise canceling headphones and four French people standing over me waking me up. I was SO confused and worried that I was all alone when I realized what they were pointing at. A stray rock had flown at our window and shattered it completely. They wanted to tell me not to lean on the window. I looked over at Megan and her face was filled with pure shock.  What are the chances that a rock hits OUR window? Apparently it made a loud shattering sound that I slept right through thanks to my headphones and everyone on the train was looking in our direction in amazement. A train attendant came by and scribbled something on a notepad and we switched seats for the rest of the ride.

We finally got home around 11 and went to sleep, excited for our first Marketing Research test the next morning. Yikes.

may the wind always be at your back

After 30 minutes of being in the air, we touched down in Dublin. We were so excited that we danced around like little leprechauns all the way to baggage claim. We found a bus to get to our hostel, Avalon House and finally checked in around 11. We were really tired and we knew that we had an early morning, so we decided to get some much needed sleep.

We woke up the next morning to sunny skies, which made our free walking tour ten times more enjoyable. I wasn't sure where exactly we would go since there aren't a ton of landmarks in Dublin, but the tour guide did a great job of explaining the history and showing us the main points of interest. Afterward, we decided to explore the markets in the Temple Bar area. I decided to buy a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (UK version!) for a few euros from a used book stand so that I could have something to read on our last flight home. We also bopped into an Urban Outfitters, which was extremely expensive compared to back home. After grabbing lunch at a pub, listening to live music and shopping a little bit more, we decided to catch a 4:00 Guinness Factory tour.

The tour was self guided and led you through the process of brewing Guinness. There were 7 floors of this converted old factory that displayed everything Guinness. Toward the end, we went to Guinness school to learn how to craft the perfect pint! It may sound silly, but this is no easy task. I was chosen to go first and our "teacher" used me as the example for his lesson. We had a lot of fun trying to make our pints perfect and even more fun drinking them up in the Sky Bar. We hung out and sipping our beers while watching the sun set over Dublin until it was time to go. We grabbed our diplomas and headed back to the hostel.

Once we were home, we changed quickly and then headed back out for dinner at Gogarty's, a pub recommended by my family. It was a little pricey, especially for Megan who ordered a double cranberry vodka which ended up costing 14 euro, but the live music was awesome and the food was pretty good too.

After that, we bopped around the Temple Bar area checking out different live music and ordering pints of Guinness. We especially liked a pub called Quays, where we befriended the two male musicians that were playing. They played everything from Galway Girl to Country Roads, which we thought was especially funny since we were from the blue ridge mountains in Virginia and they were from Galway.

We headed home and woke up a few hours later at 5:45 to catch our 6:45 bus to Galway, where we would board another bus that would take us on a tour of the west coast of Ireland. The company was called the Galway Tour Company, and I was determined to take our tour with them since it was the same exact tour that my parents, brother and his now wife took just three years ago. Their tour was led by a 5 foot tall 75 year old man named Desmond and they loved him so much that my mom e-mailed the company to see if we could get him as our tour guide too. It turns out that Desmond had retired, but luckily he was helping people board the buses in Galway and I got to meet him and chat for a few seconds. I told him that my family went on his tour and that my brother proposed to his wife on the tour too. I also explained to him that she was now pregnant and that they were having a son, who I jokingly said they might name Desmond. He was SO happy to hear about them and he remembered them perfectly once I showed him a picture. He made me promise to send pictures of the baby and then we said our good-byes.

 

Irish music playing, we boarded our official tour bus excited for what the day had to offer. The weather was partly cloudy and we were praying that it wouldn't rain (thankfully it never did!) Our bus driver's name was Damien and he was hilarious. Almost everything he said was a joke but we still managaed to learn a ton about the history of Ireland. We stopped by Dunguaire Castle, the Ballyalban Fairy Fort, Leamenah Castle, The High Crosses, Poulnabrone Dolmen, Blackhead and Fanore. But of course, the highlight of the trip was two hours at the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs were hands down my favorite part of the ten day. Again, I had seen  a ton of pictures (especially since this is where my brother proposed to Ashley) but I never fathomed how magical a place could be. I thought of my family the entire time- I pictured John proposing and what was going through his mind, my parents and what they thought of this magnificent sight, and my sister who would love it the most and has yet to go. The bright blue waves were crashing hundreds of feet below me and we bravely decided to ignore the warning signs and got pretty close to the edge for some pictures. We wanted to stay and soak it all in, but after our 2 hours was up it was time to head home. I can NOT wait to go back, hopefully next time with the whole fam!

We arrived back in Dublin around 9:30, grabbed pizza for dinner, changed and got ready for another night at Temple Bar. We were pretty tired, but we were in Ireland, so staying in never crossed our mind. We knew we had to rally!

This time around, we were experts at spotting our the bachelor parties and making friends in order to get free drinks. For some reason, Dublin attracts hundreds of these "stag" parties and a lot of them dress up in theme. At one pub, I made a friend in one of the stag parties who was a full foot shorter than me but we were "partners in crime" having a blast tapping people on the shoulder and hiding. He kept calling me his best mate and I thought it was hilarious.. (I was hoping to meet a Gerard Butler-type but I guess that will have to happen next time). We had yet another amazing night frolicking from one pub to another to another. It was seriously like Disney World for people who like beer and live music and I can not wait to return.

The next morning we got breakfast, shopped around for last minute gifts for family and friends back home, and then packed up our things one last time. We got home around 11pm after a long series of flights, buses, and trains and walked into our room exhausted. I can not explain to you how good it was to be home. Apparently a fairy godmother visited our room while we were gone, because it was SPOTLESS. Beds made with fresh sheets, everything put away, clean floors and sink and mirror. We are seriously spoiled by the Montarina staff. In that moment, I FINALLY understood why my mom liked to come home from work to a clean house- it really did make all the difference. I took the most amazing hot shower, scrubbing the filth of the various hostels and loving the fact that I didn't have to hold a button in the entire time, and climbed into my nice clean bed. The Montarina is truly home.

GREAT SCOT! edinburgh

We arrived in Edinburgh around 7am. We were all pretty groggy stepping off the bus, but my eyes widened immediately when I looked up and saw the the town for the first time. I had seen pictures, but I still couldn't believe the landscape and architecture. I basically felt like I was thrown into a movie of some sort, with the greenest grass and the most amazing castles and cathedrals around me in every direction. We headed to our hostel knowing that we wouldn't be able to check in yet, but we weren't sure where else to go. The hostel was my favorite to date, with an amazing location just yards away from the Edinburgh Castle and a different theme for every room (we got the Lord of the Rings room.. woo!!!). Luckily for us, they also had a movie room complete with about 6 couches and they let us nap in there until our free walking tour that left at 11.

On our way to meet our tour guide, we stopped by to grab some much needed Starbucks. For the first time in her life, Kerry's coffee cup had her name spelled correctly! Man, is it nice to visit to the homeland.

Our walking tour was sponsored by the same company as the one we took in London (NewEurope), and although it was a bit cold, we learned a ton about the rich history of Edinburgh, unleashing the hidden beauty of a quaint town that most of us had known very little about before. The Royal Mile, Mercat Cross, St. Giles Cathedral ("Mother Church of Presbyterianism" and by far my favorite church thus far), back alleys, the grass markets, Frankenstein's, Greyfriars Graveyard, New Town, Elephant House, Princes St. Gardens, Edinburgh castle and the stone of destiny... we saw it all!

After the tour, we spent the afternoon on the new town side exploring the numerous stores and cafes. Then we headed back to the hostel to check in, shower and get ready for dinner that night. Hayley's older sister had a friend studying in Edinburgh who, along with other locals, recommended an indian restaurant called Mother India. Having never tried indian food, I had no idea what to expect but I ordered a few random things from the menu and dove in. I think I dove too deep because my food was extremely spicy and I went through about three pitchers of water. After that, we stopped at a pub called Biddy Mulligans and then called it a night, exhausted from a long 24 hours.

The next morning we woke up to a snowy Edinburgh, strapped on our bean boots and took a walk down the Royal Mile to Holyroodhouse- the Queen's official residence in Scotland. We purchased tickets and audio tours and walked through the palace, learning the speicifc histories of each of the rooms on display. The palace has been home to James II-VII as well as Mary, Queen of Scots, Charles I, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Queen Victoria and George V! My favorite room was Mary's bedroom, where her first husband, Lord Darnley, murdered her Italian secretary, David Rizzio out of jealousy. This was my favorite time period in European history and I could've stayed and listened to stories about Mary and Queen Elizabeth I all day. Pictures weren't allow inside, but we managed to get a few from the outside.

From there, we walked back up the Royal Mile to the castle end toward the Scotch Whiskey Experience to catch the 4:00 tour. We had some time to kill, so we stopped in shops on the way and checked out the street entertainment.

The Scotch Whiskey experience began with a ride similar to the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World that led us through the process of producing whiskey. Then we were ushered into a tasting room and taught about the various regions and corresponding flavors of different scotch. I knew my dad's favorite would be from the region of Islay as soon as our guide said it produced rich, smoky flavors as called it a cigar in a glass. I decided to leave that one to him and I tried one from the Highland region, known for its "smooth and floral" taste. Then we walked into a room which was actually more of a series of rooms... that held the largest collection of scotch whiskey in the world (about 3,400 unopened bottles!) We also got to see the largest single bottle of scotch whiskey in the world, which was nearly my height.

Ready for dinner, we headed down to the grass market area to a pub called Fiddler's Arms, where we each tried a bite of Rachael's haggis. A traditional scottish meal, it's basically a mixture between meatloaf and sausage and you're not supposed to ask what kind of meat it is. After dinner we went back to the hostel to hang out and meet up with Hayley's friend Diana who knew where the best local pubs were. We hung out in the common room, drinking, half-playing Jenga, but mostly chatting with a new friend. His name was Kevin and he was from England. He had been traveling the world, mostly alone for the past four years and had a plethora of great stories from his adventures. We also talked about issues like gun control, gay marriage and abortion, which always stew up great discussion. When Diana arrived, we invited Kevin along and took off toward the new town side for a night of bar hopping.

The next day we woke up to beautiful sunny weather and decided we needed to spent the morning climbing King Arthur's seat. We walked back down the Royal Mile, stopping again at St. Giles Cathedral, where the nice ladies in the gift shop warned me that the hike, despite it's greenery, would be a little muddy from the rain yesterday and to be careful. I took these words with a grain of salt and when we got to the hill, I took off running in excitement. Sure enough, I slipped and my entire right leg was covered in mud. We laughed and began going a little slower, being careful not to slip down the small mountain. The hike is basically up a large hill and ends with amazing views of the entire town of Edinburgh. The top was extremely windy but absolutely breathtaking, and we spent some time taking pictures and soaking in the fresh Scottish air before descending back down.

On the way down, I managed to slip yet again. Rachael, who was behind me, thought this was hilarious and proceeded to point and laugh hysterically until just a few seconds later SHE fell too! HA! That is what I call karma my friends. It was a funny moment and one that we won't forget anytime soon. You can see me doubled over laughing at her in the picture below.

After our morning hike, we knew we needed to make one more stop before catching a cab to the airport. We made our way to The Elephant House (aka "the birthplace of Harry Potter") for some tea and a light lunch. For those of you who don't know, this is the cafe that J.K. Rowling spent her time writing the first couple Harry Potter novels. Our tour guide told us that she lived in Edinburgh, but would bring her children to this cafe because she couldn't afford to heat her home for the entire day. Sitting in the same place she sat, I waited for inspirational and brilliant ideas to flood to mind. I got nothin'... so I just sat there enjoying my elephant shortbread and reflecting on the past few days.

We still had a bit of time to kill before our flight, so we walked around and stopped at the castle for a few last pictures. Our cab picked us up about an hour later and our driver must have thought he was Jeff Gordon, because we were green in the face after 20 minutes of twists and turns at high speeds. Megan even fell out of her seat during one turn, which cracked us up and reminded us the importance of wearing seat belts!

Next thing we knew, we were in the air headed to Dublin for the last leg of our 10 day tour!