Packing for a country where toilet paper is gold is a bit harder then you think it would be.
Not only do I have to pack for three weeks (two of which are volunteering) I have to make sure I have room to bring home everything I know I am planning to buy, plus some goodies from home for the kids. Not to forget the ever so important roll of T.P.!
This will be interesting- I'm sure I will confuse one kid at some point that Ireland and the States are together on a map. N ow, in the last few days I have to gather some 'fun stuff' from home to give the kids and my local home stay....
I refuse to give up my bobble-head Obama so how about a magnet..or better yet, bubbles! Yeah I know, I'm still thinking about it and planning to make a stop at the 2Euro store tomorrow.
In the beginning of the month was the big celebration of turning 23, once again a celebration abroad. I think this is becoming a new habit of mine. But for a variety of reasons (mainly visa purposes) I had to leave the country at the end of May, so we decided to go to Paris to celebrate my 23rd birthday.
Stephanie and I found cheap airfare over there, which also included two tickets for Paris Disneyland. So here we are, both going to Paris again for another time in less than 6 months and decided the only touristy thing we were going to do was use our free Disneyland tickets. So of course it was a Bank Holiday weekend when we were there, which meant that I have never been more sick of small children and rude parents in my life. SO basically very similar to Disneyland back home I guess you could say. The park was clearly laid out to match that of Disneyland USA almost exactly. There were a few rides here and there that were missing, or made into a maze or fountain display but all the main essentials where there which made it nice since it was Stephanie's first trip to a Disneyland Park. But it was a pretty funny experience to be standing in line for the rides and any animated character was speaking in French..made me laugh. It's a Jones family joke.. The next day since Stephanie and I had both been to Paris before and have done all the 'touristy' things, we decided we wanted to just relax in the sun and enjoy Paris. So we left our hostel and went to the local supermarket and bought a bunch of meats, bread, cheeses of all sorts, dips and crackers. So we spent just about the full day laying out on the grass beside the Eiffel Tower reading, people watching and having a picnic with a big bottle of Sangria. Later that evening we had planned on stopping back by the Tower on the way out, so Stephanie could see it at night for the first time. But while we were having a few drinks at the bar in our hostel, we met up with some of the fellow travelers we had been talking to the day before. There was a group of them who had all met in our accommodation with a mix from Canada, Ireland, the States, BuenosAires, Argentina, etc. We all decided as a group to go to the bottle shop, pick up some drinks and then go out to the grass and hang out. We were among the 200 people thinking it would be a good idea so it was a long night of meeting people from all over the place. I'm doing a cartwheel...you can sort of see me in two places at once..
Tomorrow morning Stephanie and I have planned to get up at a reasonable time for a Saturday, and go bike ride to Lismore.
Lismore is about anywhere between 5-10 miles down the road (leaning more toward 10) and has one of the coolest castles we have yet to see, Lismore Castle.
So with a mental map, day pack full of lunch and two bikes we have decided to ride over and spend the day there. The last few weeks the weather has been amazing so I am keeping my fingers crossed it will stay like that for our adventure.
Since we are going to be out for most the day, I won't have a chance to upload more blogs- but when we return I will post a quick one about our adventure and with the photographs.
We will then be going out tomorrow night for our temporary good-bye to Dungarvan as many of you are aware that I will be heading over to India for three weeks next week. I'm flying out the 4th of July (somehow I doubt I will have fireworks this year) and coming back to Ireland July 26. Steph and I are going together and will be spending two weeks volunteering at a children school for the deaf and hearing impaired, and then one extra week of backpacking....
So it's been a while since I have written on here, so I apologize for that. I've had some bad computer experienced and needed to wipe everything off it, and basically start all over again a couple times now.
So I will try and do a quick update on some of the places we have been since I last wrote.
The city is really cute and has a great Irish vibe to it. It is often referred to as "what Dublin use to be." While Galway is still very much a tourist hot spot, it seems to hold onto that traditional Irish feel and lifestyle- whereas Dublin can sometimes be considered a sell out, for lack of better words.
Galway city is the fourth largest city in Dublin but is the fastest growing city, along side Dublin. Sitting along the Coast, it's easy to picture the merchant town when it was a hussle and bustle hot spot for fishing boats and vessels.
But on the way up to Galway we took a drive to see the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. The Cliffs are located between the two towns of Liscannor and Doolin. The cliffs are over 700 feet tall at their highest point and the sandstone cliff drops vertically into the Atlantic ocean directly below. They are one of Ireland's most visited attractions, and one of the most known natural wonders. Speaking of which, there is actually an ongogin campaign sponsoured by 7-up to get the Cliffs of Moher into one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
You can walk all along the edge of the different parts of the cliff, and even at one point cross over the barbed-wire for a closer look. Because it is so close to the water, the wind can be very strong and even kind of frightening when you realize how easy it would be to take a wrong step and fall...something Sarah and Steph were freaking out about. Rightfully so I guess.
Luckly, we had some AMAZING weather that day (it rained the day after we were there) and there was very little wind.
When you first arrive you have to park across the street and this is the view as you are walking toward the cliffs. It's all so green right up until the very edge.. All the little shops and information center are actually IN the hills.. Along one of the cliff side.. They just keep going on forever; you can spend all day here when it's sunny! The watch tower at one of the ends.. Right before we climbed over the barbed wire fence behind us...it took some convincing for me to get Sarah and Steph to join. But it was worth it in the end!! The walk out to the final stop. The cliff literally drops off after that little patch of grass to our left. The walk still... See...right in the middle of that cliff, in the stone. That is where we are walking to because that is where you get the best view... You get to the flat top and then walk down a little rock-hill and there is a very flat surface right in the middle of the edge that drops down into the water... And then the wind started to pick up and Sarha and I refused to move in fear of getting blow in! Stephanie was a lot happier once we got back over the barbed wire fence again.. The cliffs were probably one of my favorite destinations so far. It was absoultly beautiful and we were so lucky to have such a nice day!
After living abroad a few times I am now based in Los Angeles, California, rediscovering my past. I am living and working the LA life before heading off on my next adventure. I plan to have my passport completely filled before it expires..and I'm getting close!
