Ending the year of 2013 in London

I have done so much in the last week or so that I don't even know where to begin. This post will mostly be pictures with a story here or there, maybe.

My friends arrived on the 27th and I met them at the airport. Originally it was Kalie and Sam who were coming so I was extremely surprised when I saw my friend Katelyn with them after months of her assuring me that she wouldn't be able to come visit. I was so happy I wept, it was like the opening scene of 'Love Actually'. It was even the same airport, oh my lord! Long story short we did a lot of things, had a lot of fun and rang in the new year in London! These pictures have been taken by either Rachel, Katelyn, Sam,  Kalie or myself.

 

 

 

 

  

Funny story with the Tardis. I actually walked right by it the first time, it really does work!

 

One of my favorite pictures- taken by Sam

Super fun bus driver that loved we were Canadians.

 

 

 

For New Years we went on a pub crawl through a company called Big Night out. Although we did have a lot of fun I don't think I would go through this company again. It was over priced and there weren't many friendly workers. We also were required to wear their provided t-shirts which kind of sucked after getting ready for a night out. What can you expect from New Years though? It is a very overrated night in my opinion. I'm just happy I got to ring in the New Year with some great girls in one of the best cities in the world! And we witnessed the fireworks on our way home which was pretty great.  

I started drinking fancy caffeinated drinks like lattes and mochas because if you cant drink these in Europe, where can you?

 

Ed's diner. yummm!

Travel is romance

I would not call myself a seasoned traveler but that is the goal I have in mind. There are so many reasons why I am drawn to travel- the experience, "escape", learning, chance, love  and all of that other cliché stuff. While I prep for my journey home I am also prepping for my week in London as well as a quick trip to France and Amsterdam. What can these places hold? Nobody knows for certain.

“Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.”Pico Iyer

I share this story that was recently posted on reddit about travel and true love. It's heart warming so I recommend pouring a glass of wine and grabbing a piece of chocolate. 

Dublin 2013

I returned this morning from a three day trip to Dublin with Rachel. I have never been to Ireland so I was pretty excited to figure out why they call it the Emerald Island. We took the plane with Ryanair which was pretty cheep and only a half hour. Despite coming down with a bit of a cold I still had a great time. The country side was beautiful, covered in fog. None of the pictures I took could do it any justice. I would love to return one day, rent a car and travel along the country side. Maybe I could meet a burly Irishmen and fall in love like some sort of romantic comedy.

First day in Dublin we spent most of the day walking around. Our plan was to visit some museums but we learnt that museums are usually closed on Mondays. We briefly walked around Trinity College but I personally didn't really understand what the fuss is about so we left. If anyone knows, pass on the knowledge please! We then went to Temple Bar and got an Irish coffee which is made with whisky of course.

 

The next day we made it to the National Gallery and seen some bodies that were found in bogs. Then we made our way over to the Guinness factory to pour our own pints and then the Jamison distillery to try out some Irish, Scottish and American whisky.

Tried some "Tim Hortons" which was just part of a corner store. Got a Boston Cream- was delicious

Guinness uses only the best water for their brew

Guinness for ants. This part of the factory was actually super cool. It felt like a scene from Willy Wonka. The one from the 70's not the shitty Johnny Depp remake.  

 

 

The third day we did a day tour outside of Dublin. We went to Kilkenny, Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and Dunmore Caves.

 

Delicious baking in Kilkenny

On top of a 'round tower' in Kilkenny that we climbed

Look how Green

The cave entrance

 

From the bottom

 

 

Lots of witches in the area