Bestie Travels Part Four: Cork, Jameson, and The End

This is the fourth and final part of our Bestie Travels posts! It's a bittersweet farewell to L! 

On her last day in Eireann, L and I elected not to make the grueling trip up to Dublin for the night. Instead, we played around Cork City a little bit and headed out to Midleton for the afternoon to see the great and famous old Jameson Whiskey factory. 

We ended the evening with a girls' night and some Irish traditional music in the Spáilpín Fánach. This cozy little pub on South Main Street is both well-known and well-hidden. It looks like it popped right out of Pirates of the Caribbean and it features live Irish and trad music every night of the week except Tuesday. Once a month, they even host a traditional singer's session.

L and I barely landed on our feet after a week of grueling adventure, but with one last true girls' night - albeit in a totally different location than Sunday brunch in DC - we finished of the trip with a Sláinte!

I realize this post is massively late, and you probably won't believe when I say I miss her already, because it's obviously been months and DUH, you miss her! but seriously, I missed her the second she got on the plane! So cheers, L, and I hope you can come visit again soon!! xx

Saint Finbarr's Cathedral, Cork City

On the train to Midelton and the Jameson Factory

Jameson, Home of Good Irish Whiskey

Pretty sure it's the largest pot still in the world... and if it's not, it should be.

L trying to ring the bell!

Coast to Coast Bloggers

So here I sit in Cork City, Ireland, as you all well know. Today, I've been making the daily wage and drinking copious amounts of coffee around town. Though it's not really divided evenly at this time, technically I'm still dividing my time between my lovely blue mountained Virginia and hilly green Ireland. With the world at my fingertips, one would think it'd be easy enough to connect with bloggers around the world. To a degree, this is true. But with so much on my plate and with the entire virtual world within reach, it's easy to get lost on the great map of the World's Web. As a blogger, finding that niche audience in my respective countries is hard enough. Finding other bloggers doing cool things - near to me and farther away - is nearly impossible. So when I heard about the Coast-to-Coast Bloggers campaign, I decided to hop on the bandwagon.

Basically, the idea is to connect bloggers all around the world to other bloggers in their area. Shane at Whispering Sweet Nothings put together a Google Map on her site locating each and every blogger that follows her or contacts her.

It's a fabulous idea, one that I almost wished I'd thought of myself. (But then again, that's tons of work, so props to Shane for putting it all together!) Anyway, check it out if you're blogging, and even if you're not! It's a great resource to connect with similar bloggers - both similar geographically and in content and style! Even if you're not a blogger yourself but rather an avid reader, check out the database. Who knows! You might find some new favorites to follow!

A blog is your own little piece of the World's Web; with Shane's great database, you're physical piece of the world is mapped out, too!

Bestie Travels Part Three: Blarney Castle and Adventure

This is part three of four posts on Bestie L's spectacular stint seeing the land of the green.

After an epic road trip of galavanting around the country, L and I were pretty exhausted. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), we had a party at the house that night for all the gang to meet my American friend that I'd been talking about for weeks. Giddy from exhaustion, I think we made a good showing, but honestly, we were so pooped I don't remember that much. I might have been asleep after all that... 

Anyway, the next day we decided to stick around Cork a little bit. We slept in, took a walk, headed to town, and eventually, hopped in the car for Blarney Castle.

For all of you American readers, I certainly hope you've heard of the infamous Blarney Stone - by kissing the stone you're gifted the gift of the gab. Basically it just means that if you're brave or nutty enough to bend over backwards over a great height and put your lips on possibly the most slobbered-upon thing on the planet, then you will be as talkative as some of us are naturally. Good luck! 

Blarney Castle, Co. Cork

The boy came with us girls for the evening because, though he's lived in Cork for ages, he's never been to Blarney. So the three of us hiked through the castle, crawling over fading limestone and into narrow windows. We crawled through dungeons and caves and enjoyed hunting through various poisonous plants and potions in the poisonous garden. L and I threw some imaginary boiling oil over the boy's head through the hidden gate, and it was just generally a great day. 

Though L didn't make it quite to the top (in fairness, it's a pretty awful staircase, and it was wet from recent rainy footsteps...), the boy and I waved to her down through the floors of the open castle!

Peace out, L

And we ended the day by romantically gazing at a beautiful sunset (my idea) and an epic high five session. 

The moral of the story? Blarney Castle is beautiful and a great visit. But it is much better exploring it with friends x

Get ready for the best high five ever - note how L never looks at me and how somehow I can't stop laughing. 

Bestie Travels Part Two: The Cliffs and the Rock

This is Part Two of a Four Part series on L's overwhelmingly adventurous week in Eireann.
(Sorry for the delay! But SEDiva is back with a vengeance!)

We woke up gloomy and early on Monday morning (gloomy only in weather, not in spirit!) and hit the road after a quick cup of coffee in the cozy and wonderful Aille River Hostel in Doolin, Co. Clare. We drove the scenic and quick route to the highly-touristed Cliffs of Moher about 10km down the road where we were greeted with knock-you-down strength winds.

Now, I have been to the Cliffs a few times now. It's Irish iconicity makes it a beautiful tourist destination, and I've brought lots of people there. I have heard legends of people who've seen the Cliffs in sunshine, but never have I been so lucky. I doubt the existence of such days. The general storminess and breakneck windiness add to the romance. However, I have never, ever experienced winds like those L and I did that day back in March. Please see the video to truly comprehend. L and I hid behind the lookout tower on the far end of the Cliff walk in order to escape the wind and not go tumbling into the sea. It was quite adventurous walking back to the car. (See second video!)

Anyway, despite the wind's anger and obvious aversion to our poor Virginia selves, we had a lovely morning. The Cliffs are highly-touristed now, and as soon as we left, several bus-loads pulled in. But they're worth the trek and the almost disgusting level of comfort provided (if you can stomach a warm gift shop and café) just for the absolute beauty.

Our safe-haven, our rock in the hurricane, our shield from the storm

The beautiful Cliffs - can you spot the Harry Potter cave, hiding the false horcrux?

Our gratitude to this tower knows no bounds!

With many hours left on our car rental, we headed back toward Cork City via Tipperary. One of my favorite overly-touristed destinations in Ireland (another one that I have overly frequented myself) is the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary. The Rock was the Cathedral and seat of the Bishop of Munster for hundreds of years and is now a national heritage site. With a small admissions fee, visitors are free to roam around and explore or wait for a guided tour. Having taken the tour several times, I employed myself temporarily as L's personal tour guide, and we treked around the ancient castle.

Like a giant castle, the Rock is magical and historical all at once. The history behind the place, the stories surrounding every stone and every hollowed out room, the myths and legends whispered by different tour guides create an air of superstition, a bygone era, a world of legend that is often still glimpsed in Ireland.

However, the Rock has been under restoration for a number of years in order to restore and preserve several aspects of the site that are particularly historical as well as endangered by time and the environment. The development has made the Rock even more historical but also more touristed. So roaming over to a nearby field, I showed L the crumbling monastery of [Dominican? Benedictine?] monks who were ousted by one of the most recent historical Bishops of Munster only for fear of a dream the Bishop had in which the poor monks were plotting his death. The Monastery occupies a giant, nearly abandoned field, as many ruins do around Ireland, but the presence of a friendly neighbor and her dog reminded us we weren't lost in a gothic novel. Wandering around in the gloom, L and I took as many fun photographs as we possibly could. Truly, two Southern girls playing castle.

I barely remembered a story about this cross, so L decided to take its advice and hop on one foot backwards around St. Patrick's Cross three times. She'll be engaged in a year, we think.

The view of the Rock of Cashel from the field below.

The monastery in the field below.

Bestie Teaser

Phew! What a week. Just a quick post to say hey-ya, how ya'll doing, I miss you! My biffle L has been in Ireland for the past week and adventures galore and laughs a million were had. I'm completely exhausted, but today we're driving up to Dublin for Jason Derulo, so it's not over yet!

Expect some serious update and adventure posts when I get back. Until then, I hope you enjoy laughing at whatever you think L and I are laughing at in this picture. Good luck figuring it out. I can't. 

xx

Wexford Birthday Bound

A couple of weekends back, the Lovely L turned Twenty-One (it looks much lovelier when written out, don't you think?) and she invited us all down to her home in Wexford for a big celebration. Wexford town is no small journey from Cork City, but I dutifully caught the bus on Saturday morning (after a delicious breakfast in town with the boy), journeyed two and half hours to Waterford and then still caught the bus to Wexford.

Out in the Barn

The night began with the inflation of a million balloons, the creation of a balloon chain (not without some major poppage), the strategic placing of fairy lights, and basically the beautification of the barn. Lovely L's Lovely Mother fed an entire infantry of post-barn-decorators and pre-party-goers before we all got down to business.

Birthday girl and lovely friends

Wexford was quite the adventure, but it didn't end there. After a late, late night of laughing and singing country music, and a morning filled of sorting out the night before and watching films like Ted all curled up and cozy on the couch, I caught the bus back toward Cork via Waterford, at which point the boy asked if I'd stop to come hang out with his family and friends in his hometown for the day. How could I say no?

It was a great weekend away from town. I love Cork, but sometimes it's great to get out and about, away from the city in the company of great friends! x

London Trip

I am an American Magnet. Living in a foreign country in which the similarities amongst the persons of the national population are myriad, I am an expert at picking out those who, like myself, "don't match". That being said, it doesn't necessarily follow that I would attract American friends more easily than anyone else. But I do seem to find and make lifelong friends with more of the only-American-in-the-crowd types than anyone else.

For this I am super grateful. It's one of the best things about living abroad. Every stranger might be a new friend and these friends come with stories and relationships that cross time and circumstance. However, the downside is that many of these cool people, especially the Americans, is that their stint in my newly adopted country is brief, usually only a study-abroad semester. So when one of these friends asked if I wanted to take a little London excursion with him before he left the cold, damp climes of the Isles for the (now snowy but usually) perpetually comfortable temperatures of the Carolinas, of course I said yes! And so it was that three new friends (the two of them only met when we decided to go to London together!) booked a flight for London...

First, our plane was delayed by four hours, cutting our day and a half trip to London down to a day. And somebody who was meant to be guarding our bags with his life just fell asleep.

When we did make it to London, it was already pitch dark (which is to say it was only about 4:30PM). I managed to get ridiculously sick somewhere over the English Channel, so while the lads went out on the town exploring for the night and very actively tried to get me to join them, I "slept" for the night. 

Waking up not at all refreshed, we walked over to the chemist to get something to keep my fever down, and we hit the streets.

Big Ben, of course!

Underground station looking out at the London Eye

Getting this picture of the three of us was a struggle. We had to use my junky phone because the others were scared theirs would be stolen if they asked a stranger to hold it for a minute.

Blackfriars' Bridge

Underneath Blackfriars' Bridge, looking at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Movie-star L in front of the Globe Theatre

"It's the Harry Potter bridge! We have to walk across it!"

"We're not going to walk over to the London Bridge are we?"

St. Paul's Cathedral

"I'm not taking a picture in there; it smells horrible"

Sunset by the London Eye

We're so cold!

The two of them went on the London Eye, but I decided that I wanted to just walk around by myself for twenty minutes instead. They got some great pictures, and we all got to see a perfect London sunset. 

While they were gone, I walked around the Christmas market (yes, this is a very old journey!) I resisted the urge to purchase some mulled wine all by myself. I was still rockin' a fever, after all.

When we met up again, we all walked around the Christmas market together for a while. Then as the temperatures got colder and colder, we decided to walk just a little further (we ended up coming upon Westminster Cathedral) and catching the Tube back to the hostel.

Somehow we rallied ourselves enough to head out for the evening. I don't even remember where we ate or what, so I'm sorry about that. But I do remember very distinctly trying my best to convince the two that I couldn't go out for the evening, that I really was just too sick. And whether it was a good decision or a bad decision in the end, I headed out with them. It was, after all, our last night in London. With a giant bag of chips in hand to split, I happily drank some ginger ale at a few lovely little spots in Camden Town (haha).

I didn't know a picture was being taken. Clearly, someone doesn't want to sit next to me :( 

As soon as I got off the plane back in Cork, I walked right over to the doctor's office. It turns out I had tonsillitis: oops! But it was a great "weekend" nonetheless. Guess sometimes you need some really annoying friends telling you take some more medicine and keep walking! x