Our first vistors!

Over Thanksgiving break, my parents came out to visit Josh and I and check out our new place.  Arriving with them, was the onset of one of the worst cold snaps Ireland has seen in quite some time.  We quickly learned that the heating system wasn't working in the guest bedroom and that no one could layer enough to keep the damp cold from settling in.  But, we braved the gale force winds and had a wonderful visit with my mum and dad!  Our first stop was to Blarney Castle.  Do you know the difference between blarney and baloney?

“The difference between ‘blarney’ and ‘baloney’ is this:

Baloney is when you tell a 50-year old woman that she looks 18. Blarney is when you ask a woman how old she is, because you want to know at what age women are most beautiful.”

The Castle

The walk up to the castle.  It was chilly!

Entrance to the dungeon.

Blarney Castle was rebuilt three times. 

Watch tower

My dad was the first brave soul to hang upside down, off of the side of the castle, to kiss the Blarney Stone.

All that was running through my mind was, "oh goodness, I hope that I tipped this guy enough for him to not want to drop me!"

Me mum screamed - it was priceless!

We tried to warn Josh that it has been said that locals pee on the stone, but he didn't care.

Blarney House

Picture for the mantle!  We are actually standing in the garden of death.  Certain poisonous botanicals were planted on the grounds to defend the castle.

Shandon Church is also known as The Four Face Liar.  The church has clocks on each side, and each clock reads a different time.  Look closely at the picture.

My dad and I ringing the bells.  He wasn't as committed as me.

View from the top of the church.

Garrett's Town beaches.  They were too cold for my mom and I.

Old Head golf coarse.  We were trying to get to the light house in the distance, but the coarse is closed for the season.

Charles Fort

Proof that Sammi and I are making progress.  He lets me pet him now and licks my hand!

Saturday we made a delicious Thanksgiving brunch complete with egg bake and cheesy potatoes - yum!  That evening we made our way to the local Kinsale pub.  The two gentlemen set to play that night performed more of a comedy routine than a musical act as they bickered with each other, the bartender, and heckled us as they set up.  Eventually they sat down to play, and entertained us with authentic Irish songs. 

All and all we had a great time exploring castles, churches, and forts!  I can't wait for my mom and dad to come back soon!

Spain

As Ireland was just starting to settle into a cold spell, Josh and I decided to spend the weekend in Malaga, Spain.  The weather was a balmy 70 degrees and we were happy to shed our jackets and soak up the sun.  This vacation was truly a first for me.  Some of you may know that I am the worst person to go on a relaxing getaway with, in fact I have always been slightly appalled that those two words could be used in the same sentence.  My typical vacation consist of me planning a months worth of activities for two days, and ends with me being cranky because I may have missed something.  I tell myself that I am just an enthusiast. Interestingly enough, I read a quote before our trip to Spain that read: if you rush to see everything, you'll end up seeing nothing.    Well it was settled, it was time to slow down and enjoy the surroundings.  We ate and drank a lot, we went without a plan and had an amazing adventure.

View from our hotel.

One of the many random bands playing throughout the city.

Chapel in the heart of the city.  Its right tower was never completed.  The money was put toward the city's renewal.

Hans Christian Andersen is the author The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid. Thank you Hans for providing me so much entertainment as a child.

Amazing cathedral

Pirate ship!  When docked it's actually one of the largest bars I have ever seen!

My favorite person in the whole wide world!

Malaga at night

This is the house where Picasso grew up.  We also visited the Picasso museum, but pictures weren't allowed.  Admittedly I haven't always been the biggest fan of Pablo Picasso.  His paintings are difficult to look at and are mostly unpleasing to the eye.  After spending many hours learning about the artist, I understood that was the purpose behind his work.  Picasso felt that the academic teaching of "Beauty" was detrimental to the human spirit.  Embracing flaws and incorporating imposing view points, Picasso's went on to create work that largely gained recognition through talent and morbid curiosity.

"Nothing is ever complete, it is merely in another state of being.  When I have created something that I do not have the courage to change, I know I am done."  Pablo Picasso

We also spent a good amount of time viewing the Toy Guarda, an intriguing section of the museum dedicated to the development of Toys!  We learned that artist introduced a social reform with toys.  Many toys were adopted by the schools during the 18th century and are still used today.  The Toy Guarda wanted to change the way children were viewed.  This brought about the idea of "Childhood".  I also enjoyed learning about the creation of children's books.  What themes do most primary stories have?  Think about it before reading on.  Themes that you and I have grown accustom to had to be thought up by someone.  Artist, together with psychologist asked children to tell them a story.  From those stories they generated themes such as; reaching your dreams, being the hero, having someone to care for you, and of coarse included should be characters that are identifiable or animals!  

 

Beginning of the Arabian Palace.  Malaga was under Arabian domination for 800 years.  The influences can be seen throughout the architecture and delicious dishes.

The palace's name is Alcazaba, which means it is a walled fortification in a city.  This structure is among the oldest.

Part of the palace

The Arabian Palace is split into two sections.  The top section held royalty.  The lower section was used for protection and defense.  This section was built as a maze, making it difficult to navigate.  And for some reason I doubt intruders were given a map upon entering. 

Arabian gardens

View of the city from the top!

The aqueduct ran throughout the structure.

The ocean and mountains

Colosseum

Simply beautiful

The large church that reaches higher then the rest is where Antonio Banderas was baptized.  He was born in Malaga and is currently a "Good Will Ambassador" in the fight against poverty.  Mr. Banderas is very popular here!

We are still in the palace.  The trip up was painstaking.  It was a long walk with an incline that was fierce.  Once we reached the peak, Josh and I were so embarrassed that we struggled so much when we noticed quite a few elderly at the top.  We later learned that they took a bus, which made a feel much better.

The city at night.

Cheers to you!

And you!



Next up: My parents visit, trip to Prague with Erin, and Josh and I going home for Christmas!

London

Josh had a day business trip to London and I was lucky enough to be able to accompany him.  While he worked, I took in the sights.  I started my way through Hyde Park, over to Buckingham Palace, back to Big Ben, up the London Eye, and ended my day being entangled in one of London's largest protest in decades (but we will get to that later).

Hyde Park is one of the largest royal parks in London.

Beautiful surroundings

I tried to take him home

Buckingham Palace in the distance.

View of Knightsbridge Barracks, which is where Horse Guards are stationed.  These guards responded to emergencies at the Buckingham Palace in 1795.

If you squint, you can see the Household Cavalry riding to Knightsbridge Barracks

A closer look at the Buckingham Palace and the Knightsbridge Barracks

The Memorial to Queen Victoria was completed in 1911 and carved out of 2,300 tons of white marble.

Buckingham Palace still operates as the Administrative Headquarters of the Monarch.

The Queen faces out towards the people.  The Angel of Truth, Charity and Justice sit on top of the statue.

The Horse Guards

Knightsbridge Barracks

I think it is easy to tell how this horse feels about his job!

On my trek to Big Ben, I noticed there were hundreds of guards.  I finally stopped to ask if this was typical for the Parliament building or if something was happening.  The guard responded they were preparing for the Education protest.  As she pointed to the group in question, I laughed to myself, because there were at most 25 protesters at that time.  Continuing on my way, thinking about how London may have over spent on guard protection, I snapped a few photos of Big Ben and took a jaunt over to The London Eye.

Big Ben sits at the end of the Parliament building.  It is one of the largest four faced clock.

Maybe if I had a clock this big, I would be places on time!

The Parliament Building

The London Eye

Getting ready to get on.

View of Big Ben from the top of the Eye.

Me

 There were 20 of us in one capsule, they were very large.

A few photos of Big Ben and a ride on the London Eye later, the very small demonstration had gained momentum and there I was, amidst 50,000 protesters.  A news article described the situation as the following: estimated 52,000 students took to the streets of London on Wednesday to protest government plans to increase university tuition fees while cutting higher education funding by 40 percent. The demonstration was one of the biggest student protests in decades and the largest turnout against the British government’s austerity measures that were announced last month.

The demonstration, while I was in London, remained peaceful.  

Students and faculty joined together to fight the government's decision to raise tuition to 9,000 pounds.

One school made a float.

Students would show up in waves of 50 every two minutes.

Just another day in London!