Europe Day 6, London: And the Tea Will Set Me Free

We woke up early this morning for our walking tour of the city of London. Kindly Ms. Dancer’s mother in-law had decided to come with us and in essence be a tour guide. Since she has been a Londoner all her life and was as kind as can be this ended up being a VERY GOOD PERK.


MS. DANCER AND HER MOTHER-IN-LAW (AKA OUR FABULOUS TOUR GUIDE)

First we went to Buckingham Palace, principle residence of England’s royal family, where we were just in time to attempt to see the changing of the guard. I say attempt because there were about a kazillion people swarming everywhere attempting to see the exact same thing.


BUCKINGHAM PALACE


MS. POOL SHARK, MS. DANCER AND I; THE VICTORIA MEMORIAL IN FRONT OF BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Since we did not get a great look, or even close to seeing the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham palace our guide took us to a lesser known changing of the horse guard. There were only a handful of people to watch the guards swap and I was even able to get close enough to one of the stone faced guards to snap a photo!


HE DIDN’T MOVE A SINGLE MUSCLE

Our next visit was to the Westminster Abby, a large gothic church which is the traditional site for coronations, marriages and burials of the royal family. Being in Europe is like being on another planet, everything is SO OLD. These buildings literally are so detailed and stunning, they breathe with life. You can see the years, decades, lifetimes of effort one building takes to create. My mother and I were talking about what a dying breed of art building is these days, now they just slap some wood and plaster together and call it a building, it is nothing like these.


WESTMINSTER ABBY THE GREAT WEST DOOR AND TOWERS


WESTMINSTER ABBY THE NORTH ENTRANCE


WESTMINSTER ABBY TOWER IN SUNLIGHT

The exterior was so beautiful I thought it couldn’t get better but then we went inside and my jaw dropped; the interior was even better.











Once we got through the interior which took a few hours we stopped for a spot of tea (as Ms. Dancers Mother-in-law says) in the cloister. Starbucks UMMMM just what I need a little Chi Tea Latte caffeine kick to get me through the rest of our very long and busy day.


LOOK AT THOSE TIRED EYES; I NEED A LITTLE CAFFEINE KICK

The cloister was a really pretty small courtyard green with wide open arches surrounding it where people could sit and enjoy the quiet. I think I want a cloister in my next house!


WESTMINSTER ABBY THE CLOISTER GREEN


WESTMINSTER ABBY CLOISTER VIEW UP

Leaving Westminster Abby we passed Big Ben. The clouds were swirling and the light was catching the gold on the tower so beautifully. This dark and moody close-up makes me smile.


BIG BEN CLOCK TOWER

We then headed over to Trafalgar Square one of the most famous squares in the world located in the heart of London.


TRAFALGAR SQUARE WITH ITS CENTER MONUMENT NELSON’S COLUMN FROM THE STEPS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM


A DETAIL OF THE FOUNTAIN IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE


NATIONAL MUSEUM

After visiting the museum we headed out to dinner at the Spaghetti warehouse. We bid our tour guide goodbye and headed to the Coliseum where we were going to see Carlos Acosta in a modern dance ballet.


THE COLISEUM


EVEN THE INTERIOR OF THE SHOW WAS AMAZING, JUST LOOK AT THE MOSAIC ARTWORK ON THE CEILING

Carlos is one of the biggest names in ballet, and I adore ballet. Side note: I took ballet as a child; I thought it was beautiful and really wanted to try. Unfortunately for me I sucked, not kind of sucked but REALLY sucked. I was too tall, to gangly, and so not coordinated to ever be any good. It was a sad moment when I quit a year later, at least I tried, it didn’t kill my love for ballet just because I couldn’t do it and at least I can watch the masters perform still.

This was the first modern ballet performance I had ever been to so I was expecting something different… it was interesting, the music was digitized and electronic, the movement was unique, but the choreography felt odd and strange without the beautiful lines I see in ballet. In the end I don’t know if modern ballet is for me. I much prefer the ballet that I love with gorgeous costumes and lilting symphony music with clean fluid movement that speaks to my soul and moves me. This ballet unfortunately for me was just ok. Don’t get me wrong I get that it was supposed to be something different; but if I am honest this modern ballet left me awed at their strength and ability to do the moves but emotionally it didn’t touch me at all.

At the end a crowd that had been standing at the back of the stage moved forward slowly into the light, there is no dancing, instead it is a choir that sings “O Magnum Mysterium”, the singing was incredible, too bad for me the dancing hadn’t been as good.

Europe Day 5, London: I See London I See France

We woke up early and got to the airport in time for our hour flight to London. I am already getting annoyed at trying to repack and unpack my bag, I have a feeling it is going to get VERY OLD after the seventh time… who am I kidding I am annoyed now. The real problem isn’t packing, it’s trying to fit all the things I have back into the bag, think Tetris on crack. Everything has its place, put things back differently and that bag just won’t shut!

Getting to into the London airport we decided to take the train. I haven’t been on a train in FOREVER and was super excited.


MS. POOL SHARK ON THE TRAIN

One of the best things about traveling the way that we are is that you get to see so many new things and figure out solutions to questions that you are not exposed to on a day to day basis. For instance I adored the train station. It was a hustle and bustle of people; everyone had a purpose and was rushing here and there. I wished I could have sat there and watched but there were things we had to do… always go, go, go!


THE LONDON TRAIN STATION

Ms. Dancers future in-laws picked us up from the station. I was a bit nervous about staying with someone’s parents I had only met once but they were simply lovely. We settled into our rooms, had a snack and spot of tea and then the three of us were on our way downtown.

We decided on our first night to get a flavor of the city and what better way to do that then take a tour of the Tames River. There was also The London Eye, a huge famous Ferris wheel that takes you high above and gives you a bird’s eye view of the city. We managed to find a package for both which we were happy about.

We passed The London Eye on the way to the boat. The pamphlet stated that this Ferris wheel is the tallest in Europe at 443 feet high... UMMMM THAT’S REALLY HIGH UP!


THE LONDON EYE

The wheel carries thirty two egg shaped capsules that are fully glassed in and air conditioned. You get to go on one revolution which takes about half an hour. Spokes like a bicycle wheel hold the structure in place.


EGG SHAPED CAPSULES

We got to the dock just in time to get our photo taken by a photographer before we scrambled on board to grab our seats on the boat before it disembarked.


OUTSIDE THE BOAT FOUR OUR TOUR

The boat ride was about an hour and we got a good viewpoint of many of the cities attractions. Although the boat was crowded we were able to enjoy ourselves particularly because we did not have to do a ton of walking. We could just sit back and relax while the tour guide with his dry English humor made us giggle with funny twists of stories and anecdotes.


A CANDID SHOT OF ME WITH THE LONDON TOWER BRIDGE IN THE BACKGROUND

Thank goodness it didn’t rain because it was an open topped deck boat.


LONDON TOWER BRIDGE


BIG BEN


ME WITH BIG BEN IN THE BACKGROUND

After our boat ride we decided to get something to eat nearby and allow the sun to set so we could ride The London Eye when the city was all lit up. We ended up at this FABULOUS restaurant where, SUPER YUMMY.


MS. POOL SHARK (RIGHT) AND ME

Ms. Dancer and I ordered a Caprice salad, and the cheese was so delicious that I couldn’t help but order a cheese plate for my main entrée. That coupled with a lot of laughter and a great glass of red wine and I was a super happy girl!


WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T JUST EAT CHEESE FOR DINNER

Getting to The London Eye at night we got to see it all the lights led lights on.


THE LONDON EYE IS GORGEOUS AT NIGHT

I was super happy with the Ferris wheel, the pods allowed you to move around freely and it looked really pretty all lite up from the top as well.


SECTION OF THE LONDON EYE FROM THE TOP

Although difficult to get photos with the city so dark I was able to get a few that I liked. The sky, the lights, the water, it was a photographers DREAM up there, if only I had had my tripod.





The city was magical from that viewpoint, there is something about the darkness of night and the piercing quality of the city street lights that makes my artist soul so happy. What a surreal day!

Europe: Photo Phriday: From the Window of a Plane

I have been on quite a few flights. Between my travels and being a flight attendant for a year just out of college being in the air for me is something I do often. When you do things repeatedly the shine and excitement tends to dull, not so with me and flying.

Don’t get me wrong I detest the preparations, the waiting, the lines and security but the act of taking off, of soaring high above the land makes my heart happier. I almost always try to grab a window seat because I love to see the various topography pass by, but with 12 flights in 25 days I never in my life have I flown this often in such a short span of time over such alien terrain. I was in heaven.

In dedication of my love of flying I decided to focus this week’s Photo Phriday on a few of my favorite photos from the window of my various flights.


ARRIVING ON THE COAST OF IRELAND



THIS MINIMALISTIC SKYLINE OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN REMINDED ME OF A MODERN PAINTING


THE COAST OF ITALY


A MOUNTAIN RANGE KISSED BY CLOUDS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN PARIS AND VENICE


FLYING OUT OF ROME, YOU CAN SEE THE ARC DE TRIUMPH ON THE CIRCLE TO THE RIGHT


A MOUNTAIN RANGE BETWEEN ROME AND VENICE


CUMULOUS CLOUDS OVER VENICE


ON THE FLIGHT HOME FROM ZURICH TO PHILADELPHIA WE CHASED THE SUN HOME FOR HOURS CREATING THE MOST DELICIOUS COLORS. IN THIS SHOT YOU CAN SEE THE MOON.

Europe Day 4, Ireland: This Land Stole a Piece of My Heart

On our second day in Ireland we decided to branch out and see a little bit outside of Dublin city. Unfortunately for us we haven’t quite figured out the best steps when we get to a new city yet (Dublin was our first destination). I am sure by the end of the trip we will hit a better cadence but for now we are still trying to figure it out. One thing we learned is to get tours the DAY YOU LAND, go over options and plan ahead, but like they say hindsight is the best foresight.

Regardless at 11pm last night we decided we would like to see outside the city on our last full day in Ireland. It was a little last minute. We looked at some brochures that the hotel had for our options. We fell in love with a tour of the countryside including a stop at the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately for us that tour left EARLY in the morning but we ended up deciding that even though we couldn’t book the tour by calling, since the office was very obviously closed, and since we couldn’t book in the morning (this tour left EARLY), we decided we would just show up for the tour we wanted and pray, hope or beg our way onto the bus. It seemed a little gutsy but we didn’t have any other options and we had nothing to lose.

When six am rolled around this morning none of us were happy, and the idea for me lost some of its luster. I was tired, jet lagged and we weren’t even sure that once we got up, got ready, got breakfast, go to the pick-up location that we would even get on the bus. I pulled it together and we left in time, but I am not a morning person and I was not thrilled.

We get to the tour pick up point and find a crowd of people standing. So we joined them to wait in the cold morning for the tour bus to arrive. Finally we see it, a huge bus. I eyed the crowd and assessed the size off the bus and HOPED we would get on. Ms. Dancer went to attempt to get us on but there was no room. Not to be defeated we scurried across the street to another tour bus, NO ROOM THERE EITHER… DRAT!!!!

We could have given up, we could have stayed and had a lovely time in the city I am sure, but with the bit in our teeth we kept trying. We resorted to begging. Going back to the original bus we batted our eyes, smiled and desperately tried to get him to agree to let us on. Ahhhhhhh begging by three young women to a lonely old bus driver, the power; needless to say we got on that bus and joined the tour for the day!

So we took our seats not really SURE what we were getting ourselves into. We knew that this tour was going to the cliffs, and we knew it was an all day bus tour, other than that we were flying blind. Exciting how some things happen, to be on a unknown tour in a foreign country, the uncertainness of the day, the excitement of something new all made the adventure of that day so much sweeter.


OUR TOUR ACROSS IRELAND MAP

We began our trip in Galway and hit twenty three points of interest, most of which were older than I can wrap my brain around and the countryside was simply stunning.

Poulnabrone Dolmen is the oldest thing I have ever seen. Dated at approximately 2500 BC it is a grave site for some 23 people marked by gigantic slabs of limestone. This particular site is one of the most famous of all the Irish dolmen’s which were scattered throughout this area of Ireland. Sadly most of the bodies showed a rough diet, a difficult physical life and an age of less than 30. Since my family can trace our ancestors back to Ireland I stood there in front of the grave trying to imagine how many generations back I would need to go in my own family tree in order to reach 2500 BC, people related to me that could have lived alongside and in similar conditions as the people who lay here… I got to 27 generations before I gave up and settled on - a LONG friggin time.


POULNABRONE DOLMEN

The Dolmen was situated on a Burren which are great rolling limestone scattered plains. The cracks where the grass grows are called “grikes” and the rocky waves left behind are called “clints”. I loved how rough and wild it felt on the Burren with the dark turbulent skies and the jagged fierce land that filled my eyesight.


THE BURREN

On our tour we stopped at quite a few other points of interest. I particularly liked Dunguaire Castle, a 16th century tower house built on the Galway Bay. Considered to be one of the most photographed castles in Ireland because of its excellent restored condition and position on the water, I loved its picturesque placement of the castle and the mute swans floating in the bay.


DUNGUAIRE CASTLE

Kilfenora Cathedral was built in about 1189 on a site of a monetary. The most notable feature is that this Cathedral has the presence of seven High Crosses.


KILFERNORA CATHEDRAL

The Lady Chapel (to the right in the photo below), an English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, is now covered with a glass roof protecting some of the High Crosses.


LADY CHAPEL WITH NEW GLASS ROOF


AN EXQUISITELY CARVED 12th CENTURY WINDOW

The outside graveyard with their ancient tombstones and decorations are exposed to the harsh Ireland climate which leaves its marks in beautiful detail.


BEAUTIFUL MOLD GROWS ON A TOMBSTONE


A RUSTED GATE CAUGHT MY EYE

Aside from the sights the landscape of Ireland, particularly when the sky opened up and the clouds released their hold was spectacular. The colors were so saturated as if everything had been painted with a little more strength than I have ever seen.













Then or course what is an official country countryside without a few graceful beasts of galloping adorableness!





The highlight of this trip however, and what we specifically came for, were to see the famous cliffs of Ireland. After hours on the bus we arrived on the other side of Ireland to see the Cliffs of Moher. My impressions were nothing like the real thing. Stunning juts of earth and rock plummeting 2264 feet straight down to the ocean below, I cannot put the majesty into words; pictures will just have to do.










TRULY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES I HAVE EVER BEEN


MS. DANCER, MRS. ROGUE and MS. POOL SHARK


ME ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

On the ride home I tried to process everything I had seen for the day. The feels were similar when I went to see the Grand Canyon, like I was leaving changed forever with new inspiration and joy at how beautiful our planet can be. Ireland makes me so happy and these photos will be treasured forever!

Much later that night after we took the long bus ride home we stumbled exhausted into a restaurant for dinner. We sat and listened to the live music munching on pizza, I was even talking into trying a Guinness even though I don’t drink beer because if I am going to have a Guinness I was told it HAD to be in Dublin.


MS. DANCER AND HER GUINNESS

P.S. Even though Ms. Dancer looks cute and SHE loved the Guinness, for the record I still don’t like beer.

After our meal we crawled to our hotel and I cuddled into bed, a bed so hard that last night felt like a stone slab. Tonight however it felt like the most prized feather down mattress ever; either it feels softer or I am getting more desperate.