Flashback to Kilkenny

While making our way to Dublin we stopped at Kilkenny for one night. This towns main feature is the Kilkenny Castle which we toured. We chose to avoid touring the town and instead took advantage of the fine weather and sat in the castle grounds for the afternoon reading and soaking in the warm sun. You really cannot get much better than sitting on a hill with a book over looking a medieval castle.
Backpacking is not always as romantic as it sounds. Laundry facilities are hard to find which often leaves me with hand washing as the only choice. I show you this picture to shatter the perfect picture in anyone mind that everyday is wonderful as clearly spending the day in almost dry undies because there wasn't time to let them dry...despite the blow drier...was very pleasant.
But aside from that, the beauty in every town here is stunning. Bushels of trees separate farm land in the countryside while ivy creeps up old stone walls, slowly changing from green to auburn whispering the coming of winter. Sheep wander along dirt roads while all ages gather together over a pint and count the days blessings (or curses depending on who won the Hurling or Football match). To be here feels somewhat like the completion to a pilgrimage. For most of my young life I have loved Irish music which is somewhat ironic since my name Erin is Gallic meaning From Ireland. It is like a piece of me has always in Ireland and I am finally returning home. The only thing lacking is the Jigs and Reels which we have yet to find. The pubs are filled with beautiful traditional Irish ballads and Top 40 hits, but are lacking the music in which I cannot help but dance. But we will perservie and find it! We have to there is no option!! But never the less...I am FINALLY HERE and feel like this country was made for me!!!

Kinsale, Ireland

From Cork we caught a bus to the seaside town of Kilkenny. Here we stayed at a wonderful B&B and enjoyed delicious homemade breakfasts such as cinniman raisen french toast and breakfast bruchetta.

Here I celebrated my 23 birthday by taking a scenic walk along the coast to an old Viking fortress, wandering through the cute village, and going out for a delicious dinner. Thanks to a generous donation from my parents, Michelle and I went to a great local restaurant called Maxs, and enjoyed ordering what we wanted instead of what was cheapest. I had the catch of the day which was Lemonsole with a glass of white wine, finishing it off with a chocolate fudge cake which came complete with a candle. You will notice on the picture a third member of our party, he is actually my Irish fiancee. We expect a May wedding but are flexible depending on people back home. Actually, I didn't notice him get into the picture, but the table beside us was full of British Ad agents who were there on business and thoroughly enjoyed entertaining us with their jokes (half of which I couldn't understand).

Though I have been reprieved of the Irish chill thanks to my warm coat, I have had a sinus cold for over a week. I happened upon a smoothie shop with made a concoction which they called the 'Flu Fight'. After consuming one I felt substantially better and mark this day and the first towards my recovery.

Cork, Ireland

We started off our journey in Ireland by flying into Cork. This city is not a main tourist attraction but a great place to start off as it offers a variety of transportation to other Irish destinations. My main mission in Cork was to purge my summer wardrobe and purchase some warmer clothing. I was saved from a month of hypothermia by the store Penney's which sells cute clothes at ridiculously cheap prices. I bought a stylish coat for £35, numerous long sleeved shirts for under £10 each, and sweater for £10. Best ever!

After aquiring an appropriate wardrobe for Ireland cool climate we proceeded back to our hostel to make dinner and ended up meeting a group of guys from Denmark, a group of girls from Belgium, and an Aussie couple. It being a Monday evening in Ireland we all ended up going a few pubs for a pint or 2. I think this is what I love most about traveling, the random people you meet and how all the walls are broken down in that you can hang out with anyone for a day and it is totally no big deal.

Perhaps my favorite picture of the night is the one below where Michelle has countless pints in front of her. Don't worry, they're not all her's:)

Flashback to London

As I have not posted any pictures of Michelle and I on our travels I thought I would take this opportunity to bring you back to where it all began. Michelle arrived in London on Sept. 6th. After sleeping off her jet leg we celebrated her arrival by going out for authentic Fish & Chips...so yummy and we definitely could have shared.

The next morning we ventured off and explored the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of London. The Underground (aka Metro, Tube, Subway) was superb and our primary form of transport. Starting off at Buckingham Palace, we saw the main sights such as Wesminster Abbey, Big Ben, and of course...London Bridge (actually the real London Bridge burned in a fire of course...thus the creation of 'London Bridge is falling down'...but the Tower Bridge feels more like the London Bridge as it is a staple landmark of the city).After walking along the Thames river while listening to the local buskers we went up on the London Eye which is basically a giant Ferris wheel ...paying an absorbent amount of money to see the city lit up at night. Personally...it was a photographers dream and totally worth it.
We both agreed that London was definitely a city that we both fit quite well into. Its diverse population creates a wonderful eclectic environment that fuses together old English history with vibrant contemporary culture. While travelers has disputed over its significance, personally this city has definitely been a highlight of the trip.

Kilkenny, Ireland

Sorry it has been so long, again, since my last post. I have wanted to be able to post pictures this time but alas, I will have to wait another day to do so since this computer does not have the proper attachments. We are in Kilkenny, Ireland and are enjoying the beauty that surrounds us everyday. We started our Irish adventure in Cork where a pint a night is a must. So far I have tried Bemish ( a local brew that is as dark as Guiness), Smithwicks (also a local beer), Carlsburg, and Bulmer (which tasks like pear pop...very dangerous). From Cork we went to the little sea side village of Kinsale and stayed in a wonderful B&B. I hiked along the coast to an old Viking fort and had a lovely lunch while watching Irish fishing boats float by. Today we plan on touring a castle and are making our way to Dublin this evening. I will try my very best to upload pictures tonight and give you a more detailed account of our travels thus far. Cheers.

London

I am offically in London and arrived here Sept. 4th late in the afternoon. My hostel here is great, clean, and fun. Since Michelle arrived today I had yesterday to myself and spent the day with Cindy from California, a girl who I met in my hostel. Because we both shared a love for culture we spent the day immursing ourselves in art and theater. I heard from a friend at Taize that London has great Broadway shows so I knew this was something I wanted to do. There were 2 shows inparticular that I have been dying to see and they both happened to be playing here in London. So Cindy and I splurged yesterday and went and saw both shows after touring the Museam of Contemperary Art. That's right...I saw BILLY ELLIOT and LION KING!!!!!!!

Wow, they were incredable, unbelieveable, stunning, and brought me to tears. It was a great day and I really love the diversity that London offers...such a mixture of history, contemperary culture, and is very cosmopolitan. After a full day yesterday I welcomed todays low key agenda. After breakfast I took the Underground to pick Michelle up from Heathrow. She is now resting and I can hardly wait to start or 3 weeks of Irish adventures. Tonight we plan on going out for a long dinner and catch up after over a month of not seeing each other. That's all for now, cheers.

Tiaze Update

Okay, I am sorry that I have not updated sooner but though I have come to Taize by myself, I don't think I have spent more than 10 minutes alone. I have met an unreal amount of people from all over the world and do not think I have stopped talking since I arrived:) I have so enjoyed talking about faith, laughing, dancing, drinking cheap coffee, praying, and just being with people from Poland, Spain, Korea, Slovacia, New Zeland, US, Germany, and Austria. This has been exactly what I needed.

Here is what a typical day at Taize looks like,

8:15 Morning Prayer
9:00 Breakfast
10:00 Bible Introduction
11:00 Small group discussion
12:20 Midday Prayer followed by lunch
3:00 Cleaning (very optional if you're me:)
5:45 Workshops
7:00 Dinner
8:30 Evening prayer followed by night silence ( I got in trouble every night for being to loud)
8:30-12:30 singing, talking, and dancing to Jam sessions at Oyak (the only place where you are allowed to talk at night) or at Point 5 (another area to hang out).

Taize prayer is very reverant and is sung in many different languages...I must say that I am particularly bad at singing in German and Polish. I have enjoyed every aspect of this place...the solitude and the social time.

Unfortunately I cannot upload any pictuers but will try to as soon as I can. So thank you thank you thank you for all that have prayed that I would finally experience joy on this trip because I am now overflowing!!! This place has restored by hope in finding quality people who are my age. Funny because the first day I got here I was really nervous because I was alone and realized that I am not used to being around my peers. Back home most of my friends are so much older that I find safety in being with people who are not in my peer group. I also acknowledged the fact that I have feared my peers ever since High School where I felt that I didn't relate to people my own age often. Some say that I was more mature and still am, this is why so many of my friends are older and while this maybe true, I think the root of it is I fear rejection from my peers...it is safer with those who have passed through the years of young adulthood. So I prayed that this fear would be faced and overcome at Taize and wow, has it ever. I now know that there are other people my age that take their faith seriously but still let loose, have fun, and know how to party! THis is huge for me as I feel so much of my life I have swung from one side to the other...searching for others who have found balance. SO thank you for your prayers because they most definately were heard!!