And thank you to...

And thank goodness for Davey's amazing photograhy skilz...because of him, we have amazing memories recorded.

...and finally Wales

...and we finished our trip with one of the most beautiful scenes we've seen in our lives. We took a train from Conwy, Wales to London where we stayed in the Earl's Court Hostel, where we started out, and we flew out of Heathrow the next morning. Train rides are great for appreciating what you've just experienced and we continue to appreciate every single experience we participated in. We both felt free, light and so refreshed. We were and are inspired to live life differently than we were when we left and we continue to cherish those moments the UK gave to us and our relationship. We are forever changed because of the month we spent in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The Uk really gave us growth and energy within ourselves and gave us the kick start to bring new energy to our lives. Thank you to all of you who supported us through our journey.

more wales...

...we couldn't walk on this part of the wall because of the instability...

Wales

...walking on the castle walls...and...

And then there was Wales...

We took a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead Wales and then took a train to Conwy Wales where we stayed for the night in the most beautiful bed and breakfast yet and in the most beautiful town. The town is surrounded by the castle wall which is hundreds of years old, originally built by Edward I (longshanks in Braveheart) when he was attempting to take over Wales. We spent the day touring the castle.... and...

We loved the Irish!

This was as close to "friendly" as we got to any of the Irish. We had to go to a schlocky, really cluttery Irish gift shop to get any love from the Irish....and he was plaster! haha.

Dublin Castle

This castle is in Dublin and is much younger than most of the castles that we'd seen so far. It is right in the middle of the city and is used for offices now. But still is part of the royalty and was originally put up by the English royalty that invaded Ireland. I don't know too much about the history but it was an incredible building.

Guiness!

Davey at the top of the Guiness Storehouse, at the Sky Bar, drinking his first glass of REAL, Guiness from the source.

Beer: the most important thing to the Irish.

This is a shot of the Guiness Storehouse. The brewery takes up a huge part of Dublin, and produces over a million pints a day. We toured the storehouse which was very interesting and it was amazing to see how identified Ireland is with their Guiness. It was impressive how large the brewery was and how much of the city was taken up by the buildings. We walked to the storehouse and saw the city on the way. Dublin wasn't impressive, the city was fine, but the people were very unfriendly. It was our least favorite place on our whole trip. I wish we could have seen the countryside of Ireland but we spent the only time we had in Ireland in Dublin. The best part about the city was the very friendly bus drivers, the bed and breakfast we stayed at which was old and massive and the best Italian restaurant we have ever eaten at. It was so fantastic. We ate there both nights we were in Dublin, because we just couldn't face one more meal of mushy peas and fish and chips. Ireland felt depressing and sad. The architecture was dark and ominous and the people seem unhappy. It was a beautiful place but hopefully one day we'll see other parts of Ireland that will bring a different energy.

Happiness!

We had so much fun!

The master driver...

We actually drove a car on the wrong side of the road for a complete week, actually Dave did all the driving. Between the two of us, we actually made it around four countries and arrived home in one piece. This was the first time that we had traveled internationally together and we had a blast! When this picture was taken we were on the tail end of our driving excursion. We rested up in Keswick and then were on our way to Liverpool to get on a flight to Dublin. We dropped off the car in Liverpool and were carless for the rest of the trip. Renting a car was the best thing we did for this trip. We were able to pull off whenever we wanted, spend as much time as we wanted doing whatever we want and we spent so much time together just laughing about the directions we really screwed up and the wrong exit we took out of the roundabout. Anyway...onto Ireland.

The Seatoller Inn

Here is the actual place we stayed. The window in the middle of the frame was our window. It was so lovely.

What I think of when I think of England.

This is what I pictured England like. Of course, there are so many different parts of England, but this was really it. All of the fences that keep the sheep in are made of stone, and the sheep are everywhere. This is a shot from above the farm where we stayed. There were hiking trails all through the property and we hung out together, in the mist and smell of sheep. Again, it felt open and fresh and endlessly stress free. The food was typical pub food, everywhere. We went to dinner in town, having shepherds pies and fish and chips. I can't even believe how much fish and chips Davey ate. Although it was the only really good option, I just couldn't stomach fish and chips again, but Davey really enjoyed the slabs of fish that covered the plates. The food was interesting...very few fresh vegetables and lots of meat and potatoes kind of stuff. Heavy and greasy, but quite an experience.

Leaving Scotland.

After three lovely days on Skye, we began driving down the west coast of Scotland, through Glasgow, through Fort William, a lovely little town, and back into England, ending our journey in Keswick, in the Lake District of England. We stayed at this little inn, about ten miles from Keswick on a one lane road, through sheep pastures and past lakes. This district is incredibly beautiful. We stayed here, on a working sheep farm, with amazing hosts that were truly English. Just so welcoming, jovial and extremely helpful. We stayed in this lovely place for two days, exploring the town of Keswick and hiking through the hills of the farm, with basically nobody as company except sheep. This place was especially special because it had a bathroom that finally didn't have any mold. I don't think the UK has got the memo about mildew being harmful. It is everywhere. But not this place, it was warm and clean and there were flowers on all the window sills. It was quaint and relaxing.

Can we stay here forever?

No, we have to continue on. But if felt exhilerating being so close to such vastness. We'll never forget this day!

Waterfalls through the cliffs

This is just another shot of Skye. Water is just pouring out of the cliffs all over the island, which adds to green landscape. This is right on the sea. The water cuts great furrows through the earth and dumps into the sea.

On the edge of the world

Here I am overlooking the ocean, on the cliffs of the Isle of Skye. We drove to the north east part of the island and took a tiny sheep path to the edge of the world. Below, on the shore, there are stone buildings/ruins that were used by the people here many years ago for some sort of manufacturing. The ocean is vast and the cliffs are impressive...freeing and fantastic!

Dunvegan Castle

This castle on Skye is still owned and inhabited by the Clan McCloud. The captain of the Clan, lives in part of this castle with his family. It is huge and cold and right on the water of the Isle. The captains of the clan have lived here for hundreds of years. It was just one stop on our tour around the island.

Portree

This is the harbor in Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye. Skye is completely surrounded in water, with the Skye bridge linking the island to the mainland. Portree is a tiny town, neverless the largest one on the island. Good restaurants and a few hotels line the harbor, participating in all sorts of crazy weather. Seafood like crab and muscles are a dominant part of the menus and the lifestyles of the people. While we were in Skye, we saw so many different weather conditions. This day it was beautiful, sunny and lovely. The next day we were in Portree, the rain was really heavy and the wind was blowing the rain sideways. We spend most of that day in our bed and breakfast, chilling out because the weather was so bad, we could barely be outside without getting completely soaked. But this particular day, the harbor was glorious and the island was alive and we ate up the energy.

Is this real?

Seeing these castles is surreal. They are so old and just so majestic. This castle, the Eileen Dunan castle, was spotted by us after just turning a corner on the highway and there it was! We didn't go in this one, it was great enough to just see it from the road. The water surrounds it completely and a bridge was built to access the castle. It is really in the middle of nowhere. Just beautiful. In the winter, it gets covered in snow and the pictures are beautiful. This was just a fantastic surprise on our way to Skye.

On the road to Skye

On our way from Loch Ness to the Isle of Skye, we passed this beautiful, very old grave yard and stopped to snoop. It was completely alone and quiet, behind a gate along the highway. The oldest grave dates back to approximately 1064 and the town continues to bury their dead here. It was so incredibly beautiful. It was really windy and cold and the entire experience was breathtaking. Being from Oregon, we thought we knew green, but Scotland blows Oregon out of the water. The green of the landscape is something amazing and just the most refreshing thing ever! We stood on the top of the hill behind this cemetery and I just couldn't take in the moment more! The breeze and the scenery just reminded me of what being alive really means. I could think nothing except of freedom and freshness. The stress and anxiety of my home life was just that....thousands of miles away. It was incredible.

Even the Scottish Cattle are redheads.

We finally found some furry cows. These are Highland Cattle and are so adorable. We saw a few near Inverness but these were on the Isle of Skye. It was pouring rain and they were content in all their fur to be hanging out together. I was so happy to find some. Although they are from the Highlands, they are kind of rare. You don't see many of them. This was our first day on the Isle of Skye, Sept. 14, and it was so stormy that we barely could stand outside. It was a lot like the Oregon Coast. So windy, so rainy and so incredibly beautiful. That day, we spent the evening inside and watching the storm rage outside. We stayed in a dingy but fine bed and breakfast. The hostess had a few movies downstairs and after all these days of traveling through Scotland we just had to watch Braveheart. We ended up watching it on Davey's laptop and listening to the rain pounding our roof. Much was yet to come...

Nessie...

Here we are narrowly escaping one of the many attempts on our lives by Nessie, from Loch Ness in Invernesshire County.

More Highlands

This photo was taken of a Loch along the road from where we stayed to where we went for dinner. The sun was just setting and the mountains were just beautiful. The water was black and beautiful, with little islands popping up all through the Loch.

Always just a phone call away.

We got to Inverness, Scotland and then took off onto a one lane road into the real highlands where we were staying with a couple near Loch Ness. The farmland is so beautiful and there are sheep everywhere. As we are buzzing along, literally 20 miles away from civilization, with only cows and sheep to talk to, there is a phone booth. So, I'm here, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by grass and animals, talking to my brother Ian on the phone. Just a strange experience.

Drastic Heights!

Driving through the Scottish highlands was one of the most unbelievable experience. The mountains were daunting and the colors beautiful. The clouds were massive and cast large shadows over the lands. It was such an amazing day. One of the best days of our lives. I've never seen country like that in my life. Extraordinary!

Hitting the Scottish Countryside

This is just outside a beautiful little Scottish town called Pitlochry. There are farms everywhere, with large rolls of hay like this.

We're in Scotland!

Here we are, sitting on the walls of a castle that dates back to the 11th century, and looking out over the city of Edinburgh and the ocean beyond. So fantastic! The castle is at the top of the "Royal Mile", a mile of amazing sites and restaurants in the middle of Scotland's capital. There was even a wedding going on in Margaret's Chapel, a tiny chapel in the castle that is the oldest building in the castle, dated 1066 or something. The bride and groom were in traditional scottish attire.

This is Edinburgh.

Can you imagine living in a city where there is a castle on the hill, looking over it? Edinburgh castle is amazing! Housed Mary Queen of Scotts and many other kings and queens of Scotland. Edinburgh is very influenced by this castle. The building are all impressive and massive. Very unique and fascinating city.

I feel like I'm in a time warp!

This is Stratford-Upon-Avon, in the town. It feels like we're still in the 17th century, but there is a Body Shop and a Starbucks in buildings like this. Kind of strange, but really relaxing and peaceful. Just don't go out at night...the small town teenagers are trouble. Wouldn't you be growing up in a tourist town like this?

Shakespeare Town

So, to continue our travels we got on a train from London and took a two hour ride to Stratford-upon-Avon which is the town where Shakespeare was born. This is a lovely shot of the middle of the town, where swans are everywhere, mingling with the people. The Royal Shakespeare Company Theater is just down the river Avon and the rest of the town is on the other side of this bridge. A very quaint, sweet little town.

The London Tower

Here are a couple of shots of the London Tower. On the left is a shot with our backs to the River Thames. On the Right is a shot of the Guard tower which they use as an entry point for the Tower. They call it a tower but really it is an impressive fortress where the Kings and Queens of England used to live. Many of King Henry the VIII's wives were executed, and buried here. The grounds are lived in by members of the military that keep it running. It is a tourist hot spot but is a fully functional community. It houses the Crown Jewels, which are viewable by the public and under heavy watch in a very secure vault within the grounds.

The Tower Bridge

Just us outside London Tower, over looking the Thames River and the Tower Bridge. This was built in the 1800s, by the Victorians.

Shakespeare's Globe

We took a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. It was a lame tour, really expensive and super short, but we got to see the inside of the famous theater. It was rebuilt because it was basically destroyed in the fire of London many years ago, but they built it exactly how it would have been built in the 1600s. They even used tools from the 1600s. It was pretty cool. The roof is the only roof in all of London that is thatched. They had to get special permission because of the laws against thatched roof tops.

Looks like Harry Potter huh?

This actually is not Kings Cross Station where Harry Potter leaves for Hogswarts, but this is the Nottinghill Gate tube station. I just thought it was such an awesome picture. We've been using the tube all the time, multiple times a day. It is so easy to use and extremely user friendly. There are literally maps everywhere. Thank goodness or we would be out in some unknown place. It's been fun riding all over the city and seeing all sorts of things that would be very expensive without the tube.

Buckingham Palace

This place is crazy touristy! We got there just as the changing of the guard was finishing and there were so many people watching, it was crazy. This is where the Queen of England lives, but she is on "holiday" out of the city for two months. She opens up part of her home for the public to view. It is quite an impressive building. It has probably 50 acres of fenced grounds behind it as well. It is right in the middle of London! Beautiful though. Quite an experience. We're just not used to this royalty stuff and it is amazing how dedicated these people are to their Queen.

Changing of the Gaurd

While in London yesterday, we watched the changing of the guard, before the fresh guards continue on to Buckingham Palace. There is a very flamboyant ceremony and then the guards getting off shift take their horses back to their stables and the fresh ones go on to guard the palace. It is amazing because the horses, with a rider/guard, literally stand for hours at the front of these gates. The horses just stand there, expected not to move and stand for thousands of tourists to take their pictures along side them. The sweet horses are amazingly mellow and the guards don't move. We spared the horses and didn't get our picture, grinning goofily (like every other tourist) next to them. It was a pretty awesome sight though.
Here is a digitally enhanced photo of the Mounted Guards exchanging post, routinely at 11:00AM

Mind the Gap!

Every stop on the subway you hear the same thing. "Mind the gap please, mind the gap!"
Luckily we haven't fallen into the gap between the train and platform yet and we were still alive once we reached Westminster station. Here we are in front of "Big Ben," and he's freakin' enormous.Big Ben is part of Parliament, where the prime minister works. It is unbelieveable how many people are out and about in the middle of the day. Add the traffic into the mix and during the week it seems as though it is busier than New York.

WE MADE IT! Safe and Sound.

We arrived in London early this morning after flying Air India and enjoying Indian plane food and lovely service. Because we had so much time until we were to be at the hostel, we decided to take an adventure and figure out the tube (subway). And it was super easy and saved us about ninety dollars we would have spent on a cab. You have no idea how proud we were of ourselves. So, this is the hostel we're staying in. Nice place, but literally two bunk beds in a closet. We took a nap( we felt like we were at summer camp, with the bunks and all), showered(felt like the dorms, had to wear shoes in the shower) and are now exploring Earl's Court, the part of town we are staying in. So far, it is great! It is an international part of town alive with food, internet cafes and lots and lots of people speaking different languages. So, all is well and we'll explore London tomorrow.

Does the layover ever end?

After taking a red-eye from Portland with screaming babies, no leg room and not a wink of sleep, we have been sitting in the New York JFK airport for nearly eight hours now. We still have four hours to go, so we've been chillin' in the international part of JFK. Talk about amazing people watching! We've been switching off sleeping on the bench and watching the stuff. While Dave was sleeping, I spent an hour and a half watching people from every culture and part of the world and listening to the many, many languages spoken in this portion of the airport. What an experience to be in our country and have so many cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds in one place. Fantastic! We're already having fun: eating fantastic airport food; sitting, sitting and sitting; and participating in a rousing game of dominoes. Despite the lack of sleep, we're ready to take on London.

Warming up for traveling...

I needed to get my sea legs for traveling so I took a trip up to Sequim, WA to see my brother Ian and his wife Deidre. It was a great few days of relaxing and resting before my last few weeks of crazy busy-ness preparing to leave on our trip. Thanks guys for a great few days. I love you both...and Taku of course.

Zoe's Frisbee

This is our dog Zoe. We rescued her a couple years ago and she's been a great dog ever since. The beach is one of her favorite places to play and I thought this was just a funny photo of her.

I'm done!

I just had to put this picture in because I'm so glad I'm done with school. It took me nearly seven years from the time I started college right out of high school and I'm just so happy to be finally done. Davey's happy too; now I'm not so grumpy:)

London, here we come!

This is crazy! We actually have a blog? Davey and I are establishing this blog to document our trip to the UK, so our friends and family can keep tabs on us. Please be patient with us, considering this is our first blogging experience and we're not sure what our schedule is yet for the trip. Our flight leaves on August 31, out of Portland and we'll head to New York for almost a full day layover. Then on to London. More to come, but this is very exciting getting started.