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.