7 days, 6 people,1 van and countless biscuits & cups of tea!

Last week we welcomed all four of our parents to Ireland. The trip started out in Drogheda, where we got to play tour guide and showed our parents not only our apartment, but also the local sights. From there we spent most of the week touring the rest of Ireland.  Scott and I had an amazing week with our parents and from all the laughs and remarks of the beautiful Irish countryside we think it's safe to say they did too. 

 A piece from an art show we visited in Drogheda. Can you believe this is a pencil drawing?

Scott and his dad at "Castle Blunden" in Kilkenny.

Scott photographs the rest of us at The Cliffs of Moher.

The Burren, photographed from the car that my dad expertly maneovered around the narrow Irish roads.

A beautiful Irish wool scarf my mom bought me.

Hurling is to Ireland as Hockey is to Canada

This past Sunday the All Ireland Hurling final took place at Croke Park in Dublin in front of a crowd 80,000 plus.  With all the buzz we heard about the sport, we decided to go to one of our local pubs to see what all the fuss was about.  After about 2 minutes of watching I was completely captivated.  

It didn’t take too long to catch onto the game as the basic principles are straight forward - two teams, one ball, players bat the ball with sticks to try and score points and goals.  Even with this being the case, I have never really seen anything quite like Hurling.  The pace of play is  ridiculously fast and combines the skills of so many other sports.  Here’s a good intro video so you can see for yourself: Hurling Video.   

The game on Sunday ended in a draw.  They deal with draws differently in Ireland.  No extra time or shootouts take place.  Instead everyone shakes hands and goes home, with a replay match to be played in a few weeks.  You have to admire the Irish, extending the craic whenever they can! 

Loving Limbo

Since discovering the news that we no longer live at 77A Chord Road, things have been in limbo. After Scott’s late night research uncovered hidden fees and administrative hurdles, we decided to abandon the idea of getting a Eurail passes. Flying with Ryanair and EasyJet is just as cheap. We are no longer on Plan B, more like Plan N. We’ve had more sample itineraries than we can count. So, despite copious Hipmunk searching, the only thing we’ve decided is to wait a little longer before we decide anything. It’s odd not knowing where we will be after September 20, especially for serial planners like Scott and I.

Our feeling of limbo went from metaphorical to actual when we hiked to the ocean on Sunday. A seemingly straightforward walk along the River Boyne morphed into a 15km turn about the Irish countryside. We did end up making it to the ocean, where a lovely, serene wildfowl park was the perfect setting for our picnic. CORNY ALERT!!! : We can’t help but see this journey as representative of where we are in our longer journey. Things will eventually get sorted, but for now we are simply enjoying being lost in the Irish countryside. 

Connor and Cliona, the couple with whom we recently wwoofed, have been helping us both enjoy the present and look forward to the future. Last Wednesday we had a delightfully drunken evening at their place. After dinner we stumbled to their nifty tree house to spend the night.

after a long walk we finally found the ocean

those are sheep, not boulders as Scott originally thought
until they started to move

the "new bridge" and I don't mean the McKay

Scott showing off his guns at the Battle of the Boyne

inside the tree house, or as we like to call it the tree mansion