And last but not least... Wales!

We didn't stay in Wales very long, but we had a good time. We stayed in dorms, which was a nice throw-back to the old college days. A bit different when chaperoning 40 kids, but hey... it was a great time, and a great trip.








The reason I took a picture of this sign was because I loved the translation on it. Note to self: don't every try to pick up Welsh!

This is our group in front of a castle tower that we rappelled down. I was the last to go and wanted to chicken out, but I knew I would never hear the end of it. You have to stand out OVER THE EDGE (hooked on, but still!) and then will yourself to fall back. And the wind that day was about 500 mph... totally sketchy, but I'm glad I did it. Unfortunately, it was pouring and my camera got ruined. Lucky for you readers, or I might have found more "favorites" to subject you to :) So... that's all for Europe... in a few weeks I'll be headed to Japan!!

Loch Ness and sheepdogs

A dog trainer showed us how he trains dogs to rounds up sheep; it's all done with a whistle and is amazing to watch. I totally underestimated the intelligence of dogs! Notice the puppy trying to get in on the action :)















I am too unskilled to rotate this picture, so just turn your head to the left and you'll have a look at my touching, maternal side. Oops, now it's gone.
















Roly, poly puppies... the kids were all trying to smuggle them into the bus, but Pete, our coach driver, was having none of it! He did, however, buy a whistle and blow on it whenever the kids fell asleep. He thought it was funny, but we all felt it was a bit sadistic.








Loch Ness-- didn't see Nessie, but it was beautiful!

Scotland

We canoed on a lake right behind this creek. Robin and I were do excited by the clarity and temperature of the mountain water that we started drinking straight from the stream. Later we noticed there was a decomposing sheep about 1/5 of a mile upstream, but we didn't let it ruin the experience.











Countryside of Scotland-- the greenest, cleanest, most pure and beautiful place I've ever been.














Sophie, Robin, and I enjoying our scarves-- Robin and I couldn't get over how much fun it was to accesorize in colder climates!










The view from the hostel we stayed at-- this is one of the prime skiing and snowboarding regions of Scotland in the winter.

I could spend the rest of my life in Scotland... the Highlands were the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The people were friendly, the mountains and lakes were gorgeous... it was Eden.

Ireland

Sophie, Robin, and I get our first official pint in a pub... quite the feat for Robin, who hates beer. I had been looking forward to this night for two weeks!!

We spent an afternoon at an Irish bog, eating scones, drinking tea, and listening to live music... the kids made soda bread (not the best ever) and rolled around in the mud (below). We rounded out the day with a country dance after watching Irish dancers. It was a great day in the countryside!!

An Irish bog in all its glory-- bog is still used as a fuel source in the countryside. It smells pretty rank, but is a lot of fun to play around in!

This was one of the coolest things we saw: a Gaelic football field. Gaelic football sounds like one of the craziest sports ever; wish we'd been able to see a match!

The cathedral at St Andrew's. It was torn down at one point due to religious upheaval-- townspeople took the rubble away and used it to repair/build their own homes, so now there are parts of St. Andrew's all over town.

Bath and Dublin, Ireland

Sophie and I making jackasses out of ourselves. It was the first and only time, truly.

And here's Bath (perhaps a bit different than the Bath of Jane Austen's lifetime)-- funky pigs, beautiful churches, beautiful parks... but they say the actual baths are completely contaminated by pigeon poo.

The Trip Continues...

So, I should have said ahead of time that I KNOW this trip took place a year ago... a bit late to be sharing pics now... but a good friend (ahem, Amy) insisted I quit stalling and start blogging again, and now that my courses are finished for the semester, I really don't have an excuse not to. Other than that I have a new computer and am still having issues finding my pictures on it. And that I still have to write three exams. Oh, damnit, I'm going to do this anyway!
So these are my favorite pictures of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales (in that order). Enjoy!










This is an awesome example of a thatch roofed house. I was super impressed by them-- they are so intricate and require a master thatcher to create them. However, they're not nearly as popular as they used to be-- apparently it's outrageously expensive to get insurance on houses with them. Wonder why...








A beautiful home we visited that used to hide Catholic monks and priests. It was full of hiding places and false walls used to protect the clergy during Protestant reign.









Here's our group in front of London Bridge... not falling down.

Blythe Goes to Europe

The trebuchet at Warwick Castle: it made me think of Nathan!

The grounds at Warwick Castle were gorgeous... there were peacocks everywhere, which we found quite charming until four in the morning, when they started SCREAMING. and. never.
stopped.

These tents were our accomodations at Warwick. It got in the low 40s that night. I actually hung out in the bathrooms a lot, as they were a bit warmer. It was pretty pathetic, but hey, I'm from Florida.

The London Eye is the most amazing ferris wheel ever-- and I didn't even throw up on it! :)