Catching Up- part one

I went to Ireland and Scotland in May....t'was a grand time! It was my second time going to Ireland and I had more fun the second time around- hit some of the same towns that I was in the first time I went and it felt great to be back. It was nice to know my way around certain towns and feeling comfortable enough to wander around by myself and get lost, I loved every minute of it. I followed the same band there, Enter The Haggis, that I did the first time I went. It's impossible to describe, it was just amazing, the scenery is so magnificent that it honestly brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I was in Killarney, Dublin, Galway, Belfast (only for a short time to catch a ferry, unfortunately). We rented a car while in Ireland- ya know, driving on the opposite side of the road was quite a blast!! If I knew how to drive standard then I definitely would've been in the drivers seat, I'm sad to say this is not the case and I was a passenger for the entire drive (very sad). Spent about a week in Ireland and then took a cab from Dublin to Belfast (3 hours..phew!) in order to catch a ferry to Scotland.

Was my first time on a boat but I don't think the ferry can even qualify as my first boating experience...it was a HUGE ferry and it didn't even feel as if I was on water. this ferry was crazy...it had an arcade for kids, a nail salon, a gift shop, computer area, movie theater and other such stuff that seems ridiculous to have on a boat. It was fun from what I remember, not that I remember much of it seeing as I was fast asleep for most of the ride after partying every night in Ireland...it was nice to catch up on the sleep and enter into Scotland to start fresh.

Scotland..how in the world do I describe Scotland. Being a die hard "I love Ireland more than any other place in the world" I was a little skeptical at first about going to Scotland. I knew I'd have a lot of fun there being in a new place and all but I wondered if I would just want to go back to Ireland instead of splitting my vacation time between the two places. We got into Scotland and ran to catch our train to Glasgow. I'll admit it, I cried on the train because it was so amazing there. I didn't see much, just the countryside and a whole bunch of grass...but it was so unbelievably gorgeous. The mountains in the background, the water flowing in a small stream down below....absolutely picture perfect.

Though I only went to Glasgow and Edinburgh, I'd go back to Scotland in a heartbeat before I'd go back to Ireland. (Shhh...don't tell anyone I said that!!). Heh. Glasgow was such a cool little place, completely down to earth and barely any tourists, which is exactly how I prefer it. It was a true feeling of what life in Scotland was like from day to day. Met a few nice guys there, too. Between the flirtation, beer, no tourists, and awesome feeling of being away from home and in a place...it was amazing.

Edinburgh was grand too, but in a different way. Being a history junkie I LOVED seeing Edinburgh Castle. Being able to see the CROWN, THE SWORD and the SCEPTER that was used by Mary Queen of Scots is still hard to believe. I actually SAW the crown that sat on her head! Absolutely amazing. The cathedrals, och the cathedrals were gorgeous! The architecture was simply unbelievable. To think how such enormous structures were made in such a perfect way hundreds of years ago and were still standing was an absolute blessing to witness. I could have gone into every single last church, cathedral (and every other word they use for religious buildings) in the entire area and still be start struck. Pictures are unable to capture the beauty of such amazing things but that didn't stop me from taking about a gazillion snap shots.

Overall it was an absolutely amazing time. I'll admit that I miss Scotland more than I miss Ireland. I'd love to go back to Glasgow and Edinburgh. If I had it my way I'd spend majority of my time in Glasgow and a day or two in Edinburgh. I'd go back to Edinburgh Castle and wander around for hours and then spend a few more hours walking the Royal Mile, trying to learn and memorize every last detail I could about the place. I'd definitely be ready to leave Edinburgh after a day or two though, too many tourists and not enough "Scotland life" to soak up. Glasgow....*sigh*....what an amazing escape it is from everything.