Blog

Disclaimer – This blog post is a long one. But it’s full of great stuff!

March 22nd. It’s Saturday at 8:30am and I’m leaving Cardiff on a bus headed to Bath Spa, located in west England. I like these rides where I have time alone in my own head. I met a lady at the bus stop who called herself a gypsy soul, because she can’t live anywhere longer than 3 years. I sometimes wonder if I will forever be a gypsy soul too. Bath is legendary for it’s beauty, so the anticipation builds as I get closer and closer. I met my fellow photo friend Amalia once in Bath. We dropped my bags at a hostel and went on about exploring, until she had to head home just  a few hours later.

I saw the Royal Crescent with Amalia. The whole city is beautiful, but that part, where all the very wealthy live, it was truly beautiful.

Once Amalia left, I was on my own. I would be alone for the next few days. As in, not even staying with anyone I know. I was a bit nervous is all honesty. I had no ticket for tomorrow and no phone. No person waiting for me at the next city. It was just me and God.

I stopped to see the Roman baths. Oh my are they everything you imagine them to be. The water was steaming and I just sat around for a good while. People coming in at all minutes and taking photos. I was there until they closed, relaxing by the steaming water and listening to the birds chirp above.

I had the evening to myself, so I was free to wander. And Bath is a small city, so I could just aimlessly walk down streets to see what they held.

With night approaching I decided it was time to grocery shop. I went to the market without my backpack or camera and pretended to be a local. I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere so beautiful and so tourist filled. I had gotten free pasta from a hostel a few nights ago, and I planned to cook that, I just needed veggies and sauce, so I could fix some noodles like Barbara had made for me while I stayed with her in Scotland. I stood there debating if I should spend the extra 1.90 pounds on some fresh tomatoes, wondering if everyone in the store was a tourist too. Did I fool the employees into thinking I was a local? Later that night, while cooking dinner I met Paul, Stephen, and Fletch. All from London. They invited me to eat with them at the hostel, after we all struggled to figure out how to use the stove. After dinner they invited me to have some cider at a restaurant with them. We were cracking jokes about Paul wearing his toe running shoes out in public and laughing together like we’d all been buds for ages. These are the times I really like traveling alone. Sometimes it’s nerve-wracking, but usually I get to meet really awesome people with amazing stories. And generally speaking, we become friends and keep up with each other’s travels from time to time. The three guys all got up early on Sunday because they were all in Bath for a bike race the next day. I didn’t get to see them again in London, but Paul is going to be coming to America in a year, so it will be fun if I can exchange the hospitality that they extended to me. I like traveler culture in that way. Adventurers just run on a different wave length I think.

Sunday March 23rd –

I just finished reading “Through Painted Desserts” and it talks a lot about those who don’t ask why in life. They do what is expected to make them happy without question. But I, much like Don the author of the book, want to know why. Why am I supposed to graduate college? Get married? Get a dog? Have kids? What does success even actually mean? Just a steady paycheck? I want some of those things, but I want to know why. I don’t want to just accumulate all that the world deems important and fall into the monotony of the “American Dream.” The only simple acceptance I’ll ever have is my trust in God. I once questioned why with God, but I realized I’ll only know why once I get to Heaven. Until then, I’m operating on faith alone. I don’t know why God is there. Or how He is even real. I just know He is. Maybe I don’t want the world’s idea of success. I have begun to wonder what God would say is His idea of success. I say all this because I had a lot of time to reflect this sunday morning. I didn’t get to attend a church service, but I had my own private worship as I read the Bible in a beautiful city and watched the sun rise. I couldn’t book my ticket to Canterbury last night and the station was closed this morning until 10am. I had wanted to be on the 7am train out of Bath, but God had other plans. I ended up leaving around 11:15.

Doors in Bath Spa.

More doors in Bath Spa.

Bath Abbey.

I made it to Canterbury and found my hostel with about 1.5 hours of daylight left. So I wandered through Canterbury to maybe find a grocery store. I found this cute little area on my way.

I made my way back to the little hostel for the night to began cooking my dinner. This is when I got the call. My great grandfather had just passed away. I’ve never had any close family really pass away. I had missed saying goodbye to him because I was grocery shopping. All I could do was finish cooking dinner and go sit in the dining room. I shed quiet tears. I had no where to go to be alone. I couldn’t believe it had really happened. I wanted to fly home. What was I even doing here. I felt so selfish to be out galavanting around and now I’d never see him again. At that moment a pretty Aussie girl plopped down next to me on the bench and started talking to me as she ate. I tried to stifle my tears but she immediately noticed. I told her it was okay, that she could stay. I was glad to be with someone. She was traveling alone for about three months like I was, and her grandfather had been diagnosed with cancer right at the time my great grandpa had fallen ill. It was nice to have someone to talk to. I almost feel like God put her there for me. She wasn’t even supposed to be in Canterbury until I had left. We watched a movie and had tea after dinner, and made plans to see the city together in the morning. I fell asleep with my heart much more at ease than I expected that night.

Monday March 24th –

Stephanie and I explored Canterbury all day.

I really liked that Stephanie also enjoyed wandering to far off side streets that aren’t on the map at all.

At the end of the day we had one more tea together and sat in the garden at the hostel. Stephanie then kindly walked me to my bus and we said goodbye. Off to London.

Tuesday March 25th – I got in to London last night and got settled at my friend Emily’s house. Early this morning I set out to see my friend Lorenzo for coffee! (We had met in the Isle of Skye a few weeks ago). Then at noon I met up with Emily and we went to fetch Michael!

We immediately began exploring once Michael got in. We walked around the Isle of Dogs in Canary Warf and saw Greenwich.

Emily at the Greenwich Academy.

It was nice to be with someone familiar, so we could goof off together.

Emily at the Academy again.

Michael excited to be in Europe finally.

We ended the day with a hike up to where the Prime Meridian is located. We watched the sun begin to fade with London’s main center off in the distance.

Wednesday March 26th – Today we explored a lot of London.

Tower Bridge.

We met up with Lorenzo for most of the day so we could all shoot together. (Pictured is Michael & Lorenzo)

I was so excited to see this famous Mondrian piece Composition No.III at the Tate. The layers of paint are quite amazing. They’re even cracking and flaking away in some places.

Buckingham Palace.

Rainy London.

Hyde Park.

Parliament Gate.

Abbey.

We had an EPIC sunset at Big Ben.

We stayed by Big Ben for quite a while. It was absolutely a beautiful sight.

Michael loves night photography, so I decided to humor him and participate. This is the London Eye and Big Ben at night. We walked a ton today. I now always find myself looking forward to peeling off my boots and having a nightly tea. We will get up early tomorrow to hit the more western side of London.

Thursday March 27th – This morning Emily introduced me to this thing that she makes sometimes. White chocolate pancakes with marshmallow fluff on top. HOLY GOODNESS. Do yourself a favor and try that out sometime. After experiencing that, we were off for the day.

At the Natural History Museum.

Covent Gardens Market. I’m obsessed with how many markets are in Europe.

Market goodies.

We ended the day with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery and then watching the sun go down in Trafalgar Square. So many people out enjoying the lovely city. We sat on the steps and ate our little packed lunches and listened to the sound of the fountains.

Friday March 28th –

Emily and I woke up early to go to Camden Market. It was so cute. I didn’t take any photos though, sorry. Sometimes I like to just enjoy the moment, so I force myself to leave the camera in my backpack. We perused local artisan tables and got free food samples. I was happy to find a new hat, as I had lost my other one in Cardiff.

After the market, Michael and I went to Liverpool to pick up my friend Matthew from the train station. We were there a little early so we went to get some fish and chips since it was our last day in the UK. We found out that the fish comes with chips. So just for future reference, don’t order fish and chips, just order fish. Or else you’ll have more chips than you ever want to see again in your entire lifetime. After forcing down as much of the fried potato hunks as possible, we went to get Matthew from the train station. Once he had been added to the crew, we all headed to Saint James Park where Spring was clearly in bloom.

We walked all around together. I had never met Matthew in person, so I was happy to finally meet one of the photographers I had been friends with for a few years via internet.

I only snapped a few photos today, because like I said before, I wanted to take in a day for once. We saw Big Ben again, the Eye, and the Tower Bridge at sunset. Michael was setting up for a shot and the sky turned brilliant colors as the Tower Bridge lit up with colored lights, and I decided I just wanted to watch. So Matthew and I sat and watched the sky colors change into black just before he had to be returned to the train station. I hate saying goodbye to new friends.

Some closing thoughts –

“I’ve realized that I used to be afraid of failing at the things that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”

What does really matter anyway? Certainly not the latest clothing. What matters is relationship, people, time, love. Sure we create as a form of expression, but where does worldliness overtake us? or rather, me. In case you didn’t know, a lot of this trip is my exploring of what I want to do in life. I know I am supposed to create with photography. But I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with the passion I’ve been given. I always wanted to work in commercial photography, but I so question the importance of it. So far on this trip I’ve realized a few important things. I missed my great grandfather’s last days. I will be missing one of my best friend’s wedding day. I have always been missing time with my family to instead make money to pay for school and go on trips. How selfish of me. Societies in general have been on my mind also. Tourism. Since I’ve been here I’ve seen SO MUCH tourism. Paying to go places, then paying to get into a museum to see something that is deemed important to see, then going to the gift shop and getting a mug stamped with the tourist logo on it. Why? Why is all this beauty only seemingly alive because of tourism? Why do we operate on things? I mean. I participate in buying things. I mean I honestly can’t tell you how many cameras I own. And what for? I don’t need them. I could have not bought them, not worked those hours to pay for those things I don’t need, and instead have spent time with my family. Just some things that have been playing out in my brain. One thing I really like about Europe is how they take time for everything. I plan very much to bring that home with me.

Thursday March 20th I got to Cardiff, Wales at 5:45am. I stepped off the bus to silent streets. Jess had told me to look for a mall and find a Starbucks, where she would meet me at 7am. I looked to my right and saw what looked like a castle wall, and to my left were more modern buildings. I picked left and began walking. I found what seemed to be a outdoor mall after about 10 minutes of random selection and walking down unfamiliar streets, and shortly after I found myself at the Starbucks. After dropping my things at her flat, Jess and I took a walk into town, she had to leave at 8:30 because she had lots to do for college work, but she gave me an all-day bus pass and pointed me the direction of the city center. With that, I was off to wander Cardiff solo for the day. First stop was for my mom, who had been raving about my visiting the Cardiff castle since she found out I would be in Wales. I strolled around and came to the wall I had seen earlier this morning by my bus stop, to find it was indeed the castle wall. Walking in, I purchased my ticket in time for the first tour that began at 10am. 

They had this little guy outside the castle. He was so cute, but it made me so sad to see him tied up all day for people to walk by and just look at.

After the castle I took to the city streets. I like that they’ve tried to keep traditional Cardiff style while becoming modern.

There are small corridors within the shopping center call Arcades, and I think they’re so cute!

This is Shaun. I walked by his shop and thought it was so neat. “Keep the Faith” does tattoos and haircuts for guys and their vibe is awesome. I just walked in based off the looks of the place and Shaun just started talking to me about what I was doing in Cardiff. After he asked me for my signature on an American dollar, I asked if I could photograph him, and so below are some shots of his shop. If you are ever in Cardiff, 100% go here. If not for a tattoo, at least a hair cut, and make sure to say hey to Shaun.

Someday I will try the afternoon tea that is such a big deal here in the UK. Perhaps in London.

I sprung one more time for a local treat. I got so excited when I saw Turkish Delight for the first time in real life. My fellow Narnia fans will approve of my excitement. I had only ever heard of the deliciousness via the Narnia movie, and so now I wanted to experience it first hand. I only spent 1 pound on a baggie of it, and I thoroughly back its goodness.

Friday March 21 – We slept in until 9:30 today. Well. I did. Jess was finishing up some of her homework so she was up really early. She’s a student here in Wales, playing basketball and doing getting her masters. We set off for Barry Island around 10:15am. We got there to find it was quite run down feeling. It had a lot of character though. We ran to the first chip shop we saw because it was pouring rain immediately. In case you ever get chips in the UK, chili is not what you think it is. It’s like chili peppers in sauce form. And your chips will be drown in it. And your mouth will burn if you go ahead and eat them anyway. After chips, the rain let up and so we walked around a bit.

Jess.

SOOO many doggies running around. Jess was seconds from abducting one.

We saw some photos of the island from years ago when it was in its prime. I could see in the little town’s character it had probably once been the spot to go. I wished I could have seen it then. After a pot of tea with Jess, we decided to head back to town. I had told Jess about the tattoo shop I went to yesterday, and she wanted to have a look and maybe get something. There weren’t any openings for the day once we got there, but Shaun gave her his card, and I think it will be her treat to herself once all her schoolwork is done. I’m back at Jess’s room and in bed now, I have to be at the train station around 7:30 in the morning. Off to Bath Spa in England tomorrow!

Tuesday March 18th Barbara and I decided to sleep in a bit, as we had been getting up for sunrise every day. After a late morning tea at a wonderful little coffee shop called The Chocolate Factory, we began our day of sightseeing in Glasgow. Glasgow isn’t a major tourist city, and it reminds me quite a lot of Chicago, but it was nice to have a  more relaxed day, in which to really experience a place, instead of seeing all the tourist must-dos of a place.

I adore all the flats around Glasgow.

A wonderful installation at the Kelvingrove museum that we visited.

Dali’s famous Christ of St John of the Cross.

The Kelvingrove from a distance.

The University of Glasgow.

Barbara.

Bute Hall. I adore all the gothic architecture. It’s making me so excited for Prague!! We ended the night strolling through a park and the stopping off at the grocery store to pick up some fresh veggies to cook with pasta for dinner. We made sure to send a photo of our (pretty much all Barbara’s) cooking to Sam for approval (The french chef we met in the hostel, who criticized our instant food). He graciously praised Barbara a job well done. I had a lot of trouble booking my bus ticket to Cardiff, Wales. So I ended up having to use Barbara’s card and book it for Wednesday night instead of Tuesday night, so I had one more spontaneous day in Glasgow, and 5 less pounds to spend on the ticket!

Wednesday March 19th we had another late morning with tea and oatmeal in Barbara’s sun-filled flat. I got some client work done and Barbara did some trip planning for herself, and then we took off to the Botanical Gardens with Barbara’s flatmate Isabelle.

Barbara was taking some official head shots for Isabelle, but I used her as a model since her pretty blonde hair lit up so well around all the gardens. We spent the evening getting coffee with one of Barbara’s good friends and then went to an art talk at her college. It was nice to see so much art the past few days, it’s getting me excited for London, Paris, and Rome! We just finished up dinner in Barbara’s flat, and I’m about to head off to the Bus station. It’s always so hard to leave a new friend. Something tells me that we will travel together again some day. Off to Cardiff I go, my bus leaves at 10:15 pm, and it’s currently 9:35 pm. I look forward to arriving in my new destination as the sun goes up, it’s when things tend to be most quiet.

Thursday March 13th I arrived at the airport in Edinburgh, Scotland at Sunrise. Louise picked me up from the bus station, and we greeted each other like old friends. I’ve only known her through online photography groups, so it was nice to finally meet in real life. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. I knew it just from the bus ride from the airport into town. We dropped my things off at her flat and then headed straight for the hike up to King Arthur’s seat.

The hike up to King Arthur’s seat.

Details on the seat.

The seat itself.

Louise is a redhead in Scotland, but she is actually English, despite this, her red hair gets her lots of questions about directions from other tourists. She told me this and mid-sentence, someone stopped and asked her for directions. It happened 4 other times that day. She took me to a Scottish lunch at Biddy Muligan’s, in Grassmarket, which is just off the Royal Mile.

I want to ship some of this cider home, it’s absolutely delicious!

A Scottish pie and mash. It was amazing.

At Grassmarket.

On the Royal Mile. The Royal Mile is a road leading to a giant castle that sits on a hill right in the middle of Edinburgh.

Louise said she could find me a blue phone box dad, but we ran out of daylight. Maybe somewhere else I can take a photo of one for you.

This is Gert. I met him while perusing the touristy part of The Royal Mile. He seemed interesting to me, and his little stand was not what all the other tourist-trap tent setups looked like, so I stopped to see what he had. He asked about why I was there, then once I told him I was backpacking Europe, he opened up with a whole story about how he had backpacked Europe at 24 and done it for a few months, just hitch-hiking. Then he told me about how he sailed from Africa to Cape Verde, and then ended up in South America, around Patagonia, and stayed there for five years. He said, there is a time when you will know you’re ready to come home. But until then, you must travel. “I decided it was time to go, and I didn’t come back for 1o years.” He’s Polish, so he’s not technically home yet, and he talked about visiting Patagonia again very soon. He let me take his photo, and we talked about the places we had both visited in New Zealand. I also bought one of the leather bags he made (to hold my coin pounds) as well as a small leather bracelet, to help him on his way, and as a thank you for the stories. I was very glad to have walked through the tourist center at that moment. These are the kind of things I like to collect on my trips. Something I will treasure forever, knowing who made it, where it is from, and knowing that it’s maker is off somewhere exploring the world.

After the Royal Mile, Louise took me to an area called Princes Street Gardens. 

Louise took me to grab a soda on our way to our last destination, and oh my I fell in love with this one. She said it’s what her grandmother used to always drink.

Bell’s Brae, also known as Dean’s Village.

Louise took me down a thick forested area among old houses, and said, “Okay, you just have to trust me, this will be cool.” We walked down a muddy path and past some broken stone fences. We hopped down a ledge and turned a corner to find the trees open to this little waterfall. We sat there listening to the water a while. We were just seconds from the main road but all you could hear was the water.

On our way back to her flat, this guy caught our eye, and when we looked up, we saw he came from a  Gelato store. So, Louise and I were lured in, so I could have my first taste of Gelato.

I can hear my mom now, “why don’t you ever paint your nails!” Sorry mom. I just can’t keep nice nails. Gelato is amazing. I don’t know how I will go back to regular ice cream. And Louise says Italian Gelato is 100000X better than what we had in Edinburgh. I can’t wait.

March 14th
Louise dropped me off bright and early at the train station. It felt as if we had been friends for years. I was very sad to say goodbye to her. I will see her again some day though, of that I am sure. Next I would meet Barbara in Glasgow. From there, we would leave with her friend Mads and his father, for the Isle of Skye.

Man-made devastation to nature. In the photo is Mads, Barbara’s Danish friend who joined us to our trip up to Skye.

On the way to Skye

What I wish I was traveling in!

Castle just before Kyle of Lochalsh

The mountains of Skye as we entered at night.We arrived at our hostel, Bayfield Backpackers, around 7pm. We made dinner and headed off to bed.

March 15th we got up early to explore Skye with Mads and his father, Ole.

Our first hike was the Old Man of Storr. It was misty and cold, but we decided we’d go for it anyway. We had no idea what we were in for.

The hike was only 2 hours, round-trip, we’re not sure how far we went though. The wind blew so hard we couldn’t even stand upright. Everything started as a mist, but then it turned into pelting rain. I couldn’t hear anything past the wind whistling in my ears. We hiked off trail to a sort of valley in the middle of giant cliffs that disappeared into the fog (This was the Old Man of Storr, which we could only see the hazy outline of). In the small valley, wind ceased and the rain turned into a light mist. The silence was eerie. My camera was soaked and I had run out of dry things to clean the lens off with. Water was rolling off my pants and into my boots, that had prevented water from getting in, until now. Walking out of the rocky opening, we were back at the mercy of the wind and pelting rain. My legs went numb about 20 minutes before we reached the car, as my pants were completely soaked through. 

Mads running off ahead like always.

Mads and his father Ole.

It was the most exciting and amazing hike I’ve ever been on. I would have liked to see the Storr in clearer skies, but I wouldn’t trade that hike for anything.

This is Jann’s Cakes. We stopped here for coffee, and oh man do I recommend going here if you are ever in Skye. It was definitely a gem. It is in the town of Dunvagen.

I had my first ever scone here. I asked Jann what to get on it, since I had never had one. She told me “Oh, I will make it for your full Scottish style, don’t you worry darlin’.” It was amazing to say the least.

Mads getting his coffee fix.

Exploring back roads, not marked by the map, made the end to a very soggy, yet exciting day. Tomorrow we explore Skye with Lorenzo, Sam, and Young. We met the three in our Hostel as we cooked dinner. Sam speaks french, and so does Barbara, so they began speaking and we found out that the two who had shared their car previously left that day, so they had two spots open. Sam is from France, and Lorenzo is from Italy. They are both friends from London. Young is Korean, and from London as well, but had just met the other two only the day before, and hired a car with them to tour the Island. Barbara and I were a bit relieved to not hitch-hike all day, as it looked like it would be more rain.

Sunday March 16th, marked day two of exploring Skye.

Barbara, Sam, Lorenzo, Young, and I hiked up to this stone in Dunvegan first thing. It is a piece that has been carried from the castle and set up on the hill, not far from the coffee shop we visited yesterday.

Young exploring Coral Beach

Barbara and me at Coral Beach.

We hiked around Coral beach for 2 hours. We were looking for seals, but never found them. We ended up finding a small cliff that we climbed. We got to the top and the wind was deafening, and we all yelled out over the water as if we had just summited Everest. 

Lorenzo.

Sam.

Hiking back to the car, we got lost, but it was fun none the less.

Sam’s second day ever driving on the left side of the road, I didn’t know France also drives on the right side.

Our last stop was Neist Point Lighthouse. The man running our hostel said it is the number one thing to see in Skye, but since you can only access it if you have your own car, not many people can get to it, since lots are taking buses or hitching. 

The long path to the Lighthouse.

We got to the Lighthouse to realize it was abandoned. We all had assumed it was still in use.Lorenzo exploring.

It began to storm right as we got back to the car, and we were glad to have avoided the rain this time.

On the way back to the hostel for the night, we took a small detour, as Young was wanting to see a waterfall in the distance. It led us to a small boatyard. From there we headed back to the hostel, where we had dinner with the three guys.

Monday, March 17th – Today was the day we all left Skye. Young left early in the morning so we didn’t get to say goodbye, but we were up in time to say our goodbyes to Sam and Lorenzo. I’m not sure if I will see Sam again, but Lorenzo will be in London when I am, so Michael and I will be seeing him for a day I’m sure. With a large hug from Sam and a Italian kiss on each check from Lorenzo, Barbara and I said goodbye to our new friends and began packing our bags.

We spent the morning exploring Portree, where we had stayed. 

I was sad to leave this place. I hope I can go back soon. It was quite amazing. The weather can change in an instant, so it’s definitely not for those looking for tropical and warm climate, but if you want a place full of adventure, I’d recommend coming here for sure. We left Portree on the bus, and Isle of Skye slowly disappeared behind layers of cloud and fog. In the blink of an eye, the magical Island was gone, hidden to anyone who may not know it’s existence. Tonight we will arrive late in Glasgow, Scotland. And I am so happy to have one more day with Barbara. We are perfect travel companions. I am on the train now, thinking about how I have some Apricot jam and bread left I can have for dinner. I splurged on getting some sweets and coffee on the island, so now it is back to bread and butter (in this case jam) for a while.

March 10th  I woke up earlier than the rest of the road trip crew. I needed to shower as I had opted out of the other ones offered on previous nights. We had stayed at a cottage that James’s family owns and sometimes rents out. Fred, his 3-leg cat pranced along beside me as I walked from the cottage to his house. Foxy, his dog, was curled up in the entry-way and greeted me with a wagging tail. The kids were late for a dentist appointment so I had to wait a bit to shower. James’s mother invited me into their living room for some tea. The room was filled with plants and art, and I found myself wondering where each trinket was from.

On our way to the cottage in Caragh Lake (Southwest coast of Ireland), we stopped for a bit and I put up my hammock to relax and it was so warm we had just tank tops on. It was a sunny and unusual day for Ireland I was told. The houses along the way are so colorful, bright pinks and turquoise. Caragh Lake was off on a dirt path past many goats and sheep. James has a friend Sasha who owns it, so James gave him a ring on our way out to the coast and we were able to have the cabin for the night as a favor. It would be perfect to spend a whole summer at the cain, it’s absolutely beautiful. We spent the night playing Irish slap (quite a stressful card game, and hard on the hands too, haha) and listening to music.
Tea and chocolate are a staple in the diet of my friends here in Ireland. I think we have tea 3 times a day and chocolate perhaps just as often, lol. They are always sharing new kinds with me. That’s another thing I noticed here. They all share everything. No one is stingy. Everyone is more than happy to help one another. Hayley bought me some of their favorite incense. I can’t wait to burn it and think of Ireland.First thing in the morning we were packing the little car back up and taking off for the Cliffs of Moher. The 11th would be a long day in the car.

We passed through a few tiny towns. This is where Hayley bough my incense for me. I can’t wait to burn some tonight in the hostel.

Today was the first day James looked at a map. It was as if he had known how to get everywhere. And even when looking he just glanced and knew right where to go. I’m so glad we had him to drive us. We made it to the Cliffs of Moher right at 5. It was a few pounds to get in, but the gate keeper let us in for free since it was close to the time the car park closed. We hoped the edge of the fence and walked up to the edge of the cliff to sit and watch the sun go down. The waves crashed so hard beneath that it felt like thunder shaking the ground. The grass was so soft and fluffy, and I laid there for a while just watching the waves. I’ve been reading Painted Dessert every so often in the car rides, and it made me think of when the author talks about seeing something and pondering the whys of life. I closed my eyes and heard my heartbeat, breathing, seagulls, and waves crashing and thought about how amazing God is at creating.

We stayed with Eric’s aunt up almost in North Ireland that night. She lives in the country. She’s an artist and her house is full of friendly animals. On the morning of the 12th, we saw the sun go up here while having tea in the garden, and left shortly after for the Giant’s Causeway.

A sleepy pup at Erica’s aunt’s house. We parked about 1.5 miles from the Giant’s Causeway so we could walk in for free. It was about a mile hike down to see the stones, and we got there at perfect light again. Hayley at the CausewayJames looking out as we took the bus back up to the top of the mountain.A country houseNorth IrelandOrange and pink danced on the windows of all the white country houses as we left North Ireland. The hallelujah song came on and we drive towards cliffs that continually turned to darker blue as they disappeared into the fog. Tomorrow I leave for Scotland.