Cliffs of Moher Day Tour and Last day in Dublin

On Wednesday, my mom and I decided to venture out of Dublin to go check out the Cliffs Of Moher. Since my mom's all time favorite movie is the Princess Bride, we thought this was a perfect tour to take. The Cliffs of Moher or the Cliffs of Insanity are the cliffs that Wesley climbed in pursuit for Buttercup and where the duel with Spaniard happened.

I will say the cliffs were beautiful and I will throw some pictures on here but lets just give you a little synopsis on our day tour:

We had to be at our pickup (only a block away from our hotel) at 6:40 am. Unfortunately, my mom and I did not get much sleep at all that night before. The cliffs is about a 3 hour drive from Dublin. We knew how far it was but what we did not anticipate was the three 25 minute stops we made for BATHROOM BREAKS!!! It extended our total bus time from 6 hours for the day to about 9 hours for the day! Our tour guide was nice and knowledgeable but I think after being on the bus through those winding roads, everyone was just ready to be at our destination. We did get to make a short stop at this beautiful castle and we did get to pass through some really cute towns. Ireland is quite beautiful. If the bus ride had not been so long, I think that it would have been a really nice tour. 

We spent about a hour and a half at the cliffs. We then went for lunch and made a few other stops along the way. The pictures below pretty much sum up the beauty we got to take in. The photos I post is very little compared to how many we took. Still trying to figure the best ways to go about sharing photos with everyone. 

We really enjoyed just checking out a little more of what Ireland had to offer. Unfortunately for me, I became very ill towards the end of the tour which led to me being ill from Wednesday night till today (Saturday). I will say that I tried my best to not make being sick ruin my trip. I was able to venture out for a few hours with my mom and David to check out more of Dublin. We did not make it to Guinness but we did check out churches and a castle. We were even able to see some of the set and costume design from the show Tudors. 

It was bittersweet leaving Dublin. My mom and I had a great time and met some really great people along the way. It is funny how so little time can change you a little bit and make you realize how great life really is. For anyone who is able to visit Ireland, I would absolutely recommend it. I made some really memories that I can never forget! And do not get me started on the guy to the right. His face pretty much sums up how he probably felt dealing with my mom and I all week! Thank you David for making this trip extra special! We will definitely be missing you! 

Now my mom and I are in Brussels my uncle, aunt, and cousin and we are looking forward to spending a lot of time with them! 

Trying to catch up

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Sorry to everyone who has been tuning into my blog and have not seen new posts. My mom and I got to Brussels this morning. I had a lot of trouble with the internet in Dublin and I ended up getting very ill the last couple days.


I will def be doing a better job keeping up the next week.

Stay tuned for the last memories of Dublin and all of the new memories from Brussels!

Dublin: 1 Brown Girls:0

****This was written a couple days ago but we have been having a very hard time with the internet and video*** Better late than never! 

I apologize for the late blog today but wow did I need a recovery after our day yesterday!

We could not have asked for a better day! The whole day was filled with unreal expeiercnes, a lot of laughs, whiskey, beer, and well IRISH MEN! Thank you for those accents...HELLO! 

Lets start with introducing you to our new friend David Martin James Keady (he will be very irritated with me using his full name ;-) ) If you remember from my previous post, I mentioned men we met at The Bank. Well we decided to bring this one along with us for the day. The guy can not be stumped with historical facts and lets be honest he is not too bad to look at! Later on, you will get to hear that accent of his. Yes, I know you women out there are feeling a little jealous. 

So we decided to try out the Jameson tour and if anyone is going to visit Dublin, you have to go to it. The place itself is so beautiful and the tour was so educational. As you can see in the picture of David, that is where the "educational Irish drinking" began. The tour was very nicely done with videos and a very intellegiant FRENCH tour guide (David was not thrilled about that little factor). David attempted to stump this young lady but failed misserably. Better luck next time! As the tour was about to end, my mom volunteered to be a taste tester...and so the dirnking began!

We then headed to a bar that was recommended by our good friend, Darren Pang. The Oliver St. John Gogarty was a bar I would go to every night if it was in St. Louis. It was filled with music and great company. The memories can not even be explained but I will share in a little video photo compilation below. Enjoy!

Dublin, meet the Brown girls!

So between our 8 hour flight, walking through customs, taking a 30 minute taxi, and checking in to our hotel we made it to our first stop DUBLIN!

Considering how early we made it in yesterday morning (8:30 am), we were unable to get into our room for a few hours so we did a little exploring. Luckily, we came across a great little breakfast place called The Elephant & Castle. We split some breakfast which only lead us to be more exhausted. We did learn that on Sundays, no bars or stores sell alcohol till "half passed 12" or 12:30. I think in our case, that was probably a good thing.

We headed back to the hotel, got our room, and crashed!

5 hours later (yes not a nap more of a sleep) we woke up and got ready for our first night in the city. The weather was nice and it is so easy to walk everywhere.There is a lot of construction going on around the hotel. We stumbled into a tourist office to learn about all of the different tours we could go on while we are here. The man working was so helpful and gave many recommendations. If anyone reading this has any

as well, please do not hesitate to comment below. We are basically winging it while we are here so any help is appreciated. The man at the tourist spot told us to walk down to a restaurant/bar about a block away. THIS PLACE WAS UNREAL!

The Bank of College Green, which actually was a bank back in the 1700s (I think around that time), has kept the same architecture but has turned itself into a really nice place for drinks, appetizers, meals, and music. My mom and I sat at the bar from 7-10. The food was great. We split fish and chips and I will say that there is definetly not a shortage of potatoes here. Most of the dishes came with not 1 but 2 different kinds of potatoes! Now lets talk about the beer! I am in love with Irish beer!  I basically went with the recommendations from the bartenders and I couldn't complain once
.
 Speaking of the bartenders......! They were so knowledgeable not only with the drinks and cuisine but with the history of Ireland. And they were not too bad to look at either. By the end of the night we knew all of their names (David, Phillip, and Mark) and well they of course knew ours. I will say this about my mom, she knows how to start up a conversation with just about anyone. She even started a conversation with the only other American that sat right beside us. Sean if you are reading this, I hope you enjoyed yourself salsa dancing!

Well I have to say that it was a really great start to our trip. Can't wait to start the day today. We are thinking of walking around the city and then going to the Jameson distillery!

Until then, hope you all have a wonderful day, I know we will!

Cheers!

And the craziness begins!

Today is the day!!!! My mom and I took off from St. Louis around 3:30 PM. We landed in Atlanta about 30 minutes ago.

This week was crazy trying to get ready to leave! It felt like every time we crossed something off our list, we had to add something else to it! I guess that is what we get for leaving pretty much everything to the last minute. Procrastination happens to be a skill of mine. I will say that if it was not for my aunt Debbie, I probably would have been the most unorganized packer of all time. Thanks to her coming over last night, she was able to pack my clothes for 30 days in one suitcase.  I will say, that half the stuff I wanted to stuff in my suitcase, did not make the cut. Every time I went to add something, she gave me a lecture about having toooooo much. I listened, well mostly. I did sneak in a couple things after she left (sorry Debbie).

This morning, we were able to clean the house and do any last minute errands. We left our house around 12:30 to drop our sweet Penny Lane off at our friend Deb's house. Thank you so much to miss Deb for taking our girl for so long. We do not know what we would have done without you! Lucky for us, Penny loves being at her house so she was excited when she got out of the car.

I thought I was able to have more time but we are off! Dublin here we come! More to come very soon!!!!

TO BE CONTINUED....

Countdown begins!

Only 4 more days!

Between yesterday and today, my mom and I were able to get a lot more done on our "To Do" list. 

Yesterday we started the day walking a local park in our area discussing the abundant amount of things they we had to get done. We then headed to TJ Maxx to find luggage considering none of our bags would be quite big enough for a month long trip. To be honest, this was quite a struggle. We had been looking for weeks but could not seem to find the right bags at the right price. Finally, I was able to purchase a hard case bag that only weighs about 10 pounds considering the airlines have changed the guidelines on poundage on international flights. Now all I need is someone to come pack my bag because I have no idea what to take! Between weather, comfort, and style its almost impossible to predict what you will need for 30 days in another country. I am finding this article http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/packing.htm to be very helpful. 

After TJ Maxx we went to Target to spend way too much on a ton of travel products! Got to love being a girl and having the need for about a 1000 different products to get ready each day! This picture only shows half! I was also able to pick up a journal. I have read many articles about doing big trips like this and in a majority of them, it says to bring something to write on. Mostly because there is so much to see and absorb. I want to be able to relay everything we see and do to anyone keeping up with us on here so I will do my best. Plus the journal was too cute to not get. I thought the cover "Adventure is out there" was perfect.

I do want to also say that yesterday my sister made her big move to Linkoping, Sweden. After weeks of being without her husband and their twins without seeing their dad except on Facetime, they have been reunited as of today! Plus they were able to bring their dog Duke. 

So between 8 checked hockey bags, 5 carry ons, 2 carseats, a golden retriever, a set of twins, and 2 cute blondes, they were able to make the trip. I am so excited to be able to go see them in their new home and spend a good amount of time with them. The twins turn 2 October 16th! 

Today my mom was able to get her luggage from Marshals. If you are in the market for new luggage, before paying full price at a luggage specialty store, I 100% recommend going to TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Target, Costco, and Sams club. We found a lot of great deals at all of these locations and it looks like Tj Max and Marshalls restock every Sunday and will clearance a lot of items that have been in the store long. 

Today we also recieved some exciting documents, our Eurorail passes! This was the last part of the actual travel piece we had been waiting for. We bought a 17 day pass to be able to get around the area since we are going to so many places. We plan on taking the train from Brussels to Paris, Paris to London, London to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Stockholm. We plan on flying from Dublin to Brussels. 

Speaking of Brussels, I did not mention that we are going to be able to stay with my aunt and uncle. My Uncle Todd works for NATO and this will be the first time I have ever been able to visit a place he is located in. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/who_is_who_112175.htm? I am so happy I will be able to spend time with my Uncle, Aunt Soodi, and cousin Chris and it does not hurt that its going to be in a pretty cool city! 

Well my mom and I are making progress on our list. But we still have a lot to do. Thanks again for keeping up with us on here and wish us luck on our "To Do" list. I do love being able to cross things off! 

Just a little taste....

Welcome to Oh the Places We'll See! Thank you for wanting to be apart of our month long journey from Dublin, Ireland to Linkoping Sweden. During our journey, my mother and I will be documenting the adventure right here!

A little about this mother daughter team:


Lets start with the one who began it all, my mom, Jeanette.

My mom is probably the strongest person you will ever meet. She is stubborn beyond belief but maybe that is what is keeping her going through all of her trials and tribulations. She is a three time cancer survivor, well almost. She currently is living with Stage IV Breast Cancer that has metastasized to the bones. She was diagnosed January 2010 and was given 2 years to live.

During the beginning of the third diagnosis in 2010, she was also caring for my father who was living with Stage IV Kidney Cancer. My father was diagnosed in March of 2006 and was given 6 months to live. My father fought and was able to be with us until July 16, 2010 where he past away peacefully in an Arizona hospice center surrounded by family and friends. Basically, after my mom was diagnosed, the automatic stress
did not help either one of them and that is when the cancer got the best of my dad.

My mother spent January 2010 to July 2010 only really caring about my fathers well being over her own. I think you can start to see why I can not only talk highly of this woman. Yes, my mom and I fight like school kids on a playground sometimes but we are the type of duo that after a fight we usually laugh about it.

So it has been 4 1/2 years or so since my mom was diagnosed and given the 2 year time table and she is still fighting and still living her life the way she wants to live it. That is why 2 weeks ago my mom decided it was time for the trip she has always wanted to do and lucky for me, she wanted a companion to join her. On a whim she bought the tickets and booked the hotels and that is why I am writing to you all today.

My mom has raised three kids, pretty great ones if you ask me ;-) . There is Jenni, who lucky for us, is moving to Sweden and we are going to be able to see her, her husband Jeff, and her two beautiful babies Georgia and Walker. Jenni and Jeff have been married since June 2006 and they gave birth to twins October 16 2012. They primarily live in Minnesota but since Jeff is a professional hockey player, they move around a lot during the season. This year Jeff and Jenni made the decision to accept a contract to play in Sweden. There is myself but we will talk about me later on. And then there is Bobby, the 21 year old giant that is 100% my fathers clone in every way possible. Currently he is at Missouri State playing hockey (GO BEARS) and going to school to become a trainer and physical therapist.

She has put us first and has gone through so much. Yes, my mom and I disagree about a lot of topics but living a life to the fullest has never been one of them. My dad left this world saying that he had no regrets and he wanted my mom to be able to do the same. So we begin our journey with him in mind and to not let the memories pass us by and to treasure the present.

Some interesting details about this woman:
Hobbies: Cooking, hiking with our dog Penny Lane, and traveling
Interests: Her children and her grandchildren.....and dog
Favorite Food: Seafood Pasta with white wine cream sauce
Place most wanting to visit: Paris
Thing she is looking most forward to do: Spending time with none other that me :-) and my sister Jenni

A little about myself:

My name is Alex. I am currently residing in St. Louis, MO. I have moved around a lot, mostly because I can't seem to find the place where I belong. Previous to St. Louis, I lived in Minnesota for 2 years working at an advertising company. I was laid off in March this year and I guess in a way I have been trying to figure out what I want to do from here on out. I will be honest, I have had a lot of things handed to me throughout my life and I really need to learn to do things on my own. It is probably my biggest flaw. I am working on that part of me and I am hoping that this trip will help me learn a little about myself.

I drive a PT Cruiser, so yes I am called PT Loser by family. I refuse to give the car up for a couple of reasons but the biggest is because I will never forget the look on my dads face when he watched me open the Tiffany's box and pull out a car key. Truthfully, my father was in fact my best friend and my biggest fan. No matter if it was a graduation or a dance recital, he was there cheering me on. At the time of his final months, I was living away from him in St. Louis (my family lived in Arizona at the time). When I received the call that he was taking a turn for the worse, I packed up my stuff and headed back to AZ to find that the cancer had taken a huge toll on him. Thanks to the Jack and Jill Foundation, my family and myself were able to take one final trip with him to Napa Valley. There I was able to have that one serious talk with my dad. He told me how sorry he was and that he was so so proud of everything I have become and will become in the future. At that time, he handed me his wedding band  (which no longer fit on his frail fingers) and told me that he could not imagine anyone else keeping it safe. It happened to be a ring that I always made fun of because it had Indians and Buffalo engraved on it that looked more like turtles and fairies to me. I wear that ring close to my heart on a chain and plan on keeping it close on this trip. I know that he would be so excited for my mom and I and will be watching over us the entire time. I hope to be able to live a full happy life like my father did. That is what I plan on striving for from this day on.

I am lucky to be able to have parents that are and were so strong. They taught me so many things throughout the years and they always pushed myself and my siblings to our fullest potential. They allowed us to find our own voice and to go through our own struggles. I am so excited to have this time with my mom and really be able to create, what I hope to be, really great memories. We may have our ups and downs but overall I know this will be a great trip. I can not even explain the excitement I have had since she booked the flights. We are down to less than a week! Saturday can not come fast enough!

Some interesting things about me:

Hobbies: Shopping, dancing, and going out on the town with friends

Interests: Reading, writing, singing in the car where no one can hear me, and spending time with my family

Favorite Food: Risotto

Place most wanting to visit: Dublin

Thing I am looking most forward to do: Seeing the sites and spending time with the family

I have never tried blog writing, so I hope most of my writing makes sense. Thank you for being apart of this crazy journey and I hope you enjoy this blog.