So I left off in the Grand Canyon.. which feels like a lifetime ago already. I won't bore you with every little detail since then because... that would take forever and most of you would stop reading. So i guess I'll just give you the highlights of the last few weeks.... which in itself will probably be a short novel
We left the Grand Canyon and headed to Vegas baby! wow that place is intense. It's crazy and we absolutely loved it. We were only there 2 nights and would have liked a third because we felt we barely saw any of it. Our Contiki guide surprised us and took us to an Elvis wedding and "married" two of the people in our group - Hilarious! We were also taken to the two most spectacular clubs I have ever been in - one with a swimming pool and the other with an outdoor rooftop balcony that overlooked the entire Vegas strip and amazingly my fear of heights didn't even bother me.
Next we spent a couple of nights in Bass Lake and then San Francisco. San Fran wasn't quite what I expected, although I'm not sure what I had envisaged. I just found it dirty and the hills were almost unbearable - how does anyone live there! Alcatraz however was very cool and amazing to imagine people living there with such a stunning view of the city just across the water... just out of reach. Apparently on New Years Eve the prisoners could even hear the city partying - just to rub it in on what they were missing out on.
After 3 nights in San Fran we headed down the coast through Santa Barbara and back to LA. Now I've never really been much of a people person, and groups tend to annoy me but i was actually a little sad to say goodbye to a few people we met on Contiki. However, being on a schedule, stuck with latecomers, and generally being told what to do - I don't think Contiki is for me. Our guide was truly amazing, included everyone and made sure everyone found something they liked about the trip and I think without her we would not have had nearly as much fun.
Wilmington
After a quick stop in New York, where we caught up on some much needed sleep, we flew to Wilmington North Carolina. Now why on earth would we pick that you ask... because its the land of Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill of course!
So ok, a little cheesy I know, but I can't tell you how blown away we were by this gorgeous sea side town by much more than the reason we went. We decided to hire a car at the airport because we knew we would be on the hunt for filming locations - and its lucky we did because it was much larger than we imagined. So after the mini freak out about driving on the wrong side of the road on the wrong side of the car, Sara got behind the wheel and we were off.
As we drove into town we immediately felt at home. We walked along the Cape Fear river, passed the spot where Pacey and Andy had their first kiss, passed the steps Joey and Jack came out of the art class, across from the river court and already... we were hooked.
We found the tourist information centre to feed Sara's addiction for brochures and were given a list of filming locations for both shows, along with tour times and just to top it off - the tourist centre was in the building used as both the Boston train station in Dawson's and the Mayor's ceremony in One Tree.
Now with a list in one hand and the GPS working overtime we managed to tick off plenty of filming sites but we had this gnoring feeling that we were running out of time... we had only booked 2 nights! What on earth were we thinking!
We filled our day driving from one end of town to the other trying to take in everything the town had to offer - the beautiful marshes, the rippling water, and of course the places we had seen so many times on repeat as we fell in love, grew up and finished high school.
The first night we went on a ghost tour in town, where we were told about the rich history this little town had evolved through and the possible remnants that still roam the streets at night... This tour was very well done - there were no actors jumping out at us and the guide gave us facts, dates and stories about real people that lived there (all of which we could look up in the library) And while we didn't see anything spooky and I'm not really sure whether i believe it, it was a very interesting tour.
Still with this unshakable rushed feeling, we stayed up late that evening, trawling through multiple blogs of people who have visited Wilmington and had found the quintessential attraction - DAWSON'S HOUSE! As this house is private property, and at the risk of being sued, no one would give out the address and all warned of the very angry old man that lives in Jen's house next door. Alas it was bed time and we would just have to find the things we had addresses for...
We went on a studio tour and actually stood in the live sets used on One Tree Hill, then did a Hollywood walking tour of the town with a guide who...ahhh... was so moved by his own reenactment of a heart wrenching scene from "A Walk to remember" began to cry - that was 2 hours of my life I won't get back...
It was now almost too much to bare... we needed more time! We called the airline in desperate hopes of changing our flights... just 3 more hours would have meant so much... we hadn't found Dawson's house, we hadn't met any of the stars!... but being the responsible adults we are... we decided the $600 in fees was a little out of our budget for a measly 3 hours.
So we went on the haunted pub crawl and got up early for one last look at our beloved Wilmington and begrudedly headed to the airport.
We reluctantly handed back the keys to our rental car, checked our baggage, emptied our pockets through security and slowly meandered down to the terminal to wait for our plane... sigh
Suddenly there was an announcement to passengers on flight number... lets say 5... to come to the desk.... wait a minute... we're on flight 5! Sara walked over to the desk and after what looked like a very animated conversation she ran over to tell me that... DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS OUR FLIGHT HAS BEEN.... CANCELLED! And we were asked which flight we would like to be rescheduled onto the following day - 10am, 2pm or 7pm! You've got to be joking! Wilmington loves us! We'll take the 7pm please!
So we ran back to collect our baggage and once again picked up a rental car. This was it, a sign from the movie gods we were going to find the Dawson's house and so we set off more determined than ever.
We had been asking around town if anyone knew where it was and so we had a general idea and the possible first half of the street name so we bought a map and headed to the street that sounded similar to what we had heard. As we drove down this sandy path we could see the creek ahead and drove straight for it... this can't be it, it can't be this easy... as we got to the end of the road we looked around but... nothing. so we asked a lady in her front yard if she knew where the house was - she wasn't sure but thought it was probably on the other side of the creek but that we were definitely close and on the right creek.
Great. Off to the other side of the creek we went, stopping on a few side streets similar to the one we had started on, just in case. We stopped and asked anyone and everyone if they knew where it was, and told them that we had come all the way from Australia to see it. Everyone kept sending us from one side of the creek to the other. After 3 hours we stopped for lunch to gather some strength and motivation to continue. As you know, our flight had been cancelled due to the weather - it was pouring! The rental car was now covered in mud but we were sure we were destined to find it - our flight had been cancelled after all...
After lunch we had pretty much lost all hope and decided to give it one more try and headed back to the first street we started on. There was one side road we hadn't tried... a driveway... sandy, wet and overgrown we ventured down this jungle path that felt like it went on forever... and then... a white house appeared...
wait a minute... I should also mention that the Dawson's house was filmed from the creek side - the back yard, and the front is virtually unrecognisable but one of the bloggers had posted a picture of the front door...
This was it, we had done it. We had driven around for four hours because that first woman had sent us to the other side of the creek! BEEP!!
We parked the car in the driveway and carefully tip toed down the side of the house... oh my god. It was even more beautiful than we had imagined, the water glistening off the pier, the sun trying to break through the clouds... but still the ever growing urge to leave overcame me, after all we were now standing in the back yard of private property. Desperate to be quiet i whispered to Sara to hurry up and stop taking photos... but it was too late... we had been spotted, not by anyone in the Dawson's house as luckily they weren't home... but worse - the scary neighbour the blogs had warned us of - he had been sitting on his back porch but as he got up we bolted for the car. Running down the side of the house we reached the car just as he reached the front of his house... "Don't you know this is private property! What are you doing here!" he yelled.
"We're so sorry but we just had to, we've come all the way from Australia!"
"Lies! As if you came all this way for that rubbish! You tell all your foreign friends to stay away! Now leave before I call the cops!"
...
and we were off.... much more slowly than we would have liked... but terrified of getting bogged on his muddy unkempt driveway we backed out and ever so carefully hacked back down the never ending road back to safety at 10km/hour. Our hearts have never worked so hard in our life! Constantly checking over our shoulders waiting for a cop to pull us over, we just drove as far away as we could.
When we felt the coast was clear we pulled over to catch our breaths. We actually did it. We were thrilled, terrified, guilty and proud all at once, but it was definitely now time for a drink!
We went back into town and walked into the restaurant that was used as Leery's fresh fish and tried to imagine it in its original form. We asked the barman if he knew what the changes were but the guy sitting at the bar piped in to tell us which walls had been moved - turned out he was the owner. So we got chatting about the show and he asked if we remember the Friday 13th episode with Scott Foley - hello, we know every episode, silly question... wait a second... Turns out this guy (Justin Smith) that we were talking to was the psycho boyfriend that terrorised the gang at Dawson's house!
Next thing we know he's telling us where the gang from One Tree Hill hangs out and ...hold on I'll call my mate and see if he's working at the local restaurant tonight and then you can go meet "Junk" from One Tree... Oh shame he's not working tonight but here's my phone, you two can chat to him if you want... ummm ok "hello?"
Now we were ready to go hunt down the One Tree cast with 4 possible bars to try.... so we bar hoped from one to the next and back again... and again... hmmmm this doesn't seem to be working and we better get some sleep before another big day tomorrow... but perhaps one more drink.
We walked into "Hells Kitchen", which was the actual set of the Boston bar Joey had worked in, which was turned into a fully functional pub complete with the real Joey/Dawson row boat mounted on the wall... and low and behold there is "Skills" (Antwon Tanner) getting his drink on while watching footy. So after we rudely interrupted him for a photo which he obliged, unfortunately it turned out the waitress took a blurry photo! grrrr
Next morning with a spring in our step, we headed over the bridge to the next town in search of the anchor Pacey stood on in the opening credits, and the pier where "True Love" was christened - we were successful.
With time running out again we quickly stopped by "Tric" nightclub, where people at the studio had told us they were preparing to film at the following day and right out front was "Dan Scott" (Paul Johansson) who was absolutely lovely and got in a photo with us.
Now feeling quite satisfied that we had done what we had aimed for, we waved goodbye and headed to the airport.
New York
We arrived in snowing New York and were greeted at our hotel by Kellie who had arrived before us - due to our extra time in Wilmington. Kellie did very well to listen to our ecstatic ramblings - in stereo - but eventually we let her sleep and prepared ourselves to tackle NY the following day.
I was expecting a lot from New York, after all its what dreams are made of... unfortunately... it didn't live up to the hype.
Granted, we mainly stuck to tourist attractions and Times Square, and being almost xmas, people were out in droves... and everyone of them was in my way! We travelled on all 4 hop-on-hop-off bus routes, saw the ice skaters at Rockerfeller Center, went ice skating in Central Park, saw the big piano at FAO Swartz toy store (as seen in Big with Tom Hanks), were directed like cattle through the multiple barricades up to the top of the Empire State Building, braved the crowds at Macy's (although Sara and I didn't last as long as Kel), saw a Broadway show (Promises, Promises) and of course went out to see Lady Liberty and Ellis Island (which Sara and I found very interesting after having read The Bronze Horseman as the main character had lived there).
As our Contiki guide was about to start another tour from New York we met up with her for dinner in Times Square and drinks in Greenwich Village. It was great to meet up and finally get her drunk... and get her candid opinion of others on our tour, although she is much more diplomatic than we would have been in her position.
One night in particular though has been of some significance... at least... its added another dimension to our holiday... So we were on our way to dinner, stopping at 2 bars on the way trying to find somewhere entertaining - quite unsuccessfully - so after 2 drinks over about 2 hours we thought we'd go back to Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village and try our luck there for some good food and drinks.
We hopped in a cab and arrived at the beginning of Bleecker street. I was walking ahead and looking behind to make sure the girls were following when out of no where I began to trip... then fall... then tumble...
As I rolled and rolled over the concrete step (yes just the one) I just couldn't seem to stop myself. The girls ran over to check I was ok, and while I was in shock, I felt ok... although I was mesmerised by the fact my fingers where not where they were supposed to be... I passed out. I was taken to a wonderful place where I had to accomplish something although I can't tell you exactly what that was, I felt warm and safe then suddenly it went black again and I realised i was lying in the street and could sense the worry surrounding me and thought don't stress I'm fine and started saying "I'm back I'm back I'm back"... Not only had I passed out, but my eyes had rolled to the back of my head and I had had a seizure... hmmm that's a first.
Once again I noticed my fingers were not only in the wrong position but they were beginning to balloon and... I passed out again. No seizure this time tho...phew! So the three of us now quite shaken up and faced with the thought of US medical bills putting us in eternal debt we opted for a taxi to the nearest hospital... No one could tell us where it was tho - apparently they're all closed down - but eventually we found one open and went into emergency.
The pain had set in while in the taxi and I was wailing like a school girl, I've never felt anything like it. I was taken to the Xray room and told to move my hand in different positions to get a clear scan... but I couldn't - had my brain stopped working? - they just wouldn't go where i told them. This isn't good... please be an easy fix, please just pop them back and send my on my way to continue my holiday...
"I'm sorry, it appears you have two fractures in you're index finger, we'll have to strap that up"
Great.
"Are you sure its just that one, my ring finger is quite sore, particularly when you keep moving it out of the way to strap up the index finger?"
"No, no.... now just wait here and we'll get a cat scan as well to figure out why you had that seizure"
So we waited.... and waited... the girls managed to get a sandwich from the hospital staff but I wasn't allowed food just yet... and after asking how much longer we had to wait they "remembered" to give me a cat scan.
While waiting for the results the Xray department had called to say "oops we just noticed there's another fracture in your ring finger" - No shit Sherlock... - right, lets get that strapped up too shall we. So after 5 hours in the hospital, I got the all clear to go home and was given a prescription for Vikadin... mmmm that's better.
We only had a few more days left in New York, which I mainly spent sleeping, until we bought some less drowzy medication and we met up with a bunch of people from Contiki that had also come to NY.
Finally, we left NY after quite an unpleasant experience, with instructions to get my hand looked at in a week or two when the swelling goes down.
Edinburgh
Sara and I had booked separate flights to Kel, and with news that Heathrow had been closed for days due to snow we were apprehensive about all arriving in Edinburgh, via Heathrow, with only 2 days le-way before starting our xmas tour of the Highlands...
Sara and I arrived at Newark airport and stood in a que for a good hour and a half before we were finally allowed to check in - thankfully our flight was still going ahead, although the two before us had been cancelled. With no idea whether Kel had made her earlier flight from JFK airport we boarded the plane for London.
ok, flight 1 - check! Now to get our next flight and get in contact with Kel.
Once again all flights around ours had been cancelled... except ours. When we finally got in touch with Kel we found out she had also arrived safely in Heathrow, but that her flight to Edinburgh had been cancelled... but have no fear, she has been rescheduled onto our plane! That was lucky!
After a whole day of travel all three of us arrived together, bags included, in freezing, snow covered, Edinburgh. Right - which way to a doctor please?
The UK is set up a little different to Australia - here you have to register with a particular doctor and you may only make appointments with them - for non-residents you're stuffed and no one will see you. We called the medical information line and they suggested we go to one of the hospitals so Sara and I got a taxi - only to be told that we needed an appointment and we should have made one days ago - silly me, I was in another country! So we were sent packing without a single doctor's help and no idea how to find one - and we were set to start our highlands tour the very next day, so we figured we'd try again upon our return - it was only a 5 day tour after all...
The Scotland Highlands
We met up with our group bright and early and separated onto 5 buses. Three 3-day tours and two 5-day tour buses all set off to Inverness where would stay for 2 nights. We were entertained with funny stories, a history lesson and spectacular views that a camera just cannot capture.
After dinner we all piled into a local pub where the tour staff had organised a raffle and a t-shirt competition in which the person that could dress themselves in 10 staff t-shirts the fastest won a prize. With my hand all strapped up, I could barely dress myself normally so one of the guides suggested I aim for the slowest time so I figured what the hell. Unfortunately when others got wiff of my own task they made their own attempts and I didn't win slowest either.
Being xmas eve in Scotland, the family were just waking up at home to find what Santa had left for them. Sara and I stood in the middle of the street at around midnight, screaming at the top of our lungs with the phone on speaker as the phone at home was passed around the family. I can't imagine what the locals must of thought of this, but it was good to hear from everyone at our beloved "Nantucket".
The next day, due to road closures from the snow, and shop and attraction closures due to it being xmas day, we were taken haphazardly to an old fort and a "castle" - which looked more like a house - where we were dumped for hours while the rest of the group had snowball fights and built snow men and a snow penis. I of course could not join in, even if i had wanted to because the thought of walking around with a wet bandage or getting hit in the hand by snowballs was unappealing. So we spent most of the day standing off to the side, getting filthys from our guide for not joining in. I also knocked my hand a few times during the day so the pain was getting to me. To top it off, the guides had not planned for bathroom stops and everything was closed so when we got the castle most people rushed off the bus only to be told "oh there's no way those will be open today, here's some paper towel tho". Awesome. Luckily my bladder is a little easier to control, Sara on the other hand... not so much. So we ventured out into the "forest".... mainly a field with a few twigs, until we found a big log that Sara hid behind while standing in snow, with me covering her by holding up a jacket... however it wasn't until we drove back past our log on the bus that we realised Sara had actually been standing facing the main road and I had been covering from the forest side... Noice
On the way back to the hotel, I popped some pain killers and had a nap. What a disappointing white xmas - while it was stunning the events of the day didn't feel at all worth celebrating. We were fed a big flavourless turkey dinner and then we got our drink on... to be followed by getting our dance on - Scottish Dancing! We had a band set up who gave the group instructions for each dance and the whole group swung around each other (kind of like linedancing) - it was actually quite funny to watch. Sara and Kellie joined in and finally we found the fun in xmas again.
The next day we headed off to Fort Augustus where we would be staying the following 2 nights, stopping on the way to take photos of the mesmerising snow capped mountains reflecting in the frozen-over Lochs. That night we had a quiz in the hostel after dinner, however the 14 questions dragged over 4 hours as we were interrupted with a multitude of drinking games and treasure hunts, but in the end it was fun.
Day 4 we were taken to the Isle of Sky. Wow. The views are indescribable, just utterly spectacular. The DSL (Deep Scottish Love) was definitely flowing. Unfortunately we were still getting shunned by our guide for not being joiners so our time on the bus wasn't pleasant, let alone the fact that we were holding on for dear life as he continued to speed on the wrong side of the icy roads around blind corners while boasting about trying to get the bus airborne, with god awful music blaring so loud we could barely drown it out with our ipods at full volume. The guide on the other 5 day tour bus was brilliant however, and truly made the trip bearable.
On day 5 we were taken back to Edinburgh and while we saw unforgettable views, heard more history than we would have got on our own, and met some great people, this trip confirmed for us that group tours are just not for us, and the difference between our contiki guide and the doosh we got stuck with is astronomical.
Edinburgh.
Now back in Edinburgh for a few days we had a look around town and Sara and Kellie went into the Edinburgh Castle. We were also lucky enough to be in Edinburgh for baby Isla's christening, who had flown over with her sister and parents to join our extended relatives for the celebration. Sara and I met lots of distant relatives who were extremely welcoming and I felt truly privileged to be a part of this family. In the afternoon, Alexander drove us to the other hospital in hopes that the emergency department would look at my hand - without an appointment.
After about half an hour I was finally allowed to see an actual doctor. The bandages were taken off and we were questioned as to why my hand hand been strapped with my fingers straight... ummm isn't that normal? Apparently not. By strapping my fingers straight I had in fact been stretching all tendons and ligaments in all 4 fingers for almost 2 weeks now. They were now so stiff that when asked to bend into a fist, not one finger moved. Not good. Time to Xray them and see whats going on. Whats worse is that the CD with a copy of my original xrays from NY wasn't compatible with the Edinburgh Hospital's software so they couldn't compare them.
It's always nerve-racking in a hospital but when doctors need to confer with their bosses and their bosses bosses you start to think you're special - but not in a good way. The xray wasn't looking good. The bone in my ring finger had shifted at the knuckle and was now pushing on my middle finger, but having set there for two weeks the doctors were worried it was too far along to "manipulate" it back to where it should be. "Manipulate? Does that mean... rebreak" Sara asked (thankfully, as I wasn't game enough for words at this point). Yep.
While the doctor waited for specialist after specialist to discuss my fate he outlined the problems I may face.. If they decide to pop it back in it may work.. if not they will need to pull back the skin, scrape out the bone and attach a metal plate with screws by microsurgery... and if they decided they could do that, and if it worked and if I undertook 6-12 months of physiotherapy, I might be lucky enough to avoid permanent deformity... that sounded like a hell of a lot of ifs...
The words "permanent deformity" raced around my head and suddenly I was faced with the heartbreaking conclusion that I may never play piano or guitar again. I was a mess. Although I don't think I'll ever play professionally, at least not yet, the thought of losing my one vice, my one escape from reality was unthinkable.
"snap out of it, think positively, they'll fix you" Sara said to me when the doctor finished saying whatever it was he had said after those two unbearable words, and had left the room.
After much discussion, it was decided that despite how long it had been setting, they were going to attempt to manipulate it back the following day. New Years Eve. Perfect. Strangely enough, the only thing I was adamant about was that I didn't want to go home. I'm not ready yet, I've still got too much to do here, still too much to figure out about myself, which is essentially why I began this journey in the first place. And as my mother reminded me a few days later - what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
Before I knew it I was back in the hospital, bright and early... to get my fingers rebroken and once again begin the 4-6 week healing process, this time in a cast. After the 4 or 5 hour wait I was dressed in a beautiful, gaping hospital gown and taken by wheelchair to my operating bed. I was then wheeled into the anesthesia room and told by the nurse that I was going to be ok. The anesthetist made polite chit chat while concocting my dose and asked about what happened. The last thing I remember is him questioning the surgery I was about to have given how long the fracture had set and cautioned that anesthesia used at such a late stage with a fracture could cause permanent nerve damage... awesome... and then I awoke in a hallway, still quite groggy, with an ache in my left hand and a cast attached that felt like lead. A few tears began streaming down my cheeks. The nurse assured me that I was ok and asked if I was in pain, to which I nodded. Four doses of morphine later I began to feel better but still quite sleepy and drifted in and out of consciousness until finally I was given a sandwich and a juice while I waited for a doctor to come and talk to me. Finally, after 10 hours in the waiting room - Sara was allowed in to see me. (It was cheaper to wait for me than get cabs back and forth Dadda)
News was good, apparently when they bent my fingers into the 90 degree angle they were now positioned in, my bone popped back and they had no need to insert plates and screws. Phew!
I was then told that this heavy cast that looks like the Loch Ness Monster (only in Scotland right!) must remain on my arm for two weeks before changing it to a plastic cast for a further 2-4 weeks, and then I may begin physio. They advised that it would be easier to stay in Edinburgh for about a month so that my physio could be scheduled at the one place, but that as my first appointment was 2 weeks away, I was fit to continue on my pre-paid holiday to Ireland.
We had booked a 14 day driving holiday around Ireland, which now had to be cut down to 10 days. So over the next few days we made a few accommodation changes, before setting off on yet another plane. But first - we had to celebrate New Years. The Hogmanay Festival was definitely out of the question, Nessy and I were not up for crowds so instead, the girls got dressed up (dressed up in backpacker terms means putting on a clean shirt and in this case even a touch of makeup - fancy!), and I drew some eyes onto Nessy, and we ventured into our hotel pub. I of course was still feeling the morphine so I couldn't drink, and our hotel was rather lacking excitement and felt more like a retirement village... hmm new plan.
We decided to walk down to the strip of restaurants just near our hotel - again, not very exciting. So we bit the bullet and got a cab into town and went to a backpackers bar called "The Three Sisters". The girls drank from sand buckets full of cocktails, which Nessy snuck a few sips of when I wasn't looking, and we partied in the new year, topped off with fireworks we could see through the buildings, coming off Edinburgh Castle. At 12:10 it was time for bed and we all went home for some much needed rest.
Ireland
A couple of days later we arrived in Dublin, and first stop had to be the FitzSimons Hotel! This of course being my mothers maiden name. We later found some dinner and had a few drinks in Temple Bar. Sara had an early night to prepare for the drive ahead... particularly as I could no longer share the driving, and Kellie had only brought her international license which is invalid without your original NSW license - which she had neglected to bring with her (oops!). So Kellie and I left Sara to sleep and ventured out on the town on our own.
We only had one night in Dublin, but from what I saw, I loved it. Music was playing, and people were friendly - however drinks were not flowing as it is so expensive!
The next day we hit the road for Kilkenny, via Wicklow and the coast, which took most of the day. We spent two nights there, one night in Cork and two nights in Killarney. Yesterday we drove the Ring of Kerry - which admittedly is beautiful, but after being spoilt by the Scottish Highlands, it just wasn't amazing enough. It was also overcast with splatters of rain, so there wasn't any nice reflections in the water and after three hours it all looked the same. When we were on the final stretch however, the sky changed and suddenly white specs began hitting the windows... SNOW! The landscape changed as the hills became covered and we had to stop for a photo. We literally danced around as the soft sheets of ice floated down and gently landed on us like feathers in the wind. Now it was magical!
Thrilled at the gorgeous sight before us we pushed on and arrived back in town for dinner before a relaxing evening in front of the telly in our cute little B&B.
Which brings me to today... This morning we realised we had missed Blarney Castle (the only attraction we had heard of that was a must) because we had headed south out of Cork instead of the couple of kilometres north... So we decided it was worth going back for. We took the most direct route and got there in about an hour and a half. It was very cool. Unfortunately the narrow, winding, uneven, stone stairs with only a rope as a railing was a little daunting for Nessy to cope with, so she decided it was best not to climb up to the Blarney Stone, so I, very generously, decided to keep her company while Sara and Kellie went up.
They both came down smiling and energised that they had laid backwards over a sheer drop and kissed the stone that supposedly grants the gift of eloquence. We then wandered around the gardens before hopping back in the car to head for Galway, via Limerick for lunch.
I can't quite believe we've been away for two months now, and yet we've seen and done so much, but like I said before, I'm not done yet and I'm excited to find out what's next in store for us. Hopefully my fingers will be fixed in no time (and they are beginning to feel better) and we can continue out of the UK and over into Europe. Bring. It. On.
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