Not all those who wander are lost

[traveling-owl]

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It's been about ten years, but I finally made it to see Harry Potter! It was AMAZING!!! #TheWizardingWorldOfHarryPotter #IslandsOfAdventure #UniversalStudiosFlorida #FeltLikeAKidAgain (at Universal Studios & Island of Adventure Theme Park)

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Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.

Robert Frost

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Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.

Mark Twain

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Wishing I were here right now! ✈️🇫🇷🏰

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Traveling - it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.

Ibn Battuta

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Day 15: Monday July 20, Dublin

Today was our last day on holiday, what a sad day indeed. The last two weeks have flown by, it’s unbelievable to think of all the things I’ve seen and done. I am eternally grateful to my parents for bringing me (and Patricia too) and for instilling the love of travel, learning, history and culture in me. There really aren’t enough nice things I can say and do to them to make up for it all. So all I can say is thank you, from the bottom of my heart. The plan for today only consisted of one thing, to go visit Trinity College. It is the oldest college in Dublin, dating back to 1592. In the campus is the old library, more specifically referred to as the Long Room, that houses over 200,000 rare books, along with the Book of Kells. This was an illustrated manuscript written by Monks that dates back to the 800s. It was very impressive to see the amount of detail put into each and every page, each and every letter and drawing. Granted, these Monks had nothing better to do all day than to copy scripture! The old library was spectacular!!!! So many books to look at, and so wonderfully taken care of. Although it’s no longer used as a typical library, I just wish that there was something remotely similar to it in Orlando! The library by my house is literally the size of my bedroom (well not that tiny, but close enough). We then walked around Grafton Street, where all the stores are located. We went to a Marks and Spencer, a British store and loaded up on all the candy we don’t have back home! I’m addicted to the candy, I also found the limited edition tin of shortbread made to commemorate the birth of Princess Charlotte. Two years ago when my parents traveled abroad, they happened to bring me back the same tin commemorating Prince George. We came across a book store that sells first editions, signed copies and other rare finds. If I had an unlimited budget, I would’ve bought all the books in the shop. There was a first edition copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses that was being sold for €795, from 1922!!!! And I think the signed copy of Roald Dahl’s The BFG was going for €200. James Joyce was from Dublin; fun fact for you, his book was deemed too radical at the time and no one would agree to publish it. The person that did was Sylvia Beach, an American living in Paris. She was also the owner of the famous bookshop in Paris, Shakespeare and Company- as in the bookstore that I went to when in Paris!! On the way back to the apartment, we came across the National Library. We went in, but had to store EVERYTHING in lockers, including our phones and cameras, in order to go in and look. It was a grand room, very reminiscent of the Library of Congress. Also in the lower level was a free exhibit about Y.B. Yates. He was an Irish poet, and even served as a Senator. And in 1923 won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry. Unfortunately I will have to return to my mundane life tomorrow, back to the daily grind. I will be thinking about what my next trip will be constantly. I can’t wait to return back to France, Paris was positively enchanting and has captured my heart. As Cole Porter perfectly wrote in his song “you do something to me, something that simply mystifies me….” Thank you to all who have followed along with me on my travels. I hope you have enjoyed the ride, and hopefully felt as if you too were here with me!

“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” –Mary Anne Radmacher

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Day 14: Sunday July 19th; Glendalough and Kilkenny

Today was field trip Sunday, just like how last Sunday we went to Versailles. Today, we did a bus tour to explore the Irish countryside. We had to walk about 15 minutes to get to a hotel, it was our bus pickup location. We then drove for close to an hour to get to our first destination, Glendalough (means the valley of two lakes). This was the site of the old medieval monastery We went through County Wicklow; hills, valleys and bogs were seen on our way up the hills. Vikings were the first to settle here because of the close proximity to Dublin/east coast. We drive through the Uplands of County Wicklow, this was the area of land between the hills and the coast, 600-700 ft about sea level. When we finally arrived to Glendalough we walked past the 2 lakes. They were formed from passing glacier ice that used to be there thousand of years ago. It is said that within the next 70-80 years, the lakes will no longer be here. We walked through the forest to get to the monastery ruins. There was a chapel, cathedral, round tower typical of Ireland (not square because the wind would knock it down) and a cemetery. The chapel, or Kevin's Chapel as its called, dates back to the 800s. We got back on the bus and continued up the road to Wicklow Gap, one of the highest points in this part of the country. The road is very windy, as it is going up and up. It is also very windy and cold up here, we only stopped for a few minutes to see the view. On the sides of the hills are sheep, cows and occasional horses, rocks left behind when the glacier passed through and moss and heather. We crossed the Kings River, leaving Wicklow Hills- it is the source of the River Liffey, river that goes to Dublin. We went through the Midland Plains of Ireland and finally arrived at Kilkenny. Kilkenny was a Norman town done in the medieval style- with a church and castle founded in the 12th century. It is also Ireland's smallest city. It is known for its marble, black and usually used for tombstones. The colors of the city, the same colors that are on the flag as well are black and gold- black for the marble and gold for the color of wheat. Overall, the day was very enjoyable as we left the city behind if only for a few hours. It's always nice to see things that usually get overlooked by tourists. It is in this way that you really experience the place you are visiting- see the people and culture. Until tomorrow!! "The use of traveling is to regulate imagination with reality, and instead of thinking of how things may be, see them as they are.” –Samuel Johnson

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Beautiful day so far! Exploring the valley, lakes and forests of Glendalough. 🌞🍀🍀 #Glendalough #SoMuchGreen #summervacay2015 #TheMenendezsDoEurope (at Glendalough Upper Lake)

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Day 13: Saturday July 18th, Dublin

We had yet another late start to our day, which was fine as we didn’t really have anything planned. We decided to start off at the National Gallery of Ireland (art museum), which after a 20 minute walk from the apartment we were there. The majority of the exhibits were closed down for refurbishment, except for one wing. The pieces that they did have on display were impressive and made up for the lack of art- Vermeer, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Goya, Monet and Pissarro to name a few. We then continued walking around, popping in and out of shops. We love window shopping if you don’t already know! We also walked past the house of Oscar Wilde- very cool!! We had lunch at a Spanish Tapas restaurant, we decided to take a break from the heavy Irish food today. After lunch we went walking to the north side of the river to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery for a tour of the facility. Jameson was started in 1780 by a Scot and not an Irishman…he later moved over from Scotland though. When compared to the tour we took yesterday at Guinness, this one was much smaller in size and actually more personal- we had a guide talk us through all the steps to making whiskey. At the end of the tour, we tasted/compared Jameson to a Scottish and American whiskey- and honestly, Jameson was and is loads better. I’ve always preferred it myself! And before leaving, we used our ticket to redeem a free drink- the drink of the day was Jameson, ginger ale and a lime wedge. It was a very refreshing summer drink. And mom even enjoyed the drink- this trip sure has converted her all of a sudden to liking Guinness and Jameson… After our tour, we continued walking- with our eventual goal of getting back to the apartment. We stopped at a church and attended Saturday vigil mass. It’s crazy to think back to a week ago when we were attending mass at Notre Dame. Although this time around we could all understand what was happening, it didn’t quite have the same feeling. Nonetheless, we were surrounded by the locals in their lovely church; and that is was truly matters. We headed back to our side of the river again, the south side, and had dinner down the block from our apartment- this time, at an Italian restaurant. We had a lovely leisurely day with excellent weather! It didn’t rain on us at all, windy and chilly, but no rain! Tomorrow we will be waking up early and going on a bus tour of the surrounding cities. It’ll be fun to leave the city for the day and see the countryside. Fingers crossed we have good weather and see lots of green!

Until tomorrow!!

“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” -Lawrence Block

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Patricia's upset she's missing out on the good stuff!! #Dublin #summervacay2015 #TheMenendezsDoEurope #HelloDublin #JamesonDistillery (at Old Jameson Distillery)

[traveling-owl]

Day 12: Friday July 17th, Dublin

Today was our first full day in Dublin, of as it should be referred to as, the city of indecisive weather. One second it's sunny, the next extremely windy and down-pouring, and then back to sunny. Temperature-wise when the sun is out, it's a around the mid 60s. This is a much deserved break from the sweltering heat and humidity. We had breakfast in our apartment; Irish bread, jam and butter that were all left for us by the people we are renting from. We started our walk to the main part of the city, making our way to Dublin Castle. We passed by several pubs and churches, as well as quaint side streets with houses. The majority of the houses are town homes, but what makes them each unique is that each door is of a different color. There were also lots of people waking the streets, a Princess Cruise Ship that had just docked this morning. Along the way, we passed by a Starbucks- so just like in Paris, I had to stop by for a drink and to get the mug for the city to add to my collection. Side note, so far the Dublin free wifi has been amazing compared to Paris- not to mention at our apartment. We finally made it to Dublin Castle, and hour before our tour was set to start. We decided to visit the Chester Beatty Library to pass the time. Unlike the name suggests, it's not actually a library but more of a museum of pieces from Chester Beatty's personal collection. Chester Beatty was an American born (then British citizen) collector of Chinese snuff bottles and books. His collection revolved around Oriental scripts, French and English color plate books, original bible manuscript as well as text written on papyrus. It was a very impressive collection that was on display. And on the third floor there was a roof garden that looked over Dublin Castle, absolutely lovely- especially in the sunny weather! It was finally time for our tour of the Castle. The original Dublin Castle was built around 1204 by order of King John, but records indicate that the Vikings had previously inhabited the area. Only 1 of the 4 original towers still stand today. We did walk below ground level to see a piece of one of the other towers. We also toured the church that's on site as well as the State Apartments- which were very impressive. During British rule, the Monarchs would occasional go to visit. Queen Victoria visited the most of all, 4 times. And although they are no longer controlled by the British, Queen Elizabeth II has visited twice in the past few years- which our guide told us is very momentous considering the war that happened between the two countries and their not seeing eye to eye on things. After eating lunch in a Pub, which was delicious and cheap, we made our way towards The Guinness factory for the tour of the facility. Guinness has been making beer in the Saint Jame's Gate Brewery since 1759. The main building were the tour is held is an enormous location, 7 stories not in using the level we walk in (-1) and the ground level (0) with the gift shop. The tour is self guided and you learn how to make beer, what ingredients are used, how Guinness would transport the barrels of beer around the properly and the rest of the country/world. We also got a demonstration of how to accurately taste the beer by inhaling taking a big sip, shallowing and then exhaling. And at the end of the tour, we went up to the Gravity Bar for our *free* pint, while overlooking the city from the unobstructed 360 degree view of the city and surrounding countryside. It was surprising a great tour, and enjoyed by all. On the way back home we stopped at a market to pick up food to eat back at the apartment. It's so fun shopping in foreign supermarkets, and seeing all the different products. I came across in the pre-made salad section one by the name of "Florida Salad"... It looked like nothing I have ever eaten, but instead like the ambrosia salad I've only seen in the movie Edward Scissorhands! And with that final image, I leave you all until tomorrow! “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” -James Michener

[traveling-owl]

Lunch 🇮🇪🍀🍺🍻#pubgrub #Dublin #SausageAndMash #BulmersIrishCider #TheMenendezsDoEurope #summervacay2015 (at Bakers Bar)

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View of Dublin Castle from the top of the Chester Beatty Library. #Dublin #DublinCastle#summervacay2015 #TheMenendezsDoEurope (at Dublin Castle)

[traveling-owl]

Day 11: Thursday July 16th, Dublin

Today we bid farewell to the enchanting city that I came to fall in love with, Paris. We had to wake up very early to ensure we made it to the airport on time, 6am...yuck! Thankfully our flight to Dublin was smooth, and not bumpy like our flight in. Well, I think it was smooth, Patricia and I slept through the majority of the flight. We arrived in Dublin around noon (1pm Paris time). We took a taxi to get to our apartment that we'll be staying at. It's located on the River Liffey on the Southside, next to the Samuel Beckett bridge. The bridge is very modern looking, and resembles a harp that is put in its side. After getting situated in the apartment- which is huge and has a balcony by the way- we went down the street to a pub. We had a very hardy lunch, potatoes, peas and meat. And no meal would be complete without beer!! We were told that when U2 is in town they frequent that pub. Unfortunately for us they are in Canada, so we won't be seeing them. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the apartment and watching Irish game shows and house renovation shows. It's also been raining on and off, no downpours just drizzling and windy at times. Temperature-wise it is a complete change from what we had in Paris, and back home for that matter; the highs will be in the 60s, lows in the 50s. Until tomorrow! “The gladdest moment in human life, me thinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

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Day 10: Wednesday July 15th, Paris

Today was a bittersweet day, it was our last day in Paris. Tomorrow we will be hopping on a plane headed for Dublin. I wish we could've stayed in Paris longer, there was still so much left for us to see and do. This just means that I will be planning another trip back- sooner rather than later! I thoroughly enjoyed the city and all it had to offer. I honestly didn't really know what to expect, only what I have seen in movies and read. But it definitely exceeded all my expectations! After another late-ish start to our day, we took the metro straight to Les Invalides, a complex of various buildings related to the military history of France. The main building, which is known as the Dome of Les Invalides, is a massive structure which houses the tombs of several famous people. Some of whom include Napoleon Bonaparte , Napoleon II (Napoleon's son), Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother), and other military heroes. The initial concept of the building dates back all the way back to 1670, King Louis XIV wanted to construct a home and hospital for the sick and elderly soldiers. Next on the agenda was the Musée Rodin. The house itself was closed for renovations, however, the garden was still open. What an impressive space. The statues on display are dripping in emotions, that you really can tell what Rodin was trying to express with each one. It doesn't hurt either that the Eiffel Tower and the Dome of Les Invalides provide the perfect backdrop behind the trees and flowers. If we had more time, and it wasn't as hot and we weren't as hungry, we could have spent more time admiring the beauty around us. After lunch, we went to visit the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré in 1830 and requested the creation of a medal. This is also the home of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. Inside the Chapel, to the left and right of the altar lie the incorrupt bodies of Saint Catherine as well as Saint Louise de Marillac (the founder of the Daughters of Charity), and the incorrupt heart of Saint Vincent de Paul. Incorrupt means that the bodies have undergone little to no decomposition. Also to the right of the altar is the chair where Mary appeared to Saint Catherine. We then walked a little down the street to the Church of Saint Vincent de Paul, whose incorrupt body is also on display above the altar- all minus his heart that is. We hopped back on the metro and headed back to the apartment. Patricia and I stayed and took a nap because it was really hot today. Mom and dad went to the newly renovated Picasso museum. We had our last dinner in the apartment, as well as a bottle of wine and champagne! Dublin will definitely be different drinking-wise, beer and more beer!! LOL I'll obviously keep you all posted on that tomorrow! Bonne nuit et à la prochaine! “We travel, some of us forever, to seek other places, other lives, other souls.” -Anais Nin

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I bet he’s thinking how lucky he is to be in this beautiful garden with the Eiffel Tower in the background. #Paris #EiffelTower #MuseeRodin #TheThinker #summervacay2015 #TheMenendezsDoEurope (at Musée Rodin)