The Rocky Road

Today we truly got to see the beauty of Ireland. We took a bus tour to Wicklow and saw some of the most beautiful scenery. I swear there are more then forty shades of green.We had a wonderful old man named Joe show us around and give us more information then we could possibly contain.  Going through monastic sites and hiking up trails to mountain lakes we experienced Ireland. While this may be an odd word to use I feel that it is too difficult to describe it in another way. I have never felt the world around me buzz like it did in those hills. Walking through ruins we were able to really get a feel for the ancient world that had existed before. Looking around this beautiful place a few tears were brought to our eyes as the realization of our leaving started to sink in. Memories of our adventures through Europe flowed through us like a sad montage. We will be back that is for certain. Though we hit so many countries and seen so many sights, there is still so much more to see. I think we have a keener sense as to who we are and what we are capable of now. To me at least, I cannot speak fully for Stuart, the world feels more accessible now and the scope of what we can do as individuals is greatly increased. I know we haven't been the best bloggers but we do thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers as we have pursued this dream of ours. We are headed back tomorrow for the states and landing in Billings. We will be there for a day to regain our bearings and adjust, then we will be back in Livingston with stories to tell.

Thank you all for your time and thoughts
Hook & Schmee

As Prescribed!

Guinness...it's good for you. At last! Finally! And all other one word sentences that can be used to exclaim the wonders of receiving that first taste of Dublin Guinness. Going to the Guinness Storehouse was actually a lot of fun for both of us. We go to explore the stages of the process and the history of the brewery. There is actually a 9000 year lease signed for it, now that is confidence! Going on up the levels we stopped on the advertising floor which was pretty entertaining with all of the slogans from the past. "Guinness for strength", or "Guinness just what the doctor ordered". We actually found out that doctors would actually prescribe Guinness to mothers after birth for pain and for various other ailments that were more along the just nuisance side of life. Going to the sixth floor of the storehouse we ran into a choice. We could either go to the very top of the building and see a panoramic view of Dublin offered nowhere else and drink a free pint from a bartender, or learn to pour our own perfect pint and see the same view later. We chose to be bartenders for a moment and learn how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness. Stuart's tasted better for whatever reason even though mine had a better head. I think girl bartenders just make better drinks honestly. Well we received our certificates that say we past the test of Guinness pouring and made our way to the top. Honestly there isn't much to see of Dublin from way up. Dublin is not really set up like Paris or London with its huge buildings or attractions, it is about the atmosphere and pubs. There are some big parks and a Zoo but not much for massive monuments to see. Last couple of days we have been wandering through shops and looking for the perfect Irish something to take home. We have a countryside bus trip planned, and a lot of free drink certificates from other people that have stayed with us in our hostel. So far we have gone though 10 different people of various cultures and travels. From backpacking Canadians, Irish actors, drunk Germans, baby expecting Singaporeans, pure Italian women, and tall Australians, we have seen a few things and met some new people, even made some friends. Dublin so far has served its purpose for reflection on our entire trip, and given us time to think of our futures even if we don't want to right now. Of course as it is with life, no conclusions are ever final so nothing will be said at this time. So for now we leave you with a toast we saw on a oven mitt.

May you live as long as you want, and want nothing so long as you live.

James & Bailey

In wettest day...

So the Dublin = Rain, and lots of it. Wandering streets and cobblestone alleys under a grey sky on a Sunday afternoon we found ourselves with actually little to do besides wander in pubs. We stepped into some random shops that were open and listened to some wonderful music on the street corners. Hunting groceries and getting the best prices around I think we made a pretty good assessment of our financial situation in Dublin. There is a Guinness Book of World Records event going on for the number of Where's Waldos in one area at this time so there are plenty of red and white stripes to go around. We managed to befriend one of our bunk mates even though she does not speak English and she gave us her free drinks and asked if we could send some postcards off for her. This is more of an experience type of moment as we haven't really talked to anyone since we have got here and the most communication that we have had with a person has been with one that doesn't speak English well. We are enjoying the relaxed atmosphere in Dublin. People laugh, dance, drink, and sing. Music is simply everywhere, and for me that is a wonderful thing. Music that has been passed through a culture for years and is even sung to this day with the same fervor is amazing to me. We plan on going to the Guinness Storehouse tomorrow for touring and our first official taste of Dublin Guinness. Stuart is less excited then me but I think she still gains some amusement in my silliness. Speaking of silliness Stuart took me to the Green Lantern today for my birthday. I have been raving to her about my favorite superhero for months now and she decided to be wonderful and take me. I was not disappointed in the film, but it was definitely a DC Ironman with a family geared paint coat. Well time to go to sleep with the sound of the neighboring pub in my ears. Here is hoping the squawking lady from last night does not decide to grab the microphone again.

With more silliness to report tomorrow
Rogers & Small

Frozen Pizza!

Over all we haven't done much today besides travel. We woke up in our little hotel room this morning and had a delicious coffee and croissant breakfast. After a little bit of rearranging of our baggage so the weight was right for each we made our way to the airport. It was about a hour long journey to there via metro, train, and airport shuttle. After standing in line for check in which was surprisingly easy we made it to security where I was attacked again. My carry on bag looks pretty scary under the x-ray machine (I'm geek, sue me) so they made me take every single cable out and device. I have a system for packing my electronics, I'm sorry it looks like a bunch of wires wrapped around a big square...Well we finally made it through and we were off to Dublin. We are now back in Dublin! After our plane being grounded for an hour, we finally made it back here. I'm not really sure what is up with French travel and why everything has to be delayed all of the time. Trains, buses, metros, and planes have all been difficult in France for us. But we are now back in move or I'll run you over town deciding what we are going to do while we are here...besides carouse pubs. Well, we found some good deals on some bus tours that go out into the countryside and that is pretty exciting, and there is some great music coming in from the window of our hostel room right now. I would kill to have my buddy Jacko here to show these fiddlers whats up. We went about town to find something to eat and found some marked down frozen pizza that was apparently not supposed to be as cheap as it was labeled and went home. Low and behold the kitchen does not have an oven...so we half cooked them in a pan which super heated the bottom and finished them in a microwave to melt the cheese. All under ten minutes! We are pretty epic we know don't worry you need not say anything. We are going to treat Dublin more like a vacation then the mad houses of the previous places we have been. Everywhere we have been has definitely given us some wonderful memories but we always had to run the gauntlet to see everything. This is the time for relaxation and laughter. Our hostel has tons of amenities that provide us with plenty of power and internet so we should be
fine on the blog updates.

Lots of love, hugs, wishes and kisses
Fred & Albert (per Stuart)

Night Lights

Beautiful Paris...oh how we will miss you. Beyond all of the misfortune we had with illness and running around, the city was still beautiful and the sights that we were privileged to see will always be remembered. Tomorrow afternoon we leave to head back to Dublin to actual visit and sight see. We decided to stay an extra day in Paris so we could try and do some of the things we weren't going to have time for. I think we managed to hit all of the major things, so success there. We stood on top of the Arc de Triumph and got to see the lighting of the Unknown Soldier fire, there were a lot of families there and it was very moving. Going into Notre Dame we navigated around the sanctuary before mass started. I'm a cathedral guy, I don't know why but I am. I find their history very moving and the energy in the room to be very united. We were allowed to take pictures which was a nice change and got some beautiful shots of the stained glass. Stuart got to do some shopping and she ACTUALLY bought somethings! Believe me, it is really a task to get her to spend money, she is such a good little saver. We are currently in the middle of the Latin Quarter of Paris which is quite interesting. There are tons of little shops and restaurants around here with really reasonable prices. Not to mention people love dropping prices for whatever  reason like if you are walking away. Our Dinner tonight was two hot dogs inside of a single baguette covered in mozzarella cheese and baked. I must say we are still not hungry. As you can see above we also have had the chance to see the Eiffel Tower at night. We first saw it from the 56th floor of the Montparnasse building observation room. From there we could see all of Paris at night 360 degrees! Stuart kept looking at the tower through the glass then back at me a million times till I finally asked if she wanted to go see it up close. Needless to say we were back on the metro headed towards the tower. Power walking the streets up to the tower we made our way through the gauntlet of people trying to sell souvenirs, we dodged every offer and "special price". Reaching our destination we were met with rich glow that seemed to warm the night. What's more, at midnight the entire tower exploded into brilliant flashes of light that danced all around it. We did not know it did this. Running all the way through the base of the tower to the park on the other side Stuart set her camera to work to capture the moment. With stars literally dancing in our eyes we made our way home before the metro shut down. We love that the last memory of the tower we have is it sparkling in the night. Well it is time for bed as we have to begin traveling again tomorrow. I'm sorry we have not had internet as much as we would have liked. But we think and hope and pray that all is well with you across the seas.

With a tip of the hat
Blair & Michelle

The Paris Rollercoaster

So we have been in Paris for several days now and boy has it been an adventure. Poor Stuart got sick the day after we got here!!! Her Paris! Gah! Well, luckily we got some good meds and antibiotics for her and got her back up and running, she was essentially knocked out for two days! We tried to go out as much as we could and believe me she is quite a tough cookie. We saw the Louvre, which was ridiculously huge. Filled with every era, culture, and historical discovery that you could possibly want to find in a museum, it was very intense. Just running around in there we had to stop and have lunch and rest, we hadn’t even seen half of it at that point. Venturing through other museums we found ourselves at the Cinema Museum which showed us the progression of film from its earliest to the modern day. It was a very good recoup museum for Stuart because it had a lot of rooms with places to sit and rest while you watched a movie. On Sunday we went over to the Science Museum to expand our minds and were actually semi disappointed. It felt like we were reviewing our 8th Grade Science all over again and half of the interactive machines either didn’t work or were extremely faulty. This was also a slow day with Stuart having a pounding headache and a sore throat that barely permitted her to talk. We ventured out into the city looking for places to shop to try and inspire a little sparkle in Stuart’s spirit. Well apparently there is SOMETHING going on in Paris and on top of that it was Sunday so nothing was open. Yes the city is always lit up and never sleeps but it also just randomly shuts down. Monday morning started out a little better. Stuart got a little more sleep and had a little more spirit, and I was actually able to get to an open pharmacy where we could get her medication…she had up to this point refused everything because of possible price and availability (EVERYTHING closed on Sunday). Luckily, medicine over here is within a reasonable price range. Going to the Galleries Layfayette we found a seven story shopping center that encompassed an entire Paris city block. Of course nothing worthwhile in there is under 50 Euros. Stuart is now sending out an open invitation to everyone to donate money towards a shopping spree, which would only allow her to buy one thing. This is a joke of course…sort of. So amidst the 13,000 Euro watches and 2,000 Euro dresses we eventually got to the top of the building. Stepping out on to the roof we were met with a sight that I think almost made Stuart cry…The Eiffel Tower. This of course gave her a good little jumpstart and we continued our day. Watching a short film on Paris in a place called “Paris Story”, we caught our breath and also booked our plane tickets home. We will be home on June 26^th 11pm *MT Time* Heading to our apartment we got her some soup and put her to bed for a bit. Low and behold after an hour her fever broke and she was feeling much better. She wanted to go out a little bit, but it was raining and cold and I had to be the bad guy and tell her no. Locking her inside she got some good sleep finally and woke up this Tuesday morning with only mild ailments. Our destination today…the Eiffel Tower! Muddling through the metro we finally made it to the tower, and my oh my, that silly thi…*smack*…err impressive monument is tall! Seeing Stuart smile like she did today was a very welcome sight. She was grinning from ear to ear. Taking a million photos and being just plain silly we left for a moment to go on a river cruise up the Seine. With pictures being taken of Notre Dame and more of the Eiffel Tower we landed and continued our travels by way of the Louvre once more. Searching high and low for a gift shop that we had a discount for because of our Paris Passes, we found out that it had actually been closed for some time now…this would have been nice to know two hours prior to our discount quest. Walking up and down the strip opposite the Louvre we noted prices on all of the tourist souvenir shops we shared a delicious crepe and journeyed home. Taking refuge in our current residence we listen to the sounds of Paris as we plan our day for tomorrow. We are going to begin our hop on and hop off bus tours, so there will be a lot of sights pictures, and stories to come.

Once again, we thank you all for your support and prayers…

P.S. Please pray for Stuart’s health.

Stan & Jan

Dear Friends

Dear friends, family and family friends…

If you are reading this… we are most likely…in Paris. Ok you got me we are actually in Paris. We took an overnight train straight from Rome to Paris. Somehow the fifteen hour train ride turned into an eighteen hour train ride. Unlike flying where you are given all sorts of information as to why your plane is delayed, you are simply left there lying in a small mobile barracks with six other people. But now we are stories up in a studio apartment overlooking the city. No we do not have an Eiffel Tower view but it is pretty all the same. The place we are staying at is cheaper than most hostels and more comfortable then a hotel. The place we are staying at is really heaven sent. We are located one block away from Place d’Italie which is a major central hub for all of Paris. We have a full tiny kitchen, bed, bathroom, and…WASHING MACHINE! This is very exciting since we have not washed a single piece of laundry since we left. Oh did I mention the washing machine is free? Anyways that is a current status and tomorrow we begin our attack on Paris, one item for tomorrow is the Louvre. Well now let’s turn back a page and talk about Rome.

History tons and tons of history is strewn about the city streets as much as the dirt and garbage that clutter every corner. While there is plenty to see there is way too much to smell. To describe Rome I’ll steal a phrase from a woman we met in Venice. Rome is like Disney Land within a nightmare. She was referring to Venice but I think she was just having bad luck. Rome feels rundown, broken and dirty as a City. But take heart my friends there are still things to appreciate. The Colosseum by large (no pun intended) was very breathtaking. I kept catching my mind going back in time in attempt to the events that took place within the walls and to be honest there we moments I was chilled to the bone. Stuart and I had a good talk about all of the bloodshed, persecution, tears, and cheers that filled those walls. About how people were slaughtered for amusement or tortured for a laugh. Sorry, it really is an awe invoking place with its size and structure, but it just holds a lot of darkness within it. We ran around Rome catching what we could with our eyes and camera before we had to leave on our train. There are plenty of street venders that walk around looking to sell you scarves, razors, watches, bracelets and tickets, so if you want another experience haggling can be fun. Stuart has a cute little purse to show for it now. It is definitely a sight-seeing town with all of its beautiful architecture but I don’t think I would recommend it as a pure vacation spot unless you have the money to spend on high class hotels. Well we are off, thank you all once again for your prayers and thoughts. Oh, and a special shout out goes to my brother who recommended the Tide laundry travel packets. Those are awesome!

Peace and Goodwill

Vader & Yoda