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

Something Something!!!

So here is an update. We are currently in Rome…Wait, What? I know right? I know it has been a long while since anyone has heard word and we apologize for that but we have literally not had access to solid internet till just recently. First off traveling by train is very exhausting, even if you are sleeping most of the time. Your body seems to shut down completely so that it has no desire to wake up and carry obnoxious luggage, riddle me that. To give you a starting place we left London via train to Dover…pretty uneventful. From Dover we took a ferry to Calais, France which was pretty neat. In my mind when we decided to take a ferry I saw a bunch of people standing huddled together on the deck of some cargo ship. Instead we were taken by a square boat that acted as a mini cruise ship equipped with everything you could need from arcades to full bar, restaurant, and gift shop. Landing in Calais after a fun ride we found out with much detestation that it was some French bank holiday…we do not know what for nor do we honestly really care because the train station was closed and every hotel and accommodation was booked. We hung out in the train station as long as we could till they kicked us out into the streets at midnight till they reopened at four. Huddled up in a cold corner outside of a restaurant we both gained some introspect into the livelihood of the homeless. Tired, groggy and sore we started to make our way to Venice, mind you we are at the top of France at this point. The ticket lady for some reason could only book us as far as Paris so that was our next flyby stop. Unfortunately this flyby turned into a 12 hour layover that we toted our luggage around hunting WiFi through the streets of Paris only to find out that we could have paid a few Euros to store our luggage for the day…which would have been totally worth it. From Paris we shot straight south to a place called Nice pronounced Neese which is on the very bottom of France. From there we went to Ventimiglia then on to Venice. With our trains being late and difficult we arrived in Venice about a quarter to midnight. After not finding our pre booked hotel we landed ourselves in essentially a hostel called Hotel Adua. Tired and cranky we went to sleep. Between exploring Venice and fighting with the people that “managed” our hotel we had a good time in Venice. Sure our door handle to our room was falling off and the WiFi only worked between seven in the morning and noon and we could only connect to it from a room that I could not keep power to my laptop going in we found out begrudgingly that with our Eurorail pass we would run out of days if we went to the wedding and not be able to get back up to Paris. So unfortunately we had to cut the wedding out of the schedule but our love and best wishes go out to them and the tequila is on me. Walking canals and seeing the sights we eventually left for Rome which is where we are now. And since I have already drawn your eyes for so long I’ll leave you here for the moment and update you tomorrow on how Rome was. We are well and happy…tired…but happy!

Word to our mothers

The Ox and Viper

Long Legs & Tiny Feet

Wow, for a last day in London we had quite the run around! I think we literally went from one end to the other. Trying to nab as many free deals and special offers as we could lets just say we ran the last five minutes to get some free organic hot chocolate. We stopped at Buckingham Palace and watched the Changing of the Guard, which is a pretty cool thing to see. We walked through the Queens Gallery which Stuart and I both agree that those were her extra works of art and her real prizes are inside. We took a stroll to the Royal Mews which is were all of the Queens horses and coaches are kept. But to say the least London was a blast! We now understand buses, undergrounds, and trains for the most part pretty well which I think will definitely help us out in the long run. We are now to the next traveling steps in our journey and it is going to be quite a doozy. We are going from London to Dover then taking a ferry to Calais France. We were looking at possibly taking the Chunnel, but the price was way out of our range. From Calais we will be making our way to Venice via train. I'm not sure when next we will have internet, but hopefully it will be sometime tomorrow, we plan on traveling non stop as usual so wish us the best of luck and prayers. We look forward to sharing more adventures with you.

May the road rise to meet you, but not so much as to hit your face.
Henry & Edward

Zoos, Cathedrals, and Pirates Too!

So that last couple of days have been a little more relaxed then most. We went to the London Zoo and saw their large variety of animals to learn that they have even more about 4 miles away. Giraffes, monkeys, and hippos, but no zebras...Stuart says that they were sick or dead or something since they were not there. We also saw St. Paul's Cathedral which of course is absolutely magnificent, but on the downside...no pictures inside. I'm really starting to regret not buying that camera watch from Dublin. We walked around several floors of Tate Modern which is a Modern Art museum across the pedestrian Millennium Bridge, or the Wibbly Wobbly bridge as some call it. When the Millennium Bridge was first opened it was closed the same day because it started to shake and shift, they then reinforced it and opened it up again. Anyways, Tate Modern was very interesting in some parts and hilarious in others. We could see the craftsmanship in a lot of pieces, but some of them were simply people throwing pain at canvases. And while I totally get emotional art some of it just looked silly.With our London Passes we actually get free movie tickets so we went and saw the new Pirates movie at the Chelsea Curzon which is a luxurious theater with an open bar and everything. We almost had some rum to watch Jack Sparrow be awesome but decided to stick to ice cream during a movie instead. Oh and for those of you back home...you haven't seen a real 3D movie yet hehe. The quality of the picture was amazing, and even though we had ridiculous glasses on it was well worth it! Spending some more time down in Picadilly Circus we wondered about just laughing and enjoying London which was well needed.  We have been pounding the pavement so hard the last week that we were starting to get tired in every facet of being. Well we are off today to really delve into London one more time before we head off to Italy!

Peace, love, and a free brownie to all!
Jekyll & Hyde

So much stuff!!!

Ok...so it has been a very exciting last three days. We have seen so many things in so short of time that the lines are starting to blur between days. Luckily I have my handy dandy notebook and Stuarts insane receipt collecting skills and memory to help keep things straight. First things first I must say that we are WORKING our London Passes. What is a London Pass you might ask? Well, the London Pass is a card that can get you into attractions, museums, cruises, and all sorts of things around London. It also comes with a lot of great discount options as well. So we can get free coffee some places and 2 for 1 meals elsewhere, oh not to mention free movie tickets! We have been everywhere from the very fortified Tower of London to the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. The amount of culture and development in this city is mind boggling. With every street and alley there is a bit of history to be learned. Even if it is something as simple as how some offside food market used small dock it is still very interesting. Compared to Dublin as we stated earlier the people are much nicer here in London despite its hustle and bustle atmosphere. The best way I can compare the two is using a ninja and samurai analogy...besides I can get away with it while Stuart is sleeping hehe. Dublin life is like a ninja. In, out, no time for chit chat, very quick movements and then you're done. London has a very calculated and flowing feel to it while still being swift but not agitated. (Unless of course buses aren't running properly at stations and then you have drivers stepping out to yell at one another) On another note traveling with someone as mindful as Stuart (Amanda Small for those unaware) has been very helpful financially. She always seems to find the best deals even if she herself cannot make sense of them and I have to pick them apart lol, she is innately drawn to them and it is very nice. One savings though led us on a 2 hour train to train to bus bus bus to get something to eat. This was great because she remembered the place where we could get a sandwich, side, and drink for around 3 bucks, but it was still a really long journey. When the gloves come off with my companion though there is no stopping her. In other news... West Minster Abbey is probably the most beautiful thing I have ever seen inside and out. Unfortunately they are very strict in their no recording equipment inside, so we only have pictures of the outside but it was a sight to be remembered. We got to go into a section of Kensington Palace which was a treat of art and history with a touch of mystery added to make the history more enjoyable. Boat cruises, bridges, being on top of bridges, and watching bridges fold up. OH! Stuart would kill me if I forgot to mention the London Bridge Experience. So the London Bridge Experience and the London Tombs are England's scariest attractions on record. While the LBE is more of a spooky walk from room to room being educated and horrified at the different stories of London the London Tombs is where all the scariness is present. While the actors are trying to lay a thick layer of creepiness on you before you go into the tombs it is kind of hard when you are stuck in a room full of blank faced Germans that hardly speak English and two Americans, but they did a good job. Chainsaws, animated figures hidden doors and people in shadows we definitely jumped and screamed a few times. Well this is kind of a rough update and I'm sorry for the lack of communication. We have been getting up incredibly early in the morning and then don't get near to home till later and then have to climb a hill before we have to crawl up the stairs into our beds. We are going to the London Zoo tomorrow so I put Stuart to bed early so she can be well rested for tomorrow. I should probably follow suite and say goodnight to you all.

With worn plates and tired eggs
Nibbler and Samwise

Nice People!!!

So we made it on time to our flight, *gets smacked across head* Ok! So maybe we were 2 hours early for our flight after check in... so sue me. We ran into my Arch Nemesis Skye Plumb at the air port that was very exciting to see a friendly face!  Anyways we made it to London with general ease at the Gatwick airport. One thing we quickly came to terms with is that London is zoned off into different sections and within those sections are essentially different cities. It is a little more complex then the old north, south, east, and west that we are used to. Talking to a very helpful information lady we were quickly on our way to Croydon London via train. Arriving there we  talked to another information lady who was extremely helpful in assisting us in finding our hotel. We were honestly starting to get worried about our hotel as the last 4 people that we had talked to as to inquiries about it did not know it existed. But alas she found it. We bought a one day travel pass which allowed us to take trains, buses, subways etc all day long as may times as we liked. This was of course to prevent certain people from messing up to bad, not having any coins left, and being on the wrong end of town...Well besides that, we made our way via bus to our road of desire and starting walking up the side street to our hotel. When you are awake for 36 hours running around like mad people in Dublin the very last thing you want to do is walk uphill on a cobblestone street  in London. We unfortunately were way too early for check in, however the lady was nice enough to put us up in a different room. Getting situated we decided to head into the heart of London to acquire our London Passes. After some running around in Picadilly Circus and running into some very helpful people that were practically begging to help us, we found them and simply wandered for a bit more. Heading home to rest we ran into a little more bus trouble but nothing too severe and eventually made it home. We are now about to start our destruction of London! 

Wish us luck!

With the love!

  The Destroyer & The Corrupter

Stuart & Matt

So ya...Buses...

So there are a few things that we are working on of the Euro transportation type variety...ummm ya.

We are fine, tired, safe and warm so no worries as you can see here below...
So 2 1/2 hours later on a15 minute trip...

We are really tired and we are staying up for our flight to London which is in about 2 hours...

More updates to come as we fly...

With the love of a thousand buses...

Snippet and Gimli

Airplanes & Buses & Dublin Oh My!

After a grueling 20+ hours of airports and luggage and customs we finally landed in Dublin! We went and got our money exchanged...(which is always depressing with exchange rates) and set off to our hotel. After getting there and taking 5 minutes to figure out how to turn on the lights, we got set up, then flipped the lights off and crashed for a few hours. This of course was not enough but it was a good amount to build a little energy before launching into the city. Quickly talking to the lady at the front desk we set off to find our first bus (or as Stuart likes to call them DOUBLEDECKERBUSES). That is to express the speed and ferocity in her saying of the word hehe. We rode the bus till we felt we were towards the center of the city and hopped off. Deciding on a direction that we hoped we would remember later we dived right in. Immediately we were met with such a variety of cultures and accents bustling about as if the world would end if they didn't stop moving. Jumping into the flow of a river of people we found ourselves crossing streets, alleys, and I tell you that you definitely have to keep you eyes open when doing so. We are told growing up to look both ways for safety and that we should never trust any driver till they are completely stopped etc etc etc. In Europe all cars have the right away and you are destroying the synergy of the town if you hold anybody up for even just a few seconds. Needless to say we have been extra careful in crossing the streets and been very mindful of our surroundings. Wandering the streets of Dublin we found ourselves covering the place in gigantic circles while venturing off side streets and walkways (no worries we didn't go down dark allies). Being offered everything from fruit to hair extensions, and the occasional scalped tickets we slowly started to figure out the city. Being polite, however curt at the same time was very helpful. As we continued our aimless and colorful journey we ran into one dilemma...we didn't know what time it was. Of all the things we didn't pack a way to tell time was one of them. Going into promising stores we casually asked if there was somewhere to buy a watch. We found one electronic store that simply put cameras in every item they sold...I repressed the gadgeteer within myself and moved on. I then got the strangest looks when we walked into what appeared to be a "convenience store" and asked for a watch. Essentially, there are mini food stores everywhere that are simply food and drink, not miscellaneous random items as well, even people from Kenya were looking at us weird given our request. There are specific shops for randomness however. Finding at last a promising jewelry shop that sold watches we found a wonderful man and woman that helped us find something reasonable. They were very inquisitive as to our grand journey, and offered some great advice for when we come back through. They asked us to stop by on our way back and to tell them of our travels and to get more advice. Running up and down and all around we figured we should try and figure out how the bus system worked, so we stopped into a tourist information center. Locking what information we could handle into our overfull and overloaded brains we wandered a little more, grabbed some food and headed back to our hotel. After some regrouping and planning for the next day we passed out.

With lots of love from our exhausted selves.
Till next time
Amanda & Matthew

T Minus 10...9...

Here we are...all systems go, cleared for take off, initiative role is 20, S-foils closed and destination is locked, punch it Chewie!!! 

At the 9 hour countdown everything is ready. Brains are buzzing and nerves are jumping but all is swell. Looks of disbelief have been exchanged between the two of us all day. Both of us can hardly believe the time has come. From sitting in a coffee shop dreaming and scheming to finally being at the first step of our journey is very surreal. The last week for both of us has been, to say the least...interesting. Between weddings, theatre workshops, work and drama we somehow managed to pull everything together (at least we hope so) on this day. Our love and gratitude goes out to our families and friends who have been supporting us all this time. We know "see ya laters" are hard, especially when we are going to be time-zones away, but thank you all for the blessings, prayers and understanding that has been sent our way. To our teary eyed moms and grinning dads, we promise that we will be safe, travel swiftly, and bop anyone in the nose that gets in our way. 

Wish us luck, happy travels, and safe landings.

See ya in Dublin!

Wesley and Stuart

The Final Countdown

It is amazing how fast time can fly and yet still feel as though it will never pass. Our days are numbered and the numbers are few. Soon we will be embarking on a journey that will shake the very foundations of our persons. We will be witnesses to cultures, relics, and wonders that until now we have only seen pictures and heard stories of. My name is Matthew Rogers and I will be traveling abroad in eight days with my dear friend Amanda Small. Until recently the thought of ever seeing the Emerald Isle with my own eyes was only a lost boy's dream. And for her, stepping into the streets of Paris with a silhouette of the Eiffel Tower was a distant hope. Well, we are taking hold of our fantasies and ripping them from their everlasting states of longing and making them realities.On May 23 we will be on a plane headed for Dublin, Ireland, and there our journey begins. Resting in Dublin we will make our way to London where we will delve into the heart of England. Our next jump is to Italy where we will see my lovely friend Janeva Plumb be married. Taking our leave as the newlyweds depart on their own adventure we will make several stops around Italy taking in culture that truly dates man. Moving back through France we will put up our feet in Paris and bathe in the romantic atmosphere and surrounding countryside. Where does our journey go from there? Well, that is still a mystery. Eventually we will make our way back to Ireland where we will kiss the Blarney Stone and nourish our Celtic roots before heading back home. We invite you follow us on this Blog while we make this journey across Europe. We will try and keep this as up to date as possible. Please keep us in your prayers, and share in our tears and laughter as we take these new steps in our lives. 

With all of our love.

Matthew Rogers

Amanda Small