Leaving on a jet plane

We slept in this morning until about 11am / when the cleaning lady came in yelling at some roommates, so we took that as a cue to get out and get going. We left our hostel and went in search of some lunch and sat down at a cool little restaurant up the street called Cervecería 100 Montaditos. It was kind of a tapas restaurant but not really. We ordered four little sandwiches, a Cesar salad and a plate of fries that was served on a plate similar to a painter’s palette that had 4 different sauces in little divots around the edge. While we were eating lunch, we got a text from Natalie and Blair, our Aussie buddies, that they were heading toward town and wanted to meet up to do some sightseeing.

We finished our lunch then checked on the prices for a hop on/hop off bus tour and saw that it was pretty reasonable. We shot them a quick text and did some window shopping around Puerta del Sol when we got a text from them that they were across the street from us. We headed over and did Rachael’s signature “tap on the opposite shoulder” move to surprise them but since they’re awesome Aussies they already knew this trick and caught us. Curses!

We headed off together to window shop and find some iced coffee for Blair. We ended up stumbling into this really cool shop that had lots of fun and eccentric decorative tchotchkies. After some shoppin’ there we headed to a Starbucks near our hostel for some iced coffee and frappucinos. Yum! While there, Natalie got a call from their other Aussie friends, Ramon and Katherine who had slept in (they had traveled all the way from Australia the day before - 20 hours traveling!). We wanted to wait for them to get in town before we all got the hop on/hop off bus tickets together, so we went to kill some time at El Corte Inglés (an amazing department store in Spain) to check out some shoes that Natalie had been eyeing the day before. We talked her into getting them. We’re good at helping others spend their money. We all eventually split up for a bit to do some of our own shopping. Rachael got lost and was about to start playing an epic game of Marco Polo in the store when she got a text saying that the whole Aussie gang (and wannabe Aussie, Katie) were outside. That would’ve been a long and embarrassing game of Marco Polo for Rachael! We all finally got together and headed off to buy our tickets for the hop on/hop off bus.

We hopped aboard, like you do on buses, and went to sit in the back on the top, because we’re cool like that. We popped in our headphones and jammed to the history of Madrid, with the occasional Spanish opera. It was awesome. We wanted to be sure that we got to hear everything and still get to the Reina Sofia Museum around 6pm because we had heard that it’s free to get in on Wednesdays. We were ridin’ and jammin’ and got to the Palacio Real when our bus broke down! Wah-wah. We decided this was a good opportunity to go check out the Palace. We hopped off, like you do off of buses, and headed toward the Palace to find that it was closed.

At least it looked pretty through the gate, so we took some pics anyway. We then headed back toward our un-Tigger bus (no hopping, get it?) and waited for another bus to come along. One came by so we hopped on, grabbed some seats and got back to rockin’ out to the history of Madrid.

We stayed on until we got to the Prado Museum and hopped off and began to make our way to the Reina Sofia Museum. We also wanted to check out the botanical gardens near by, but we decided to head to the museum first and take advantage of their “free admission” deal, hang there for a bit then go to the botanical gardens. We got to Reina Sofia and discovered that the free admission deal didn’t begin until 7pm - it was 6:15pm. Well shoot! We were already there so Rachael and the Aussie Gang shelled out the 6 Euros to head inside while Katie, who visited the museum when she studied abroad 4 years ago, opted to go visit the botanical gardens that she hadn’t seen before. We made plans to meet back up after about 1 ½ hours and meet Katie at the botanical gardens, so we split off and went off to see some art!

The Reina Sofia houses a ton of modern art all from the 20th century such as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso. One of the more famous paintings in the museum is Picasso’s Guernica which depicts some events from the Spanish Civil War. We had all seen pictures of it in the past but never realized how huge the painting was! Near it are also some sketches and process photos of Picasso creating the work. It’s was really cool to look at how Picasso’s process began and to see the final product. It’s a really cool museum, full of all sorts of fun, abstract and modern art work. It soon became time to meet back up with the Aussie gang. Blair and Natalie wanted to stick around and see if they could find Dali’s painting “The Persistence of Memory” while Rachael, Katherine and Ramon headed off to find Katie at the botanical gardens. We got there to find Katie sitting outside. It was closed! We decided to head off and find a cool road with poetry inlaid in the pavement that Katie remembered was near by. We started to make our way there when it started to drizzle. Rachael, not having an umbrella, decided to head back to the Reina Sofia up the street to stay dry and see some more stuff while Katie, Ramon and Katherine kept going. As both parties went their separate way, the rain started to pick back up. Rachael ducked into a Starbucks near the Reina Sofia while Katie, Ramon and Katherine ducked into Pinocchio’s, the restaurant where Rachael and the Aussies had had dinner the night before.

Once the rain let up, Rachael headed back toward the Reina Sofia to find that they too were closing and that she couldn’t go inside. So she went and looked around their gift shop while she waited for Natalie and Blair. The three of them met up and went in search of the other half of their gang. We found each other and decided it was time for some dinner! We looked up the tapas restaurant that we had tried to find the night before in their Lonely Planet book and realized that it was quite a trek away. We knew that we wanted to get into bed fairly early and that they had to catch a train back to their hotel around 11pm so to play it safe, we decided to go to a tapas restaurant up the street from our hostel which is fairly close to the train station they need to get back to their hotel later. We ordered a couple of different tapas and shared some sangria. It was delish! It soon got to be pretty late so we asked for our check, paid, and began to make our way back to our hostel. We bid a tearful farewell to our Aussie buddies (we’ll miss you guys!) and headed back up to our hostel to pack up and get ready to head to the airport early in the morning.

It’s been a bittersweet last day. We’re sad to be leaving but excited to go home and sleep in one bed for more than 2 nights in a row. We have had the trip of a lifetime and have had a blast traveling together, seeing all the sights, trying all the food and meeting all sorts of amazing people. We will miss everyone that we’ve met and hope our paths will cross again some day and are excited to see all of our peeps back home. Thanks again to everyone that’s been following our blog! We hope that you’ve been having just as much fun reading and following along with our adventures as we have.

See you at home!

XOXO K&R

Haggis I'll have to try it...

We had to check out of the hostel at 10:30 this morning but our flight didn't leave until 5:30ish. We woke up around 9am to make sure that we had plenty of time to get our things together and have breakfast and not be in a rush. After we did all of that, we decided to do a little shopping on our way to mail a huge box to our folks, which cost way too much, but it was worth it! We got a couple of cute souvenirs and mailed a few more postcards. (Run to the mailbox, now!) We walked all the way down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Castle, which is where the English royal family stays when vacationing in Scotland. It was really pretty from the outside, but we elected not to pay the 10 pounds to get inside because we're cheap. About some things, at least.

After that, we decided to go on a little walkabout to see if we could find our way to the sea. We couldn't. So we caught a cab back to the hostel and decided to have some lunch. We went into the Castle Arms pub, which was just a few doors down from the hostel. When we looked at the menu, we saw that they serve beer battered haggis balls, so we decided that we should probably try it since we're trying to branch out as much as possible. One of the things we learned about Scotland is that their national delicacy is haggis. If you don't know what it is, you should look it up but we'd rather not think too much about it. Turns out, we actually liked it and so we gobbled it up!

After lunch, we walked back to the hostel and got our things together and caught a cab to the airport. We had no problems there, since we'd mailed home our excess junk, and even got an exit row seat on the plane! We made buddies with the man sitting with us and he gave us his contact information in case we needed anything while we're in Brussels. He also told us about a bed and breakfast that his mother owns in southern Germany near the Swiss border. It sounded really great and we're toying with the idea of making a trip there.

When we got to Brussels, we took a shuttle bus to the train station and then took a cab to the hostel. It's pretty neat. It's actually in a man's home and he has converted his top floor into rooms for people to stay. There is a Romanian girl here but she was asleep when we got here. We also met a Scottish guy who is here for the week working in the Parliament with a Scottish politician as a resume builder. He's studying law in Paris and will be back there when we go. He was nice enough to give us his contact information in case anything happens or we just want to grab a drink. Thanks, John! (You'd better read this like we told you to!)

We're happy because this place is really cozy and feels very safe. We're excited too because we can actually leave our toiletries in the bathroom! He also has a super-sweet dog and we've been loving on it because we're both missing our puppies. Well, off to bed now and more adventures to report tomorrow! John told us we have to try and beat his record of counting 27 chocolate shops. Game on!

XOXO K&R

Edin-BRRRR!!!

Disclaimer: This blog post contains the use of one single profane word. Sorry in advance to all the innocent ears and eyes that read this. It's basically a quote.

So, we woke up at 4am this morning to take the shuttle to the airport. We were way early, but it was the best way because the shuttle picked us up at the hostel and the guy even loaded our backpacks onto the bus for us. We came dangerously close to not being able to get our bags checked because of the weight restrictions and the fact that we didn't have the sweet lady from the Dublin airport there to disregard the fact that Katie's bag was nearly 8 pounds overweight. So, after some serious magic and Jedi mind tricks, we finally got everything distributed in a way that would allow us to get our bags on the plane. We had a close call at the gate with the size restrictions for carry-ons, but after switching Rex (if you don't know him, you should) from Katie's carry-on to tucking him in her jacket, where he was much happier.

The flight was only 40 minutes long and uneventful, which is good. When we got into Edinburgh, there was snow on the ground and it was really beautiful. Our hostel is called the Castle Rock Inn and it is seriously cool. There are tons of pieces of art work and tapestries lining the walls. We got to the hostel around 9am but we couldn't check in until 2pm so we dropped our bags off in the luggage room and set out to see what was close by. Oh, look! A castle! The hostel offered a free walking tour of Edinburgh at 10:30 so we went back there, grabbed some breakfast, and set out just in time for the rain to start pouring down. So, we basically froze our toesies off. Despite the chilly temperature, it was still a really awesome tour. Our guide, Kate, was really entertaining and the rain stopped about an hour into it so we weren't too terribly miserable. We learned a good conversation starter if you're ever strapped for something to say:

Way back in the day, before indoor plumbing, people used to potty in chamber pots. Whenever their chamber pots got full, they'd just open their windows, yell "Garda-loo!" (which is garbled French for "guarda l'eau" meaning "watch out for the water") and throw them out the window. The waste would then flow down the street into Norloch (or North Lake) where the city's sewage system led as well as where they got their drinking water (yuck). Well, all of the waste would produce methane gas which is A) very flammable, and B) when ingested, will make you hallucinate. So, the councilmen of the town decided one day that maybe people were throwing their chamber pots out too often, so they decreed that chamber pots should be emptied into the streets only twice a day, once at 10am and once at 10pm. At 10am, it worked out fine. Chamber pot emptiers would yell "Garda-loo!" and anyone on the street below would step against the building and out would come the poo and all was good. At the 10pm emptying time, however, it was a different story. Around 10pm, the pubs and streets would be hoppin' and folks who had been in those pubs would be heading home after drinking the methane-gas-water and weaving all over the place. One's mental faculties were never quite as sharp at that point as they should be, so when somebody opens a window and yells "Garda-loo" in garbled French, those in that state of mind rarely remember to step against the building, out of harm's way, and would often look up to find the source of all the yelling, and subsequently a face full of the emptied chamber pot. Thus, the meaning of the term "shit-faced". Now you know everything!

After our tour ended in Princes Street Gardens, which is very green since the area was formerly Norloch (free fertilizer!), we continued adventuring around town and found the National Museum of Scotland and went in to check out the cool art work and thaw out a little bit. After we'd seen about all there was to see there, we went out to a find really cool view of the Scott Monument and Waverly Bridge. We took the opportunity for some experimental photography. We could make millions!

We were getting a little grumbly in our tumblies so we went in search of food. We found a place called 99 Hanover Street that looked promising. It was a great choice! We had a really good meal for not a lot of money and the servers there were so nice and willing to offer tips on things to see while we're in the city. After our meal, we doodled around some more shops but everything was closing early because it's Sunday. So we just caught a cab back to the hostel. This place is hoppin'! There are lots of people staying here and they're showing the US vs. Canada Olympic Men's Hockey finals in the movie room tonight so everyone is getting hyped up.

We got to see a whole lot today and we really wanted to try our luck at finding the Loch Ness monster, so we booked a day-long excursion for tomorrow to the highlands of Scotland. We're so excited! We will report back tomorrow (hopefully) with news of our day.

Quote of the day:

Rachael: When's the last time we took a shower?

Katie: I don't know. What day is it?

Rachael: Monday? I don't know!

Katie: Oh, London! I took a shower in London. When was that?

Rachael: We should really change our socks.

And now, for some fun pics!

The Edinburgh Castle from Princes Street Gardens

A popular statue of an old faithful watchdog

This is the restaurant where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. From that window, she could see a very expensive private school which she used to as her inspiration for Hogwarts. After the books were published, she became richer than the Queen of England (not an exaggeration) and she sent her kids there.

Seems like the hockey game is over! We should go see what all of the singing is about and see who won. Until next time....

XOXO K&R

Shenanigans!

Before we begin, we'll share a few photos from the end of our time in London:

Clowning around in the British Museum:

WHA?????

Jazz Hands!

Gotta have the red telephone booth:

Turns out, we do have stuff to report from Dublin after all. Today was fun! We left London pretty early. We literally had to take 4 trains to get to the airport this morning and made it in time to buy a couple of souvenirs before catching our plane. Apparently we made friends with the lady that we were checking in with because she made no comment when Katie’s bag was 3ish kilos overweight (about 7.5 pounds). She looked at our passports and said, “Oh, I could tell you were from the South!” We like her. We would have had to pay roughly 10 pounds per kilo that the bag was overweight if she hadn’t overlooked it.

When we got to the plane, it turns out yet another reason Ryanair is cheap but weird is that they don’t have assigned seats. Luckily, we were warned by the lovely Dot Dannenberg Williams that we should stay out of the way of the snotty old ladies and let them have the window seats because they’d fight you for them and they fight dirty! About an hour and a half later, we arrived in Dublin to un-rainy skies which was a nice change from London. Unfortunately, by the time we made it through customs and got our bags it was raining again. Bah. We had to get help from a chaplain to figure out where the heck we were supposed to catch the bus to the hostel. He helped alright. We got on the wrong bus! The bus driver was very nice, and took us to the next stop free of charge and told us the correct bus to take. Well after that, we didn’t have correct change because we had just changed our money over and only had bills. So, when we finally found the right bus, the driver wouldn’t let us on because we only had a 5-Euro bill. Inserting quote of the day here: Upon asking what we were to do with no change, the bus driver said, “Walk back to the airport to get some.” Rachael and Katie reply in open-mouthed stunned unison,

“WALK???” So we were stuck in the middle of a yucky construction zone

a whole bus stop away from the airport with no way of getting back to the airport safely. We got really lucky when a bus driver came by to swap shifts with another driver. He took out his change drawer and made change for us so that we could take our bus. So, after waiting another half hour or so, our correct bus finally came around again and we were able to get on. Well, getting on the bus was half of it. Once we got on, we really had no idea where to get off. We were asking a girl on the bus which stop we should get off at and all we really learned from her was that we had really bad directions. So, we got off at a spot that looked good and asked for directions. We don’t know what it is about Ireland, but either they’re really bad at giving directions or we’re really bad at following them, but we got lost, got found, and got lost about 3 times before finally consulting iPhone and GPS. Thank you, technology! When we finally got to the hostel, we found it to be really amazing. It’s way nicer than the hotel we stayed in last night in London!

We took a little time to put our things down and make a couple of phone calls and get our act together before heading out to spend what little time we have here. Well, once again, we don’t know what it is about this place, but these folks either can’t give directions or we can’t follow them! We got lost again! Oh well, that problem was solved by hopping into a cab and asking him to take us to the Temple pub. When he asked which one, we found out that Temple Bar is

actually an area, not one bar. So onward to Temple Bar! We decided we just had to eat at an Irish sounding place. What we did not expect upon arriving in Dublin today was the Ireland vs. England rugby match. Ireland won so everyone and their mother was out! We wandered around for awhile searching for somewhere that wasn’t packed up like a can of sardines and eventually found a place called Oliver St. James Gogarty. Pretty Irish-sounding! We both had a really good meal there. After dinner, we wandered around a bit more and found a pub down the street where we just had to get some good ol’ Irish beer. We drank O’Hara’s Irish Red and met a really nice couple from Dublin who had kids our age and had come into town for the evening to celebrate Ireland’s big win. We really enjoyed talking to them and told them about our blog. After leaving the pub, we went window shopping around Temple Bar and eventually caught a cab ride back to our hostel. As we write this blog, there is a nice group of (we guess) high-school-aged Germans jamming with a guitar in the hostel lobby. Of course, we had to come on by and join in on the jam session! They were speaking rapid German but every once in a while, we recognized some song titles as everyone threw out song suggestions. Some of our favorites from this evening were Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,“ “Hot Stuff” and Bon Jovi’s “It’s my Life” (a crowd favorite).

We’re checking in early tonight because the best method of transportation (so we can avoid running into the shenanigans we ran into earlier) to get to the airport in time for our 7:50am flight is to catch a shuttle from our hostel at 4:45am (yikes!) So goodnight to you all! See you next time!

XOXO K&R

London bridge is falling down!

So, first things first. A very special shout out for the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Dot and Jake Williams. Congratulations and we wish you the best!

Now, the the less important biz. We left Atlanta last night at 11pm. The Atlanta airport was a breeze and we had plenty of time to exchange money, etc, before boarding the plane.

Bye, Mommies!

We even had time to look up a bird's butt! Meet Kevin:

Neither of us got as much sleep as we wished, but more than we thought we'd get, so I guess we're good there.

We made it to London alive! We landed around 12:30 today and it took awhile to get through customs. After we got our massive backpacks situated, we headed to the Tube (remembering to "mind the gap" of course). We got these nifty cards called Oyster cards that are like reusable metro cards.

Turns out, England has some crazies too. We encountered the most charming gentleman rapping and dancing on the train from the airport to our stop near the hostel. It's amazing how dignified people sound with a British accent, no matter what they're talking (or rapping) about. We have video to prove it and we'll upload it later when we have more time!

It's a rainy, cold day in London but the weather was about as bad as it could be and we survived so we think it'll all be uphill from here, knock on wood. We checked into our hostel and it's... a hostel. Nothing really special but it'll do! It's right across the street from the British Museum, so that's pretty cool. Here are a couple of pictures of our lovely abode:

After checking in and unloading our very heavy backpacks (moms and dads, be expecting a box of our unneeded belongings soon) we set out to grab some grub. We were walking along trying to figure out where to have dinner when we happened upon a restaurant named Munchkinz. The sign said that they accept American dollars and Euros as well as pounds, so we figured it was a winner. We dined on traditional British fare (Rachael got the fish and chips and Katie got the shepherd's pie). We drank our Diet Coke and water without ice and did NOT get free refills. Ah, how we miss the comforts of home. After dinner, we were mapping out a game plan for the evening because most of the things we wanted to see were closing shortly and we were both about to fall asleep. Our plan was to walk a few blocks to the Tube and take it to Charing Cross (wherever the heck that is) and ended up being sidetracked by bright sparkly lights. Hello, West End! The source of our distraction was a large sign that said "We Will Rock You". Turns out, this was the theatre playing a musical all with music by QUEEN and Ben Elton. So what do we do? Go to Charing Cross or rock out to some Queen? I think we all know the answer to that one. So, the show starts in half an hour and we're right around the corner at Starbuck's sipping our lattes and writing our entertaining blog posts. All in all, a good first day. Unless the musical sucks. But how could it? It's QUEEN!