More Pictures

 Final Sunrise in Ireland from my hotel room  :(

 Goodbye Ireland - from the Ferry :(

Hello Wales!

Hello Wales - as we are pulling into port

Cardiff Castle

Pictures

Here are a few I couldn't upload. We are now at the Marriott...and a computer!!!!

Here is Bryan hugging the "Blue Rock" which is at Stonehenge

Look at who we met on the street!

On our walking tour

Stonehenge

This was at the  Horse Guards - didn't get to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace

From the Roman Baths

 They are all decorated for the Olympics. Olympic rings are hanging from the Tower Bridge

At Buckingham Palace

From the London Eye. The London Eye is the 2nd largest wheel in the World. It was only supposed to be in London for 2 years - 2000 and 2001...it's still there!

Westminster Abbey

Supposedly the only view you can get that shows Big Ben through the London Eye

London day 2

Still no luck finding a computer to upload pictures, so you might need to wait until I return. Today was another full day of sightseeing-today was London. Kevin,Julie, Erin, and my Mom toured the Tower of London this morning while Bryan, my Dad and I traveled around on the Sightseeing Bus. London wasn't too crowded early today, but by noon, it was very busy. After we met up, traveled what seemed to be 20 miles on the sightseeing bus, which was probably only 3, we had lunch and took a walk around Buckingham Palace, unfortunately the Queen was not home so I guess my tea with the Queen will have to remain on my bucket list. Vigil Mass and the River Boat tour to the Tower of London to witness the Ceremony of the Keys took up most of our evening. Tomorrow will be our last full day here and we are hoping to head down to the area where the opening ceremony will take place.

Bath/Stonehenge/London

Today we left Cardiff (the Capital of Wales)and made our way to Bath. We toured the ancient Roman Bath and the headed to Stonehenge. Unfortunately, I can't get pictures uploaded at this hotel either, but hopefully can find an Internet cafe tomorrow or some other computer to upload some. Both sites were very impressive and amazing. To think how far both Bath and Stonehenge date back, it is truly amazing. We often think Philadelphia is old....well think about some of these sites dating back to 50AD! After leaving Stonehenge, we took our last coach ride to London and said goodbye to our amazing driver. We are staying very close to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Erin and Julie went to see Les Mes tonight so the rest of the family walked around some of the local sites and tried to plan out or day of sightseeing tomorrow. So much to see, so little time. I am fortunate as this is my 2nd trip to London. I came with my friend KK almost 11 years ago and we spent 5 days here and no realize how much we saw, but will enjoy our day tomorrow. The big thing for tomorrow - the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. This ceremony dates back over 700 years. We will trace the steps The guards take each night as they secure the jewels. Well, that's all for tonight. We are following the news closely and our prayers are with all those who have been killed and injured in the horrific shooting in Denver. Security is very tight here as the Olympics begin in less than 1 week.

Goodbye Ireland...hello Wales

Well, it was a bittersweet day...we had to say farewell to Ireland and the beautiful scenery, however after a 3 1/2 hour ferry ride, we arrived safely in Wales. After a 30 min or so delay getting the bus off the ferry (evidentally, the key to the ferry door was in Ireland!) we made the trek down to Wales. We are currently in Cardiff and for some reason, the hotel computer is not allowing me to upload any pictures to the blog, so you will need to wait to see our last sunrise in Ireland...our farewell photo in Ireland and our getting into port in Wales.  But, hopefully it will bring you back tomorrow to hear about our day at Stonehenge and Bath before making the trip to London for the last leg of our trip.

So..what did we do today - other than the ferry, we toured the Cardiff Castle and had dinner there - a Welsh Banquet. The highlight, was Kevin being chosen to be a wench. Unfortunately, I do not have pictures to prove it...but I do have the video!!! I believe it is safe to say, Kevin was quite a good sport about the whole thing and the rest of the tour people enjoyed it as well.

Cardiff is really hopping. In less than a week the Olympics start in London and the Millenium Park here in Cardiff is going to house some of the events. Security seemed very tight around the Hilton, so I am sure some people associated with the Olympics are staying there.

Looking forward to London tomorrow. Not sure what we will find as I understand things are crazy busy!

Hope all is well. I will try my best to find a computer tomorrow to upload photos!

Blarney Castle

Today was another great day. We started the day at Blarney Castle in County Cork. The McCarthy's trace their roots back to County Cork and played an integral part with the Blarney Castle. Well, most of us "Kissed the Blarney Stone". You need to lie on your back and slide back quite far to Kiss the Stone. Kevin truly is afraid of heights! But, he was a real trooper and kissed the stone! I have the pictures to prove it! It was a beautiful day, sunny with some drizzle at times. A nice lunch at a local pub and a short walk to a Famine Cemetery kept everything in perspective. Over 1 million Irish lost their life in the famine years. This trip has been a reminder of how blessed we are! We are currently in Waterford....and it is our last night in Ireland. Tomorrow we head to Wales. Waterford is very pretty and our hotel overlooks the water. We did get a nice tour of the Waterford crystal plant and seeing the time and energy they spend with each piece explains the cost involved. Great dinner- 6:45 wake call tomorrow! Will write more later.

Day 7 Almost done wtih Ireland

Today we spend a day going around the Ring Of Kerry - a peninsula encompassing about 100 KM - beautiful scenery, spectacular views, green valleys, lots of sheep and cows...and a little bussickness to go with it! We made a few stops along the way, some for shopping, some for picture taking.  We also learned about the Monks and their stay at a remote island just off the coast - Skellig. I wanted to walk up the 650 steep steps...but no one else wanted too!

Here are a few of the pictures. Today was partly rainy but still had some beautiful views. We have only 1 more day in Ireland then we are off to Wales an finish up in London. 
Some of the views reminded me of my visit to Italy and Greece last year...except for the temp. Today might have hit 55 or 60.
Tomorrow we are off to Blarney to Kiss the Blarney Stone and to Waterford.