Lahujebslldno

I don't think the above spelling can be found in Wales but I'm honestly not sure.  Wales was amazing.  The spellings of words and towns are unreal.  I honestly thought they were just messing with me and making up words.  

Eggs

Really one of the oddest things I saw while in the UK....non refrigerated eggs.  

Chunky

Nothing sounds more appealing than the words "chunky" and "knits" together on a chilly rainy day 

The Lake District

These are pictures from Lake Windermere and the surround areas of Ambleside and Bowness.  Lovely lake that is largely untouched in terms of development.  Staunch contrast to the States.  

Onward to the Lake District

After The Mere we decided to head up to the Lake District.  The above picture shows what I think are some pretty cool things.  Oh you don't think so?  Well, I do. 

First you may notice the P in the back glass of that car.  That means that the driver just recently passed their driving test.  Pretty cool when I think about it.  For those that are learning, you will see a large L on their vehicles.  I think it's a pretty cool way to let those around know that a new driver is in the area.  

Secondly, the word queue is being used on the board.  Obviously, those of you that are Americans reading this(don't you love it when I assume people are actually reading this?) that are familiar with the Netflix-verse, know that queue means line but I find it cool how many times that word is used over here.  

Thirdly you can see the list of towns that are in vacinity. 

Oh and fourthly we are the left side of the road 

The Mere Driving Range

Here is a truly a one of a kind site.  It's a driving range at The Mere.  The boxes are just over the boxed hedges and the landing area is in the lake.  The Golf Concierge, yes, Golf Concierge said that he knew there was one like this in Florida too.  

As for The Mere itself....really cool spot about 30 minutes outside of Manchester. Looked like a great golf course.  Had a massage there in the spa.  

Rapid Blogging

Ok so I'm going try and post some quick blogs from the last few days.  They will come right after the other.  Feel free to hit "refresh" and I'm sure another top-quality web log post will be in front of you.   Someone should have thought of this idea a long time ago.  These will be somewhat like microblog posts.  Maybe I should invent a service that would allow people to microblog and call it Flicer.  And whenever someone sent a Flice it would be like they were Fleecing.  Any takers?

Summary So Far

Have done so much in a short amount of time.  In no particular order:

Walking tour of Manchester City Hall

Walking tour of the Northern Quarter in downtown Manchester 

Tour of Manchester United stadium 

Disley - right next to Buxworth canal

Lyme Park

Buxton

Spinningfields - very posh area UK manny with shops and restaurants 

Bugsworth(sometimes spelled Buxworth) canal

Tesco

Trafford Centre

King Street - another posh area of manny near Spinningfields....see a theme?

Restaurants Visited:

San Carlo near King Street

Lawn Club in Spinningfields

Navigation Inn(Bugsworth)

La Tasca in Trafford Centre

Marks and Spencer Simply Food in downtown manny

Abel Heywood Hotel in downtown.  First place visited.  Interestingly some restaurants are named "hotels" or "inns."

Here are some pictures 

It's as good as it looks

Place called The Lawn in Spinningfields

BA

Ok.  Where to begin?  This is a trio of firsts.  First time in a holding pattern.  First time being potentially re-routed.   First time taking a red eye flight.  First time taking a flight that leaves at 1:30am and flies east!  

Everything was all too smooth getting in to CLT this afternoon.  Parking was simple. Security was a breeze.  Jamba was quick.  Then the delays started.  First for half and hour.  Then for an hour.  Then sitting on the Tarmac.  (Is that really a proper name Apple?)  Then two different holding patterns on the way to Philly.  We almost had to divert to Baltimore to top off with fuel but thankfully that didn't happen and we were able to land in Philly.  

I was placed on a British Airways flights thanks to the most wonderful Charli.  And we are finally about to be on our way to our destination! 

Magnificent 7

I can't help myself.  About to spend 7 lovely days abroad.  Stay tuned 

SkyView

And yes that's an elevator at the bottom, Mr. Otis. 

Really really cool. Literally and literally.

And For Dessert

Forgot to mention these little guys were in the main dish. Haven't had plantains in years and years. Wonderful.

Asheville

Quick trip here to Asheville. Consulted Urban Spoon for a place to eat. Drove to West Asheville and the place he suggested was packed so I came back downtown and chatted with Urban again and decided upon a restaurant called Chorizo.

Went with the Columbian Paisa.  Chorizo, egg, beef, avocado, plantains, rice and beans.  Tasted unreal 

All righty, so as promised here's a post about Tripapalooza 2015.  Don't say I never did anything for you. 

That was a little curt.  Sorry about that.  I'm a little tired this morning.  This is day 13 for me on the road and it's been five and a half years since I've taken a trip of this length.  (Some of you may remember the original trip I took to Ireland, Scotland, UK, France and Spain back in '09)   Anyway, the fatigue I feel now has given me some insight into that trip actually.  I remember about a week into that trip feeling tired and lonely and wondering why I felt that way since, at the time, I was in beautiful St. Andrews, Scotland.  The truth of the matter is, for me, traveling is fun and can be exhausting.  I felt some of the same feelings when I got to Seattle this time.  I was tired, in a city I didn't know, it was a busy city, and I was by myself.   Fortunately for me I was able to meet great people along the way much like I did in '09.  It's almost humorous that I'm about to list some of the key people along the way that helped make this trip a great experience for me just like I did in '09.  So here goes:

In Portland, the folks of the Huddle were great.  Some of the other coaches I met made that experience so much better.  It was already an awesome experience and some of you took it to a whole new level. Outside of the Huddle, folks like Marc, Jeff, Dustin, Michael, the other Michael(my first Uber driver!), Lewis(Hertz),  Michelle(Vintage), and Stacy(Vintage) helped make Portland feel like home for me.  The couple I met while at Canon Beach that mentioned the Astoria Column were great too as well as the Canon Beach local that talked with me about the area.   Really nice man.  

In Seattle, Chris, the waiter at Triple Door, Will(seaplane pilot) and Daniel(Uber) helped make the big city seem a little smaller.  

In Indy, of course my friends Brett, Billy, Dards, Ross, Sheldon, Coach Odom, Coach Duckett, Coach Stokes, Coach Potosnak, Mike B, BJ, and the countless new friends I made through these guys made the experience awesome.  

It was funny to me that while in Seattle and while I was feeling isolated, I thought, "I think the part of traveling I really enjoy the most is the meeting of new people."  I then was able to meet a few folks and it was amazing to me how my opinion of Seattle changed from "meh, it's ok," to "you know, not too bad at all."  

The sightseeing and "traveley" highlights from this trip:

-Multnomah Falls outside of Portland.  Wow. 

-The drive from Multnomah and the quick stop at Horsetail Falls and then the lengthy stop at the Vista House to watch the sunset over the Columbia River.  That was incredibly gorgeous.  

-Canon Beach and Ecola State Park.  I thought I was in Scotland.  

-Astoria Column.  That was one of the best last second, spontaneous decisions I've ever made.  What a gorgeous view and unique landmark.  

-Washington State Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and back.  I love riding ferries.  Have ferry, will travel™.  I think I'll get a shirt made 

-The seaplane ride out of Lake Union in Seattle.  When asked where I wanted to sit, I couldn't get "up front" out quick enough.  

-Space Needle and monorail in Seattle.  Honestly wasn't impressed with either of these but I wanted to remember I did them.  

-Amtrak from Portland to Seattle.  The best $34 I've ever spent.  4 hours of smooth transportation.  It was good to be on a train. 

-The early morning exploration of Portland the first Friday and subsequent use of the MAX and Portland city bus on the way back to the hotel.  My ability to get lost in a city is truly incredible.  I loved that it cost me $35 or so to get downtown that morning with an Uber and $2.50 to get back.  

-Walking to the Indiana War Memorial twice and getting denied entrance twice because they were closed.  Still one of my favorite sites in the country.  Also tried to get in the Scottish Rite Cathedral but missed the tour window by a couple of hours.  

-Going to the Duke-Wisconsin NCAA championship game last night. What a game.  13 lead changes in the first half alone and then classic performances by two Duke freshmen to propel their team to a 5th national title, three of which have been won in Indianapolis.  

As I sit on this plane in Indy and think back over the past 13 days, there aren't too many things I regret, if any.  I did A LOT and I feel it right now.  I still love traveling. That's the cool part.  I think I learned the value of not feeling like I have to do EVERYTHING and get to know EVERYONE while I travel.   The truth of the matter is that I'm one person and some people will want to talk and some won't.  In the same way, I'll be able to get to some sights and others I won't.  And that's ok.  It was valuable for me to be around people that are working on their craft and getting better brick by brick.  That gave me good perspective and drive to keep working on myself.  I'm a work in progress and that's ok.  Just like I won't be able to get to every sight or meet everyone in a city, I won't be able to master everything I choose to do, and I'll be able to improve at those things though.   Being gone taught me the value of routine.  I like waking up, making breakfast, drinking coffee, reading and writing before I get my day started whilst in Columbia.  I found it more difficult to do those things while out on the road especially when I got to Indy.  

Thanks for reading, folks.  Keeping this blog is a nice way for me to remember my trip and a way to stay connected to the fictional reader. 

Been a While

It's been a little while since I've posted so I wanted to get one out there in the space for all of you raving fans.  It's the day before I leave Indy (day 12 of Tripapalooza 2015) and, once again, the city hasn't disappointed. Many times when I have a "favorite" something, it invariably loses its luster after a while.  However, every time I come to Indy, my love for the city grows.  In my opinion, it's the best host city for a Final Four and being here during this special time I'm sure helps my thoughts on the city.  However I've been here several other times outside of the Final Four and it's been great then too.  The people is what make a city.  I've learned that this trip and will probably post more on that later, if I can remember that is.  But I've met some really cool people here.  The waiter at Weber Grill was the most hospitable.  Super friendly and genuine guy that made it easy to go there three times during my stay here.   

Anyway, I'm heading to the national title game tonight and am excited about that. Should be a really good time and good game. 

Putting a Bow on the NW

In the air to Indy now.  Still love in flight Internet.  Hard to believe I've been gone for 7 days now and I'm really glad I decided to stay in the NW.  Seattle was a pretty cool city and as I write this, I'm not sure I will go back.  Nothing against the city but I would rather explore around Portland more if I came back to this side of the country.  Also, as we were flying out of Seattle there appeared to be some beautiful scenery near Spokane so that would be something to check out.  

Here's some of that scenery: 

Look closely and there appears to be a snow capped mountain peeking through: 

I went back to Triple Door last night. It really is my kind of place.  Live music every night and great food. I highly recommend it if you're ever in Seattle.  There I go again writing this as though someone is reading this.  Saw JP Hennessy play last night.  Quite talented. Played a lot of covers and I liked the one original tune they played.  Here's so video of them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ulPPY4LyE

Was up at 4am this morning and caught a car to the airport.  Will be a little tired more than likely.  Looking forward to washing some clothes in an actual washing machine and not my bathroom sink. 

Kenmore Air

I saw an ad yesterday while on the ferry for scenic tour flights around Seattle.  I have designs on getting my pilots license one day so I decided I would give this a shot.  I called this morning and hustled down to the lake and made the flight.  The lady on the phone said that she couldn't guarantee me a seat if I didn't pay on the phone.  I declined to do this just incase I didn't make it by flight time and would risk that someone would get my seat.  How full was the flight you ask?  I was the only one.  I guess the Wednesday morning at 11:15 in April flight isn't in too high of a demand.  Will was my pilot and Danae, one of the representatives flew as well.  We flew in a  Dehavalind(sp) seaplane with a radial engine.  Beautiful old plane. Will told me the middle seat offered the best views but you know me, I wanted to sit up front.  It was awesome.  Extremely smooth ride offering beautiful views of the city.

And here's some video: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dielESXcegA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQtwOhrQm_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zls_WgoXKs

Local Coffee Spot

Just happened upon a great local coffee spot. Seems to be pretty big up here. Obviously they do pretty well since everything is branded with their name and it appears there is one on just about every corner.

S's and T's

THROWBACK TO 2009!  JUST FOUND THIS POST SITTING IN MY DRAFTS.  COOL LOOKING BACK ON THIS TRIP!

Finally have arrived in Tralee. Took about 5 hours and a bus changeover to get 'er done(yeah I just reference Larry the Cable Guy from Ireland), but there's always a bright side. I did get to see some great scenery and windmills.....or turbines as they're probably called now.

Anyway, just hanging out in an internet "cafe" at the moment.....feels more like a classroom because of the set up of the computers......oh and the fact that I had an assigned seat.

Sharing a small room at the Castle Hostel(hence the title of this post) with 3 other people.....two bunk beds.

I'm going to go take a quick nap before dinner in one of those beds...

Seagulls

Those of you that know me, know I'm a big seagull fan.  No, seriously.  Ever since I read Jonathan Livingston Seagull I have always noticed seagulls.

Honestly there is so much wrong with that opener.  I wrote it as if other people were reading this, which of course, they are not.  Which I why I can write sentences like this:  I toss pears over my right shoulder for good luck.  

The other thing that is wrong with that opener is the "noticed seagulls" line.  Who hasn't noticed seagulls?  Perhaps not everyone, but of course I have.  They are birds and they are everywhere.  Here's some footage from the ferry today:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8uamSGgRqE

Anyway, in all seriousness, it was neat looking at the gulls around the ferry today.  Some of them were fighting with each other, others were looking for food scraps and others just looked content to fly around the ferry.  In the context of the book by Richard Bach, which I HIGHLY recommend, these gulls acted the way I would expect them to.  The line from that book that stuck out to me today was, "Here were gulls that thought like I thought."  To me, Jonathan had found like-minded gulls; gulls that were working on themselves to be the best they could be.  Anyway, I won't spoil the book.  Watching the gulls was encouraging especially given where I am in life today and the things I'm trying to do.  

Connor Shaw

How could I forget?  Connor Shaw doing a little promo work up here:

If you did a double take like I did, hug a cab driver today.....like I did.  

Seattle Whirlwind

So after my nap I was thinking of taking it easy today in Seattle.  Well I didn't.  I ended up walking around a good bit of the city, "bumped" into the Space Needle, rode the monorail and am now enjoying some really cool live music at Triple Door.  Happened upon this place on Urban Spoon(not sure why I separated it into two words) and it turns out it's a Zagat rated place and features what I'm sure will be great Asian food.

Here are some sights: 

Oh yeah and I went down to the Pike Market 

To be honest, and maybe it's because I was tired, I wasn't totally impressed with the market and the Space Needle.  The folks at the Needle weren't very welcoming and it was uberly, don't worry, it's a word, crowded.  And the weather was rough so I couldn't see much. However I would much rather be at the top of the Astoria Column than the Needle.  But that's just me.  Anyway, I'm about to enjoy this:

While listening to these guys: