(I wrote most of this typed text on the flight home yesterday.....the handwritten portion was from this morning)
Mom and I are flying back from Shannon to Philadelphia at the moment. We'll catch our connecting flight to Charlotte soon after landing and so will end another wonderful time of travel for me.
Officially now I have traveled to 12 countries. This trip added 5 more countries to this list:
Ireland (2009 and 2018)
Scotland (2009 and 2018)
England (2009 and 2015)
France (2009)
Spain (2009 and 2017)
Cuba (2017)
Switzerland (2018)
Wales (2015)
Germany(2018)
Austria (2018)
Poland (2018)
Czech Republic (2018)
There were so many highlights from this trip. Here are a few that pop to mind. Most, if not all of these, have individual posts associated with them so I'll be brief here:
- That first night in Copenhagen was so much fun. I could have hopped back on the plane the next day and considered this a full trip. It contained so many things that I look for when I travel and in life in general. Things like: Discovering a new place. Challenging myself with navigating public transportation in a new place. Meeting and talking with locals. Meeting fellow travelers. Enjoying local food and drink. Deep conversation.....thank you Frederick and Frederick for talking with me. So awesome. It also included dancing....something I usually shy away from. I was able to enjoy the moment....there were many to enjoy that day and night. Such great, clean fun.
- The Friday night in Prague was epic. It was a true local experience as I got to do things tourists normally don't get to experience. Robert, you're the man. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality.
- Auschwitz was incredible. I'm glad I got to see it. I thought Wally was right: that I'd only want to see it once. Honestly I would be open to going back after talking with Mom and telling her about it. She has a desire to see it. Plus after seeing the Documentation Centre in Munich I see that there is so, so much more to learn about the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
- Seeing the scenery and experiencing the people of Germany and Austria was quite nice. As referenced several times before, Michaela was awesome in Lindau. Seeing the Alps and going to the top of the Zugspitze was a really fun experience. It was also hilarious that I thought I was in Germany when I was really in Austria at one point. Oops.
- Driving on the Autobahn was fantastic and exhilarating. I'll leave it at that.
- Walking the Highline 179 was really cool. I'm very glad I did that.
- FaceTiming with Alexandra while driving through Austria was a real treat!
- Experiencing the scenery in Garmisch-Partenkirchen was so peaceful.
- Meeting Mom as she got off the plane in Edinburgh was hilarious and awesome. Hearing her say, "We're in Scotland. Can you believe it," instantly melted any amount of fear and anxiety I had about that part of the trip not being enjoyable for her.
- Driving on the left side of the road was a real challenge and I ended up loving it. Early on it was stressful. Thankfully no pedestrians, cars, bicycles, motorcycles or sheep were injured as a result of my driving. Huge apologies to the cone I hit in Edinburgh.
- Playing Turnberry was a dream come true. Flat out amazing. It was also my first experience with being in a place across the globe that I had been before. The emotions that arose within me were unexpectedly and welcome.
- The ferry ride from Cainryn to Belfast was a high level experience.
- Landing and driving a few hours in Ireland that first day was really fun. It cracks me up that the first meal we had in Ireland was Subway! At least the guy working was wearing a green shirt.
- Stopping in Tralee and seeing Stephen at Castle Hostel was a real treat.
- Dingle, the Connor Pass and the Slea Head Drive were all beautiful. Seeing Fungi the Dolphin and taking that boat ride was a great way to start our second and last day on the Dingle Peninsula.
- Seeing places my Dad and Brother saw in Ireland like Ballybunion and Lahinch was neat. Their trip to Ireland was almost 30 years ago.
- Stepping back into McDermott's Pub was another flood of emotions in Doolin as that was one of the first places I visited outside of the US back in 2009. It was yet another place that I learned that God will take care of me.
- And last but not least: The conversations with Mom(that I'm not going to post here) around all sorts of topics including family history, memories of my childhood and much more were a real blessing and I can't thank her enough for being willing to travel together and for her showing up in a real way during this trip. The time I had with her was something that was needed and something that I will never forget.
And for a few more logistics:
Things Mom and I Did:
- Picked up the rental car from Scott the friendly Scotsman at Easirent.
- Walked through Edinburgh stopping in St. Mary's Cathedral. Walked around the base of Edinburgh Castle and through the gardens there.
- Drove to Inverness stopping in the roadside rest area.
- Tour of Isle of Skye from Inverness during he first full day Mom was here. Walked through Donan Eilan Castle on this tour. Saw Loch Ness.
- Drove to Turnberry and Mom followed along as I played the Ailsa Course there.
- Drove through Stranraer and saw The Old Manse where I stayed back in 2009. Grabbed sandwiches at Morrison's grocery store on the way to the ferry. Was asked if we had a loyalty card and promptly responded with a polite "no."
- Ferried from Cainryn, Scotland to Belfast, Ireland.
- Drove to Nenagh, Ireland. Had Subway on the way.
- Stopped in Adare, Ireland on the way to Dingle.
- Stopped for lunch in Tralee and also to talk with Stephen at Castle Hostel where I stayed back in 2009. Also walked through the rose garden in Tralee and stopped at a sporting goods store.
- Drove the Connor Pass to Dingle stopping along the way for pictures and I took a brief hike up one of the hills. Saw sheep up close for the first time.
- Listened to Traditional Irish Music in Dingle at O'Sullivan's.
- Fungi Dolphin Tour in Dingle.
- Slea Head Drive stopping for pictures and a picnic with really good Egg Salad sandwiches and crisps. Fed the sheep and pony along the way. Swung through the Blasket Island Visitor Center briefly. This drive started and ended in Dingle.
- Stayed in Ballybunion. Walked across the golf course to the ocean. Ate at McGann's Pub which was really good after quite a wait.
- Visited Bromore Cliffs outside of Ballybunion. Petted Bart the horse here.
- Stopped in Targert at Swanky's Pub. Then ferried across on our way to Doolin. 20 minute ferry ride.
- Arrived in rainy Doolin and had dinner and listened to Irish Music At O'Connor's Pub.
- Visited The Cliffs of Moher Visitor's Center outside of Doolin.
- Took a boat ride out to the Cliffs of Moher and lived to tell about it.
- Drove to Shannon and stayed near the airport.
- Rode to the airport with Bob the taxi driver.
- Duty Free Shop in Shannon airport.
- Airport Lounge in Shannon airport.
And here are my thoughts from this morning. I was flooded with a huge amount of gratitude when I wrote this morning. I wanted to place it here:
Readers, thanks so much for following along throughout this journey. It's been a real pleasure to share with you(and me for my memory's sake) the thoughts, feelings and experiences from Europalooza 2018.
And here's a map of locations visited:
And here's a map of locations visited:
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