It all started when I realized I had way too many unused days of PTO... I had time to use or lose so I called up two of my favorite road trip companions and the rest as they say, is history. I am so grateful that I have a Mom and Gramma who would jump at the chance to spend time with me and take me on adventures. As I'm getting older I'm starting to realize how much the adventures I've been on with these two ladies have shaped me into the person I am. They infected me with a life-long wanderlust very early on in life and they help feed the addiction every chance they get. Even when I'm not with them on adventures, I take them with me.
We just spent the past week (February 22-25) road tripping through Northern Arizona. Here are some of the highlights of our trip:
{Lake Havasu}
{Quartzsite}
{Tuzigoot}
{Montezuma's Castle}
{Montezuma's Well}
It was at the end of trail coming back from Montezuma's Well where a man with an exotic accent stopped us and asked,"Three generations?" Followed by "All the same... young". Without knowing it he summed up our little adventure with just a few accented words. Age wasn't a factor on this trip. We were all free from age and responsibility for a few days, and it was a beautiful thing.
After making a few quick stops in Cork on Thursday morning, we headed over to the train station to begin our journey to Dublin. Everyone on my team is located in a different office (Lehi, Austin, & Czech Republic) so the other reason for this trip was to have some bonding time as a team. Taking a team trip to Dublin seemed like the perfect opportunity for bonding time ;)
The train ride was about 2.5 hours through the Irish countryside and I was in love... Ireland is just as green (or greener) as I dreamed it would be, and I loved catching glimpses of the cozy farm houses and fields of sheep.
A video posted by Wendy Abbott (@mrswendyabbott) on
After we got settled into the hotel we headed out to the Temple Bar area for some live music & good food. We ended up at a cute little authentic Italian place called La Dolce Vita. I had the most amazing spicy pesto spaghetti...mmmmmm!
{Irish White house- Left & Arch/ alley from PS I love you-right}
{National gallery of Ireland- right}
After dinner we walked over to the National Gallery of Ireland. Admission was free, but there were only a couple of exhibits open so I was a little sad I didn't get to see more.
The next morning we started with a free 3 hour walking tour of the city. Our tour guide was awesome and told us lots of local lore and stories as we walked around.
One of my favorite stories he told us was about the band U2. The band started on the main street in the Temple Bar area. They came for a battle of the bands & lost, but they were offered a record deal from someone in the audience anyways. They attempted to go out for a drink to celebrate but they were under-age so the doorman wouldn't let them in. One thing lead to another and the doorman ended up pushing Bono and in response Bono declared; "We're going to be big, and when we are we're going to come back and buy this place!" and now they own like half the street (worth several hundred million dollars). Pretty cool.
{Dublin Castle}
When dignitaries from the EU come to visit Dublin, they land on this field outside of Dublin Castle (it doubles as a heli-pad). Queen Elizabeth has landed here.
{Dublin Castle}
Our tour guide told us that this statue of Lady Justice is unlike any other in the world. There are several things wrong with her: 1) no blind fold 2) she faces the castle instead of the people 3) she has a sword and it's not in a sheath 4) one of her scales is deeper than the other and the scales used to tip unevenly when it rained. The first official act when Ireland gained independence was to drill holes in the scales so the water wouldn't build up and tip the scales.
{Dublin Castle}
{Dublin Castle}
{Christ Church Cathedral}
{Christ Church Cathedral}
{Christ Church Cathedral}
{Trinity College}
{Trinity College}
{National Leprechaun Museum}
After the tour we headed over to the National Leprechaun Museum. This museum was a lot of fun. It was highly interactive and involved going through fairy forests, rooms with giant furniture, passing through a rainbow, and a lot more. We also had a tour guide who took us through the exhibits and told us stories. Where else can you go to a Leprechaun Museum?
Next we went to see some of beautiful bridges that cross the River Liffey.
{Ha' Penny Bridge}
Officially named the Liffey Bridge, it gets its nickname because it used to cost a half-penny to cross the bridge.
{Ha' Penny Bridge}
{Spire of Dublin-right}
The Spire is the tallest piece of street art in the world.
{Samuel Beckett Bridge}
{Samuel Beckett Bridge}
{James Joyce statue}
{Doors of Dublin}
I fell head over heels for the Georgian-style Doors of Dublin. They were everywhere and came in every color of the rainbow.
{Doors of Dublin}
I seriously had such a great time in Dublin, I only wish I had more than one full day to see the city. But I have a feeling I'll be back someday.
The flight home was another journey... I flew from Dublin to Paris, Paris to Atlanta, and Atlanta to Salt Lake. After all that I was so happy to come home and be back with my boys and sleep in my own bed. My week on the Emerald Isle already feels like a dream...
