Europe 6-29-09

We got up this morning and had a continental type breakfast. We went back to Warwick to have some free time before it was opened to the public. We went around the Castle and the wax figures were so real looking, they extremely scared me. I decided to go to the dungeon attraction with Sterling, Jermaine, and Chenita. There were two other people also, who were from California. "Fred" from "Flinstoneville" led the way and was usually used for the example. It really was scary though, and me and Sterling were screaming the whole time like little girls. After that we had a small lunch at the castle, did last minute souvenir shopping, and left. We drove on the bus for another long trip to London. Once we arrived we went on the London Eye. There were beautiful sights of the whole city that we saw while we were on it. Everything was so beautiful at the top. We got our picture taken while we were still on the pod, but it was too expensive to buy. I thought it was really fun. We had dinner sometime. I really love London, it is so big and exciting. We went back to our hotel outside of the main parts of London, but it still took like an hour to get there. Before I went to bed I took a shower and hung up the clothes I had just cleaned to dry. It took them like almost three days to dry. I stayed in a couch bed but it was actually very comfortable and I had a good night's sleep.

Europe 6-28-09

Today we got up and ate breakfast at the hostel. I didn't like the hostel because it was scary to me. After breakfast we went to the castle for the Full On Experience. I wasn't very scared going down the wall, just really excited. It was a great adrenaline rush. After leaving the castle we traveled for a while to England. We stopped at a rest stop, where I got some great chocolate. We had lunch sometime but I really can't remember. I think then we went to Warwick Castle and trained in sword fighting, archery, and something else which I forgot what it was called. We had dinner at the castle, which consisted of chicken and jacket potatoes. After dinner we watched them fire a flaming ball with I think the worlds largest trebuchet. It was very neat but my camera died so I'll have to remember in my mind. We went to a hotel nearby and went to bed.

Europe 6-27-09

Today we woke up super early so we could eat breakfast and get to the ferry. I finished packing my bag quickly and ate a small breakfast and then it was off to the ferry. We spent quite a while on it, like 3 hours. I slept most of the time, listened to my MP3 player, and got on the Internet. We got to Wales and ate lunch. At the place we ate, we took pictures of the cliffs, lighthouse, and ocean. Then we got on the bus and had a small history lesson at an ancient burial site. We also stopped at the train station with the longest name. We went to the hostel and ate dinner, then went to Full On where we broke a board. I have done breaking before but it was my first hand break. We then went back to the hostel.

Europe 6-26-09

We got to Dublin last night and had a great dinner. We stayed at IMI. This morning we had a small breakfast and then went into the city for a tour and shopping! We drove around the city and saw some famous sites. After the tour we walked to the statue of Molly Malone. They asked if anybody knew the song and since I did I almost got forced to sing. I still have the song stuck in my head. So then we went shopping in the city. Our group had a slight argument about where to go but when we finally agreed we all got something that we really wanted. We went back to the hotel and the rest of the delegation ate. I met my cousin and ate with them. I had a great and memorable day in Ireland.

Europe 6-25-09

We woke up this morning to another wonderful breakfast. We had the same thing as yesterday. I think I liked the bacon best. We then said goodbye to our homestay host and went out to wait for the bus at 7:45. We waiteed and waited and waited until it finally came around 8. We drove for about an hour, but I was sleeping. We went on a boat tour to the island where we would get on a jaunty cart. A few people had allergies to the horses but I really enjoyed the ride. Our driver stopped and Echo Lake, and when he yelled we found out why that is it's name. After the ride many of us got ice cream and now we are on our way to Dublin.

Europe 6-24-09

Hey Guys,

Today was the most wonderful and exciting day. We started the day with a great breakfast from our host. I consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, juice, cereal, and yogurt. Some of the girls didn't care much for it, especially the meats, however I ate all of my food. About 15 minutes after breakfast we headed for the bus with our day packs on our backs. We picked up the rest of the delegation from their home stays and went on our way to cut peat. They've had wonderful weather here so the bog was rather dry, which was nice to keep us from getting muddy. After going to the bog we went to do community service with some of the local teens. It was nice to talk to them while we were working and very interesting playing some of their common games. We left to eat lunch at the beach and then built a fire structure for the night's ceili and the beach for St. Johns Day. We were going to take a hike but instead we went up to an old fort and took lots of pictures. It was neat to see the structures. Oh, and while we were building the fire I got hit by a tree right above my eye, leaving a pitiful bump, bruise, and small scrape. Then it was off to the GAA to play Gaelic Football, which was very fun and painful. It hit my foot wrong on the ball which really hurt my ankle, but I was still able to make a goal and almost another, both at the sidelines. We did a scavenger hunt and then went to dinner. After that we went to the Ceili and learn to dance Irish style, where I got hurt again. It was a kind of a painful day but very exciting and well worth it.

Europe June 23, 2009

Hey Guys,
Throughout my European Vacation, I have been writing in a journal. So when I get a chance I'm going to post what I write. I have been having a great time here. I REALLY enjoyed Ireland and missed it the second we left. But it's okay because I like England and have the rest of the countries to look forward to and I know I will be returning to Ireland someday. So here's what I wrote in my Journal on 6-23-09.

Day 1 of My Journey
Today was mainly just full of travel. We left the Detroit Airport to Newark on the smallest plane I have ever been on. We were all a bit nervous that delays would cause us to miss our connection flight from Newark to Shannon, but luckily the Shannon flight was also delayed. The plane ride was a bit long, but free entertainment and good food helped that. The view from the plane was amazing at times. When we landed in Shannon, it didn't feel like we were in a different country but at the same time I was really excited. From the airport we went to Bunratty Castle. The history of the area was very interesting to hear from our tour guide. We walked around a bit on our own and I bought my very first souvenirs of an already great trip. From Bunratty we traveled another four hours or so to Cahersiveen. We saw great views of mountains, the Irish Sea, and the towns. I think we all fell asleep though for a while as we were worn out from the trip. At one point I woke up and the whole bus was asleep, heads bobbing and all. Once we reached Cahersiveen we had a quick history and language lesson. The only word I remember is Failte, which means welcome. We ate dinner and then went to our homestay guest houses. The lady was maybe a little short tempered, but very nice to us. I really appreciate the great welcome we have received here in Ireland. It has been a great day.

Love,
Teresa Rae