Quick check in

Just a quick pop in to say: not dead, and I will be continuing.
I'm in the process of moving right now and things have been a little crazy, but posts should resume shortly!

Thailand Day 6 - Part Five

End of Day Six! Wow that took awhile.



We left the Grand Palace around... 3-3:30 in the afternoon I think. And got some street food on the way to... more food.
This is a quail egg fried. It was super delicious.

Thailand Day 6 - Part Four

Continuing on at the Grand Palace!



Here is where our guide told us you can tell a monkey from a demon because monkeys don't wear shoes (obviously).

Thailand Day 6 - Part Three

Still Grand Palace!



More tile work~

Thailand Day 6 - Part Two

Continuing on with the Grand Palace!




Super grand

Thailand Day 6 - Part One

Leisurely starts to the day are the best!

We did some internet searching in the morning, or the night before I can’t remember, to figure out our path for the day. Then after breakfast we took the train one stop over to where it connects with the river bus (I LOVE the river bus by the way).

To the Grand Palace!

Thailand Day 5

Day 5 was a mostly travel day!
We decided to set no alarms, and just wake when we wake.



Flower from our balcony.
I was actually on top of my packing, so while the others finished their packing I took in the view.

Goodbye Ko Samet!

Thailand Day 4

Had some hiccups there, but continuing on!
This is sort of a weird day in thaaaat we went snorkeling for most of the day and I don't have an underwater camera.

Anyway, we walked to a neighboring hotel who had an agreement with a snorkeling tour, booked that, and then hung out on the beach at our hotel. The day started out really overcast, so I have.. one photo:



Anyway, so:



Zooming away!

Thailand Day 3

This day all fits in one post, picture wise.

The day started out really meh, but glossing over that 8D We got a taxi to the train station (which took awhile, because they kept not wanting to do meter for us), and then train to the bus station.

Once there Jey had a blog post which had laid out the process (I don’t remember the name of the blog D:), but we weren’t sure which bus it meant and so went across the street for wi-fi at a cafe.

My coconut yumminess.

Thailand Day 2 - Part Three

End of day 2!

From the Marble Temple we stopped following that guide, and looked at a map and decided to just take a really big circle and walk back towards our hostel and just see what we could see. And then we saw signs for the Golden Mount and thought hey, that sounds vaguely familiar from a blog post I’d read, and we headed that way!

Thailand Day 2 - Part Two

Marble Temple!

So I’d read this was a DON’T MISS, and it was near to our hostel, so it worked out!

Marble Temple things!

Thailand Day 2 - Part One

Had a bit of an issue uploading the next batch of pics, but finally got some up!

Took LOTS of pictures on day two, so I’ll have to break this up.

So we pretty much got up and went! I’d read that the Marble Temple area has some nice stuff around it, and it looked like a 15-20 min walk from our hostel, so we thought that sounded good and I’d printed out this page as a really general guide.

Part one!

Thailand Day 1!

A'ight, Thailand!

So we were supposed to leave on August 28th, crazy early in the morning (I don't remember the exact time now, but 1am-ish), and that flight was cancelled! D: "Mechanical failure" I think is what they said. There was a lot of running around due to that, but we were able to get rescheduled for the next night, and I spent Thursday putzing and cleaning.

Also due to the reschedule, instead of a 10 hour layover in Taiwan, during which we were going to leave the airport and explore, we had only 1.5-2 hours, putting us into Bangkok earlier in the day than we were scheduled to.

Thailand - go!

I really meant to have some lead up to this, and talk about my planning and such, but it's been a bit of a whirlwind.

Anyway, leaving tonight for Thailand!
Technically, leaving in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

We'll be getting into Taipei again in the wee hours of the morning, for an 8 hour layover where hopefully we can have a mad dash into the city, and then to Bangkok! We get in at 13:20, so enough time to drop our bags at our hostel and wander around EATING.

I haven't been able to find my netbook, so updating on the go will probably not happen, sadly.
But you never know!

Europe Day 35 - Part Final!

The last part of the last day in Europe!

What a trip!

I’m in the beginning stages of plotting my next trip, but I have to wait to see how some Life Things pan out before planning in earnest.

Anyway, finishing up at the British Museum :D

When I took this, I thought I might use it as a desktop background.

It’s a close up on a gold cloak.

The LAST batch of photos!

Europe Day 35 - Part Four

Still working on the British Museum!

Just a little more Egypt, then some other stuff!

Europe Day 35 - Part Three

Still at the British Museum!

In Egypt now :D

This is Nebamun. He is hunting.

More Egypt!

Europe Day 35 - Part Two

So, British Museum!
I guess I took a lot of pictures.



Pocket watches!

More museum pics

Europe Day 35 - Part One

Last full day in Europe ;_;

We left our hotel in Bath in the morning, though here are some pics from the window:

Onto London!

Europe Day 34 - Part Five

End of the day! So after I dropped my gramma off back at the hotel, she was done walking for the day, I changed into my Regency!

I rushed into putting it on, because back at the Assembly Rooms, the ticket was good for one admission, but I talked to the front desk and explained I’d brought this dress could I pleeeease come back? And she said okay. And they close at 5, and it was nearing 4.

WELL. Actually the last admission is at 4, and they’d closed and locked the doors, from the outside, already!

So I wasn’t able to get any pics in the actual assembly room. Which was disappointing, but then I also realized I had no one to take the picture anyway.

So then my sister and I met at our prearranged meeting spot at 5 and headed to the Royal Crescent for pictures!

I thought this dress would cover my shoes, whoops!

More pics!

Europe Day 34 - Part Four

Why hello there Jane Austen Centre!

Europe Day 34 - Part Three

So we left the costume portion of the museum, which was sort of a fun adventure (getting there too) because of it being an old building, the wheelchair could only go a specific way, which was like through their storage area.

To the Assembly Rooms!

Europe Day 34 - Part Two

Still at the Museum of Costume, in Bath~

REGENCY ROOM

I really like the sleeve and bodice detailing on this!

Even More Dress Pics (not just Regency though)

Europe Day 34 - Part One

Another multi-parter, sorry. Not really.

Anyway, the plans for Bath were made before it was fully realized how not-very-mobile my gramma is. Also she thinks she can do more than she can, until she goes to do it.

So, in general, Bath is a very walkable city. Not so much for her! So plans ended up changing.

Anyway, so, first stop was The Museum of Costume, which is also the Assembly Rooms.

View Larger Map

You can see here, it’s really not that long of a walk. However, it’s all uphill, and cobblestones, and my gramma had some problems with it. So we were so thankful when we got there, that they were able to provide a wheelchair!

I took quite a few pictures, though not as many as I thought I did. The lighting indoors was very dim, to preserve the fabrics I’m sure. That, combined with the glass of the display cases and my none-too-steady hands, resulted in some shoddy pictures, alas. I still uploaded most of them to my flickr, but I’ll just post my favourites here.

Historical dress, hurrah!

Europe Day 33

Leaving Ireland day!

This day was hectic and not fun.

But here are some pics from actually the previous night.

This was taken standing in the road in front of our B&B.

B&B pics and travel stories

Europe Day 32 - Part Two

Back to Waterford!

More pics of pretty crystal-making~

Europe Day 32 - Part One

So this morning Lilly, the proprietress, explained hurling to us, because all the streets, houses, buses, everything, was decked out in black and hello flags or black and yellow checked flags (and here I thought they just really like Hufflepuff…). She said those were Kilkenny’s team colours, and that they were in the Irish All Around Final and had had a tie, and the rematch was soon. The sport sounded like a cross between football/soccer and hockey.

So we drove to Waterford!

Where the crystal is made!

Europe Day 31

Cradog! Our next, and final B&B.

I don’t have pics right now it seems, but the scenery was quite different from the previous B&B, now it was all soft rolling hills and fields.

Kilkenny Castle!

Europe Day 30 - Part Five

So remember that abbey seen in the background of the countryside pic taken from the cathedral?

Yeah that one, from slightly closer. Well, from when I first saw it, I was like “WHAT IS THAT! EXPLORING!” so after we left the cathedral proper, we climbed around the walls (all the rock outcroppings  that make it The Rock of Cashel are great for climbing about) and headed on down.

Hore Abbey!

Europe Day 30 - Part Four

Alright, final part of Rock of Cashel.

These final pics will be from the museum, and the room they had set up.

Europe Day 30 - Part Three

Anyway, back to the Rock of Cashel.

So we wandered the grounds after the tour, and took pictures of course.

Even More Castle Grounds!

Europe Day 30 - Part Two

The drive from Kerry to Kilkenny was fairly lengthy, in the afternoon we stopped at The Rock of Cashel! Which is another really cool ruinous castle, so called because it sits on a hill which is a large rock.

St. Patrick’s Rock of Cashel!

Europe Day 30 - Part One

Aww today, we checked out of Taobh Coille.

I really enjoyed our stay there. Agnes, the proprietress, was so fun and charming. She made us all feel very at home and was especially attentive to my gramma.

The last of Taobh Coille!

Europe Day 29 - Part Two

Killarney! We made it!

We stopped off a lot at  likely looking areas and took pictures, tramping off into the wild.

Killarney is a great hiking area and a huge tourist draw, for that reason. Hiking there is one of the things I’d wanted to do that didn’t work out, so, next time!

Killarney & Muckross!

Europe Day 29 - Part One

Day 29! So close to being done with this trip (in the beginning stages of plotting my next trip, which hopefully I’ll be more timely about blogging about…).

In the morning we set out to Kenmare, because there’s a lace museum there that was very highly recommended in the guide book.

Car pic! Probably from my sister. I didn’t take very many pics from the car, as the designated direction giver (which requires constant vigilance, as signs are not always common).

Kenmare!

Europe Day 28 - Part Four

We stopped for lunch somewhere in here, in Knight’s Town, which is the only real… town like thing there. It’s basically a main street. We had soup/sammiches, tea, and desserts, and then we browsed a cute used bookstore. And really… I don’t recall much else being there. Knight’s Town Coffee the place was called. It was nice.

Anyway then we went to the opposite end of the island from where we’d entered, where there’s a bridge back to the mainland. That’s where the coloured houses from last post were. By the bridge is a visitor’s center called The Skellig Experience. The skelligs are these two islands about 2miles or so off the coast that monks settled in the… 12th century I think it was. There’s hundreds of stairs carved into the mountains and the stone huts the monks built are still standing.

They have a shuttle… boat… thing to take you to Skellig Michael, and I reeeeally wanted to go because somehow I missed in the guidebook that you *could* go. But they didn’t have anymore that day, and my mum said we could come back the next day, it was close enough to our B&B, but I didn’t have any sort of suitable clothing with me (very wet, very cold). So, next time!

After the exhibit we crossed the bridge back onto the Ring of Kerry, and saw a sign for a local chocolate factory which sounded eeeepic. We followed the signs and… never found it. But we *did* see a sign for “The BEST view of Kerry.” So we stopped off there.

Get ready for THE BEST view!

Europe Day 28 - Part Three

Continuing on our island adventure, some cows.

Even more pics, but no more cows.

Europe Day 28 - Part Two

Still on Valentia Island!

It’s so pretty, I mean really. (btw, those triangles in the background, pretty sure those are the skellligs :D)

Valentia Island~ So pretty!

Europe Day 28 - Part One

Sunrise from my window!

Man this makes me really want to go back.

Ring of Kerry doings!

Europe Day 27

Even though I’m posting these after the fact, but quite a bit, I’m getting really sad I’m almost done ;_;

Last morning at Azure House. We met some very nice people there, and I wish I had their contact info.

After we said our good-byes and packed and such, it was off to the ring of Kerry.

We only made a few stops, as needed for stretching, food, and toilets. One of the stops was Adare, a very quaint and picturesque town.

And then onto Taobh Coille!

Europe Day 26 - Part Four

Last part of day 26 8D;;

I just took a lot of pictures this day.

Anyway, after Monasterboice we drove down to Trim Castle, but it turned out the last admittance was at 5pm, which was right then almost on the dot. It closed at 6pm anyway, I think, but we thought an hour for E and I to run through it while maybe gramma and mum ate or something would be fine.

It was fine though, E & I walked all around it and then took this “heritage walk,” which was so much fun and took us through some really neat ruins. The above pic of Trim Castle was taken then.

Ruins! This time with added countryside!

Europe Day 26 - Part Three

From Mellifont Abbey a short distance away is Monasterboice, our next location!

This place was a church or abbey or something until Mellifont came along. But mostly it’s known for it’s high crosses!

Monasterboice!

Europe Day 26 - Part Two

From Newgrange we went to Old Mellifont Abbey, which is basically an Abbey in ruin from the 12th century that is special because it’s  the first that used the cross shaped chapel area (that they know of).

There was a tiny tiny visitor’s center with a little museum area talking about the architecture, and the history of the place. Basically it was built onto over hundreds of years before being abandoned after some battle in… the 1600s? Or thereabouts. So there’s lots of different kinds of architecture.

Yay ruins!

Europe Day 26 - Part One

Newgrange day!

It’s a huge mound older than Stonehenge, which is a tomb but also maybe more, oooooh.

You drive up to a museum/exhibit building, which talks about the area and the tomb, and you can get your tour tickets. You can’t get to the tomb except through the tour.

Then there’s quite a, lovely, jaunt to walk to some buses, which take you to the mound.

Here’s the wiki, if you’re really curious: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange

Newgrange~!