Time to Catch-Up!

Greetings from Exeter!! You're all probably wondering where we've been!! So sorry it's been so long since our last entry.  We've been back in Exeter for about a week, recovering from our AMAZING trip!!  Since we wrote last, we finished the last major leg of our April journey-Ireland!!

Ireland was absolutely fabulous and it was a great way to end a great trip!  We had beautiful weather most of the trip, with the exception of the first full day we were there, when it drizzled a little bit.  It didn't damper our spirits too much though because we were on an awesome walking tour around the city of Dublin.  Our tour guide was lovely and very energetic and told us lots of stories about Irish and Dublin history.  One of our favourites turned out to have a very important piece of advice attached-never take drinks from a dodgy Englishman (Kara will have to keep that in mind!)!  We finished the tour and had a late lunch at a nice, cozy little pub.  As can be imagined, there were a lot of those in Dublin!  We then headed back to Trinity College which we'd seen on the tour to check out the library there and the Book of Kells-an old Irish manuscript of the Gospels.  It was absolutely fantastic to see something so scared and so old!  One of the rooms in the library, the Long Room, was astonishingly beautiful.  It had most of the library's old volumes in it, from floor to ceiling-remarkable! Later that night, we embarked on a pub crawl (yes, a pub crawl) and it turned out to be a lot of fun!

The next day, we ventured outside of Dublin, to a little port town called Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary-we learned that the hard way).  Despite a little trouble with pronunciation and transportation, we finally made it there and we were so glad we did!  They had a very lovely market there, with all kinds of yummy food, crafts, and other odds and ends.  It was such a nice day and the park was beautiful with lots of flowers and trees.  It didn't seem real!  We had lots of great treats, including amazing falafel and a delicious chocolate brownie.  We sat on one of the piers for a while and just enjoyed the beauty of the day.  Later that afternoon, we wandered around  Temple Bar and had great Cajun food for dinner.  Afterwards, we went to a pub and tried a Guinness (Kara wasn't a big fan) and listened to Irish music.  It was a fantastic day!

Monday we ventured outside the city again, this time into the Wicklow Mountains.  We went on a guided bus tour, which was really nice and the driver/guide was very entertaining, making it that much more fun.  The scenery and landscape is hard to describe-the only thing we can really say is that if you picture what you think Ireland would look like, this was it-only better!!  While we loved Dublin, we were really glad to have been able to get outside the city and see Ireland at its best and most beautiful.  Ireland was absolutely amazing-Kara thinks it might have been her favourite, but she's really not sure.  We've loved every single place we've been, but we still have more to see!

Our last, albeit minor, part of the adventure was a 2-day layover of sorts in London.  The royal wedding being so soon when we were there (already over a week ago), there were SO many people/tourists in the city!  It wasn't too much fun to be jostled around on the Underground, but we still had a pretty good time.  On the first full day there, we got to see Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.  We were sad though, because we couldn't go into the Abbey-we'd just missed the closing time by 10 minutes!! We did get to see the Supreme Court building and also the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.  We didn't know that Big Ben was actually attached to the Houses of Parliament.  Learn something new all the time!!  We even ventured to Oxford Street where all the major shopping is.  Needless to say, we will NEVER do that again!! There were so many people around that they had to close the entrances to the Underground for a while due to crowding!! Yikes!!

The next day, we explored Kensington Palace and hunted for the seven princesses that have lived there.  It was like an interactive museum and an art gallery all mixed together-it was a lot of fun and the palace also had beautiful gardens.  We also went to the Tower of London that day and saw the Crown Jewels and some of the old royal armour.  We also got to wander around the Natural History Museum.  The highlight of the London trip though was seeing the Phantom of the Opera at the theatre.  Being our first theatre performance, we were ecstatic.  Although Kara had seen others before, this one has now become her favourite!! We were singing the songs for days!!!

Although we had a great time the few days we were in London, we were REALLY REALLY REALLY ready to be back in Exeter!! Three weeks of travelling can be exhausting!!  We finally arrived back last Friday and spent most of the week vegging and watching movies and not doing that much.  However, Kara has exams coming up soon, so she'll have to start studying-BOO!!  She's assured us though that our adventures are DEFINITELY not over!!  We'll be exploring Exeter and the university campus soon and hopefully going to other places in England as well.  There may even be a trip to Wales in the works soon!!  So, expect to be hearing more from us.  In the meantime, we're excited to share a few pictures of our travels thus far.  Enjoy!!

On the bus from London to Edinburgh-it was a LONG ride!

Aunt Ka having a taste at the whiskey distillery in Scotland

At the hostel in Edinburgh-we were EXHAUSTED!

On the Isle of Skye, we went to the capital town-Portree-and went to an AMAZING bakery.  That flapjack (kind of like a granola bar) was delicious!

Chillin' on a park bench in a tiny little Scottish town

Us and Kara at Loch Ness-we were sad that Nessie didn't show! :(

On our way to Rome!!

With Kara at the Piazza Navona-the fountains were beautifully lit up at night!

On the Palatine Hill in Rome

Rome was all about the food-this was fantastic lasagne!

With Kara at the Vatican!

Our suitcase has been decorated with stickers from each of the places we've been.

We climbed 551 steps to get to the top of the dome at the Vatican-

but the view was well worth it!

A beautiful statue at the Vatican Museum.

The ceilings in the Museum were magnificent-this picture doesn't do them justice!

On our way to Holland!

But one last gelato first!

The amazing pancake-pizza creations in Leiden-so good!

Amsterdam!

We couldn't leave Holland without a picture of a windmill!

Going to Dublin next!

But first a sunny sit by the canal in Leiden.

Us at Trinity College, Dublin.

In the lovely little port town of Dun Laoghaire.

In the Wicklow Mountains-BEAUTIFUL!!

Completing the journey-off to London!

We made friends with a peacock at the Natural History Museum.

-The Flats

Hello from Holland

We can't believe how quickly time is passing!!  Our adventures in Rome were great and we were sad to leave.  Since we wrote last, we've done so much!  Last Sunday in Rome, we went to a huge flea market in Porta Portese.  We'd never seen so much stuff in our lives!  There were all kinds of vendors, from food to clothing, jewelry and everything in between.  We wandered around and were completely overwhelmed by the number of people there.  Kara got some good deals and bought 2 scarves for 2 euros, as well as some gifts for a few friends.  It was cloudy, but it was a nice contrast to the hot sun we'd had earlier in the weekend.  We wandered around with Julia and Kara and got to see some more of Rome.  We also had some amazing lasagna for dinner and had more gelato (of course). 

On Monday we went to the Vatican.  It was so surreal to be there and see everything, from the Basilica to the Sistine Chapel.  We climbed 551 steps to get to the top of the Cupola (dome) and the view was breathtaking (quite literally).  We wandered all over the Basilica and tried to take good mental pictures since the lighting wasn't great for the cameras.  We had pizza for lunch and then went to the Vatican Museum, where the Sistine Chapel is.  It was absolutely beautiful, but we had a bit of a neck-ache after looking up for so long.  The day was made complete by more gelato and some souvenir shopping.

We left Rome on Tuesday and were sad about it because we wished we could stay longer, but then we were on our way to the third part of our adventure-Holland! We are staying in the city of Leiden, where Julia is studying this semester.  The town is beautiful and is a perfect example of what you think an old European or Dutch city would look like.  There are lots of canals and windmills (both old and new).  On Wednesday, we went to one of the weekly markets and wandered around the city.  The weather was nice (sunny, but cooler than Rome) and we had tea on a boat in one of the canals.  We also had the opportunity to try a Dutch specialty-pannenkoeken.  Picture some kind of hybrid between a pizza and a pancake with stuff on top and that's what it was.  Because they were so big, Julia and Kara split two-one with bacon and cheese and another with apple and pineapple.  They were AMAZING!!  Yesterday, we ventured into Amsterdam, which is about 40 minutes from Leiden.  Although we really didn't do anything concrete (tours, museums, etc.), it was nice to wander around such an interesting and diverse city.  We had a nice long lunch at a cute little bar/cafe and did some souvenir shopping.  We also had Amsterdam fries-apparently a big deal since they're everywhere!! Kara even discovered that she likes mustard on her fries!! :)

We've had a great time in Holland and it's amazing that time is flying so fast.  Today, we'll be on our way to the last leg of our epic European adventure-Ireland!!  We'll get in late tonight, but we'll be ready to do some exploring tomorrow and see what all the Land of the Irish has to offer.  We miss everybody and hope you're doing well.  As always, stay tuned for more!

-The Flats

Buongiorno di Italia!

We can't believe it, but we've made it to the second leg of our journey-Italy!!  The last day in Scotland was great.  We went to a bridge in the Highlands called Invermortison Bridge that may or may not have had something to do with the author of Peter Pan.  We also saw an old castle called Urquhart that was on the bank of one of the many lakes.  One of the highlights of the trip that day was venturing to Loch Ness.  Sadly, we didn't get to see the real Nessie.  Apparently, the tour guide was telling us that there isn't just one Nessie like is sometimes thought, but actually a whole family-up to 19 of them!!  We also saw some other amazing things that day, although they were a little sad.  We went to the Culloden Battlefield, where the Scottish lost a brutal battle to the English.  We also saw the Clava Cairns, which was something kind of similar to Stonehenge, although we could get really close to them.  Archaeologists really don't know what they were built for, but it's possible that they were part of some kind of burial ritual.  We then had lunch in a little town called Avineroe and we tried one of Scotland's famous delicacies-haggis!!  Kara only had a little bit, but it really wasn't that bad, considering what it's made of.  If you're really interested, Google it :).  Our trip ended with a nice dinner with some of the other people on the tour, and then we were off to the bus station to begin our journey to Rome!

We spent the night on the bus from Edinburgh to London.  It was a little unpleasant, but we slept most of it.  It was nice to see the sun rise as we got to London.  Most of the day was spent in London just walking around.  The weather was really nice, so Kara sat and read for a while.  We got onto the plane in London with no trouble and were then winging our way to Rome.

Rome has been absolutely fabulous!  Of utmost importance to us has obviously been the food.  We've already had gelato twice and we're sure that there will be more!  We had pizza the night we got here, and it was amazing.  Yesterday, we had pasta twice!! The pasta at dinner last night was so good-it had a cheesy, peppery sauce on it and it was in a bowl made of parmesan!!  Before that, we had a deep-fried artichoke as an appetizer.  We weren't really sure about it when the waiter brought it out, but after we'd finished eating it, we were absolutely POSITIVE!  Today we had a delicious panini for lunch and tonight we're making pizza at Ryan's (Kara's roommate Julia's friend).  We'll surely be heavier Flats when we get back!! 

Then there are the amazing sites! Yesterday, we saw the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps, as well as the Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain.  Today, we went to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.  It was our lucky day because the tickets to get in were free!!!  Although it's been very warm here in Rome, it's been a nice change from the wet and windy weather of Scotland.  We're looking forward to more fun food and sites in the next few days!  Stay tuned!

-The Flats

Aye, We're in Scotland!!

Aye, we're in Scotland!! The past few days have been great, but boy, have they been busy!! Saturday was hectic as we raced to get on the bus in Exeter to make our way to London.  We made the bus 5 minutes before it left!! What luck!!  The ride was pretty uneventful, but when we got to London, everything was all a-bustle! We arrived at London Victoria Station around 1:15 PM and it was PACKED.  We'd never seen that many people (real or flat) in our lives!!  We navigated through them though and made our way onto the Tube (the Underground system in London) to head to our hostel in Saint Russell's Square.  It took us an hour to get there and we were SO glad to finally  make it.  We checked in and then had lunch at an AMAZING little Italian restaurant.  We are surely going to be gaining some weight on this trip-so much good food!!

On Sunday, we woke up early to head off to Edinburgh.  We spent 9, yes, 9, hours on the bus to get there.  Needless to say, we had to do a lot to keep ourselves busy.  We played cards and did word searches, ate lunch and took naps.  We finally made it to Edinburgh around 7:00 in the evening.  After getting settled in our hostel, which looked like an old castle, complete with several suits of armour, we were absolutely knackered (an English/Scottish term for tired), so we went to bed pretty early.

On Monday, our tour to the Highlands of Scotland began.  We met up with our tour group, which has been led by an awesome guide named Chris and we've made our way around the Scottish Highlands in a bright blue bus.  Poor Kara has had some seriously bad luck since she got here.  Poor thing spilled a cup of coffee yesterday and then slipped and fell in the mud today.  Luckily, these little mishaps haven't gotten her down. 

We've done and seen some great things since we've been here.  It would take ages to explain everything.  Luckily, Kara has been keeping pretty good notes and taking lots of pictures, so we'll remember everything we've done here.  We've seen lots of beautiful scenery-Scotland, despite its stereotypically described awful weather, is really quite stunning and we think the mist and clouds only add to its appeal.  We've met hairy 'coos' (this is the way it's pronounced-promise it's not a spelling error) and been introduced to the faeries that live in the hills.  We were even inside a castle today.  Yesterday, we went to a whiskey distillery and learned how whisky is made.  We might even have had a little sip or two!  Today, we went to a wonderful little town on the Island of Skye called Portree for lunch.  They had carrot cake that rivaled Kara's mom's-it was delicious!!!  Tomorrow, we're hoping to get to see Nessie, the creature in Loch Ness.  Then we'll be back off to London to embark on the next leg of our adventure-Italy!!

Stay tuned for more about our great adventure!

-The Flats

We're So Excited..And We Just Can't Hide It!!!

Hi Everybody!!

You might be curious about this whole 'flats' business.  Let us introduce ourselves-we are the Flat versions of Kara's Aunt Karen and Cousin 'Toria.  She's going on an amazing adventure, and she's taking us along!!  That's why we're so excited!! As a thank-you to her, we've decided to document our trip here, so that all of you can hear and see what's going on.

We're all packed and ready to go!  We're a little nervous because we've never really done anything like this before, but hey, it's an adventure right?? We'll leave early in the morning to take a bus to London.  Then we'll spend the night in London and get on another bus the next day to go to Edinburgh, Scotland.  We'll be taking a tour from Edinburgh and going to a few different places like Loch Ness.  We're hoping we get to see Nessie!!  Anyway, Kara needs to finish her packing and get some sleep, but stay tuned for more exciting news about our trip.  We're so excited, and we just can't hide it!!!

-The Flats