Moher or Less

Slainte! That's Gaelic for "Cheers!" It feels like we've been going non-stop since we got back from Paris, and to say we're exhausted/somewhat numb today is an understatement, but it's been a great couple of weeks filled with fun sites, adventures, and best of all, time with family.

With a couple of weekends off, we decided to head to one of our wish-listed UK destinations for a day. Much like Oxford, MS, Oxford, England is a beautiful and historic city most famously known for its University. While Faulkner is a boast worthy alumnus, this Oxford boasts the likes of Stephen Hawking, countless olympians, actors and 26 Nobel Prize winners. This modern info graphic surprised me a bit as I expected their website to exhibit some of the similar imagery you see in person in the city, however, it has some pretty cool facts.

We wondered around the city and jumped onto a free walking tour hearing fascinating tidbits about Charles Dodgson's (Lewis Carroll as most know him) days as Vice Chancellor and his inspiration for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. We much enjoyed a stroll down the River Thames and seeing the many crew club houses that lined the river. Our favorite stop, though, was most definitely the Bodleian Library. No, it was not just because scenes from Harry Potter were filmed here or because J.R.R.Tolkien wrote much of his beloved trilogy here. You know those places where you just feel the magic (like Hogwarts)? For some it's a physical building, maybe others a place/view (Adam and I both feel this way at Westminster and when on the open water), and this was one of those places. Maybe it's the scent of the old books, the dim lighting and/or the structure of the building. I think a lot of it is simply the respect held for these works of literature and the tradition the University and its scholars uphold.  It's just a cool place. We finished our day with an Evensong service at Christ Church and headed home. Oxford was just an 1 1/2 drive and we were glad to soak up some of the last days of English countryside and sunshine on the road trip.

The following week was a big one. Adam's parents have been on a European cruise for the last 2 weeks and finished their Euro trip with a visit to see us in Brum. They saw over a dozen cities and got to visit Mont Saint Michel (I'm totally jealous) for their 30th anniversary trip and took Adam and me with them to Dublin for his birthday. Dublin is a quick and cheap flight from Birmingham (so long as you follow Ryanair's stupid rules-I can't digress and get into that without getting angry) so we took a night flight, grabbed dinner and a pint of Guinness at a charming pub, and got some rest before our first day of adventures. We spent the morning walking thru the city with the friendliest of hosts (seriously, the Irish are the nicest ever), stopped in at Christ Church for a service accompanied by the best history lesson from the Priest, Geoffrey, and made our way to Guinness for a tour. After sampling the flagship of dark beers, we hopped in our rental car and drove 3 hours across the country to the other side of the island to see the Cliffs of Moher.

Y'all, I'm in love. Ireland was so beautiful. I wasn't even bothered by the wind and cool weather, and that says a lot. After a tricky drive down the winding roads we checked into our B&B (which was adorable) and drove the quick drive downhill to the Cliffs for sunset. I just can't say enough about this view. That is until I think of the view from the other side which we saw from a boat the next day. This is one of those trips when not having exact plans really paid off. On day two, we took the advice of one of the B&B caretakers and took a 40 minute boat ride from Doolin to Inis Oirr. Once off the boat, we took a horse and carriage ride to see the small island of 297 residents, walked along its stoned walls through old castles and even spent a few minutes on the beach. The sand and smell of saltwater were a priceless remedy for my homesickness. The boat trip back took a different path and took us along the Cliffs - it was partially my seasickness, but the sites were literally breathtaking... worth every minute of nausea. In Dublin we picked up some true wool souvenirs and headed back to the airport. 48 hours was enough, but not at the same time as we're already planning a trip back.

We spent Saturday showing the 'rents around our soon to be new neighborhood and then headed to a ball. Yes, a ball. Adam's firm throws an annual thank you event and we arrived just in time to RSVP for this year's Willy Wonka themed event. While I was disappointed that there weren't fountains of Cadbury chocolate flowing, we had a really good time and felt quite fancy. I've mentioned before that men's clothes fit a bit differently in Britain, and Adam's tux did in a good way. Now we know why James Bond always looks so good.

Sunday, we slept late and walked around Brum as we were experiencing some very nice weather. That evening we introduced Roy and Karen to our favorite British show - The Great British Bake Off - and watched the premier of Downton Abbey. This is where I act like a child and say nah nah nah nah boo boo, I get to watch DA months before you! Karen and Roy flew back Monday and took a big piece of us with them. I can't put into words how nice it was to see family and get to share our new life with them.

As if all of the above wasn't enough, did I mention we found a new place? No biggie, except yes it is! We're very excited to be moving in October to a new home and neighborhood. While we've enjoyed the JQ and this flat, we found a terraced house in Harborne that we feel will truly help us make a home here.  I'll post a revamped Haywood Househunters (as this experience was quite different than the first) and Feels Like Home blog once we move. Here's a sneak peek.

We found some SUPER cheap flights to Madrid so we're heading there in October! I'm thrilled to visit Spain and have been making Adam brush up on his Spanish.  With all that's going on, I know December and our trip back to the U.S. for Christmas will be here in the blink of an eye and we can't wait! Till next time!