It's our last night in europe, and were soaked to the bone. There's a good reason why ireland is so green, its always raining. After a thoroughly satisfying experience at the guinness brewery, capped off by a pint in their zero gravity, 360 view of Dublin from the 7th floor bar, we found ourselves caught in the rain; and with a 30 minute walk back to the hostel.
After dinner we were going to run out and get some gifts for family and friends and then enjoy one last pint, but by the time we got to the gift store we were soaked through again. Andrew and I went back to pack up, while Adam and Mark went to get their beer. Oh yeah, i forgot to mention that Mark made it safely to us in Dublin this morning, just like we knew he would.
We have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow to start one more long day of travelling. All of us are looking forward to the stars and stripes, but that doesn't take anything away from our experiences in the past month. It has been the experience of a lifetime. The chemistry that the 4 of us have is truely a blessing. To spend every minute together and not have anything close to an argument(while sober) was nice. But we knew that going in.
The trip wasn't without a few minor setbacks and bummers though. We didn't get to see the cliffs of moher in ireland, adam's broken camera, mark's broken videocamera, andrew being sick for two weeks, i left my sunglasses on the night train, having to cut out nice and amsterdam, sitting on trains planes and buses for longer than anyone should ever have to in a month span, the dollar not faring so well over here and of course the john doe episode.
But for every 'bad' thing we experienced in the past month, i feel there were 10 amazing things. Far too many to list right here, right now. And if you asked any of us if we would do it over again, there would be no hesitation; absolutely. I hope that you all have enjoyed the blog, I know that we have enjoyed making it. The blog though doesn't contain everything about the trip. If you want the inside scoop on something, or a host of stories that didn't get up here, just ask one of us! And for those of you that want to keep the memories forever, a DVD will be available shortly for the nominal price of 29.99 euros.
I hope it's a nice day tomorrow because it will be noon for us for about 6 hours as we 'cross the pond'. Ciao!
Us contemplating D-Day
kinda cheezy, but cool
Omaha Beach
The American Cemetary overlooking Omaha Beach
Sagrada Familila
The church in barcelona designed by Antonio Gaudi...won't be finished for another 15 years or so
Dinner in Barcelona
When you can only have just one...
Adam and I after cliff jumping in cinque
more cinque
Cinque Terre
one of the 5 small towns
The Walking Tour Swany Blogged About
Here we are on our walking tour
London at Night
"look kids, big ben, parliament" `European Vacation
Loch Ness/ Urquarht Castle
Can anyone see Nessie in the background???
Ben Nevis
Here we are with the tallest point in the UK behind us hidden above the clouds
Ben pondering out into the city
you'll have to ask him his thoughts........they look pretty intense though
Royal Mile
Edinburgh @night......notice my bald head :)
Rip Van Winkle
lets play the game what did mark see, what did mark not see....here mark missed some Irish countryside going into blarney.
Panoramic view of Edinburgh
Mark and Andrew present Edinburgh in their own unique way.......3 ways
Arthur's Seat
The view of Edinburgh atop an 800 ft hill
How beautiful is this?
words are not needed
Free tour w/Phil
Thanks Swan for singing and getting us that amazing tour of the Dingle Penninsula
Blarney
Adam traveled 4000 miles to kiss that damn stone
11 Days out
me and swan after we got dominated in badminton thinking about our sweet trip
Gearing up
Essen Haus, practicing for the real deal
5 comments:
Kudos to the boys and their fabulous relationships. Kudos to the parents that raised these fine young men. Kudos to God for answering our prayers and keeping them all safe on this journey. I can't wait to witness the next chapter in their lives!!!! Love to ALL of you reading this blog - if my son has been touched, so have I. Mom/Pat
Alright, so now I am crying. You hit it on the head Ben, you are truly blessed to have each other. Many people in this world never have one good friend, you each have three. I have loved being along through your wild and crazy ride. Each one of you is a treasure and I have been blessed to have each of you in my life. It is always a joy to have one of you on my doorstep making your way into my home. Enjoy those lasts, toast yourselves and share some hugs. God has blessed you! Praying for a very safe and maybe even restful journey back to the U.S. and to MANY people who love you and are filled with pride every time we think of you.
Signing off............
Mom Wert
I was surprised to see one last update and what a good one. Ben great job in summarizing, and yes I cried too. You are a great group of young men (I still call you boy's, sorry). I close my eyes and I can see you at the Middle school getting your picture taken at 8th grade graduation!!! Wow how far you have come. All adventures come with many ups (I hope) and maybe a few downs, but I think that’s what makes it an adventure. Thanks so much for bringing us along, I can't tell you how many times you guys made my day with another wonderful update. I can't wait to hear the many stories and see what pictures did get taken. You will be in my prayers again tonight, praying for a safe and uneventful trip home to the good old U S of A and to all who love you.xoxo See ya soon Mom Swan
i love you boys...welcome home!!
Last Day! I enjoyed living vicariously through your blog! Despite the few calamites I’m glad you all had fun. I’m excited to hear more about your trip when you get home. Have a good and safe trip home!
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