Temporary Delay

So sorry it's been a while since we've posted anything! My (Megan's) parents arrived for a visit on June 16th, and we've been out of commission since then. We're leaving for the first half of July, but I'll get updates and more pictures up as soon as we return. After July 17th, you should see posts on our visit to Belgium, my parents' visit (and our subsequent journey around Ireland - very eye-opening, I learn more about this country every day), and our trip to Greece/Cyprus. We hope you'll check back in toward the end of July!

Scotland

If it isn't evident yet, we had a very busy spring, and are headed for a busy summer. Gotta get all this in while we can though. I'm envious of the expats here who are assigned for two or three years.
Our third trip out of the country was Scotland - in celebraion of our third wedding anniversary at the end of May. As if to test our loyalty to this beautiful country, it rained incessantly for the first four days, and it was much colder than we remembered it!
We returned to the castle where Nate proposed four years ago - it was even prettier than I remembered, even with the rainclouds. It was fun reminiscing over everything Nate had to go through to make that event so special. I will never cease to be amazed that he put such effort into asking me to marry him, but I feel tremendously blessed to have such a wonderful memory, not to mention such an incredible spouse to share these experiences with. Okay, no more mush - had to get it in there - it was our anniversary!
After walking down memory lane, we drove into unchartered territory (for us) - the Scottish Highlands. After being brought to our knees in drenching rains in Oban (cute harbor town - probably a great place in better weather), we finally enjoyed some sunshine when we reached Loch Ness. Although we didn't have the privilege of spotting Nessie, we had a great time exploring some ruins along the banks. Now we understand why the Highlands are more touristed than the south of Scotland. We drove off the road a few times while gaaping at the scenery, and I know we weren't the only ones!
Four years ago, we mainly explored ruined castles - this visit we saw a lot of castles in which people still live. One of our favorites was Cawdor Castle, which some of you may remember was mentioned in MacBeth. This castle had a description in every room written by a sardonic Scotsman who was very funny. The castle also had acres and acres of gorgeous sculpted gardens, as well as nature trails. We had a picnic lunch outside the grounds and spent most of the afternoon there. The picture above has nothing to do with Cawdor - that's Inverness, and I just liked the picture, so there you have it.
Our final stop was Glasgow, where we caught up with a friend of Nate's - and now a friend of mine as well! Des was a great host, taking us around the city center, and pub crawling later that evening. We're planning on visiting him again sometime in September to go see a Celtics football match - he has season tickets. Looking forward to seeing some football in the midst of some true fans! By the way, scotch truly is the water of life - I think I've found my new beverage of choice! See below if you want to know why.
On a final note, I know I didn't get to write much about Rosslyn Chapel, but I feel this is already getting a bit long. It was cool though - probably one of my favorite churches - very ornate and full of symbolism that people still haven't been able to fully decipher. I'd recommend that stop for anyone visiting Edinburgh!

Other Firsts for Megan and Nate in Scotland

• Beholding over 1300 weapons in one room at Inverary Castle - Nate dubbed it the "1300 Ways to Kick Your Ass!" room.
• Megan enjoys a single malt scotch
• Megan outlasts both her husband and a Scotsman on the previously mentioned pub crawl (I have the photos to prove it, but I'll spare my two companions out of respect and admiration for their valiant attempt that evening)

Netherlands

Our second mainland trip was to the Netherlands in the beginning of May. Neither of us had been there before - I wrote earlier that we hadn't been to Spain before, but Nate had actually visited there when he was a child. I've since corrected the error.
On this trip, we encountered warm weather for the first time since we moved to Europe. The clothes I packed were too warm! It was also sunny the entire time.
We stayed in Haarlem, just outside of Amsterdam, and were glad we made that choice. It was a smaller, calmer, cozier-feeling town, and it was nice to get away from the craziness at the end of the night when it was time to sleep. Plus, it forced us to see another part of the Netherlands that we might not have seen on our rushed four-day trip.
As usual, eating and atmosphere were one of the best parts of this trip. Among our favorite dining experiences, we loved sampling cheese by a breezy canal, gorging on an Indonesian rijstafel, and even checking out the savoury pancakes at this cute little family-run cafe in Haarlem. We went to that place twice, it was run by these sweet elderly people who were always at the back, playing cards and socializing while they waited for their customers.
The true highlight of the trip was the Keukenhof Garden. This place is only open two months out of the year, and has over 1,000 varieties of tulips in bloom. It was amazing - we spent almost an entire day there. When we left I took a long, lingering look, since as a teacher I probably won't be able to see this place again, as I'll be working during the March-May time period. Maybe I'll return some spring break in the future - if I'm feeling ambitious.

Other Firsts for Megan and Nate in Amsterdam

• Visiting the Anne Frank house (very crowded, but a powerful experience)
• Climbing a windmill (much scarier than you'd think if you're afraid of heights!)
• Going to one of the more risque museums (in the spirit of the Red Light District)
• Getting mooned on a candlelight canal tour - twice

Our Neighborhood

We're alternating between catching up on experiences that we've already had, and what's happening to us currently. Today we wanted to comment on the place we're renting.
We've had a lot of adjusting to do since moving here, especially when it comes to our "house" (it's called a terraced house - basically it's a townhouse). With no dishwasher or dryer, some basic household tasks take a lot longer than what we're used to. Plus, our water pressure is much like showering under a sink - not good for a gal with long hair! Add all that and the lack of closet space, which creates the need for creative storage, and we had some pretty frustrating moments as we adapted to some of the realities of Dublin living. I won't get into opening our bank account, getting cable, etc. Maybe that's another post, maybe I'll spare you.
Now that we've mostly adjusted, though, we're beginning to enjoy some of the perks of our place. Our location is the best part. We are around the corner from Lansdowne Road, the football/rugby stadium, and also close to a major convention center called the RDS. This means that during the summer, we live in Dublin's concert central! This weekend alone, we've been able to hear the Eagles, Guns N Roses, Alice in Chains and Metallica live from our neighborhood. Great to hear during walks to the grocery store or doing yard work. And with the sun out until 10:30 pm, it's been great spending time outdoors. Tonight at 11:00 we were dancing and singing along to "Hotel California," with our neighbors chiming in now and then from their garden next door. So I guess with all things considered, we have no complaints. At least, not until I start laundry again tomorrow morning!

Spain

Our first trip to mainland Europe was over the Easter Holiday weekend in April. We chose to visit Spain - I had never been there, Nate hadn't been since he was young, and we had hoped the weather would be warmer there than in Dublin. No such luck with the weather, but we really enjoyed our trip.
During our five-day visit we spent time in Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo. We loved them all, and definitely want to try going back some day. Barcelona is beautiful, and is hopping with activity at all hours. There's just something magical about sipping Sangria and munching on tapas at twilight while people-watching on Las Ramblas, a major pedestrian area in the city. We were amazed at the architecture there. Gaudi's work is incredible, I've never seen anything like it. Check out our Flickr link to see a few photos of Gaudi's unfinished cathedral - the Sagrada Familia, and another builing of his, Casa Milo. Our pictures didn't do Spain justice - we improved with our photography on later trips.
Also in Barcelona, we visited the Picasso museum and went to the fountains at the National Art Museum of Catalunya. I enjoyed the Picasso museum, although Nate doesn't really care for his work. The fountains were beautiful - they were choreographed to music, much like those at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The art museum looks like a palace - we got there at closing time, otherwise I'd have liked to go inside.
My favorite part of Madrid was the Prado Museum, of which we unfortunately took no photographs. My favorite works were by Velasquez, Bosch (freaky!), and Goya. I haven't studied much art, but this museum finally helped me develop an appreciation for it. I now have a greater desire to understand the symbolism that painters use in their work - it's a lot like what novelists do!
Toledo was also a highlight of the trip - it's a preserved medieval town an hour outside of Madrid. The town itself is really the attraction, filled with windy, narrow cobblestone streets. Very romantic - wish we could have stayed there a night. We found a sword craftsman whose family has been making traditional Toledo swords for generations. We now have a Spanish sword hanging above our fireplace! I know, it's a little odd, but it was definitely a souvenir that both Nate and I will enjoy - he likes to take it down and swing it around every now and then.
Our last night in Spain culminated at a Flamenco show in Madrid. This evening made us want to visit Sevilla someday - the capital of Flamenco dancing. The woman dancer was incredible - she just captivated the room. The crowning moment of the night was definitely when an obnoxious group of rich tourists in the front row got sprayed by the sweat/hair gel flying off of the male dancer! Gotcha!

Firsts for Megan and Nate in Spain:

• Eating whole mini octopi (well, Nate did - Megan could only eat the legs)
• Getting propositioned by a prostitute (well, Nate did - Megan was back at the hotel)

St. Patrick's Day

Here we are at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in the City Centre. It was freakin freezing that day! A nice garda (policeman) took this photo for us. We toughed it out until I couldn't feel my feet anymore, then we went for a hot lunch at Bewley's, a popular tea & coffee place. I'm not one to leave parades early, but I seriously couldn't feel myself walking down the street - my feet were that numb. We had a great time though - we're hoping to get a visitor or two for the festivities next year, even if it's right around the time we need to head back for the states.

Failte!

Welcome to our brand spankin new blog! We are slowly getting used to how to work this, so bear with us for a little while!
Our hope is that this will be a good way to keep in touch with family and friends by giving updates on our experiences here. I'm hoping to have pictures and updates on our experiences in Ireland/Europe as soon as possible!