Ireland

Ireland, our third and final stop of our spring break where we met Emily's parents for a week of exploration.

What better way to start it off then a open air bus tour of Dublin. We didn't go in, but trust me we got our fill.

"Welcome to Dublin!" says the bird that crapped on my arm.

Cruising the streets of old town Dublin.

Cheers to Ellen for trying the Jameson!

Looking out our window at Christchurch Cathedral.

Drive 3 hours west and we are in Galway.

A masterpiece.

Delicious fish and chips at McDonagh's.

Our cottage for the week thanks to the parents of one of Emily's students.

The beach right outside our back door.

Beach time with Ernie on the right.

Moments of regret after taking Emily's dare to lick the coral sand.

Kylemore Abbey castle.

The castle was built 1867.

Parental neglect.

Some of the best skipping stones east side of the Mississippi.

Soaking in the Doo Lough valley.

Pete is a fuel source still used today that is harvested from the bog lands and dried.

Smells nice too.

A walk around the town of Roundstone.

Ireland has great seafood chowder, beer (Guiness), and bread (according to Emily's dad).

Saddle up!

Connemara is known for breading the largest ponies in the world....looks like a horse to me.

Our own personal horseback tour.

Riding horses on the beaches of Ireland..no big deal :)

Look Mom! No hands..or feet.

Then came the oh s#*! moment when he started to run.

Great family photo!

David jumping for joy as Ellen/Ernie watches on.

I think I can....

I think I can....

Ouch! Wet sand is hard.

Horseback Rides on the beach, sunset smooches.....man I'm romantic.

The spectacular Cliffs of Moher.

Wise guy kept telling us "backup just a bit further".

That would be about a 650 ft. cliff jump.

Look closely and you can see people on top.

Amsterdam Netherlands

Our second stop on our spring break was back to our favorite city in Europe...Amsterdam!

Em enjoying the view of the canal below from our apartment.

At the whiskey bar.
Note the variety of whiskies offered on the menu behind us.

It just happened to be the time of year when all the tulips were in bloom. We took a train out to the Keukenhof flower gardens


Upon entering we realized we had just stepped into the Disneyland for old people.

Get ready for a lot of pictures of flowers....

Peter move your jorts!

I'm not one to go crazy when it comes to flowers, but this place was cool.

Lost in the shrubbery maze.

Instead of cornfields they have tulip fields.

After sniffing the flowers for a few hours we got back to Amsterdam and stumbled upon this carnival.

Spinning around isn't as easy and fun as it use to be.

On our boat provided by the apartment owner.

Magnum ice cream bars tend to have this effect.

Vondelpark was awfully crowded for weekday in mid to late April :)

Dinner on the canal with friends.

Last hours spent doing exactly what we wanted...relaxing.

These blokes pulled up on their boat and sang sailor songs for a good 15 minutes. Bravo!

Popeye cruising by on the left.