Ireland: The Land of Whisky and Rainbows

Ireland is known for one thing above all else: Booze.  So imagine finding yourself there during Easter weekend where the sale of alcohol is prohibited on Good Friday in Dublin and on Easter Sunday in Belfast. Doh!!!!  Damn you Irish friends, where were you on that one?!?!  You're lucky I forgive you, but only because I like you significantly more than English people.  Ireland has been high on my travel list, so I'm surprised it took me almost a year to get over that after moving to the UK.  My backpacking is slacking!

Sarah and I braved a 7 AM flight so we could get to Dublin early on Holy Thursday, whilst our flat mates, Matt and Anshul, chose to take a later flight and meet us there in the afternoon.  We spent most of day one exploring the city and Sarah and I ended up going to the Viking Museum and Christ Church Cathedral.  We may have even had the best pub food of my life; Twas an Irish seafood chowder and it only cost 6 quid!!!  I really don't know where the English went wrong and lost the ability to cook or appropriately price things, because Ireland has it sorted.  And of course, no meal is complete without a Guinness.  I was always a bit skeptical when people told me Guinness tastes "that much" better in Ireland, but it's true.  It's so gooood.

Outside of beer and whisky, Ireland also has some amazing traditions, including storytelling, so that evening the four of us hopped on the Irish Story Tellers bus to hear stories about Mermen, Ghosts, Giants and Banshees.  Plus we got a free beer, what more can you really ask for?  We made a final pit stop at the all famous Temple Bar for last call before heading back to the hotel to catch some z's.  The next day happened to be Good Friday, so we had to get creative to get some booze in our systems.  Thus we discovered we could take a tour of the Irish Whisky Museum, which ended with a whisky tasting.  A man can't go all the way to Ireland and not get some whisky... It'd practically be a sin.

There's always a castle... 

I've got my ticket for the long way round, this bottle of whiskey for the way. And I sure would like some sweet company and I'm leaving tomorrow, what do you say?  When I'm gone, when I'm gone.  You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.  You're gonna miss by my hair, you're gonna miss me everywhere, oh you're gonna miss me when I'm gone...

Why would anyone choose straight whisky when they could order a Flirtini?  

We mostly chilled out for the remainder of the day since most pubs and things were closed.  Ergo, we checked out the local campus, had a picnic in the park, found Sarah some new kicks, and otherwise kept ourselves occupied whilst waiting for Saturday to come around so we could visit the most important landmark in Dublin: The Guinness Storehouse.  I love the black stuff, so I was pretty excited to finally get there after having to wait two days!

The tour itself is pretty much what you would expect, you just follow a path around the building with a bunch of TV screens giving you snippets of information with the occasional random bits and bobs mixed in.  The thing that was unexpected to me was the sheer amount of strollers in that place.  I feel like if you're going to take a baby to a building full of booze and people wanting to drink said booze, you should probably Baby Bjorn that thing.  Otherwise you're gonna get drunk and push the wrong stroller home.  That's probably how I ended up getting raised by an English woman.  The best part of the tour is definitely pouring your own pint of Guinness.  Well that and drinking it.  Mostly the drinking it.

Me llamo Seantonio!

Getting fancy with the pours

Now that I work full time again, vacation is limited, so we decided to head to Belfast after the Guinness tour, so we could have a day and a half in Northern Ireland as well.  We didn't end up getting there until the early evening, so we just grabbed dinner and went bowling the first night.  We also played a single game of pool for an hour whilst waiting for a bowling lane to open up.  Yup, literally an hour to finish a game.  You'd think that as a GigaLowe I'd be able to handle a stick and some balls better...And that I'd be able to score.  But alas.... (The saddest of sad faces)

The main reason I wanted to go to Belfast was to do a coastal tour to a place called the Giant's Causeway, which was made even cooler by the fact we got to hear the story of how it was created on our Story Telling bus tour!  Legend has it that a Scottish Giant, Benandonner, was going to challenge the Irish Giant, Fionn, to a battle.  Fionn knew the Scottish Giant was much larger, so when Benandonner came accross the sea, Fionn's wife had her husband disguise himself as a baby and lay down in a giant basket.  When Benandonner saw how huge the baby was, he thought that his father must be the most massive giant to have ever lived, so he fled across the Irish Sea, destroying the causeway behind him.  Not a bad trick, eh?!?!  And for once I'm not the giant baby in the story!

The tour took us from Belfast to the Causeway via the coastal road, which is absolutely amazing.  It's so scenic that Game of Thrones is actually filmed along that route, including Castle Black (The Wall).  There is also a stop at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which is a popular tourist stop that connects the mainland to a tiny island that is maybe the size of a football pitch.  We also got lucky with the weather as it was supposed to rain all day, but luckily the sky cleared up for the majority of the time we were outside, which also led to lots of rainbows!

If only there wasn't a 20 minute queue to get across the bridge, I would have had time for a timelapse :(

Wouldn't be Ireland without a rainbow

There's so much more to life than we've been told, it's full of beauty that will unfold...

One last picture for scale, just so you can see how huge this thing was

Northern Ireland definitely has some of the best scenery I've seen anywhere in the world and the final stop did not disappoint.  The fact that the columns in Giant's Causeway formed naturally is mind boggling, because they look so perfect... I love it!  The weather was a little dodgy when we arrived, so some of the larger structures at the Causeway were off limits due to concerns of tourists slipping.  However, it's more something to look at then to climb around on, so I wasn't too bothered.  

After an hour or so, we had to head back to Belfast, but we took an alternative route back that passed through a place called The Dark Hedges, which is also featured in Game of Thrones.  With the misty fogs and dark skies, Northern Ireland really is the perfect location to film the grittier parts of GoT.  I really need to get a job as a production location scout.  Travel the world for free and find cool spots to film... That's the dream.

This world is too amazing

The quiet side of the Causeway

My pages have always been blank, like the trees in the wild.  And the wind, yes the wind keeps pushing you to me.

If only we had an extra day!  We could have made it to the Titanic Museum.  Next time....

Hopefully this was trip #1 to Ireland.  We need to go back and see more, because one weekend was definitely not enough.  Shannon, Cork, four leaf clovers... I have too many things left undone in that country.  Plus the people are amazing, who doesn't have an awesome Irish friend or two?  I love you pale bastards.  Well except the Ginger ones... You know who you are.  Our next journey was to Prague, but that's a story for another blog.... (Ooooo that rhymed!)


Random GoPros

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter.  Little darling, it feels like it's been years since it's been here.  Here comes the sun.  Here comes the sun, and I say.  It's alright.... Sun, sun, sun, here it comes!

Run with me when hope is high, run with me when the water's dry. Run with me when hope is high and never let me go.  We don't need to understand, just run with me and take my hand and never let me go.

Happiness is worth more than all the gold in the world :)

Looking attractive...

The giant's causeway has about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns as a result of a ancient volcanic eruption (Thanks Wikipedia!).  I don't even begin to understand how nature can make cylinders that look so perfect...I'm going with ancient aliens.

I got my ticket for the long way round.  The one with the prettiest of views.  It's got mountains, it's got rivers, it's got sights to give you shivers, but it sure would be prettier with you.  When I'm gone, when I'm gone.  You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.  You're gonna miss me by my walk, you're gonna miss me by my talk, oh you're gonna miss when I'm gone...

 Sarah and Sean's Sensational Stockpile of Snappy Snaps

How come she gets to wear a helmet and I have to wear a brown bag?

Never-mind, I think my face in this panorama explains it

We officially match.... Next thing you know we'll be having a nice little Saturday at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Without this hat, I'm just a great looking man. 

You don't ask for no diamond rings, no elegant string of pearls.  That's why I wrote this blog to read, my beautiful girl

Such a strange juxtaposition between our faces...

Talk about a face with a view...

I take the best photos of her

You're probably wondering why I'm wearing a winter coat when I look so hot...

I never seen nobody quite like you and I will give all of my best to you.  So if you ever need a fool, who will give you a love so true, you can always find me where the skies are blue...

Portkeys, Haggis, and a Lucky Penny

Valentine's Day is marketed as one of the most romantic days of the year, so my lady knew she had to deliver big or lose me forever (I don't think that's being overdramatic).  Thus, not only did she give me a one-of-a-kind tour around London, including entrance to Westminster Abbey and the British Parliament, but she also got me a ticket to one of the most coveted destinations in the entire universe.  Harry Potter World!  A double Valentine's gift!  I can't wait to get three gifts next year!  Yeah, that's what happens when you set the bar high, I expect things.

Words cannot describe my love of Harry Potter.  I literally read at a 3rd grade level until I found the Harry Potter books last Spring.  I love J.K. Rowling and have read everything she has written outside of HP as well.  I would literally give birth to her children if she asked it of me.  Our flat mates, Matt and Anshul, also grabbed a portkey (Or a lot of public transport, depending on how you remember it) to be teleported into the wonderful world of wizardry.  From riding a broomstick to drinking Butterbeer to seeing the special effects department to walking through Diagon Alley, it is definitely worth the exorbitant fee that the ticket entails.  The only downfall is that you want everything in the gift shop and they know it.  Extra incentive to anyone that wants to visit - we can serve you soup in a steaming cauldron!!!!!

I'm not going to say that the character of Seanold Weasley is based on my life or anything...  I mean, it's not like we both have glorious long-flowing hair and a taste for danger...

I think we all know I would be sorted to Slytherin, for both my cunning and lack of empathy...Besides, I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!

The model of Hogwarts that was used in the movies!  You will probably get a boner if you ever visit this place.  Just saying.

Outside of Harry Potter World, Sarah and I also made an excursion to Edinburgh, since she hadn't made it up to Scotland yet and it'd been one of my favorite stops in the UK.  I still have a goal of making Sarah stay in a hostel with me, but she still has a lot of free hotel rooms via Hilton points, so she is safe for now. Don't worry, her time will come!  We arrived in the evening, so we only had time to walk around and grab dinner, but we found an awesome seafood place.  The next morning, we dined on some breakfast buffet, including Haggis!  I really do enjoy the Hilton perks... Free breakfast. Jelly Beans!  Damn you Diamond status, you corrupt thee.

The girlfriend wanted to get me out of Edinburgh so I would see some new stuff on this trip, so we decided to journey to Melrose Abbey, which is about 90 minutes away from the city.  It was a nice little area and the open-air abbey looked really cool, but it was cold and rainy, which led to me getting grumpy.  Luckily Sarah has figured out she just needs to feed me or give me hot chocolate when I get like that.  I'm so easy to maintain!  Lowe maintenance.  She also gave me some Weetabix under the guise it was going to be like a granola bar... It is not, that stuff sucks up your saliva like Saltines.  NEVER AGAIN!

The food in the UK isn't all terrible!  (To be fair, it mostly is though)

I'm still thinking about Harry Potter World... And the blood is still rushing places

After arriving back in Edinburgh, we decided to check out the castle and luckily the line was pretty short since we are still in the tourist off-season.  After roaming around for a bit and visiting all the lookout points, we decided to grab a late lunch, because we were starting to become too hungry to enjoy the scenery.  Scotland is known for having good beef, so we grabbed a couple burgers at a pub and then walked across the street for some gelato.  Life really doesn't get much better than gelato.

Our final stop for the night was Calton Hill, which is just a little hill outside of the main part of the city, but it was awesome 360 views.  We also got really lucky with the timing and were able to catch the sunset.  We really do have the best life!

Didn't bring my cameras, so it's all iPhone and panoramas for this post.

Makes me nostalgic for my backpacking days, when I could watch the sunset every night...

Open up your mind and see like me, open up your plans and damn you're free.  Look into your heart and you'll find love love love. 

Linlithgow Palace was our first destination on our last day in Scotland.  It's only about 30 minutes outside of the city and is definitely one of the coolest castles I've ever been too.  It's gigantic and empty, two factors that were made even cooler by the fact that we were the first two people to arrive and had it all to ourselves for a few minutes.  It was also constructed near a giant lake, so the views from the top are ridiculous.  

To top it all of, we had a really cool encounter with a local.  He found a penny on the ground and then told us that in Scotland if you find money on the ground you have to give it to someone else for two reasons; The first is that if you carry it around, it's bad luck for you.  The second is that if you give it to someone else, it's good luck for them.  So that's either a real thing or he was just hitting on Sarah because she's such a fit bird (English-English for hot girl).  Either way, I got a penny!  

We had a bit of time to kill before our flight left, so once we got back to Edinburgh, we climbed up to the top of Scott Monument to take in the views of the city.  Not a bad way to finish off a weekend in Scotland.  Why do the weekends go by so fast?  I feel like time is playing a trick on us and speeds up.

Linlithgow Castle

Out there's a river that winds on forever, I'm gonna see where it leads.  And out there's a mountain that no man has mounted, I'm gonna stand on the peak.  No time for ponderin why I'm a-wanderin, so to the ends of the earth you would follow me?  There's a world that was meant for our eyes to see.

Out there's an island where all things are silent, well I'm gonna whistle a tune.  Out there's a desert that size can't be measured, well I'm gonna count all the dunes.  Out there's a world that calls for me girl, heading out into the unknown.  Wayfarin strangers and all sorts of danger, please don't say I'm goin alone. So to the ends of the earth would you follow me?

I can't wait to go back a third time!  I love Scotland

Our next adventure landed us in Dublin and Belfast, but that's a story for another blog!

 Sarah and Sean's Sensational Stockpile of Snappy Snaps

#BadassOnABroomstick

If you're lucky, you'll get to see the full video of this someday...

Oh baby, can't you see it's shining just for you.  Loneliness is over, dark days are through.  They're through.  So let me be your everlasting light, a train going away from pain.  Love is the coal that makes this train roll, let me be your everlasting light...

She's only laughing because I said something punny

I'm not sure why I have 4 chins in this photo, but I'm probably not going to eat dinner tonight

For all the places I have been, I'm no place without you :)

A Birthday in Rome

Alright here's the deal.  Am I immortal?  Most likely.  However, I finally reached the age that makes people old.  28. Late 20s.  10 years of being an adult.  But if you're going to grow old, you might as well do it in style, so my girlfriend decided to take me to Rome!  My 28th country for my 28th Birthday, how cool is that?!?!?!  I think we all know she's just trying to get into my pants.  We flew out from London on Thursday night so we could have a full 3 day weekend in Rome, before flying back Monday morning.  

We kicked Friday off early by going to some ruins about 30 minutes outside the city called Ostia Antica.  It's a really cool place to check out if you are into history, as it used to be the harbour city for ancient Rome.  It's a massive outdoor complex and you have pretty much free reign to go walk around and explore.  It's always crazy when you walk around these places that are hundreds of years old and realize how smart people were.  Like how did they figure out how to build any of this stuff or the science behind it?  It took me 30 minutes to build my first Kinder Surprise toy and it was only 4 pieces... And it was made for children.  Damn you ancient architects. 

After knocking out Ostia Antica, we made a brief attempt to see the Mediterranean Sea, but the beach was closed off since we were there out of peak season, so we ended up going back to the main city centre since that is where everything else on our list was. I will say that one of the coolest things about Rome is that everything in the city center is super condensed, so getting around on foot or public transport is super easy.  We were both starving, so we started out by having lunch outside the coliseum and then found out that it was operating on winter hours, so we wouldn't be able to see it until Sunday.  Rats!!!  Thus we ended up walking around until we found the Pantheon, which is one of the coolest buildings I've been into and was completely free!  I love free stuff, not because I'm cheap, but... No it's because I'm cheap.  

So this isn't THE coliseum.  This is just A coliseum.  Technically I don't even think it's a coliseum, it's probably just an arena.  But right now I'm just teasing you, tantalizing you.  Maybe even titillating you.  I don't know.  I'm just a man, doing what a man does.  You can't control me.  You can't control what a man does.

Birds flying over the Pantheon.

We also went to Piazza Navona, because Sarah's aunt told her the gelato there is amazing and we had to get it.  Now normally I would be like, "Hey, why is the first thing out of your aunt's mouth not about how handsome she thinks I am.  Why is she not praising my looks first and offering hints of gelato second?  Is it too much to ask for to be cherished and loved by everyone solely based on my looks?  I don't think so.  So just maybe next time, know that I expect to be told how handsome I am and then follow it with whatever statement I won't be paying attention to, because I'm zoned out into a state of self-absorbency."  Now, that being said, it was hands down the best gelato I've ever had in my life.  Coconut gelato for the win.

Walking around a new city at night will always be one of my favorite things in the world, so as Sarah and I were roaming around Rome, we found a giant castle.  I mean who wouldn't want to go walk around a castle in the dark because they have a lingering fear of being beheaded by an executioner with an axe after seeing the cover of Goosebumps vol 27, A Night in Terror Tower, when they were 7.  Certainly not me, I don't remember that to this day.  The place we stumbled upon was the Castel Sant 'Angelo and it offered some pretty wicked views of Rome.  I love cities at night, the world looks amazing when it's lit up.  After walking around the castle, we accidentally meandered into Vatican City and were standing outside of St. Peter's Basilica!  Who needs a map or a plan? 

I still ain't got a home...but I found my way to Rome.  No I ain't got a home, I'll forever roam.

Just out for a wander...Found a giant castle.  Life is good.

I am the last of a dying breed.  Prone to wander, but born to lead.  So light your torch and follow me.  We'll burn the boats back to who we used to be...

As someone who is agnostic, I figured there was no better place for me to spend my Birthday than the Vatican.  We pre-booked our tickets to the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel, which was definitely a good move as you can bypass the queue and save yourself an hour waiting in line!!  The Vatican Museum isn't just a religious museum, it is a full out museum with mummies, maps, tapestries, artwork, etc.  It's a really cool place and it's laid out really well so you can see everything without feeling rushed.  I will say that I was slightly underwhelmed by the Sistine Chapel.  I mean obviously it's super impressive and detailed, but I just found it to be too much.  It's really small and there are so many people, it's too claustrophobic!

After the museum, we popped back over to St. Peter's Basilica since it was closed when we went there on Friday night.  The views from the main entrance facing out to the city are amazing, and the inside is even more so.  It was awesome.  After hanging out in the Vatican all day, we made our way over to Trevi Fountain, which is a massive water fountain with a bunch of sculptures.  We hung out there for a few minutes and then made our way over to a restaurant called That's Amore, where Sarah booked us a pizza making class for my Birthday dinner!!

So here's the thing about art.  This giant gold ball is pretty cool and probably worth a lot of money.  But if you offered me this or some coconut gelato, I mean what do I really want more?  I want the fucking gelato.

When I make this face, you know I'm dealing with constipaSean

A lot of people don't know this about me, maybe because I'm Asian or maybe because I'm immortal, but I actually come from a long line of popes.  Dating all the way back to Pope Sean Paul the First.  True Story.

Sarah's favorite room - The Hall of Maps!

St. Peter's Basilica

Sarah and I cook together all the time and I have a tradition of eating pizza on my Bday, so it was basically the perfect gift!  We also got lucky because we were the only couple that signed up for that night, so we got the lesson all to ourselves!  They also hooked us up with free wine while we were cooking, so it was a super relaxed environment with no time constraints.  We hung out and made pizza dough, rolled it out into a giant pie, added sauce, got to pick all of our toppings, and then got to relax while everything was cooked!  They were also awesome about taking photos of us, so we would be able to remember the entire experience.

I'm not sure if it was because it was my Birthday or because we are way more adorable than everyone else, but they also hooked us up with a ton of extra wine and food, including dessert! The Italians know how to do it, the food is amazing and they're all about the three course meal.  Once you add in the wine and gelato, it's unstoppable.  It was honestly the best Birthday I can remember, I wouldn't trade the food or the company for the world.  

Look at my dimples, I'm so handsome.

This girl and her romantic Rome antics!

My Birthday Pizza!!! I always eat pizza on my birthday. ALWAYS!!!

We spent our final day in Rome doing the most touristy thing that comes to mind - visiting the Coliseum!!  The Coliseum is probably one of the oldest structures I've been to, having been built in the first century.  Isn't it crazy to think something that was built nearly 2000 years ago is still standing?  One of the cooler features is the partial reconstruction of the actual arena ground.  They redid a tiny portion, so you can then see the entire section that was underneath the main fighting stage where they had trapdoors to send up fighters and wild animals.

The Coliseum ticket also includes access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, so we decided to check those out as well since we had the entire day open.  Both places are connected, so we spent the day wandering around the ruins, which are almost set up in a park like layout.  It's such a weird feeling to walk through the ruins where emperors used to roam.  It's such a cool city, I wish I could have stayed forever!  We spent the rest of the day hitting up random spots, including a super creepy temple of skeletons my old college roommate recommended!!  It was pretty, pretty, pretty creepy.  Pretty creepy. 

If I were a gladiator my name would be Gluteus Maximus and I'd slay everyone with my buns of steel.  Until that day comes, I'm just a man with a sexy bum.

The portion of the coliseum that was underneath the fighting pit!  They used to have trap doors to let animals run up into the arena.

The Roman Forum was my favourite!!!  It's crazy to be in the middle of a modern city and yet being walking around in the ruins of an empire.

When you're adventure ends, the next one will begin :)

After the perfect weekend away, reality set in and we had to go back to London.  Why do we have to be responsible adults and have jobs?  I'm still holding out hope I will win the lottery and can pull of a good old fashioned runaway, but until then I guess it will just be random travel blogs :).  Until the next adventure!

Random GoPros

Ostia Antica

Proof that we got super close, but not quite to the Mediterranean Sea.

Like 80% of GoPro pictures are throwaways, but sometimes you get crazy awesome ones like this.

I love Rome.  Take me back :'(

 I feel like I could win a gladiator match solely by tapping into the fighting knowledge I've accumulated through watching thousands of hours of Jean Claude Van Damme footage.

You haven't seen my best, so... Just spend an evening with me, just a lazy evening.  And then you can be leaving, or we could stay and talk until three. I will think it's magic and I hope you'll agree. So light a Roman candle with me...Just a Roman candle...

I figured it was only fair to add a new section to my blog for when we travel together.... So here goes nothing.  A little selfie section with my main squeeze.

Sarah and Sean's Sensational Stockpile of Snappy Snaps

When looking at this photo, I couldn't come up with any captions that wouldn't lead to me getting punched in the face.  

Apparently it takes an extreme level of focus and determination to successfully capture a panoramic shot.

When people come to the Coliseum, they expect to see some action.  We are just giving people what they want to see, one tongue lashing at a time.

This is the, "If you take one more photo of me, I will murder you" look...  It was deserved

I'm not quite sure how I ended up with this girl, but hopefully I can figure out how to keep her :)

Unless she keeps making that face.   Then she's on her own.

Everybody's searching, searching for a reason, and I... Oh I... I was searching for you.  And everybody's waiting, waiting for a sunrise, and I... Oh I...I was waiting for you.  And everybody's chasing the beauty they don't have and I... Oh honey I...  I'm chasing you.  :)