I’ve shared a few Pack Lists here before because I’m always very organized about packing, and thought you should be too! But today I was introduced to this cool tool: the Universal Packing List.

You enter a bunch of information about when you’re traveling, what the weather will likely be, how you’re getting to your destination and what you’ll do when you get there. Then, whiz! bang! it pops out a packing list for you! I haven’t actually used it to pack for a trip yet, so I can’t speak for how well it performs, but I think it’s a brilliant idea.

I ran a test using the information for my upcoming honeymoon, just to see what it would come up with. Not only does it tell me what to pack, but it even suggests what I should do before leaving (like charging batteries and making sure your pets are taken care of). As for the packing list, it includes suggestions for clothes, documents, equipment, toiletries and gadgets. There are quite a few things that are unnecessary—like a sleeping bag even though I told it I’d be staying in a hotel (or actually a cabin, but that wasn’t an option). But it thought to remind me to bring q-tips and fingernail clippers, which, brilliant.

I think I still like my own method of using google docs to organize a pack list, but this is a good place to get inspiration and ideas on what not to forget. I think it’d be really good for people who hate making lists—this website does it all for you! Anybody else ever used this?

(I’m in no way profiting from Univeral Packing List. Just sharing a cool resource.)

On our recent road trip, the Giraffe and I went through several states, many of them new to me. And so I decided it was time to update my map. My map of States I’ve Visited.

I don’t count states that I’ve simply driven through, which is why we made a distinct effort to stop in every state we passed through for a little exploration. I want to feel like I’ve really been to a state before I count it.

Since last we checked, in 2006, I have gone on a couple road trips and a few other-state trips, so my map is really coming along:

(You can create your own personalized map of the USA too!)

As you can see, I have several pockets to fill. The Pacific Northwest (when can I visit Jen and Kerri Anne?), the northeast, and whatever you call that area down there with Louisiana et al.

Plus North Dakota is hanging out at the top  like a big grey cloud. I don’t even know anybody in North Dakota, what am I possibly going to do there? It never worked into one of my several cross-country road trips, and I don’t see myself ever making a special trip there, so how am I ever going to get to North Dakota? I’ll probably have to be buried in North Dakota someday just complete my map.

And then of course there are the outliers. But I have no doubt I’ll someday visit Alaska and Hawaii, so no worries there.

What’s your map like?

When we woke up in Vegas, we decided to use our free $25 food credit (we got it when we booked the hotel) at the breakfast bar. No way could I eat $12 worth of food at that point, but we couldn’t let the free money go to waste! After breakfast we packed up and checked out, heading for our final destination, San Diego. Our original plan was to explore La Jolla, but by the time we got there, I was not feeling well at all. We stayed at Erica’s new apartment, the friend whose car we were driving, and rather than explore the city, we stayed in. Actually we did drive around to find a place to print our boarding passes, but that was the extent of our exploration. At the apartment we reorganized all of our stuff to fly it home, and I went to bed before 9.

Unfortunately in the middle of the night I found myself in the bathroom hanging over the toilet. Sorry Erica, I christened your toilet many times over. So my symptoms: sore throat, headache, congested head, body aches and barfing. Flu right? After that miserable night, I spend the next day doing little more than sitting on the couch. The Giraffe went out to find a Trader Joe’s and stock up on all the treats he misses from his time in California a few years ago.

And because we didn’t actually do anything in San Diego, the only other picture I have to show you is the one of this little guy that was hanging out on the side of the apartment building:

The flight home kind of sucked. It was a direct flight from San Diego to Chicago, which was nice (and cheap!), but when you don’t feel good, flying blows. By the way, you know the Giraffe is quite tall, and so he really needs an exit row in order to even fit on a plane. Well, Southwest doesn’t do assigned seating, it’s basically a free-for-all. And we knew the coveted exit row seats would go fast. So he talked to the boarding agent pre-flight and she took one look at him and understood his plight. She let us be part of the pre-board group—you know, families and people who need special accommodations. Yes my freakishly tall fiance needs special accommodations when flying. So cute. Gotta say, I didn’t mind the extra leg room myself.

Anyway, once we got to Chicago my sister and her fiance picked us up and drove us home. I felt ok for the first hour of the drive, but then I began to feel pukish. It was no fun. No fun at all trying to keep myself from vomiting all over everyone. When we finally pulled into our apartment complex after a few hours in the car, I didn’t even say goodbye. I made a run for the bathroom. And I spent all that night and all Sunday in delirium. It’s all a big blur to me. A blur of sleeping and throwing up and coughing and sleeping and blowing my nose and swallowing medicine and sleeping. I even had to take Monday off to continue recovering. Ugh, don’t ever get the flu. It sucks.

So yeah, the trip was awesome. The car malfunction and the illness parts sucked, but I think what I’ll remember is the stunning national parks and the beautiful countryside and the bonding time with my man. I’m so glad we did this trip.

The Grand Canyon was incredible, but so were Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. I am always so amazed with the crazy awesome things nature creates all on its own. I mean humans build awesome buildings and bridges and whatnot, but even without us, there are some fucking amazing things that exist.

On Wednesday we drove through Zion (twice) and Bryce. Zion has a shuttle you can take further into the park, but we decided to just drive through and go to Bryce first, thinking we’d probably grab the shuttle when we came back through. So first, Bryce. This was an afterthought on our part. My grandpa found out we were going to be so close and insisted that we make time for it. Very worth it. I could have stared at this place all day if it hadn’t started raining. Luckily we were at one of the last stops we planned to make before it did.

When we left the park, we drove straight back to Zion, a place we were very familiar with by now.

Then we got some bad news. Suddenly the car was making this awful noise, like the muffler was missing, and the Giraffe, who was driving, could feel a vibration from the engine. Shit. I was a spaz, I just could not handle the situation at the time. Luckily the Giraffe remained level-headed and eventually sorted something out. After way too many phone calls, we determined we should not drive it, we found a tow truck, found a place to have it towed and then waited. It was already evening, so there was no way anyone was going to look at the car that day, which meant we definitely weren’t going to make it to our hotel in Vegas. We ended up spending the night in St. George, UT instead.

I was a disaster, but once we had a plan, I managed to relax and realize it could be so much worse. Once we got the car where it needed to be, we settled into our hotel room, ordered pizza, visited the hot tub and called it a night. Thankfully, all that was wrong was a rusted out exhaust pipe, but it was right near the engine so they said it was good we didn’t drive it anymore. They had it fixed by noon on Thursday and we were on our way to Vegas, baby!

I hate to tell you this, but I wasn’t a big fan of Vegas. I’ll go ahead and admit right now that we were in our room by 10pm. I can see the appeal for a lot of people, but I’m not a late night crazy partier, so I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Even though I don’t like to gamble or drink till all hours of the night, I thought I’d be intrigued by all the energy and lights and excitement in LV. Instead, I was hot and tired and crowded and annoyed.

When we checked into the Monte Carlo, the first thing I did was take a nap. The Giraffe played poker. Then we went to dinner at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba (with our restaurant.com coupon – first restaurant non-fail!) and walked back down the strip. It was cool for sure, but it all eventually looked the same. We stopped for a fountain show at the Bellagio, walked through some of the hotels and shunned about 924 people trying to give us naked lady trading cards. I hate those people so much. I started to feel sick, so when we got near the Monte Carlo, we decided to go in. The plan was to just change clothes and take a break for a minute, but once we got there we realized we weren’t that enthusiastic about going back out. So we didn’t.

Go ahead, make fun, call us lame. I just think next time I visit Vegas I need to have more money so I can play some slots without guilt and see a show. If there is a next time…

On the second day of our trip, Sunday, we took off early (by early I generally mean 8 because anything before that is ludicrous; in fact even 8 is a bit ludicrous) and drove to Tulsa. When researching Tulsa I got the impression that Historic Cherry Street was something to check out, so we went there. All I can say is… wow, lame. Couple churches, some restaurants (many of them fast food) and a gas station or two. We drove the length of it, switched drivers and quickly got out of Tulsa. I tried desperately to get a good picture of something, anything, but ultimately failed. Sorry Tulsans.

By the way, the Giraffe and I basically split the driving the whole week. I’d say overall he did more than me, but we switched every couple hours generally. And we listened to audiobooks almost the whole time which is a brilliant way to a) read a book, b) make driving more interesting, and c) not have to talk to each other when your fiance is driving you mad (and by “your fiance” I mean the Giraffe’s fiance. Poor guy, I can be grouchy.).

Next stop was Amarillo. We had selected a restaurant online, and I swear we checked to make sure it was open Sundays, but when we pulled in we were denied. Closed. Second restaurant fail in two days. We asked the GPS to find us a nearby Mexican restaurant and there was one less than a mile away. I can’t tell you how delicious those damn burritos were. I love you El Tejavan.

Final stop for the day was Santa Fe. We got there late so didn’t do much, unfortunately.

Monday we didn’t linger in Santa Fe because we had a full day ahead, so we took off for Albuquerque where we stopped in Old Town. It was Labor Day, so there were only a few shops open, but it was actually perfect because the parking was free and there were almost no people around. After shopping, we drove to the Petrified Forest where we bought an $80 Annual National Park Pass since we were planning to visit four on this trip alone. The Petrified Forest was pretty cool. I love land that is preserved and undeveloped, so we made a few stops, took a lot of photos, went to the Visitors Center and went on our merry way.

We had dinner in Flagstaff at the Galaxy Diner on old Route 66. Burgers, fries and a chocolate malt? Yes please.

After Flagstaff it was off the to the Grand Canyon where we got in just before the sun went down. But alas, we didn’t get to see it set over the canyon because we were too busy setting up our tent with one small flashlight and the trace amounts of sunlight left. Sleeping that night was rough. We had to sleep diagonally in the small tent because of the Giraffe’s giraffe-ness, we only had one pillow, the ground kept punching knots in our backs, and all night we heard strange noises that the Giraffe thought were elk calls but that turned out to just be cars running over rumble strips on park roads.

When we saw the Grand Canyon the next day though, we decided it was well worth the terrible night. More on that later.

My recent absence can be explained in two words: ROAD TRIP! Awhile ago the Giraffe and I got the opportunity to drive a friend’s car across the country—she’s moving to San Diego, but driving a moving truck and needed to get her car there, too. We didn’t want to miss the chance to see some cool parts of the country, so we figured out how we were going to afford it and started planning.

We were gone a week, Saturday to Saturday, and managed to see a lot of new cities, states and attractions. It was pretty awesome. Except I got sick. Big frickin’ surprise because apparently I get sick every time I travel. Remember Ireland? And that wasn’t the first time. When will I learn? Luckily the worst of it was the Sunday after we got home – that day is pretty much a blur in my memory. As the Giraffe put it, “every time you emerged from the bedroom (usually to use the bathroom), it was like you were in another world.” I was. It’s called Delirium.

So the trip. Road Trip 2009.

We left early and drove straight to St. Louis where, of course, we saw the Gateway Arch and took all the same pictures I’m sure everyone takes.

Then we attempted to eat dinner. See, we had this great plan where we found coupons on restaurant.com. We bought coupons for three different restaurants in cities along our trip, $25 off at a meal for only $10 each. PLUS a sweet 80% discount I found. Basically we were gonna get $25 of food for $2 at each place. Yay right? Except we had horrible luck everywhere we went.

In St. Louis we planned to eat at Gladstone’s. St. Louis BBQ, yum. We got there and had no idea what to do. There was a smoke-filled bar, a crowded patio with live music and an empty dining room. We were standing in the dining room, looking confused, when an employee asked what we wanted. Um, to eat please. So she told us to sit, gave us menus, sighed and walked away. We never saw her again. After 20 minutes, we wrote a note on our restaurant.com coupon (“Sorry, had to take off. Thanks!”) and bailed. We ate Subway on the way out of town.

We slept at a Motel 6 in Joplin, MO where there was no free wifi, no art on the walls, no alarm clock, no free toiletries, a full-size “queen” bed, a crappy shower, a hard mattress and what we called a dog blanket on the bed. Lame, Motel 6, lame.

It gets better, I promise.

I had a nutty weekend. I took friday off to join me sister for her wedding weekend on Lake Michigan, but on my way there on thursday I was in a car accident. It was my fault. I was doing something we all do – trying to cross two lanes of busy traffic when you don’t have a clear view of the cars coming (maybe you don’t do that and I’m the only moron). The first lane had stopped to let me through, but the other hadn’t and I didn’t know that until too late. Other than a few bruises (and seat belt burn on my chest that everyone thinks is a hickey), I’m fine. My car is in the body shop, but I have decent insurance, so it’ll be okay. And I didn’t get a ticket, for which I’m incredibly grateful. I’ll write more about that later though because so far I’ve been impressed with how smoothly things have been handled.

I hardly had time to process what happened though. Things were taken care of pretty quickly and right away I was on my way to the lake with another sister. As soon as we got there, it was a whirlwind of unloading and unpacking and making dinner and eating dinner and then right after that there was a big blowout of family drama that occupied my mind well into the next day. Then it was wedding setup, wedding rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and lots of talking into the night. Saturday was all about the wedding, from 8am till after dark. And Sunday was all about cleanup with a quick 30th birthday celebration for my brother.

Somewhere in there I also started to feel sick. Just a sore throat, but the fact that I was getting almost no sleep and was highly stressed pretty much spelled doom. I actually feel ok today, so let’s hope that lasts.

The Giraffe and I didn’t get home until 6pm on Sunday. When we walked in the door I dropped my stuff on the floor, walked to the couch and didn’t move for an hour. Eventually we took showers, ordered pizza and watched a couple episodes of Buffy (we’re on season three!). I’m really hoping for an easy week – I need some recovery time.

Here’s the next installment of my Pack List series. This is the list I made when packing for my two-week trip to Ireland this past spring. When making this list, I planned on re-wearing several things (which I did), washing them (by hand) if necessary.

Obviously, your travels  abroad may be to a location entirely different than Ireland, but I think there are some good basics here for surviving an extended stay away from home.

Some disclaimers:
* I sometimes tend to over pack because I like to be prepared for whatever may come. A good tip is to pack things that are versatile. So if I say “nice pants” and also “jeans” but you have a pair of pants that are nice but also as comfortable as jeans, maybe you just pack those.

* Obviously you have to fill in the specifics here. On my own Pack Lists I often write “green t-shirt” or “black pinstripe pants.” For these generic lists it’ll be more like “t-shirt” and “dress pants.”

* I often, but not always, make categories and subcategories (CLOTHES: Tops, Bottoms, etc. TOILETRIES…).

* Make adjustments for your location, weather, circumstances, etc. Clearly.

* I’m not responsible for the use of my Pack Lists. If you find yourself in Maui with no bathing suit, it’s not my fault! (Even if I forgot to put “bathing suit” on “Pack List: Tropical Island.”)

* If you think of anything I should add to my Pack Lists, let me know!

CLOTHES
3 jeans/comfortable pants
5 t-shirts
2 sweatshirts
2 long-sleeved shirts
sweater
2 pajamas
underwear
bras
socks
walking shoes
comfy shoes that can be dressed up if necessary
flip flops
hat
rain coat (best thing I brought to Ireland!)
nice pants (we had planned to go to the theatre)
nice shirt

TOILETRIES
shampoo
conditioner
body wash
razors
hair brush
hair products
hair dryer
flat iron
hair clips, pins, etc.
contacts (2 pairs)
contact solution
contact cases
glasses and case
toothbrush
toothpaste
lotion
moisturizer
nail clippers, file
prescription meds
other meds (pain reliever, dramamine, cold meds – I used them all)

ELECTRONICS
Camera
2 camera batteries
camera battery charger
camera memory cards
phone (only used it in the US airports)
phone charger
mp3 player/charger
head phones
electronic adapter/converter (don’t forget this!)

MISC
snacks
water bottle
travel document holder
passport
health insurance card
credit/debit cards
detergent (small bottle just in case)
ziplocks (endlessly handy)
hanger (in case you wash something and need to hang dry it)
notebook (journal?)
pens
books
magazines
travel bag (for walking around, seeing the sites)
travel blanket
duffel bag (for overflow on the way home – I actually used mine)
photocopies of all important documents, cards, etc.
earplugs (I’m a light sleeper)
list of important phone numbers
purse
list of souvenirs to buy

This is what I carried on with me:
travel document holder
passport
health insurance card
small amount of cash
credit/debit cards
snacks
all meds
camera, battery, charger, memory card
contacts, solution, case
glasses, case
any toiletries not easily replaced
change of clothes
mp3 player, charger
book
magazines
earplugs
phone number list

Bonus travel tips:

• Leave a photocopy of all important documents, cards, etc. with a trusted person at home. If you lose them (and your own copies) while abroad, you can call home and easily get the info you need.
• Alert your bank and credit card companies of your travel plans.
• If you have health insurance, find out what is covered abroad so you’re prepared if anything happens.
• You can register your overseas trip with US Embassies. This isn’t necessary, but can’t hurt either.
• Bring a travel document holder for the airports. International travel can require a lot of ID and paperwork. Having it all (passport, boarding pass, customs claim, etc) in one place saves you a frantic search(that one of my travel companions experienced) at crucial moments.
• Leave at home anything you won’t need on your trip. For example, don’t bring all the usual contents of your wallet — your passport acts as an ID so your driver’s license is unnecessary, library and membership cards are pointless, etc. If something happens to your wallet abroad, this saves you some work later.

It requires a whole lot of crap to go camping! You saw my Pack List, it was crazy. One weekend in the woods required a trunk and back seat full of stuff.

That doesn’t even include the huge pile of firewood! Good thing the Giraffe has a big trunk. It’s almost not worth it, except we had so much fun hanging out with my sisters and their boys. And their dogs. Em has a yellow lab, Amarillo (Ami), and Kel has a teacup something-or-other (aka: smallest dog in the world) named Mildred (Millie) (or Mil-icious as I call her). They’re buds:

Because we were late in our decision to go camping, all the best campgrounds were full, so we ended up finding some random place in the middle of the state that none of us had been to before. One of the reasons we picked it was because of the advertised beach. We imagined laying in the sun and swimming in the lake when we weren’t chillin’ at the campsite. Um, this is the “beach”:

There was definitely nowhere to lay in the sun, and the only one who wanted to swim was Ami. This is not a beach, it’s lake access. Which is fine and totally acceptable. Just don’t call it a beach mmkay?

We all took turns making meals, and the Giraffe and I were in charge of dinner Saturday night (as well as s’mores). We got all the fixin’s for what we called Hobo Packs. We chopped red and green pepper, onion, carrots and potatoes, and brought ground beef and several sauces and spices. We took custom orders, threw the ingredients onto some aluminum foil, wrapped it up, and put them on a grate over the fire until everything seemed to be thoroughly cooked.

Something about food cooked over a fire is so good.

I didn’t shower all weekend and the humidity really did a number on my hair. I was quite a sight. It’s amazing what the lack of a shower, a flat iron and a little makeup can do to transform a person from presentable to dear god have you been living on a deserted island for the last ten years?

My flickr friends know what I’m talking about, but I’m definitely not posting pictures here.

Lastly, I accidentally took this pretty cool picture of my sister, her boyfriend and their dog(’s butt). Anybody know how to photoshop that truck out?

I’m a list-maker, no getting around it. So every time I leave home over night, I make a Pack List. I usually use Google Docs, but Excel or even Word work fine too. And sometimes I even go retro and use a pen and paper.

Once my friend Robin was going to New York City for a weekend on business, and she was so overwhelmed with other things going on at the time that she expressed to me how she didn’t even have time to THINK about packing! I offered to help and made a Pack List for her, which she used as a guide. It makes packing less frantic because you just check things off as you go, and you can feel confident that you have everything you need.

So I thought maybe others would benefit from my Pack Lists. Maybe they can act as an outline or a guide for your own lists. I’m going camping this weekend, so I thought I’d start with my Pack List: Camping.

Some disclaimers:
* I sometimes tend to over pack because I like to be prepared for whatever may come. A good tip is to pack things that are versatile. So if I say “nice pants” and also “jeans” but you have a pair of pants that are nice but also as comfortable as jeans, maybe you just pack those.

* Obviously you have to fill in the specifics here. On my own Pack Lists I often write “green t-shirt” or “black pinstripe pants.” For these generic lists it’ll be more like “t-shirt” and “dress pants.”

* I often, but not always, make categories and subcategories (CLOTHES: Tops, Bottoms, etc. TOILETRIES…).

* Make adjustments for your location, weather, circumstances, etc. Clearly.

* I’m not responsible for the use of my Pack Lists. If you find yourself in Maui with no bathing suit, it’s not my fault! (Even if I forgot to put “bathing suit” on “Pack List: Tropical Island.”)

* If you think of anything I should add to my Pack Lists, let me know!

Pack List: Camping

Tent
Tarp (good for creating shelter and putting under the tent)
Sleeping Bag
Pillow
Blankets
Utility Knife
Rope (clothes line for wet towels, suits)
Lantern
Chainsaw for cutting firewood (kidding, don’t do that)
Flashlight
Batteries
Hammer/Mallet (for tent stakes if ground is hard)
Coleman Stove
Propane
Coffee Percolator (for those who need it)
Pots/Pans
Cooking Utensils
Eating Utensils
Cutting Board
Kitchen Knife
Cooler
Ice
Dish Soap
Sponge
Dish Towels
Plates
Bowls
Cups
Food (be specific) (bring meals and snacks)
Drinks
Water Jug
Ziplock Bags
Trash Bag
Matches
Firewood
Kindling
Lighter Fluid
Bungie Cords
Camp Chairs
Games
Cards
Camera
Books
Soap
Toiletries (be specific)
Baby Wipes
Beach Towel
Sunscreen
Bug spray
Clothes:
Jeans
Cropped Pants (this is mostly for women, but men feel free)
Shorts
T-shirt (or long-sleeve, depending on weather)
Tank Tops
Sweatshirt
Underwear/Bras
Socks
Tennis Shoes (aka: Sneakers)
Flip-flops (or sandals)
Shower Shoes (if showers available)
Pajamas
Bathing Suit
Sunglasses

By the way, this is for semi-modern camping. Not the RV kind, but also not the backwoods. Remember, this is just a guide. Add or omit whatever makes sense for your own personal circumstances. And start packing!

Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13

Day 14: Shannon to home
We woke early in Shannon to head home. It was going to be a loooong day of travel, and we were not too thrilled. We figured out that on Michigan time, we’d be traveling from 2am to 10pm. Ugh. First, we ran into Ray the Driver in the airport, which is so weird. He’s based in Galway, what was he doing in Shannon? But he had played such an integral part in our trip, it seemed fitting.

Once we checked in, we stopped in the duty-free shop where we thought we’d have time to peruse for awhile. But after only a few minutes we heard our flight being called (an hour early!) and suddenly we were rushing like crazy people. We flew through duty-free, went through about 12 different check points and finally got on the plane. The flight was nice because we had screens on the back of the seats with a variety of movies, tv shows, games, etc. I watched a couple movies and some episodes of 30 Rock and boom, we were in Newark. We had a layover there, then flew to Cleveland where we had a several-hour long layover. It sucked because we were SO CLOSE to home and there we sat for hours. We discussed how it would be faster to rent a van and drive, but we didn’t follow through. Eventually we got home, about 10pm, and I was so happy to see my Giraffe. It was an incredible trip that I was thankful to have been able to go on, but one the best parts of traveling is coming home right?

People keep asking what my favorite part was, and I have no answer. There was no one thing that stuck out as my absolute favorite. I really did love it all. I also get asked a lot if I’d go back, and yes I would. But first there are about seven billion other places I want to visit, so Ireland might have to wait.

Now to the souvenirs. I bought a little something for all my siblings, all my parents (steps included), my grandparents and my niece and nephew. The Giraffe got several little gifts, and of course I spoiled myself.

The ring is turquoise, my birthstone. The necklace is Connemara Marble from the Connemara region. The chocolate is oh so delicious – you wish you could have some. You’ve already seen the other necklaces and salt & pepper shakers. And the print is something that really caught my eye. I matted and framed it, and I’m just deciding where to hang it.

I also bought myself a scarf and two headbands (these mostly to tame the fro) and a Balek vase. The postcards were meant for sending home, but I never got around to it, so I’m keeping them. That one of Jesus was handed to me by a random stranger at the Galway Cathedral. And the sweatshirt…I had to get a green Ireland hoodie, obviously.

I probably spent more than I should have, but we also were given a lot of spending money out the program fee we had paid, so a lot of it was money I had already spent and didn’t think I’d miss. And now every time I put on my hoodie (which I’m wearing as I write this) or look at my vase or my shakers or wear my new jewelry, I’m reminded of Ireland. And that is worth a few euros.

Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12

Day 13: Inisheer, Aran Islands
When we woke up, the professor told us that one of the Aran Islands tour companies had canceled boats again due to the water conditions. The other did not. Did we want to go? Heck yes we did. This was our last chance to see one of the islands, and how bad could the ferry ride really be?

Turns out, pretty effing bad.

The advertising touted a 20-minute boat ride to Inisheer, the closest island and the one we were planning to visit. I had been struggling with motion sickness the whole trip, but I figured twenty minutes, I can do that. So we got on the boat, the Happy Hooker, and 45 minutes later we made it to the island. FORTY FIVE MINUTES! That is not twenty. I, and everyone else, felt every single one of those minutes too.

The water doesn’t look so bad here, but don’t be fooled. It was an angry beast.

Before I got on board someone had suggested focusing on one spot, and that’s what I did. I burned a hole into the side of that boat with all my staring. I felt sick for sure, but I didn’t vomit. I felt shaky and weak and at one point I lost all feeling in my hands and couldn’t uncurl my fists, but I didn’t vomit. Several others did. It was a regular barf fest on board, and it was the longest forty five minutes in the world. By the time we got off, we were all truly scarred. We couldn’t even enjoy our time on the island because we were in so much dread of the return trip.

Inisheer was pretty bleak, there wasn’t a whole lot going on, and we couldn’t figure out where to go. We just wanted to sit and not be disturbed until our tummies recovered. Eventually we stumbled upon a stray dog, who we named Seamus. He became our guide and led us to a little tea shop.

We sat for a long time sipping on tea and discussing options for avoiding the impending return boat ride: swim back to the mainland, marry locals and live on the island, fake an injury and call for a rescue chopper, invent teleportation. When we exhausted our options, we walked out to the rocks and laid in the sun. Part of the coast of the island was nothing but a puzzle of giant boulders that made a lovely place for a rest:

Then we went to the beach and walked around there for awhile.

We decided we were hungry, mostly because a few people had lost their breakfast on the boat, but we were all a little nervous to eat because that practically invites barfing when you’re about to board the boat of doom. But we walked to a pub anyway and gave it a shot. Then it was time to go wait for the ferry. But first, this lovely shot of an old Irish couple. They’ve probably lived on that island their whole lives:

We all sat on the dock and tried to prepare ourselves mentally. I know I sound dramatic, but we were all really not looking forward to another 45 minutes of the barf fest. When the boat got there, we armed ourselves with barf bags, settled in and begged for mercy.

I found my spot on the wall and commenced staring. And it worked! No barfing. And no numb hands either, though I did feel pretty weak and awful the whole time, plus about 30 minutes post boat ride. When we got off at the dock, there was a line of people waiting to go to the island. I just looked at them and shook my head. I think they got the message.

We went back to the hostel, grabbed something to eat, then took a van to the Shannon Airport hotel. It was so much fun to see my name everywhere, and I never tired of taking pictures of the Shannon Airport and the Shannon Room and the Shannon College of Hotel Management, etc.

We checked into our rooms and totally decompressed. It had been a long two weeks and we were exhausted. We had dessert in the hotel restaurant, packed up all our stuff, then chilled out in front of the TV.

To answer a question asked by many: yes, I loved the bag I ended up buying for this trip. You can see it in use here (sort of… it was usually slung behind me like that):

You can also see what some of the other girls used. Mine was a bit larger than theirs, but it met my needs. It was comfortable but spacious. I was able to carry everything I needed and never had to dig for any of it because there so many pockets and dividers. I also brought along a backpack that I used as a carry-on and during a couple day trips when we were traveling between hostels and might not see our luggage for awhile. I also brought a smaller cloth purse…

…that I used for going to the pub at night, and also for little outings when we were in a bus all day. I’d put the small purse inside the orange bag, and when we got out at a stop, like the Cliffs, I just grabbed the small purse. The whole bag situation worked out very well.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the long trip home, show you some souvenirs and answer any other burning questions you guys ask in comments.

Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11

Day 11: The Burren
We were down to our last two days in Ireland, and we still hadn’t been to the Aran Islands, but sadly the ocean was so choppy that all the boats had been canceled for the day. So spontaneously we had the hostel find us a driver, and we all hopped into a little van, and he took us on an impromptour. Get it? An impromptu tour? Impromptour. That’s right.

It was a gorgeous day, despite the wind, and it ended up being one of our favorite days of the trip. First we stopped at some ocean cliffs and explored. And tried not to get blown in. No seriously, we almost did.

Then we drove to a beach where we all got out and walked around. It was fun. We all milled about, soaking it all in and enjoying Ireland quietly. Except for the CRAZY wind in our ears.

After the beach, we stopped in the little town of Doolin to check out the shops, then pulled off at St. Brigid’s Well. The area around St. Brigid’s also had a cemetery and a…hmm, what do you call those places where people come to make offerings? Google isn’t helping.

Then we went to the “stone store.” Our professor had been hyping this so-called stone store since before we left for Ireland, and I honestly didn’t understand what could be so great about place that sold stones. Turns out it’s like this rock emporium! All kinds of cool things made out of stones and gems and marble and who knows what else. I ended up buying a set of marble salt and pepper shakers, and a glow-in-the-dark necklace with an encased flower beetle. Both show here:

(The other necklace is a pressed flower from the Cliffs of Moher.)

Next we drove through some small towns and villages and stopped in Liscannor for lunch. That was the place that gave us the troughs of ketchup. Love you Liscannor. We made a few other stops after lunch too. Lahinch beach, a memorial to the Potato Famine, etc. When we got back to the hostel in the afternoon, we all crashed from our long day in the Irish sun. After a nice nap, it was off to the local pub. It was our last pub night, so we enjoyed the music and drinks as much as possible.

Unfortunately when we got back to our room, our jeans were still wet from the day before. Luckily the incredibly nice South African guy at the front desk let us use the dryers for free. After laundry it was off to bed.

Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10

Day 11: Galway to Cliffs of Moher to Lisdoonvarna
We left Galway and hopped a tour bus to the Cliffs of Moher, something we had really been looking forward to. The tour included a few other stops along the way. Like this fairy fort:

Which was basically just a big circular path in the woods. The path had trees on both sides, but the middle of the circle was empty aside from some bushes. There is some serious lore surrounding fairy forts – basically it’s bad news if you destroy one. And the Irish take this very seriously, so you’ll see little rings of trees in the middle of fields. We stopped and walked around the path at this particular fairy fort, and the tour guide got very solemn and told us to Stay On the Path! Do Not Leave the Path! Do Not Enter the Middle of The Fairy Fort! We were all nearly silent while we walked single file around the circle. Nobody tripped and fell in the middle, thank god.

Next we drove through some very rocky terrain, common in that part of the country…

…and we stopped at this burial, Poulnabrone dolmen, which, sorry, I didn’t really learn much about.

We got out and walked around for a bit and continued on. This particular bus was somewhat crowded and I had to sit near the back. I had been struggling with motion sickness the whole trip, so that was not a good place for me. Our next stop was in a small town with an old cemetery where everyone but me got out to take pictures. I stayed on the bus and tried to calm my stomach. It worked, because by the time we reached our next stop, the Cliffs of Moher, I felt good and eager to explore.

The Cliffs. How can I say this? They are truly breathtaking. I kept thinking about how humans think we make such amazing things, but some of the most beautiful and spectacular things in the world don’t require humans to create at all. Now, my little point and shoot camera was powerless against the majesty of the Cliffs, so you’ll have to just go there someday and see for yourself, but I’ll show a few anyway so you don’t yell at me.

And here’s me blowing away in the wind. It was so crazy windy at the top that we could barely stand up. It’s so fun to watch people try to remain stable in that kind of wind – I couldn’t stop laughing.

After the Cliffs we took the bus to Lisdoonvarna, Matchmaking Capital of the World. We checked into the hostel and walked to the store for dinner supplies. We ended up buying individual frozen pizzas, then realized that the hostel only had one small oven, even to hold one pizza at a time. Some chose to wait for the oven, but I figured I’d just throw mine in the microwave. It was pretty nasty, don’t try it at home. All five girls shared a room again, but this time we had enough beds. Nobody went out that night, and instead we stayed in and chatted until we fell asleep.

Wait. Did I mention the torrential downpour we got stuck in? No? Let me just tell you, it was like taking a bath fully clothed. We were walking back from getting our pizzas and it started to sprinkle. Then it started to drizzle. Then rain. Within a few seconds the sky was dropping sheets of rain and hail on us. We took off running, but it was pointless. In the few minutes it took us to get back to the hostel, we were soaked. And lest anyone disbelieve me, I made someone take a picture:

The only reason my shirt is dry is because I had my coat zipped up protecting my dinner. It’s not easy to run with a frozen pizza stuffed down your front either. Try it.

Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9

Day 10: Galway
On the tenth day in Ireland we had to do actual schoolwork. Remember, this was a study abroad trip. I know, it was easy for me to forget too because of all the fun we were having. In Dublin we visited a hospice agency for a couple hours, but we just listened to a short lecture and learned about the health care system.

In Galway we were visiting another hospice, but this time we had to do some service learning. We spent several hours there, first taking a tour and then meeting some patients. Which was actually quite awkward. Not because of the end of life stuff, but because they basically said “You’re their entertainment for the day. Just go in there and chat with them.” Um… I hate small talk with strangers, I don’t care how healthy they are. And honestly, most of them didn’t seem to care we were there, so it was weird. After that uncomfortable experience, we had lunch and then met several of the staff and chatted with them for a few hours. And all I really have to show for it is this picture of the hospice:

Exciting right? Back at the hostel we all made dinner together, then went to a pub to see some traditional Irish dancing. The tiny dance floor was thrown down in the middle of the pub and about every 20 minutes this young couple would hop up and start dancing. It was so much fun.

I was finally feeling well enough to go out. Still not great, but it was our last day in Galway, and I LOVED Galway, so I wanted to enjoy myself. I drank only 7-Up and in between dances I got hooked on a crossword puzzle I found on the back of a coaster. Yes, this is how I spent much of my last evening in Galway:

But don’t worry, I also had a lot of fun hanging out with my crew. At one point some local hopped on the piano and started playing Billy Joel’s Piano Man (which, first of all, I now call him Billy Jo-elle because that’s how one of the Dubliners we met pronounced it. So cute.). There was another group of Americans in the pub, and we all started swaying to the music and singing along. Not in an obnoxious loud American way, but in a, hey we can be proud of this song way.

I got to talk to the Giraffe for a few minutes before going to bed, so all in all it was a good day even if we didn’t do any site-seeing. We made up for in the next few days – they were all about seeing some pretty cool Irish sites. And I took LOTS of pictures so get ready.