In a Drizzly Dream of a Dublin Walk...

Upon arriving in Ireland, we took a train up to Dublin to crash after a long day of travel. Our first full day there, we could not help ourselves. We had to experience one of Dublin's biggest exports in the biggest way possible: we went to the Guinness Storehouse. 

Free pint of Guinness after the Storehouse tour. 

How's this for iconic?

After the Storehouse, we set out to explore the city. I had no idea that Guinness and Jameson (yes, as in the whiskey) helped restore St. Patrick's Cathedral and other iconic sites in Dublin. 

Sir Guinness in all of his glory. 

I also did not know that Dublin has two catherals: St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christchurch Cathedral. 

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Apparently, St. Patrick's Cathedral was outside of the old city walls, so Christchurch Cathedral was the official cathedral of Dublin for a while. 

After touring some of the city, we ended up in a pub on an older side of town, enjoying some jazz. No matter where we go, we always seem to find the jazz. 

On our way home, I saw this little gem out of the corner of my eye, down a side-street: 

It's anyone's guess if they're actually related to my husband's family or not, but it was really cool to see. Especially because, unknown to us, it was our last day out and about in Dublin. 

Our last day in Dublin, my husband was not feeling well. We ended up staying in the hotel room. I ordered room service, watched bad tv, and read. Although I was disappointed we couldn't go out on our last day, it was nice to recuperate from our whirlwind trip and reflect. 

I always adore going back to my non-stateside home and seeing family that I do not see nearly as often as I would like. It can sometimes be a hard pill to swallow, being so far from family. However, the situation has made it so I will always value my family and treasure every second I get to be with them. I always try to tell my friends not to take their family for granted for this very reason. 

Treasure your family. Collect experiences, not possessions. 

Hwyl Fawr am Nawr

Well, that was a prolonged break, I apologize. And towards the end of my trip re-cap, too. I should be ashamed. Let's continue, shall we?

West Wales was filled with the comfort of family and walks along the rugged coastal paths.

The unexpected beauty despite the harsh conditions. 

Inexhaustible views. 

With crystal clear water. 

I've never seen such raw beauty as I have there.

Even the plant life bows to the power of the elements. 

We took numerous walks during our multiple days there, just soaking it all in. 

During one of our longer walks, we caught a glimpse of my all-time favorite cathedral: St. David's Cathedral. Absolutely breathtaking, tucked away below the city of St. David's. 

On our last day there, we took a walk to the top of a cliff where we could see all of Fishguard (where we were staying during this portion of our trip). 

We caught one last glimpse of my family until we can return again...

...and then we set sail for Ireland. 

The Road Less Traveled

My grandparents wanted to drive us to my cousin's in West Wales, so, instead of driving straight from Cardiff to Fishguard, we decided to take a more scenic route and make a stop along the way. We went back up to the area around the Brecon Beacons and, per the suggestion of my aunt, stopped at Carreg Cennen Castle.

We drove through small towns and up winding country roads to get to the site of the castle, and it was absolutely marvelous. There were painters all around one of the nearby fields, trying to capture its splendor.

The castle itself was very impressive, but the views were the best part.

You felt like you could see for miles.

The castle itself was also very impressive. 

I may or may not be about to fall over on those steep steps...

My favorite picture: my Grampy taking it all in. 

Only regret? Not renting a flashlight so I could check out the cave that was connected to the castle. 

As far as we were able to go; it was pitch black. 

The stairs leading back up to the castle. 

After the castle, we continued on to Fishguard to see my cousin and her family. They own a fantastic B&B, so they put us up in one of their rooms. Talk about living in the lap of luxury! Every morning we would wake up, go down to the dining room for a cooked breakfast, go upstairs to get ready, and then walk over to their connecting cottage to hash out the day. Our room even had a tea station (yes, again with the tea. Sorry.)! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The night we got there, we relaxed with a delicious meal, made by my cousin's husband who's an amazing cook. Then, we were able to just relax with a cuppa and catch up. It had been, after all, three and a half years since we'd last seen them. 

How Green Was My Valley

After we returned from London, we had one more day in and around Cardiff before going to West Wales. My grandparents, husband, and I decided to go slightly north and hang out around my Grampy's old haunts around the Brecon Beacons ~ he lived in the area as a child. I will always wistfully wish that I, too, had grown up there because, my friends, it is the most gorgeous countryside I have ever seen in my life.

My grandparents on our walk.

And, before anyone asks, no, these photos have not been altered in any way, shape, or form. It is really that green, and it was really that bright and sunny (unusual for the UK, I know). 

We parked at the trail head and we decide to take a walk next to the stream.

Past a few waterfalls. 

Until we reached the top. 

And the waterfall, with local students climbing underneath it for a class (I wish I had a class like that in school!).

On the way down, we continued to marvel at the beauty all around us. 

And talked about how fortunate people were to live around this unspoiled beauty. 

And were thankful that it was returned to its original splendor after generations of coal mining, at one point, turned the mountainside black. 

It was humbling to think of my grandfather's family living here. They may not have had much: picking edible berries off the mountainside to make a little bit of extra money, illegally fishing in these waters for food, but they still felt blessed. It makes you think about what we hold most dear nowadays. It makes me re-assess what I value most. 

After our leisurely stroll through the mountainside, we stopped in Brecon on our way back to Cardiff where I bought ingredients for dinner. Once back at the house, I made a tasty meal from my find at the market: sea bass, new potatoes, and green beans, all in season! 

After dinner, we met up with three of my cousins and their partners for a drink. I hadn't seen them for 10 years! That's right, 10. Thank God for Facebook, am I right? It was great catching up with them, and I was glad my husband was finally able to meet them. Now he only has a few more to meet before he has met all of the cousins in the UK. It was a great way to end our portion of the trip in south Wales. 

Never, Never, Neve Give Up

The next day, we decided to go the long way to our next destination and take a little bit of a walk. We went in front of a few buildings that people seemed kind of interested in...

And then took a stroll through the park... 

Before getting to our ultimate destination. 

To say that this place is moving is an understatement. I can't even imagine having thousands of these falling from the sky onto my city and my loved ones. 

Nor do I know how I would have handled the cramped conditioned while waiting for the all clear that the enemy has finished bombarding us...for the time being. 

People would sleep in here while waiting for the air raids to finish.

The bunker was reinforced with steel...

...and concrete.

It was awe inspiring to be in the rooms where some of the most important decisions in the war were made.

In the map room, you could see the last official placement of troops when the war ended, and you could see the pin pricks of past positions held. 

Once the war ended, the workers in the Churchill War Rooms literally just packed up and left it as it lay, so you see frozen moments in time when you venture down there: 

The keys to all of the room, left hanging on the door. 

The last predicted casualties of the war before the official numbers came in. 

The final placement of troops in the pacific when the war ended. 

Even though I have always had a profound respect for the people who endured this war, the Churchill War Rooms put it into even greater perspective from a militaristic standpoint. I have always heard stories about the war from a personal perspective: my grandfather running through fields to get to the nearest bomb shelter with planes zooming overhead, my grandmother collecting scrap metal after air raids from the airplanes that were shot down or damaged, my grandfather going outside during a bombing (when it should have been pitch black due to the blackout curtains) and being able to read a newspaper from the flames of a nearby city, my other grandmother's first fiance, a pilot, being shot down by the Germans, my great-great-uncle coming back from a prisoner camp looking like a skeleton and screaming from the nightmares he would tell no one about. Those are the stories I've committed to heart. This museum helped me learn about the people who helped boost morale, stood firm, and helped win that awful war. 

After an emotional day underground in the bunker, my husband and I decided to walk next to the Themes and just drink in the city during our last day there. Immediately upon coming above ground, we saw the iconic Big Ben, standing proudly against the gray sky: 

We took in the simple beauty of the Thames

And took a moment to silently thank all the people who perished fighting for what was right. 

"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." ~ Winston Churchill