NYC here I come! I am finally flying back across the pond after being over here for 5 1/2 weeks. I am sad to be leaving, but the thought of sleeping in my own bed is calling me. Just one stop left.
Ireland has been such a wonderful experience. By far, Northern Ireland was the prettiest- the scenery is breathtaking. We had some great fun in our travels. We happened to stop in Tralee along our travels and they were having this big street festival. We were entertained by this awesome Celtic band that was very talented. We also drove the Conor's Pass on the Dingle Penisula which was incredibly tight- of what we saw of it. It was so foggy when you looked out the window you couldn't really see anything- but that's also what made it so scary and fun!
Sorry this is a short post but this computer is slow and I fear it will take forever to laod up.
Anyways, I am closer to home and I will see most of you soon! I have heaps of pictures that I will post sometime in September. Oh, and for those of you who were aware of my struggle to find Murphy's in Ireland- the circle is complete. I finally found a pint tonight. It almost made it taste that much better. Knowing I had waited so long to get something so good. Just like so many things in life... it's sweeter and worth more when one has to wait for it, fight for it or go through obstacles to get there. Ah... but when you get there- there's nothing like it.

Cheers,
Amy

Sorry for the delay in posts... I am on an iTouch so I am limited in what I can do.

I am in love. First with St.Andrew's in Fife Scotland. The beach is so beautiful & peaceful. You feel like you could walk for miles. The little town is so picturesque with it's old buildings & coblestone streets. While we were there Ryan got to play st.andrew's old course which was a dream come true. It is the oldest course in history & one of the most famous. I walked the course when Ryan played- what a beautiful and difficult course. So Ryan & I changed our plans just so he could play there. In fact, we slept in the car and Ryan was in line at 2:30 am just to make sure he got on the waiting list. You see, normally you have to book a year in advance for tee off times. But they also take walk ons the day of if there is space. That morning there were more than 20 guys lined up hoping to play. It was an amazing experience to walk where so many GREATS have played- such as Bobby Jones, Tiger Woods & Arnold Palmer.

Holly, you'll love this next part. I got to see the William Wallace Monument. That's the Braveheart guy, incases you didn't know. And no I don't mean Mel Gibson. I was wishing Holly & Kristy could have been there with me. You could even buy the his Tartan there.

I am in Dublin now and I am in love with Ireland. We have had the priviledge of hearing live bands at the pubs and they are so talented. We even were a part of a live taping of one bands DVD. Old Irish folk tunes and some original ones too! Everyone in the pub is singing & clapping along; you can't help but smile and join in!

Tomorrow we are off to Northern Ireland- can't wait!
I hear Thunder Bay is hot... It's been raining almost every day here, but I am still having fun :)

Top o' the morning to you friends. Yesterday was Mystery Date. For those of you who don't know, I'll explain. For our 3rd yr anniversary, instead of buying presents for each other, I thought it would be fun to plan a mystery date on our holiday. So yesterday was the one I planned for Ryan. We went to Aberfoyle to an ariel assault course. What an amazing experience! Ryan was very surprised and super stoked. The site consisted of zip slides through the trees, rope bridges, wires, suspended tunnels, and the tarzan swing. The zip slides were really fun and the view of the forest was spectacular. The scarist thing I've done in my life was the Tarzan swing. There was such a big drop before your harness actual caught you for the swing. I thought for sure I was going to pee myself, but don't worry I didn't! But I did the Tarzan swing and I felt like I conquered the world. Mind you I was still shaking when I went onto the next obstacle, but it was well worth it. If you want to check out the website, they have some pics and video demos of what we did- we were on the Aberfoyle course.
http://www.goape.co.uk/ContentArticle.aspx?Id=114&ate=115
Unfortunately we didn't take any pics because we didn't want to lose or damage our camera. However, Ryan kindly went on the last zip slide first so he could get some pics of me coming in- I'll post them once I'm home in September. Ryan's mystery date for me is in Dublin. I've put in a request to go dancing... but we'll see if he'll actually break down and go to a club.
We're off to Inverness to the Whiskey Trail with a stop at St.Andrew's first.

Cheerio- Ames

PS thanks for the posts Mary & Kelti... miss you guys :(

I'm in Scotland now. It's much cooler than Nice and I do miss the sun. But it is still amazing to see such beautiful countryside and be somewhere new. I got to drive on the OTHER side of the road; some say it's the right side, others the wrong side and I say: why is somebody driving in my lane?? It's been fun, but you REALLY have to concentrate on driving. Hence why I am letting Ryan do most of the driving. We of course got lost the first day because the signs are so ridiculous here... but it's part of the adventure. And get this, you know how we have caution MOOSE signs, they have yield SHEEP signs. I couldn't stop laughing when I saw that. Don't worry I'll get a picture of that.
We are staying at this beautiful castle that was established in 1199- it's been very relaxing and the scenery is breathtaking. And I have the most amazing clawfoot bathtub in my room. I'll take a picture for you. But not with me in it because that would be awkward.
It is my favourite feature of the place.
We went to Edinburgh Castle yesterday. It was lovely to see so much history and I couldn't help wonder what it would have been like back in the day. The fringe festival is on right now too and there are so many street performances going on. It also brings a lot of interesting characters mulling about the streets, so it definitely fun people watching.
Ryan is golfing today. I swear if I stood in one of the bunkers here, you wouldn't be able to see me. And I am not saying that just because I am short (no comments Shane). But it's ridiculous how deep they are... we'll see if Ryan enjoys golf after today...
Kelti- on my last day of classes we did a jazz routine to "Can't Stop the Rock"- it made me miss you!
Emily- I think Ryan is sick of hearing me talk about you or McMahon's... he thinks maybe I should be married to you- LOL! :) miss you.

Anyways, I'm off to go check on Princes Street...til next time.
Cheers!

Hey Everyone! Hope your summer is going well. My classes have been so much fun. My first week I had 2 jazz classes, 1 modern & 1 tap. Amazing!!!! I have learned so much, I can't even begin to explain how greatful I am. Although it is really hot here, so it's like dancing in a sauna! I have yet to leave a class where my clothes aren't soaked- it's a good feeling :)
This week I have modern, jazz and african. The african is my fav this week- such a great workout. And my classes don't start until 3:30, so I have more time for the beach- YAY!

Last week, my friend Gianluca gave me a tour of Nice on his motorbike. It was the most amazing view I have ever seen. He took me up the mountains in Ville Franche and I could see the sea, mountains, fog, all the houses and it was at sunset. It definitely was one of the highlights of my trip. Another highlight was meeting Emily and all my friends at McMahon's. They have made my experience here so much fun. Last night we went to Cannes which was pretty cool and they had fireworks on the beach.

Well that's all for now. I leave tomorrow to meet up with Ryan for our vacation :) Not sure how many posts I'll get in, but I'll try.

Miss you all!!!!

This was my saying on Sunday when I was in Monaco. You wouldn't believe how many I saw... and better yet- heard! ahhhh, beautiful. I also went to Ville Frache with my flatmate Katia- from Italy. I had so much fun at the beach and walking through the tiny streets here. The views have been breathtaking!
Anyways, my times up... more later. Just know I am having the best time ever!!
Off to the beach :)