Groceries, Old Roads, & Destroyed Tires...

welcome home.

I picked up a few groceries in Ebensburg after visiting my sister and her boyfriend tonight. They've been watching the turtle since I left for my trip. He's looking good and I appreciate their fantastic babysitting services.

En route back to my house, I decided to take the familiar old farm road instead of spending more time on the highway. Generally, the path shaves about a minute off the over all drive time. It has a few more curves and isn't always in the best of shape, especially during winter weather, but I like the old road just the same.

Winding through the curves and bends, I came across a rather unpleasant situation. In the 2 months since I drove the old road, an enormous pot hole developed. Unaware of its existence and busily watching for deer and other suicidal critters through the rain, I drove right over it.

I thought, "That's going to leave a mark," as my passenger side wheel slammed into the broken pavement.

Of course it did. Minutes after my run in with the damaged road, the tell tale vibrations of a flat tire began. As I was relatively close to home (about a mile and a half), I chose to keep going. The tire got flatter and flatter as I went, but my speed was reduced and I made it.

Parking in the driveway, it was time to assess the damage caused by the pot hole. Of course, the tire was completely destroyed by a combination of trauma and abuse, but other than the shredded rubber, there wasn't any damage that I could see. A quick trip to the garage should have it taken care of in no time.

Reflections

The time has come for me to return to life in the US. As I sit in the airport, reflecting on my 6 week journey throughout Europe, I feel very blessed. With all the amazing experiences and fabulous people and pets I got to know along the way, I know this place will always have a warm home in my heart.

I never knew time could move so quickly. The tapestry of my life is fuller and a lot more colorful since going international once again. Each experience, the bitter as well as the sweet, combined to create an interesting and memorable adventure abroad. Looking back, there are only 2 things I would have changed if I could. I would have scheduled my return flight for a later date in order to spend more time in the beautiful and peaceful Ambialet. The other, well, my friends and family at the priory know what it is.

Jenn in Europe 2010 has come to an end, but the real journey has yet to begin. I wonder what my next adventure will be...


To my new friends and family in Ambialet,
Thank you all for inviting me into your lives so openly. My first European experience was truly amazing, and I have you to thank for that. We shared many laughs and shed a few tears, some checked out while others checked in. It's been quite a ride and I look forward to seeing you all when you come back stateside. I'll see you at the reunion, don't forget the "French soil"! Take care!
Love, Jenn





Special Shout-Out to Jay-Z: I love you too, buddy. Thanks for all the walks and good times! :) I'll miss you.

I can't believe I'll be leaving tomorrow...

that's all for today. It was another fantastic, beautiful day here in Ambialet. Dinner was spectacular once again. There is really nothing else to report.

I just can't believe this journey has reached its end. :(

Sad Day at the Priory

Brun got hit by a car today. She will most likely have to be put down. Jay-Z is having a very difficult time wondering where she is. It has been a sad day, indeed. :(

Mel Brooks Night in Ambialet

It was another magnificently lazy day in the peaceful village of Ambialet. Plus, dinner was fantastic. Bernard, you are amazing! Tonight's meal was pork with a side of green beans. Yum!

After dinner, it was time for the first ever "Mel Brooks Night" in Ambialet! Compliments of my dad, Mark Lynch, we spent the evening watching Space Balls in the common room. It was fabulous and a perfect end to a lovely day. :)

I'm thinking that we should definitely have a Mel Brooks party when everyone gets home. Who's with me?

glad to be back in ambialet

Paris, Dublin, Mont St Michel, Normandy, Nantes... all were amazing. Still, I am happy to be back "home" in Ambialet. It's just so peaceful here. I love it!

What A Night!

We woke up this morning and a few of the students and I decided to visit the church on top of Mont St Michel. The price for admission was rather steep... especially because I bought my ticket before learning that it was supposed to be 3.50 euro cheaper for youths. There's a useful tip for you: If you are between the ages of 18 and 25, make sure you have identification with your age on it and remember to tell the person at the ticket counter. As I was unaware of the youth discount, I ended up paying the whole 8.50 euro for my ticket. Too bad, I had my ID too. Live and learn, right?

Price aside, the view from the top was spectacular. I recommend stopping by if you're ever in the area. It's no Ambialet, but it's still pretty awesome and you'll get some exercise.

After leaving Mont St Michel, we (Mom, Dad, Lori, and myself... the other 2 vehicles abandoned us) visited Omaha Beach in Normandy. It was a surreal experience. For such a scenic location, Omaha Beach sure has a dark past. Then again, how many places on this planet don't have a dark past? Not many, I suspect.



After a few hours of driving and watching a beautiful sunset from the road, we reached Nantes. In true Lynch form, we got ridiculously lost in Nantes. Bad directions and terrible traffic combined for a rough trip to the hotel. At one point, after trying to help, I decided to just check out. The decision was for the best.

Ah, Hotel Trianon. Sounds pretty nice, huh? Don't let a fancy name fool you. The place is a flea pit. My room was disgusting and my towels smelled like aftershave. Still, the sheets were clean and I had the room to myself. After a few weeks of sharing a room with my parents in Paris, Dublin, and Mont St Michel, it was nice to have my own room... even if it was in a flea pit hotel.

After the terrible traffic and getting lost in Nantes, I was ready for a good hard drink. As fate would have it, there was a beautiful neon sign that read "BAR" directly beside the flea pit. To make a long, uncomfortable story short: Bar Le Moorea is NOT A BAR!!! It is a brothel and I never did get my drink. How could we have possibly known this place wasn't a bar?

A few quick quotes from the evening, John should appreciate these: "Oh look, they have a red light!" "cinq personnes s'il vous plaît." "Champagne 200." "Let's get the Hell out of here."

Useful tips from today:
Always have a map and proper directions. A working GPS is better.
Never get panicky when lost. Tempers will flare ad it is not worth the drama.You WILL find your way, eventually, even if you have a bad sense of direction.
Bar Le Moorea is NOT A BAR!!! If you are looking for a drink in Nantes, find another place!

Mont St Michel

Welcome to Mont St Michel, a spectacular tidal island that took 500 years to complete. With its rich history, the place is as interesting as it is beautiful.

I'll Miss You, Dublin

The cab driver with whom my dad and I played darts last night was fantastic. Displaying true Irish hospitality, he even gave us the "senior citizen" discount price for the ride. What a guy. :)

Alas, my luck has remained true to form and I was frisked yet again going through airport security. How many countries have I been/will I be frisked in this trip? Only time will tell. Who knew I looked like such a dangerous person? Ha.

The flight was pretty uneventful and we each had our own row. The added space was rather nice in the nearly empty flight to Paris.

Arriving at CDG, we picked up our bags and hired a taxi. For 70 euro, the 3 of us were transported directly to our hotel. Given the hour and factoring in the cost for travel, it was clearly the best deal available to us at the time. The Air France Bus would've cost around 72 euro and included a number of other stops.

Gladly, we only had to stay in the hotel for one night. Of course, it probably had some pretty nice guest rooms, but we never saw one of them. Humorously enough, our room was located in the attic, also referred to as the "6th floor". The elevator went to the 5th floor and a narrow stairway lead to our room, which wasn't bad for me. I liked the exercise.

The roughest thing about the room, and probably the most hillarious, was the bathroom. You see, the ceiling/roof had a rather sharp angle directly above the toilet. If one wasn't careful (or fully awake) when using the facility, a strong hit on the head was all but inevitable. To add to the thrilling sense of danger, the shower was curtainless. Ha, regardless of how carefully one would wash, water would spray all over the tile floor leaving a rather slick surface. Slippery floor + low/sharply angled roof ceiling= big headache time!

Really, I only wish I had taken a picture of the room and bathroom because they were so silly and poorly thought out. It was actually kind of entertaining. Painful? Yes. Funny? Absolutely.

Zoo, Draughts and Darts

We went to the zoo today. Along the way, we decided to stop for lunch and a cute little place nearby, called the Phoenix Park Tea Rooms. It was a deliciously simple lunch of soup and bread, washed down with a coke. On a chilly day such as this, the soup was very pleasant. Perhaps on my next trip, I will try the tea.


Dublin Zoo is pretty awesome and I had a great time seeing the animals and snapping pictures. The animals appeared content and well-fed, which is always a good thing. There were also some fun, interactive things with which to learn.

Check it out! I almost have chimpanzee hands!








We should probably stop eating at Bel Cibo. The food was mediocre at best (again) and the service was terrible. They acted as though they were doing you a favor by serving you at all. I can safely say I would not recommend that restaurant.


The Richmond was much more fun and entertaining tonight than usual (it usually has more of a laid-back/older crowd, reminiscent of "the club" back home: nice, but not exciting). While enjoying a spectacular pint and a half of Smithwick's, Dad and I were invited to partake in a game of darts. Now, my dart throwing skills are far less than spectacular and I warned our new friends. Still, they insisted we play a game or so. Of course, the first dart I threw bounced off the wall and landed on the floor in two separate pieces. (I told you I warned them, right?) Well, that was entirely unacceptable and they decided I had to try again. My next throw stuck, it stuck right by the bulls-eye and I got quite a few points for my team. I won't lie, though. After that one spectacular (for me) throw, I returned to my usual unskilled throwing, sticking a few darts in the wall. After the game of darts, I made a new friend (someone actually near my own age! at the Richmond!) named Ruadhan. Perhaps we will keep in touch after I leave.

Pint count: 14.5

Sports Baas, Rugby and Smelly Hippies

It was another day of exploring and shopping. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any nice charms to go with my bracelet. At least there was a pretty sweet pub to check out.

Had a pint of Smithwick's at the Woolshed Baa & Grill during a major rugby game. The place was packed, noisy and pretty awesome. People were really getting into the match and one of the walls had been converted into a projector screen. Since it was a 2 story bar, the screen was HUGE! Quite awesome and definitely a place to check out when I return. Haha, Baa & Grill, nice.

After my stop at the pub, I joined my family for a movie at the Dublin cinemas. We went to see RED. I'm pretty sure it was a pretty good movie. It's difficult to judge it fairly, though, because the smelly hippy that chose to sit right beside me sort of killed the mood. If you can afford to buy a ticket to the movie theater, shouldn't you be able to afford a bar of soap and some deodorant?

Pint Count: 13

Just another Irish proposal...

So, today was pretty awesome. We went to Howth, a quaint, beautiful little fishing village in Ireland. While there I had the opportunity to give a few sea lions a bit of lunch for just 2 euro! They really enjoyed the little pieces of fish and were adorable!

In related news, my own lunch was also rather good. We had stopped at Quay West after leaving the train station in Howth. I ordered the day's lunch special of a bowl of soup with a sandwich. The soup of the day was tomato basil and tasted a bit like pasta sauce. It was interesting and rather tasty. The day's sandwich had chicken salad, I ordered mine on white bread. Good food, acceptable service, and a good price... can't beat that!

After a bit of exploring and picture taking, I decided to head back to Dublin. On the way to Connoly Station, I met a nice couple from New Jersey. They are just traveling around, checking things out as they go. How neat! :)

Reaching Connoly Station, I exited the platform area and found my way to a restroom... too many cokes and coffees in Howth, I suspect. ;) It cost 20 cent euro to use the toilet and my bladder was quite thankful that I had the correct change as the entrance was coin operated. There's a helpful tip: make sure you carry around a few coins of different amounts just in case.

Leaving the station to go catch the LUAS, a young man of Asian descent asked for directions. As we were looking at a map at the time, I'm pretty sure I helped him out... reassuring him with my phrase: "It's not an adventure if you know where you are going."

I hopped on the LUAS and headed back to Smithfield. By the time I reached my stop, the train had become rather crowded. Along the way, a friendly old man got to chatting with me. We talked about the weather, politics, and how I was liking Dublin so far. All in all, it was a pleasant trip.

Once the train had reached the Smithfield stop, squeezing and weaving through the passengers toward the door had proven to be a bit more difficult than anticipated. I could have made it, had it not been for that one old woman. She was not a small woman and she was using a cane. Blast! If only she'd have been a fully able bodied person, I may have just plowed through and been back at the hotel in a couple of minutes.

Of course a quick return to the hotel was not meant to be and I couldn't bring myself to push an old woman out of the way. So, rather than buying yet another LUAS ticket, I got off at the next stop and walked a few blocks back to the hotel. It wasn't that far of a walk, just mildly irritating that the walk was even necessary in the cold Dublin weather.

After dinner, Dad and I headed over to The Cobblestone for a pint or so. The Cobblestone seems to have a bit of a younger crowd and since I was getting a bit bored with the older crowd at the other pub, we went there instead. Dad made a new friend and I got my second "proposal" since arriving in Ireland... this time from someone near my own age! Hahaha, Irish men have the strangest pick-up lines.

Pint count: 12 (it was a busy night)

Ireland: Where Umbrellas Go to Die

Haha, the title says it all. Weather in Dublin is nothing to joke about, though I do have to laugh. The wind and rain attacked my umbrella with such fury that the poor thing stood no chance of survival... just as I stood no chance of remaining warm and dry.

For the record, I take no comfort in the fact that I am not alone on this tragic day for umbrellas everywhere. The mutilated remains of countless victims could be seen strewn about the ground and shoved into garbage cans.

In the battle between umbrellas and the weather, the weather most certainly won this round.

Pint Count: 9

Irish Beer is Too Easy to Swallow!

Oh, the joys of Ireland. Today, we went to the National Leprechaun Museum. The stories were fabulous and I am quite interested in reading up on Irish mythology. The museum, itself, left a bit to be desired, but the experience was still amazing. It is a cute little place with a lot of potential. It just opened in 2010, so there is plenty of room to grow.

After the museum, we went to the mall. I got some candy and pistachios. How can you not enjoy candy and pistachios?

When we got back to the hotel, Dad, the Gormans, and I decided to go out to the pubs. Our first stop was at The Cobblestone. It's a quaint little pub near our hotel. I had a Jameson on the rocks... it was about 3 shots in one glass with a couple of ice cubes. I still say you should never taint such a pure whiskey with mixers. It is just too good by itself.

The Gormans were a bit too tired to join us for the rest of our pub hopping, so they returned to the hotel. Dad and I went to his favorite pub, The Richmond. There, I partook in (2) 1/2 pints of Smithwicks Irish Ale. Amazingly, I have found a beer that is too easy to swallow! If you know me, you know that I am generally not a big fan of beers. However, this is Ireland and you have to try the beer! Smithwicks is a smooth tasting ale with mild undertones of coffee. It is even better than the Bulmers cider I've been chugging down!

After our drinks at The Richmond, we returned to the Cobblestone for another pint and some live music. The pub has musicians every night. Tonight's group consisted of about 30 people with violins, mandolins, and pipes. If you're in the mood for a good pint of beer and authentic Irish music, then the Cobblestone pub is the right place for you.

Pint count: 6
Whiskey count: 5

Just so you know, my first work of art has been put up for display in a museum. Here I am with my lovely piece titled "Jennifer, Age 25"... I am slowly becoming world famous. :)