Richelle Mead's Blog, page 56

Irish sampler

Contrary to our guidebook's list of ten required things to do if you have "one day free in Dublin," lolcatz and I were dubious about such an aggressive schedule. So, we streamlined it down to what we considered the most important three.

First up: the Book of Kells.





Let me state right off that I didn't take that picture. It's another one snagged from the webs. The Book of Kells is a meticulously decorated manuscript of the four gospels that was written and illustrated by monks in the eighth century

Signs and omens

Staying in one city is kind of nice. Despite still having things to do today, we were able to sleep in (a little) and not worry about making our next town. We also have an organic grocery store next to our hotel (think PCC or Metropolitian Market, Seattlites), so we were able to catch a very cheap breakfast with their homemade pastries. Then, it was back for some cartime, heading north of Dublin to the prehistoric site of Newgrange.





If you look closely in that picture, you'll see the shape of a l

Blood, sweat, and whiskey.

Today we abandoned the wilds of western Ireland and headed back east to the land of (kind of) more reliable roads. As I mentioned yesterday, today was "spring forward" day in Ireland since they didn't switch to DST a month early like the US did this year. So, we lost an hour of sleep but nonetheless managed the four-hour cross-country trek--which early resembled western Michigan, except with barns in better condition.

Honestly, the hardest part of the journey was actually just getting to our hote

Irish Candy Mountain

First up, I had no idea how many of you had visited the Cliffs of Moher--let alone how many had defied the warning signs! So, I meant no offense to you daredevils, and I'm glad you all lived to tell the tale. Just be more careful next time, okay, guys?

On to today...

One of our fellow guests at the inn here in Doolin is a doctor who does photography as a hobby. He's up here for the weekend as part of a photography group's getaway. Lots of photographers from different parts of the country have conv

Life on the edge

Today was a castle-free day as lolcatz and I headed over to the western coast of Ireland. Our goal was the Cliffs of Moher, perhaps better recognized by some of you as the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride and a number of other movies. As you can see, they're pretty impressive:





The weather was as windy as it was at the Rock of Cashel the other day, and it was rather astonishing to watch conditions alternate between sun and light showers literally every ten minutes. I was ready for (almos

This post is its own Irish epic

Well, last night in Kilkenny proved pretty quiet, despite eating dinner at a pub founded by the town's legendary Medieval witch. My boyfriend and I left before the entertainment started (a rock band that the bartender seemed apologetic about) and just went back to our inn. In the morning, our innkeeper was highly concerned about us getting enough to eat, seeing as we only wanted eggs, toast, granola, fruit, coffee, and juice. I'm pretty sure breakfast isn't complete around here without meat. I w

Mass appeal

Our plans for the day were delayed when I woke up feeling like crap. I slept in an extra two hours and then went to the hotel's bar to get a glass of milk to take with my ibuprofen. For a thrifty 80 (euro) cents, they gave me milk with a cream content so high, I suspect they had a cow out back. Nonetheless, it did the trick, but the delay meant we had to cut visiting Waterford--home of Waterford crystal--and head straight to Kilkenny, our other planned stop today.

Kilkenny is a beautiful little c

Dangerous curves ahead

Our second full day in Ireland finds us kicking jet lag's ass. We forced ourselves to stay awake all day yesterday, finally going to bed at 10pm. I got up at an impressive 7:30am, and we were out the door for our day's events by 9:30am, ready to learn more about Irish history than you can shake a stick at.

Our first stop led us out of the Dublin area, south to Glendalough--which by many accounts is a straight shot down a north-south highway, then west on a country highway. Well, our GPS had other

Left-Hand Path?

I'd meant to post before I left the country, but things just got so crazy that it never happened. So, I figured the new covers would have to suffice.

But...now the boyfriend and I are in Ireland! It's crazy. How does that happen? It's kind of surreal. Sure, you're aware of the really long plane ride--or rides, in my case, since I had a layover. Still...it's just weird. Time is rushing forward. It gets dark quicker, the sun comes up quicker, and whoa! You're in another country. Another continent a

No clever title, just...the Blood Promise cover!

Okay, you guys. I can't leave the country this weekend without giving you something.

After so much patience and anticipation, I present the Blood Promise cover, as well as the redesign for the rest of the series.





There's nothing more I can really say. The awesomeness speaks for itself. :)