Newcastle 365 Weeks 51 and 52: Done!

Written by Jess Friedman
• September 29, 2015

I know it’s a few weeks late (I’m still travelling), but this is officially the last Newcastle 365 post. I missed two days (and cheated on a handful of others), but I’m satisfied. I don’t ever want to do another 365 project, but I’m really glad that I did it this year. I love being able to look back on a nearly perfect daily record of my year in grad school and I know that I will cherish these photos for the rest of my life.

I’m certainly not opposed to doing another photography challenge, though. I’m interested in the 100 Strangers Project or weekly photo challenges, so you may see some of those. And even though my big year is over, I’m still going to keep blogging. I still have posts to catch up on from England, and I’ll have loooooootttttts of pictures to share after I get home from this trip. I also have some fun ideas I’m excited about, but I’ll save the details until I get them planned out a little better.

Until then, look! Pictures!

Week 51

I LOVED this part of the trip. The country here is unbelievably beautiful, and the free range sheep made for some interesting driving.

Leslie and I went to church in the Brittannia Ward, a HUGE singles ward in downtown London. They even have a Christus statue in their front window!

Yes, I kissed the Blarney Stone. No, it wasn’t nearly as terrifying as I thought it would be. Yes, it was kind of gross to kiss a stone that a million bajillion other people had also kissed.

The Cliffs of Moher (pronounced closer to “More” than “Mohair”, as I learned) may look a little familiar to you if you are a fan of the Princess Bride, as they are the site of the Cliffs of Insanity. They were also used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, when Harry and Dumbledore go looking for a horcrux. They were just about as crazy and terrifying as both movies made them look.

Apparently, the trick to getting into historic cathedrals for free is to go right before they close for Mass. We didn’t plan it that way, but when we accidentally showed up just before they closed their doors, they let us take a quick walk around without charging us the regular €4 entrance fee. It was lovely!

Day 3 in Ireland had us hopping all over the Dingle Peninsula, home to some of Ireland’s most rugged landscape. I nearly died (true story), but it was totally worth it.

Week 52

Yeah. We saw this. It was incredible—and I had no idea how stinkin’ huge it is until I was standing under it. WHOA.

This place is INCREDIBLE. Seriously, I cannot WAIT to share more pictures. It is like a fairy tale, and Leslie and I both had a blast exploring it.

After attending church with a small branch in Lisbon (where Leslie translated for me since she speaks Portuguese), we went to visit this lovely monastery in the Belém area of the city. Leslie noticed signs for a free organ performance that night, so we went back to hear it.

I still don’t understand why they have to walk funny…

Getting here was an absolute nightmare, but once we did, the rest of the day was incredible. Mont-St-Michel is a truly incredible place!

After taking an early train down to Portsmouth, we had time to explore the Portsmouth Historic Dockyards before we had to board our ferry to France. We were too cheap to pay the museum fees, but we did get to see some cool boats.

We braved the weather and hiked up these slick stone steps with heavy packs on our backs. It was hard, but the Sacre Coeur is gorgeous, so it was totally worth it.

After a busy day in London, Fernanda took us to explore Windsor for the evening. All the shops were closed, but it was fun to see the castle all lit up, and the river was really lovely!

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Jess Friedman

Jess is a Canadian-American who’s always ready for the next adventure. She loves all things living, always has a million creative projects in progress, and polishes her nerd badge daily. She is passionate about helping families make and preserve treasured memories that strengthen bonds across generations. You can read more posts by Jess here.

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Tagged with Newcastle, Newcastle 365

8 Responses

Aunt Beth says:

September 30, 2015 at 3:12 AM

What Next?

Reply
1. Jess says:
  
  October 4, 2015 at 7:18 PM
  
  Next is job hunting like crazy. Haha!
  
  Reply
Dawn Christensen says:

October 2, 2015 at 3:54 AM

Come visit us in Iowa when you get back? We have lots of agriculture in this state so maybe you can use your new degree to find a job here? In any case, we’d love to see you, but we aren’t able to get to Idaho anytime soon. Your parents get to see you first, of course! Your year abroad looked and sounded wonderful, Jess! That kind of adventure can be life-changing. I’m so glad you were able to go and pursue something you are passionate about in places you love with people who become good friends. We love you, too!

Reply
1. Jess says:
  
  October 4, 2015 at 7:13 PM
  
  Iowa does have lots of agriculture, and it’s one of the states I’m focusing on in my job search. We’ll see what happens. 😉
  
  I definitely loved my year abroad. I’d move back in a heartbeat if they could promise me summer. Haha!
  
  Reply
Aunt Beth says:

October 4, 2015 at 3:59 PM

where are you now?

Reply
1. Jess says:
  
  October 4, 2015 at 7:11 PM
  
  Right this moment, I am in Salzburg, Austria. We leave for Germany tomorrow. 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. Dawn Christensen says:
    
    October 7, 2015 at 5:49 AM
    
    Oh, I love Austria! I went on BYU Study Abroad to Vienna for 6 months after my freshman year of college. It was a wonderful experience! It was also 25 years ago which makes me feel too old. I hope I can go back someday. Did you sing any songs from “The Sound of Music” in Salzburg? 🙂 Who are you traveling with, Jess?
    
    Reply
    1. Jess says:
      
      November 9, 2015 at 1:34 PM
      
      I would LOVE to go back to Austria! It was incredible. We did kind of sing some “Do Re Me” to ourselves as we played on the steps. Haha! I traveled with Leslie, one of my very favorite people in the world. We met at Philmont.
      
      Reply

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