Birthday Celebration times 3

A few days after Halloween we had our birthday party.  Julia and I were born on the same day, same year and are 4 hours apart in age.  Andrea celebrates her birthday a few days later so we decided that we needed to have a birthday party.  When Julia and I were discussing ideas, we both agreed that with our birthday just a few days before Halloween, we were never able to have both birthday parties and Halloween parties.. so this year we were going to combine them.  Here is what resulted in this idea.

Carmen San Diego and the Mad Hatter (birthday twins)

Our American friends in their great costumes!

Getting ready for the line of 50 shots that were included in our party package

The three birthday girls with the 50 shots, no we didn't
drink them all ourselves, we shared them with our guests

Gerald attempting to not topple over the giant Jenga game

Three of my local Aberdeen friends, like I said before the Scotts really get into Halloween fancy dress

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Halloween

This year we spent Halloween at Slain's Castle, a local pub in Aberdeen that is.. well... interesting.  The pub draws its inspiration from Bram Stoker's Dracula and is set in an old church.   Really can you think of a better setting for a night out on old hallow's eve??  Celebrating Halloween in Scotland is becoming more common and there were actually a lot of people out in costumes, or fancy dress as the Scotts refer to it.  Here are a few pictures of the creativity of my friends... I must admit that James (skeleton) and Tash (zombie girl) who are both Welch really got into it!

Tash (zombie girl), me (Cleopatra), Nary (Tagness Everdeen from Hunger Games),
James (skeleton) and Gerald (tiger)

Nary, me, James, Tash, Ram (20's gangster) and Gerald

Tanvi (20's flapper)  and I

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Ice Ice Baby, Iceland that is

Iceland has always been a big bucket list item for me and with it so close to Scotland and cheap non-stop flights from Glasgow I decided it was a must while I'm living on this side of the pond.  When the group of fellow Americans and I got together to see if our bucket lists overlap it was obvious that Iceland was on several peoples lists.  So it was decided that we would see if we couldn't get a group together to explore this amazing ever expanding island.

Jon, Julia and I all agreed that we wanted to go and that we had the vacation days to make it happen.  So we started looking into the trip and very quickly booked it!  Jon was only able to be on the trip for the first half and Julia and I spent 10 days exploring Iceland.  

Iceland was a trip of many firsts for me.  First time inside a volcano.  First time on a glacier.  First time in a helicopter.  

This was a trip of a lifetime and the 2000+ pictures I returned home with are proof of that.  I have managed to narrow it down to just over 1400 photos, but it is a trip of a lifetime that the memories won't fade quickly from.

The church in Reykjavik

Julia and I getting ready to go down into the belly of the beast

View from the bottom of the volcano chamber looking
up to the entrance we just descended through

Me in the belly of the beast

One of many waterfalls

All geared up and ready to hike around on the glacier

Jon and Julia climbing the glacier

Ready for the zodiac ride across iceberg lagoon

One of many icebergs that have calved off the main glacier 

Jon and I doing a little kung fu?

Puffin with dinner

Beautiful sunset

There she blows!

On top of the unpronounceable volcano that erupted in 2010

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Bennachie

Julia and I decided that we needed to get out and stretch our legs and start preparing for the hiking that we would be doing in Iceland, so we went out to conquer Bennachie.  In total it is about 6.5 miles round trip.  When we arrived the weather was a bit cool but beautiful and sunny.  But we have quickly learned that here in Bonny Scotland the weather can turn on you in an instant and that you should always be prepared.  This was just the case on our hike.  We reached the first of three peaks and could see the dark rain saturated clouds approaching, and quickly.  So we grabbed our water proofs out of our packs and suited up.  Kady even got to wear her rain coat that day.

Kady enjoying the view

Kady and I at Bennechie

The weather turning on our beautiful day

Kady looking good in her rain coat

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Northern Ireland and Giant's Causeway

Julia and I had been talking earlier this year of all the places that we each have on our travel bucket list. Well we quickly discovered that we both want to see many of the same places.  One place in particular that two geologists would want to see is the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.  Julia did a bit of research and we realized that we could get to Belfast via a non-stop 1 hour and 15 min flight for dirt cheap.  So we booked it!  We took off on a Friday mid morning flight and arrived in Belfast.  Both having worked hard at our jobs the few weeks prior (Julia had been in Bangkok and Angola) we arrived at our hotel the Europa and crashed!

After our much needed naps we headed out to explore Belfast.  When we first left the hotel it was overcast, which is typical of the British Isles, but after dinner we returned to exploring Belfast in very beautiful evening light.

Saturday we headed to the northern coast in search of the Giant's Causeway and the beauty that is Northern Ireland.  The Giant's Causeway is a rock formation of columnar basalt. For more info: Giant's_Causeway and Columnar basalt.  We also went to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

Sunday was spent exploring the newly opened Titanic Museum as it was the 100th Anniversary of the sinking.  The museum was quick spectacular and being the Titanic enthusiast that I am I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and exhibit.  It was also very surreal to walk over the ground where the Titanic and her sister ships were built.

Belfast is much more beautiful than either of us expected

Great evening stroll

Me on top of the Giant's Causeway

Playing with my fish eye lens

Columnar basalt

Stairs to the top?

Beautiful Northern Ireland

Crossing the rope bridge.. it was a bit wobbly

The newly completed Titanic Museum in Belfast

Titanic sign

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