June 30

My second day in Ireland was great!  I got to see lots of interesting places!

This is a rural cottage in Ireland during 1818.  Only one small window!

This is the Westport fishing harbor.

Here I am looking over the town and harbor of Galway, on the west coast of Ireland.  It is the 5th largest city in Ireland.

I visited the Cliffs of Moher.  It was so windy outside I nearly got blown away, so I got my picture taken inside by the large picture window.  You can take a virtual tour by clicking here.  Pictures definitely are worth a thousand words.  Breathtaking...

Later I got to take a jaunting car ride!  A jaunting car is a light weight carriage with two wheels, which carries 2 to 4 people.

Ross Castle was my next stop.  It was built in the late 15th century (The Middle Ages).  I couldn't take pictures inside the castle, but you can visit here to see some of the stunning rooms!

My final visit of the day was to the legendary Blarney Stone!  "For over 200 years, world statesmen, literary giants, and legends of the silver screen have joined the millions of pilgrims climbing the steps to kiss the Blarney Stone and gain the gift of eloquence [ability to speak well]." 

Everyone on my tour took their turn kissing the stone!  You have to hang upside down over the battlements to reach the stone!  More than 300,000 people kiss the Blarney Stone every year!

June 29

Well, I made it all the way to "The Emerald Isle"...

Ireland!!

I checked into the first hotel in Dublin, Royal Marine, which was was built in the 1800's.  It's a Victorian Mansion that overlooks Dublin Bay.  Dublin is the capitol of Ireland.

After check-in I boarded this tour bus to start sightseeing!!

This is the very nice bus driver/tour guide, Philip Duffy.

Our first stop was at the Potato Famine Memorial.  Between the years of 1845 and 1849 fungus attacked the large potato crops of Ireland resulting in what would later become known as the Irish Potato Famine.  That means there were no potatoes for the people to eat...and that is what they usually ate!  So there wasn't enough food for everyone.  Click here for a fun way for a fun way learn about the Potato Famine.

My next stop of the day was at Dublin Castle.

I got to "sit" in the THRONE!!

Here I am in front of Belleek Pottery: "Established in 1857 Belleek Pottery holds a very special place in the cultural and commercial heritage of County Fermanagh. ... [this is] one of Ireland's top five visitor attractions."  

My pottery tour started by seeing the molds that are used to make the pottery, followed by the casting.  After the casting is done handmade flowers and other embellishments are added to the pottery before it goes to the kiln to be fired.  Finally it ends in a decorating area where paint and oils are added then it goes to its final firing!

This is one of the many churches in Dublin.  I can't believe how big and beautiful it is!

I am looking forward to more touring tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

June 28

Yesterday I told you I would share some birthday traditions from the country I am visiting...

An odd birthday tradition from this country is to lift the birthday child upside down and give his head a few gentle bumps on the floor for good luck. The number of bumps should allegedly correspond to the child’s age plus one.

This is the traditional naming patterns from this country:

1st son: Named after father’s father

1st daughter: Named after mother’s mother
2nd son: Named after mother’s father

2nd daughter: Named after father’s mother
3rd son: Named after the father

3rd daughter: Named after the mother
4th son: Named after father’s eldest brother

4th daughter: Named after mother’s eldest sister

If my parents had followed this tradition instead of being Tammy I would have been Geraldine!  What would your name be?

The last clues...

This country is surrounded by water and the color green is often associated with this country.  Where am I?

June 27

After a relaxing weekend I am off on my next adventure! 

Here are a few clues to get you thinking about where I am visiting...

• I am in the only country in the world that has a musical instrument as its national symbol

• All windmills in this country turn in a clockwise direction while the rest of the windmills in the world turn in a counter-clockwise direction

• This country has a population of just over 4 million

Check back tomorrow to learn about some birthday traditions from this country!

June 24

Did you guess that I am in Germany?  Here is Germany on the map.

Here is a close-up view of the country...

I visited the extreme southern part of Germany...Oberammergau (marked with a red dot)

I was able to visit Neuschwanstein Castle!!  The palace has appeared prominently in several movies and was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and later, similar structures.  Can you see the castle in the mountain?

 Here I am at the castle!  So cool!

Oberammergau is famous for its "Lüftlmalerei," or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, religious scenes or architectural trompe-l'œil (is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions) found on many homes and buildings.

The day was rainy and cloudy, so here is another picture of a building I saw that I got off Flickr so you can see the painting on the walls better.

Look at these gorgeous mountains!  Breathtaking!

It was great to visit Germany...I even have some German blood (my great-great grandfather was German)!  It is time to head off to my next destination.  My first clue...I will be staying in the same continent, but going to a different country.

June 23

Here are some clues about the country I am visiting in Europe:

• There are 81.5 million people living here, which makes it the second most populous country in Central Europe.

• This country is about the same size as the state of Montana

• There are more football (soccer for the North Americans) fan clubs in this country than anywhere else in the world.
• This country is bordered by these countries:

Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg

• This place is famous for its sauerkraut and sausages 

Do you know what country I am in?  Stop in tomorrow and I'll show you some great pictures from my visit!

June 22

I am boarding a plane in Ethiopia and heading due north to the second smallest , but third-most populous continent. 

The continent is divided into 48 countries. I will be traveling to two of them over the next week or two!

There are 23 official languages spoken on this continent, but there are actually 230 different languages and dialects spoken!

This continent includes the smallest and largest countries in the world (do you know what they are?)!



I'll give you clues tomorrow about which country I am in...so check back!

June 21

Today I have pictures of some of the people I meet while I was in Ethiopia!  It was great to meet so many wonderful people!

An Ethiopian lady who fixed me something to drink. Amesege'nallo' (Thank you!)

I am with my new friend Gemechu looking over a huge canyon.

Here I am with Samrawit Danko and her parents.

I was able to listen to these singers at College Graduation party. Note the year: 4,2003

People often have to carry heavy loads on their backs.

This is a little animoto movie I put together with pictures from my trip to Ethiopia

Now I must say “teanaste'lle'n” to Ethiopia! I had a wonderful time visiting and I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

June 20

While I was in Ethiopia I visited lots of building and homes in a village.

This is a church I visited.

Do you know what this is?  It's an outdoor classroom!

This is what the classroom looks like...the students sit on the ground to learn from an instructor who stands by the tree.

This, my good friends, is an Ethiopian bathroom!  It consists of a hole on the other side of the bushes.



This is a typical home in the Ethiopian village.

This is a picture inside of the home...the blue mosquito net surrounds the sleeping area.

This is the home of a poor Ethiopian family.

And this is a home of a very, very poor Ethiopian family.

Makes me realize how very blessed we are in Bellevue, Nebraska!

June 17

Here I am in Ethiopia!  Did you guess correctly?

I introduced myself to Fekadu, the translator--- by saying “Se'mea.no' Tammy”

Baboons in front of my room!

Time for a little refreshment after settling in...

Look at these beautiful flowers!

I’m at one of the springs in the area called 40 Springs.

I am in front of a government building in the capital, Addis Ababa.  The sign is written in Amharic.

I’m ready to eat a typical Ethiopian meal.

Here I am taking a ride on a jelba (boat)!

CROCS!  They were very cool to see, but I stayed far away from them!

After a busy day I’m ready to rest in my hotel room in Arba Minch, ET.  There is a blue mosquito net I will put around my bed while I sleep to keep the bugs off me.

I will be looking around some more this weekend! Hope you will come back Monday and see more pictures from Ethiopia!