Day 34! Our last entry of our many amazing adventures!

County Tipperary, Ireland!

Vasa Ship Museum, Stockholm

Flying into Ireland!

River Liffey, Ireland!

Guinness Brewery, Ireland!

Oustide and picture inside Rock of Cashel, Ireland!

Standing on the same bridge used in the movie, Leap Year! Dublin, Ireland!

Waiting for our HoHo boat Stockholm, Sweden!

Magnus' Summer Home, sweden!

The beautiful drive in Sweden!

Getting my Jameson Whiskey Taster Diploma, Dublin, Ireland!

Aboard the HoHo tour boat - Stockholm, Sweden!

Standing on the narrowest street in Stockholm, Sweden!

Diane enjoyed riding roller coasters in Stockholm, Sweden!

Smorgasbord dinner at The Grand Hotel, Stockholm Sweden!

Staying with our relatives, Sweden!

Diane and her cousins, Sweden!

Visiting family graves, Sweden!

Visiting family graves, Sweden!

Anna Lena made this for Diane, Sweden!

Lakes of Killarney, Ireland!

Castle where Mom hit her head and got stitches from, Ireland!

Dingle, Ireland! (Double rainbow, didn't find the pot of euros at the end of the rainbow, unfortunately haha!)

The Lion King on Broadway, New York!

Newgrange, Ireland!

Playing Bingo in the pub with the locals, Ireland!

Orrefors crystal, Sweden!

Kosta Boda (posing with the glass blower!), Sweden!

Family!

Doing heritage digging with family, Sweden!

Fika at Ingallil and Ulf's, Sweden!

Checking out how the Swedes lived 200 years ago - Figeholm, Sweden!

Eating wild berries on straw! Figeholm, Sweden (Strawberries?!)

Learning to cook a swedish meal, Sweden!

Sweden!

Diane sound asleep from the many long days of non-stop adventures! Sweden

Astrid Lindgrens Varld (Pippi Longstocking) Sweden!

Visiting family graves :) Sweden!

Carlos and Diane, Sweden!

Midsummer meal, Sweden!

Rainy day on Midsummer, Leskand Sweden!

Nils Ollsen Dalahast factory/creations!

Uppsala Church, Sweden!

In her Casablanca robe and slippers in Times Square, New York!

On the ferry heading to the Statue of Liberty, New York!

Mom doing research at Ellis Island, New York!

Broadway, New York!

Mom and I celebrating Midsummer, Sweden!

Day 34 – Heading home to San Diego

We’ve hit the end of our journey and are ready to come home to see our family whom we are truly missing!  Mike is picking us up at the airport tonight at about 10:30.  In the meantime, I’m in the hotel room packing our suitcases for the last time (yeah!), and Diane has headed out to W. 33^rd Street to hit H&M (the Swedish department store).  Lunch will be a NYC deli so we can get a huge sandwich and a slice of tasty NY cheesecake.  Can’t exactly say that I’m looking forward to the cab ride back to JFK, but it is what it is.

A grand total of 35 days – 5 full weeks and three countries.  An amazing trip of discovery for genealogy research, fun times with our Swedish relatives, pub dancing in Ireland, and numerous chances to find out that there are really great people all over the world.  Despite stitches, car bumpers that fall off, bug bites, smashed toenails, and an occasional rude individual, it’s been one great adventure.  But as we all know, “Home is best.”  Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and smiles, and even a lick and wagging tail!  Thanks for following us on our Summer 2011 blog through Ireland, Sweden, and NYC – and for being one of the smiling faces we look forward to seeing when we get home!

Hugs!

Lenda and Diane

Day 33

Day 33 – Our last full day in New York

Up early, not by choice (still on Stockholm time) but, once again, joined the staff of the Casablanca Hotel as they set up for breakfast.  Hit Times Square on the way to the E subway run so that Diane and I could visit Ground Zero.  This subway ride was a delight as this particular route uses very modern cars equipped with idiot-proof methods of helping the riders to know where they are and when to get off.  This idiot appreciated them greatly!  And was pleased by the sudden entertainment which appeared:Lenda & Diane: Subway Entertainment- CLICK HERE! 

Emerged from the subway into warm beautiful weather.  Since Diane had to ‘powder her nose’, decided to make a stop for a cup of coffee and a éclair at a pizza parlor (I know, that sounds really bad).  Anyway, the restaurant was upstairs which afforded us a wonderful view of the building underway at Ground Zero.  One of the reflecting pools in the footprint of a World Trade Center building is almost complete, and the Freedom Tower is really coming along.  When completed, it will be 8 times taller than what is visible now (which is quite high), and will make it the tallest building in the world.  Our waiter gave us lots of good information on the progress being made, and showed up some great photos taken by workers who often frequent the restaurant for their lunch break.

We then walked across the street to Trinity Church, site of many a post 9/11 photo.  The church is directly across Church Street from the Towers, and became the resting spot for firefighters and 1^st response rescue workers.  The photos and artifacts are touching and oftentimes overwhelming…so much pain, but such a strong need to help and to persevere.  The church pews are brutally scratched by the equipment belts worn by firefighters and police who would not remove them, but needed to collapse a few minutes for rest and/or sleep before returning to their work.  The walls still hold letters and posters sent from all over the world to bring encouragement to those who were helping in the rescue effort.  Along with the 9/11 Memorial Project Center, and Church Street overlooking the World Trade Center, Trinity Church is a part of the story of 9/11.  It is a moving tribute to those who helped during those first horrible weeks after the attack.  People move through it in quiet contemplation and often with tears in their eyes.  It is a beautiful testimony to the rescue workers of New York.

Back onto the subway, emerging once again at Times Square.  Our destination at this point?  Macy’s in order to buy an inexpensive suitcase as I refuse to try to cram everything into our two suitcases and one carry-on…we need another carry-on!  On the 9^th (NINTH) floor, located just what we needed and headed home enjoying every step of our 9 block walk back to the Casablanca Hotel, including watching the NYPD swat team and dog team do their thing (still don’t know what they were up to, but they looked busy).  Now Diane and I are enjoying our last cheese, fruit, and champagne at Rick’s with the added benefit of a wonderful pianist for background music.  We’re packing in the morning … this is our last night in Manhattan, and it’s not meant for packing suitcases!  We fly from JFK to San Diego at 6:45pm tomorrow; until then we’re enjoying every moment of pampering ourselves including monogrammed robes and slippers, chocolates, and turn down service.  God, I love having ‘people’ … I could get real used to this!