On the 12th day of holiday..

In 12 days of traveling we have seen 12 million sheep...ok, maybe that is an exaggeration but our guide yesterday indicated that  the sheep outnumber the people of Scotland by some 2 million.   Could be a bit of Scottish embellishment, he also tried to tell us the minor castle ruins out in the middle of the field was the Alnwick castle we had spent some 2.5 hrs in a mini bus to see.  (Yes, that joke fell rather flat on his bus weary travelers).

Irish sheep...ruled the road!

But seriously, we have seen

12 castles and counting...

11 churches (or abbeys)....

overall far less ornate than those we saw in Italy and Germany last year.

   The Kylemore Abbey being the exception.  

Apparently the plainer interiors of the churches is a reflection of this being the land of Reformation.   

The more ornate churches were tied heavily to the Catholic way of worship.

10 Lords were drinking

Yes, I realize these men are more than likely just a group of Irish lads celebrating a Stag party in costume, but it did beg the question What did the fox say?   Most likely, hey bartender bring me another pint!

9 pints have been sampled... 

Maybe more, maybe less...you be the judge..

I will say we both prefer the Irish brews to the Scottish brands, likely related to the Irish serve it colder which is what we Americans are used to.

8 cows were staring..

and photo-bombing my effort to photograph the Rock of Cashel

7 swans were swimming

with Papa Swan not too happy that this crazy woman was taking pictures without bread as a payoff!

6 beds for sleeping..

The Manor House of Ashford Castle

This year, we're taking the "day trip" approach to travel which means less frequent changes in lodging.  

It does give us a more relaxed sense to our day..

5  guided tours have been taken...

We lucked our here, first riders of the day, we had the bus and the tour guide to ourselves! 

4 modes of transport

Planes-trains-automobiles and our personal favorite--side car!

3 countries traveled 

You see, we had to cross the border into England to visit the house we entertainment fans associate with Harry Potter and Downton Abbey...Alnwick Castle

2 more weeks of traveling..

and of course it all adds up to 

one lovely adventure!

Stay tuned for more tales from the road...

For more routine updates, with better pictures, be sure to check out the talents of Hubby

at his blog