Flat Stephanie and the Quinns go to Amsterdam and Ireland

A while back we did a trip to Amsterdam for Ryan's work then we hopped over to Ireland for a quick visit with Chris and Kelly Mieske. We took "Flat Stephanie" with us as a travelling companion. She belongs to a young girl in Ohio who sent it to her Aunt in Lagos... the idea being that the young girl gets to write a story about all the interesting places that her flat friend got to see. Well, we showed Flat Stephanie a great time!




Some modern and not so modern architecture, in Amsterdam. Love all the canals!


Josh, Desi and Flat Stephanie after a busy day of checking out the sites.




Kelly and flat Stephanie getting down at a Ceili - a tradional Irish Folk Dancing party.
Ryan dragging his preggers wife up Croagh Patrick.

At the top, ....finallly

Enjoying some tea outside the church at the top.

So, Croagh Patrick has a cool history - It was on the summit of the mountain that Saint Patrick fasted for forty days in 441 AD and the custom has been faithfully handed down from generation to generation. This is a picture of a plaque which gives the pilgram directions as to what to do on top of the mountain...

Walk around the church and say 15 Our Fathers, 15 Hail Mary and 1 Creed.

I guess 25,000 pilgrams walk up the mountain each year at the summer solstice, many of them in bare feet or on their knees! Better yet - the day they all walk up is called Reek Sunday... must be all those stinky armpits.