Well, as most of you know- I'm back from Ireland! This past month has been pretty busy as usual with work and school and everything in between, so I apologize for not getting pictures and stories up here sooner. In a few words, the trip was...amazing...beautiful...refreshing...surprising...incredibly fun! I'll share a few stories with you as I walk through where we went and what we did. No pots of gold or rainbows or the like...just 6 girls in a "minibus" with our cameras, guidebooks, Euros and snacks. It doesn't get much better than that.
We flew into Dublin on a red eye flight, so we started out trip bright and early right off of 
the plane. We spent the day touring the city, visiting Trinity College, Christ Cathedral, the Temple Bar section of town and walking pretty much around the whole downtown part of Dublin. I withdrew way too many Euros from the bank (quite funny, now looking back on it) and I just chalk this up to the jet lag and lack of sleep! By the end of the day, we were
anxious and ready to leave the city and find the more "traditional" and authentic Irish life. The next morning, we piled into our rental car that could have probably fit about 15 people and headed for the countryside.
the plane. We spent the day touring the city, visiting Trinity College, Christ Cathedral, the Temple Bar section of town and walking pretty much around the whole downtown part of Dublin. I withdrew way too many Euros from the bank (quite funny, now looking back on it) and I just chalk this up to the jet lag and lack of sleep! By the end of the day, we were
anxious and ready to leave the city and find the more "traditional" and authentic Irish life. The next morning, we piled into our rental car that could have probably fit about 15 people and headed for the countryside.Most of our trip involved driving through the countryside and then we could stop whenever 
we wanted. Maps and guidebooks and magazines littered the front dashboard of the van so we had plenty of suggestions as to where we should pull over for the best views, food or sights to see. We visited Blarney Castle where we tried to find our luck by kissing the famous Blarney Stone. Did you know you have to basically hang upside-down to kiss that?! I think the castles and 
ruins were some of my favorite places to see, especially when I would begin to imagine who had lived there hundreds of years ago and the fact that I was walking through their bedrooms and kitchens and dungeons.
we wanted. Maps and guidebooks and magazines littered the front dashboard of the van so we had plenty of suggestions as to where we should pull over for the best views, food or sights to see. We visited Blarney Castle where we tried to find our luck by kissing the famous Blarney Stone. Did you know you have to basically hang upside-down to kiss that?! I think the castles and 
ruins were some of my favorite places to see, especially when I would begin to imagine who had lived there hundreds of years ago and the fact that I was walking through their bedrooms and kitchens and dungeons. We spent an entire day driving around the Ring of Kerry, following the outline of the peninsula along the cliffs and the coast. I don't think I can describe (and these pictures don't do justice to) the incredible beauty of Ireland. We read 
about the green hills, dotted with white specks of sheep, yet I cannot really explain how breathtaking these views can be. My favorite part of the Ring of Kerry was the last stop on the driving tour: the Muckross House. This gigantic Victorian mansion sits near a serene lake, with huge expanses of lawns and tree-covered paths leading in all directions. We took a horse and carriage ride around the property to these great waterfalls. The sun was slowly setting as
we finished our ride, so Sarah and I decided to lay on the lawn for a while, staring out at the lake and soaking in the peace and quiet. It was perfect.
about the green hills, dotted with white specks of sheep, yet I cannot really explain how breathtaking these views can be. My favorite part of the Ring of Kerry was the last stop on the driving tour: the Muckross House. This gigantic Victorian mansion sits near a serene lake, with huge expanses of lawns and tree-covered paths leading in all directions. We took a horse and carriage ride around the property to these great waterfalls. The sun was slowly setting as
we finished our ride, so Sarah and I decided to lay on the lawn for a while, staring out at the lake and soaking in the peace and quiet. It was perfect.Toward the end of our trip, we took a ferry to the Aran Islands and rented bikes to explore the main island. Abby and I had every intention of following the usual route, yet we finally decided that charting our own course was way more fun! We got such a good work-out, 
partially because the bikes were lousy ans partially because there were so many hills! I think that was one huge lesson I learned on this trip: it's ok if life/plans/events don't turn out the way you think they will. Actually, that is almost a guarantee! We couldn't always find our B&B, our minibus got stuck in the mud and we ripped the bumper off trying to get it out, the cliffs of Moher were fogged over and all we did see were the bathroom facilities, and Sarah and I got chased by a wild horse as we wandered through a field of sheep! I came to realize that these were the uplanned, spontaneous moments, yet they were some of my favorite memories of the entire trip. The question isn't whether life will not go according to plan; the question is what you are going to do when that happens. I'm so thankful for these dear friends who help me laugh and have fun in the midst of it all.
partially because the bikes were lousy ans partially because there were so many hills! I think that was one huge lesson I learned on this trip: it's ok if life/plans/events don't turn out the way you think they will. Actually, that is almost a guarantee! We couldn't always find our B&B, our minibus got stuck in the mud and we ripped the bumper off trying to get it out, the cliffs of Moher were fogged over and all we did see were the bathroom facilities, and Sarah and I got chased by a wild horse as we wandered through a field of sheep! I came to realize that these were the uplanned, spontaneous moments, yet they were some of my favorite memories of the entire trip. The question isn't whether life will not go according to plan; the question is what you are going to do when that happens. I'm so thankful for these dear friends who help me laugh and have fun in the midst of it all.
much love...alair
Oh- the wild horse story! :) I have to explain this one... Sarah and I decided to "explore" in a nearby field of sheep so we got up early one morning and walked down the road to one of the many sheep fields near our B&B. The morning mist was still heavy on the ground and we had a great time walking around with sheep amidst all of the loud "baaa"s across the field. I was crouching down to take (what would have been!) an amazing picture of the mist, sheep, mountains and rising sun when suddenly I hear Sarah yell, "Alair!" I look over my shoulder and see a horse charging right at us!! We hadn't seen any horses around and to this day I do not know where he came from. So...we start running! I'm thinking, "holy crap! i'm going to be trampled in a sheep field in Ireland!" Sarah yells at me to run towards the one, lonely tree in the whole field, that blessed tree that saved my life. We get behind the tree and the horse runs right up to us. It's snorting and stomping the ground and breathing fire..ok, i'm exaggerating! But, it did take a little while before we could calm him down. Finally, after we regained our composure, we realized that the horse just wanted to play! We pet him and 
took pictures with him and he walked us back to the fence when we had to leave. The rest of the day, Sarah and I would just look at each other and laugh, still in disbelief that we had been chased through a sheep field by a wild horse. But, we did have sheep crap all over our shoes to prove it... :)
Oh- the wild horse story! :) I have to explain this one... Sarah and I decided to "explore" in a nearby field of sheep so we got up early one morning and walked down the road to one of the many sheep fields near our B&B. The morning mist was still heavy on the ground and we had a great time walking around with sheep amidst all of the loud "baaa"s across the field. I was crouching down to take (what would have been!) an amazing picture of the mist, sheep, mountains and rising sun when suddenly I hear Sarah yell, "Alair!" I look over my shoulder and see a horse charging right at us!! We hadn't seen any horses around and to this day I do not know where he came from. So...we start running! I'm thinking, "holy crap! i'm going to be trampled in a sheep field in Ireland!" Sarah yells at me to run towards the one, lonely tree in the whole field, that blessed tree that saved my life. We get behind the tree and the horse runs right up to us. It's snorting and stomping the ground and breathing fire..ok, i'm exaggerating! But, it did take a little while before we could calm him down. Finally, after we regained our composure, we realized that the horse just wanted to play! We pet him and 
took pictures with him and he walked us back to the fence when we had to leave. The rest of the day, Sarah and I would just look at each other and laugh, still in disbelief that we had been chased through a sheep field by a wild horse. But, we did have sheep crap all over our shoes to prove it... :)
3 comments:
Oh my funny horse story! :) wow! That's so cute that the wild horse wants to play. That's so friendly. And that's great picture you girls captured there! :) thanks for sharing!
Sounds like a wonderful trip! I would love to go back to my roots in Ireland someday! Thanks for sharing.
Sounds like a wonderful trip! I would love to go back to my cultural roots in Ireland someday! thanks for sharing.
Post a Comment