Imagine driving around on narrow streets, a roundabout every 2 miles in the city, and never-ending beauty out both windows. That's what traveling around Ireland was like. For me Ireland was much like Iceland, in the fact that I never had a burning desire to go and I had no idea what was really there to see. Beautiful rolling hills and a whole bunch of castles? Yeah, That'll get boring soon. But I try not to turn down any adventures, if I can afford them, so when I was asked if I'd like to go...I said yes, despite my reservations.
Wow, were my assumptions both incredibly right and so absolutely wrong at the same time. Turns out, in the span of a week at least, you can not get tired of seeing the vibrant green countrysides, mountains standing tall as a backdrop to the sprawling fields, castles, dramatic cliffs rising from blue waters, and the gorgeous architecture and stone-work of the buildings and streets. It also helped that the couple I was traveling with were so energetic, adventurous, and hungry to see everything. They made all of the plans, I just kind of went a long for the ride, although I definitely could have had a say in what we did, I chose not to. Michelle was so excited about the trip and had already started telling me ideas when she first brought it up, that I just let her roll with it and have fun- it was awesome...but tiring! A few days we were gone from 7am-10pm or later just constantly doing activities or driving to them.
The first few days were spent in Shannon and the surrounding area, on the west side of the country. While here we visited the famous Cliffs of Moher, which were every bit as breathtaking as the pictures you've seen. It just reminds you of the impressive power and beauty of mother nature and this planet we live on. I thought we would maybe spend an hour here, max but I think we wound up exploring for about 3 hours! Someone along the trail pointed out the puffins nesting on the cliffs, which we were very thankful for the tip. They were a bit tricky to see with the naked eye, but Michelle brought out her nice camera and zoomed in like crazy so we could see them better. It was an unexpected bonus for us. We spent some time in Ennis and had a fantastic dinner at one of the pubs in town and explored the Ring of Kerry all day one day. That was such a long, but fun day. The Staigue fort and Gap of Dunloe were my two favorite stops that day. I'm not sure why I loved the fort so much, but it was just really cool, and the Gap of Dunloe was just gorgeous. We also took a horse ride to the beach in Connemara which was neat. I was not a fan of my horse, who seemed intent on throwing me off so he could eat everything in sight (a horse after my own heart really), but the idea of it was great and the guides were awesome.
If you plan on going to Ireland, please bring some sturdy hiking boots, a coat to ward off the wind and rain (though we lucked out and had neither for our whole trip), an appetite for adventure as well as delicious food, and an open mind to try things you might otherwise not do. Opt for a stay off the beaten path at one of the many cabins further into the countryside, rent a car to get around, and stop at any place you think looks interesting- so many times we'd be driving and just see something neat looking. So we'd pull over and check it out. Exploring old ruins overgrown by mother nature was a common sight and no one else was ever around when we'd stop.
During the trip we also spent a couple of days in Dublin and I finished off the trip with a day in Belfast and Northern Ireland, after Michelle and Dusty left to go back home. More on those things next week!
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