Wow. I've fallen in love with Ireland. It was honestly the best trip I've ever taken and one of the best experiences I've had. A huge thank you has to go out to my friend Alicia Cummings, as she let us stay with her while we visited.
Our flight was at 7 in the morning and unfortunately, that meant having to leave our dorm at 3 a.m.! It felt ridiculous to call a cab and leave my dorm at that time. We arrived in Dublin Airport safely around 8:30 the morning of the 15th. From there, we took a three hour bus ride to Cork, where we met Alicia and her friend Maria at the bus station.
During the day, we saw a little of Alicia's college, University College of Cork. The buildings reminded me of Hogwarts! Entirely made of stone and very castle-like, I really enjoyed walking through campus. It was actually very good weather too, especially for Ireland. We even got some sun!
That night, we went to one of Alicia's favorite pubs and I tried a pint of Murphy's for the first time. Although I wasn't in love with its' bitterness, it was a good experience to have. Now I can say that I've had both Guinness and Murphy's!
On Friday, we went on a Paddywagon Tour which made a bunch of stops on its way to the main event, the Cliffs of Moher. First, we drove through Limerick and I really enjoyed seeing the true and beautiful sights of Ireland. As was expected, we encountered a few quick rain showers, but it didn't damper my spirits in the slightest.
We pulled over to see King John's Castle on the banks of the River Shannon. It's an amazing piece of history constructed in the late 1100's. Maria, who happens to be an amazing photographer, took this picture to the right through the bus window.
Next, we traveled to Poulnabrone Dolmen, a tabletop tomb dating back to 3000 B.C. Known as "the hole of sorrows," this site is a reminder of how the early Irish lived and died. I didn't really know much about this location but it was interesting to see the more unique features of Ireland.
The Burren was next, a limestone and fossil rock formation. There I am below, cheesing as usual.
We stopped for lunch in Doolin, a quaint fishing village. We walked around and took pictures of the unique buildings and fields. A nice stretch was definitely in order after being on the bus for hours at this point. The picture to the right shows how most of the signs use both English and the original Celtic language. Don't call it Celtic to the Irish though! They prefer simply calling it the Irish language.
I also noticed that some of the buildings had interesting thatched roofs. Our tour guide mentioned that the government gives grants to those who use roofing as such, in an effort to be more environmentally conscience.
Finally, after hours of traveling on the bus, we reached the main attraction. The Cliffs are 214 meters high at the tallest peak and range for over 8 kilometers over the Atlantic Ocean. It was absolutely beautiful. It's the most visited natural attraction in Ireland!
We walked for 40 minutes all around the edge and there was still miles more of the path. Luckily, it didn't rain and it wasn't too cold. We also were lucky enough to spot a rainbow while we were there! I had to snap a picture... or ten. We spent so long exploring and taking pictures, we didn't have enough time to check out the gift shop. But I think we got the better end of the deal....
Saturday, we spent mostly checking out the center of town and going shopping. Here in London we have a store called Primark and in Ireland the same company owns a store called Penny's.
On Sunday, we woke up early to make it into town in time for the Saint Patrick's Day parade. It was really cool, with tons of different acts. That night, we went out and got a round of green beer in honor of the holiday.
We managed to make our way to the bus stop for a 1 a.m. bus ride direct to Dublin Airport. Let me tell you, taking any kind of transportation all through the night is quite the experience. Our flight was at 6:45 a.m. and we arrived back in London around 8:30.
I truly enjoyed every minute of this trip and everything we did! I want to go back the next chance I have.
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