Let's start with the rain. I don't think it stopped raining for the three days we were there. It was pretty frustrating to deal with and I wish I was able to see Ireland when it was sunny rather than overcast and rainy. But, Ireland is a rainy country so for some reason, the rainy didn't detract from the beautiful landscape. Everything was so green.. and the sheep and cows grazing the landscape added to the beauty of the place.
When we arrived in Dublin on Thursday morning we took a bus to Galway and met up with Katherine's friend (who was so kindly housing us for two nights). Then we grabbed some dinner at a pub in the center of Galway. I ordered myself some Shepherd's Pie. Yum!! We relaxed for the next few hours and then checked out some local pubs later in the evening. And this is where my day was unfortunately ruined by my camera dropping and breaking. My camera is one of my most important possessions and after one small fall... it was broken. The night before I was supposed to be taking a countryside bus tour and trip to Cliffs of Moher. Ahhhh! That was definitely the worst down of the trip.
I bought a new camera today and was able to upload the 5 pictures I took on the broken camera. Here's a picture of a group of us Thursday night:
The next day we hopped on a bus and headed to the coast where we stopped at the Aillwee Caves and took a 25 minute walk through with a tour guide. It was so awesome being in a cave and seeing the calcium formations and running waterfalls.. at one point I even stuck my tongue under some dripping water (with the advice of our tour guide.... the water is extra purified because it's 300 meters or so below ground.) Here is a picture of us in the caves:
Then we made our way through some smaller towns like Clarinbridge and Kinvara, past the Leamanagh Castle, into the village of Doolin for lunch at a pub (got some delicious seafood chowder... perhaps better than the New England Clam Chowder back home!!), stopped at Poulnabrone Dolmen (tomb that dates back to 2500 BC) and the highlight of the trip: Cliffs of Moher. And although it was overcast and gloomy, the Cliffs were remarkable and breathtaking to say the least. There are cliffs and then there are the Cliffs of Moher... something about the greenery and the rock faces jutting out into the sea just made it so pretty.
But we faced one huge challenge at the Cliffs: gail force winds that I believe were at least 60 mph. Needless to say, we were being blown around and had trouble walking at some points. I even fell and skinned my knee! The cliffs shouldn't have been open for visitors that day but the group of us decided to battle the winds anyway and trek up the sidewalk (with guard rails!). Scary at times, but really fun at others... we all had a blast! Here are some pictures:
Katherine, Jen and I bracing ourselves against the wind!
When we returned to Galway in the evening, we headed back to Eilish's apartment for some yummy pasta dinner and chocolate banana bread for dessert! After relaxing and combing my hair (thank you wind at the cliffs... took me 25 minutes to comb my hair!!), we headed into town again to check out some live music. Galway is known for its live music at pubs and it sure didn't disappoint. We all had a great time and even met some locals.. who could tell right off the bat that I was from Massachusetts! I didn't think I had an accent but I guess they were able to tell!
On Saturday we did some sightseeing in Galway, saw the bay and the Spanish Arch which was really cool. Then we stopped at a local market where I bought a huge loaf of Irish Soda Bread.. and have been eating it like crazy. Delicious! Next we grabbed breakfast at a local bakery then boarded a bus back to Dublin where we spent the few hours before our plane left for London.
Dublin was.... Americanized. Definitely very touristy even though it kept its Irish charm with the old buildings and churches. It was a great city but we were so rushed trying to see everything in such a short time (and we had to carry around our heavy bags... and it was STILL raining). We stopped to check out Trinity College, saw Christ Church, the Bank of Ireland, Dublin Castle and took our Guinness Factory tour (got a free pint at the top floor bar!). I think I tried convincing myself I actually like Guinness, but I don't think I do!
Here's a picture of Dublin from Thursday (going from the airport to Galway) when the weather was actually nice:
All in all, Ireland was fantastic. I wish my camera hadn't broken and I wish it wasn't raining and that we got to see more of Galway and Dublin... but for a three day trip, I'd say we had a great time. We're even talking about going back. 3 days just wasn't enough.
I loved Ireland and especially loved the feel of Galway, but I did miss London while I was away and am so happy I chose to study here. Maybe its because a month has passed and I can basically call London home, but there's just something unbeatable about this city. The diversity of people, the mix of old and new, the fact that I discover something new every day... makes me so happy! :)
Time to relax for a few days then it's off to Munich on Thursday morning!
xxxx
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