Ireland Countryside

After going to the Cliffs of Moher we stayed in Limerick for the night at this cute bed and breakfast.  By this time we had learned to write down exact directions because a lot of the side roads in Ireland are not labeled. We were very happy with this BnB in the country! I forgot to take a picture of it though:(

For dinner we headed out to Clare and had a very bland meal. After this point we started buying more groceries and making lunch ourselves the rest of the trip. Not sure if we just had bad luck but we didn't really have any good food in Ireland. We found everything bland, dry and over cooked.

 Exploring Clare.

 Bunratty Castle

Hotel by where we ate, Adam said I need a picture by it.

The next day we woke up and drove to Dingle Peninsula through Conor Pass and Slea Head.

We were told driving to Conor Pass is very scary because the road is very narrow but because of this the traffic was slow so it didn't really seem that bad...says the passenger. It was raining when we got to Conor Pass so we only took a couple pictures but it was so beautiful even in the rain. Conor Pass is the highest mountain pass in all of Ireland.

The following picture is from driving around Slea Head. This actually reminded me a lot of driving along the coast in California on our honeymoon.

  

That night we stayed in Killorglin at this Bed and Breakfast. Good price and had everything we needed!

The next day we drove around the Ring of Kerry. It was very beautiful. There were a lot of people riding bikes around. If we ever make it back I would love to ride bikes.

After driving around the Ring of Kerry we headed to Cork. We were going to stop in Cork but were so tired we decided to head straight to our country home for the night. Cork seems like a really lively town...next time. We stayed here for the night, another airbnb. The owner was actually out of town so we had the house to ourselves. The house was about 20 minutes past Cork in the country.  The main part of the house was over 300 years old! We really enjoyed our stay here, reading by the fire and going for walks on the country road.

The next morning we got a quick workout in then headed back to Dublin. Once in Dublin we walked around and checked out some things we missed earlier. Went back to Temple Bar area and had a traditional irish dinner. Can't remember the place but it wasn't anything special.

Overall we were very happy with all our accommodations, except the airbnb we stayed at in Dublin. If you haven't checked out airbnb give it a try. This was our first time using the site and we were apprehensive about staying at random people's houses but it worked out great. Everyone was very nice and professional and gave us great tips of things to explore in their cities!

So long for now.... off to Paris!

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher was so beautiful. Definitely one of my favorites from Ireland. Its on the southwestern edge of the Burren region and would highly recommend making the trip if you are headed to Ireland.

 

 If you wanted you could go up in the castle put it was extra so we decided not to.

Galway, Ireland

What a cute town. We stayed in another Airbnb, would highly recommend staying here if you are  ever in Galway, Ireland. Geraldine and Noel were the sweetest couple. When we got there they made us tea and we chatted for a bit and gave us recommendations for the rest of our trip. The room was very clean and spacious. The next morning they served us a traditional irish breakfast, probably one of the best meals we had in all of Ireland. They also had the most beautiful gardens, wish we could have spent some time out in the gardens but it was pretty rainy and cold when we were there.

After breakfast we headed out to explore the city of Galway...

 It was pretty windy but the sun came out and it ended up being a really nice day. We were pleasantly surprised by Galway.

Connemara National Park and Newgrange Temple- Ireland

After Dublin we headed out to Newgrange, Ancient Temple. Newgrange is over 5,000 years old! Older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid. It is a large circular mound with a stone passageway and 3 chambers inside. There is debate on what it was used for but most believe it was for some type of religious temple that people were put in after they died for a short period of time. On winter solstice the passage way is aligned with rising sun and the whole chamber lights up.

After New Grange we headed to Connemara National Park. We were going to hike up Diamond Hill but it was raining and we were getting pretty tired. So we took a short walk along the trail. Would like to make it back some day!

   

That is Diamond Hill in the background.

Dublin, Ireland

Our first stop on our European holiday was Ireland. We flew into Dublin, hired a car and drove around the country. Unfortunately it was extra for 2 drivers so I sacrificed myself, Adam was nice enough to drive the WHOLE trip. We had a couple close calls at the beginning of the trip while Adam got accustomed to driving on the other side of the road but over all he did great!

Adam did a lot of research and we ended up flying Aer Lingus on business class using miles from Boston to Dublin. This was the first time either of us had flown business class, lets just say it was a nice way to start out the trip!

Adam taking advantage of the complimentary champagne!

We took an over night flight and when we got to Dublin we hit the ground running! We got the car and went and found our rental, we ended up using airbnb for our accommodations. We were not crazy about the place but it fit our needs and was really close to the Guinness Storehouse. One thing we learned in Ireland is they don't really use address's here. It was definitely a learning experience finding our accommodations along the way.

Once we found our place we headed out for the day. We went to the Guinness Storehouse. I think its one of those things if your in Dublin you want to try once but we were not very impressed. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. With your entry you get a ticket for one drink and per my friend Jane's recommendation we held onto our drink ticket until the end of the tour. On the top floor you can get a drink and take in the view of the city.

After going to Guinness Storehouse we explored more of Dublin.

St. Patrick's Cathedral. We decided not to pay the fee to go inside. Figured we would probably be able to see a fair amount of churches on our trip.

 We walked around Trinity College. By the time we got there they were closing up so were not able to see the Book of Kells.

 After Dublin we toured around Ireland but before we headed to Paris we spent another night in Dublin. We checked out the Temple Bar District and The Old Jameson Distillery. Adam and I enjoyed this distillery much more than the Guinness Tour. Well, Adam did, I'm not really a big fan of Guinness or whiskey, so lame I know...

At the Old Jameson Distillery they had a taste test and Adam volunteered to be one of the testers. At the end of the tour you also get a drink.

 

Adam even got a certificate! For being a could taste tester... proud wife moment right there. lol

Off to the country side!