In March, I met my mom, stepdad and best friend in Ireland! We had an amazing week there, staying at a flat in Dublin and taking day trips to see some beautiful Irish castles, churches and countryside. We visited the Guinness Factory, Trinity College, Malahide Castle, Kilkenny Castle, St. Canice's Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Galway on the Atlantic coast. Ireland is an incredible country and the people there are so friendly! I will definitely be going back!
In case you're wondering, yes, I did try the Guinness, but to be honest, I prefer the Irish coffee. ;)
The Guinness Factory
This was not my response to the Guinness; it just happened and I thought it was a funny photo. The Guinness Factory was enjoyable, even though I have no interest in beer or how it's made. I also learned something about myself--I prefer beer with food. The night before I'd had half a pint with fish and chips (as you do when you're in Ireland) and it was much better than the free pint we got at the end of the tour of the factory. But it was fun and something you should do if you're in Dublin, especially on a rainy day. However, the tour ends at the top of a tower that overlooks the city, so if you go on a nice day, you're guaranteed an amazing view!
So many interesting things to read and look at in the Guinness Factory!
Like I said, so many interesting things!
You didn't know you were Irish for a whole day every year, did you??
If you're guaranteed to see one thing in a brewery, it's barrels!
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| At Trinity College |
Trinity College is also a must-see if you're ever in Dublin! For us, the Book of Kells was priority on the list (It's housed at the college), so we paid the 11 Euros to go in and look at it. If you don't know, the Book of Kells is a copy of the four Gospels in Latin created by monks in Ireland around 800AD. If you look closely at the pages, the intricate detail, the colours, the work it took to make the ink, the process of binding the book together, etc. it was a lot of work! But also, it's nice to realize it was created by a bunch of guys who didn't have much else they had to do, you know? You can't take photos inside, but Google it and look at the pages! They're incredible.
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| With my stepdad and best friend before going in to see the Book of Kells! |
This is a photo of my friend Will chillin at the bottom of the spiral staircase in this section of the library.
Malahide Castle
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My mom and stepdad on the steps the tenants would ascend to pay their rent, leading right into a room specifically reserved for rent-paying which meant they didn't have to (ahem, weren't allowed to) go into the castle itself. Hmph.
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Kilkenny
In Kilkenny we visited a castle and a cathedral. It's a lovely town and I must say I was impressed by the size of the castle, especially considering it's now missing one of it's original four sides. In addition, the weather was amazing for most of the week and we took advantage of it!
Just a bit of this large and impressive castle
Experience Kilkenny! It's beautiful!
To the left is just a bit of St. Canice's Cathedral. It dates from the 13th century and is the second longest cathedral after St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, which I also visited--that's where Jonathan Swift is buried, and let me tell you, the Dubliners are super proud of three things--Guinness, the 1916 Easter Uprising and Jonathan Swift! But anyway, this building was established on a site that has been used for Christian worship since the 6th century!
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| Me and the stained-glass window at the front of St. Canice's |
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| Me and mom on the train to Galway! |
Galway was not what I expected! To say the least. I was thinking, Wild Atlantic Way (which it is part of) and that it would look like the Cliffs of Moher, you know, where they filmed the Cliffs of Insanity for The Princess Bride. But no, it was flat. Which was fine. It was still beautiful. I also expected it to be very Irish, as in full of Irish people. Nope. It was very international--Spanish, Brazilian & Eastern European people everywhere. And I liked that. :) Our first stop upon reaching Galway was FOOD, which I also liked. I had an Irish Breakfast, which I heartily recommend. It's like English breakfast, but better! In Ireland, they do white pudding, which is like black pudding but without the blood and it has definitely gone on the list of things I love about Ireland.
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| Me and my Irish coffee, which I had with my Irish breakfast that I ate for lunch! |
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| My beautiful best friend as we wait for our lunch in Galway |
Yeah, I'm not about to complain about this view! #Galway
One of the best things about this trip was getting to spend time with people I love! Having coffee, chatting, going out to eat, traveling, sight-seeing, taking photos--it was a blast and I am so thankful that these three love me enough to endure the trans-Atlantic journey to come see me so that we could experience a new country together! I am so blessed.
