Finally a day where I'm not totally taken over with jet lag and I have a chance to share a bit about my trip to Ireland and jump back into my 30 Day Challenge for photos.
Let's do the photo first....its least exciting.
Day #13
Picture of your favorite band
This is going to sound annoying and like I'm not trying, but I honestly don't have a favorite band!
But....a picture must be had....so.....
In all seriousness....I like so many bands that I can't narrow it down. I'm not obsessed with any one thing. I am pretty infatuated with a few old bands (Lifehouse, Until June, Rascal Flatts, Coldplay, Thousand Foot Krutch, etc...), and a few that are a little newer in my book (The Decemberists, Mumford and Sons, The Script, etc...). But no favorite.
As for Ireland.....
We had a really beautiful time there. Our itinerary included a really long delay in Seattle which caused us to be a day late to Dublin (thank you Horizon airlines), one day in Dublin, one day in Cork and at the Blarney Castle, two days in Killarney, one day in Limerick, two days in Galway, one more day in Dublin, and a 12 hour layover in ol' Paris.
I have tons of pictures that I'm attempting to get up on Facebook (that is one of my goals for tonight), so I'll leave those for some of the smaller stories, but here is a quick synopsis of each city and my experience there!
Dublin at first glance was not my favorite, as it was raining....hard to navigate....and sort of ugly. It was definitely bustling and busy. The first day that we were there, we went to visit the Guinness Storehouse and visited a viking museum called Dublinia. We ate dinner at a pub and stayed in this hostel that was pretty dumpy. I was also sick all night, so Dublin the first time around....not on my top list of favorites in the trip. The second time to Dublin, we had more time to explore. I had a lot of souvenir shopping to do....and I spent a lot of time exploring the other parts of downtown. Temple Bar is a big hot spot with a ton of cute pubs. I also visited several museums, St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College, and rode on a double decker bus! Much of Dublin was spent either arriving and feeling jet lagged and gross.....or preparing to go back home. Not my favorite spot on the journey, but definitely a good time.
Cork was next in the line after Dublin, and this was one of my favorite spots! It is on the Southern tip of Ireland and is green and beautiful and feels smaller. We stayed in an apartment here, which was great because Mollie made us some homemade Shepard Pie...and it allowed us our own space. We went to the Blarney Castle while we were here, and also did a lot of shopping. There was a great spot that we passed through called the English Market...which sold all sorts of fresh food and gift items.
Killarney was next on the tour, and was definitely my top favorite spot. We stayed one of our cleaner hostels here, and found that this town has a lot to offer. It is smaller than either of the first two, but was really stereotypical. I felt like I was in a little Irish village that the US would try to recreate....like a Leavenworth. It was also the jumping off point for the Ring of Kerry, which we explored via a guided bus tour with a hilarious tour guide. Beautiful!
Limerick is Spokane's sister city, and was a good stop on the way. Mollie, Christie and I got a hotel so that the married couples could have their time and so that we could all have a breather from the big group setting....and had a great time. We three explored the city....drank milkshakes....walked along the river....talked to swans......found a super old castle....and watched Two Weeks Notice in our hotel room. Good thing we got good sleep here, because next it was on to the noisiest place on earth....Galway on St. Patricks Day.
Galway is on Ireland's West Coast and this was our home base for the St. Patty's Day celebration. We got there mid-day because of a late bus ride and our hostel left a bit to be desired. We knew we were in for a long few days when we got in the room and realized how noisy it was inside with all the windows closed....in the middle of the day. We went out that night to the pubs and mingled with the crowd, but it was crazier than anything I've ever seen in the States. There was trash everywhere in the streets...little 18 year olds were passed out and puking in the streets (the drinking age is lower there). It was totally disgusting. However we did happen across a band that was playing at Kings Head that played covers of Kings of Leon....so it ended up being a pretty solid night. We also went dancing a little later on to a whole bunch of country music and typical American rap. Funny that on St. Patty's Day in Spokane....they play a bunch of Irish folk music. In Ireland though, they play as much American music as possible.....backwards.
Wasn't too keen on Galway after this introduction, but we went to spend some time at the Cliffs of Moher which were stunning! Christie and I also discovered the real Galway by walking down to the bay and out to the ocean! Definitely worth the cold and the sore legs....so beautiful! We also had some yummy food at a restaurant called Mustard on our last night there!
Then we looped our way back to Dublin for that last chunk of time where we stayed at a hostel run by a Japanese couple. It was immaculate, warm, and comfortable....best hostel experience by far! We were also in town for the big Ireland vs. England rugby match, so the place was buzzing with excitement!
We flew out of Ireland on the 20th at 7:00 pm and had a 12 hour layover in Paris. This was INCREDIBLE........expensive, but so worth it. We ended up spending 25 euro each for taxis, but I got to see the Notre Dame cathedral, the Lourve, the Eiffle Tower, and everything inbetween. We also ate crepes at a sidewalk cafe on the Siene River....what more can you ask for? We had an 11 hour plane ride to Salt Lake and a quick skip home.....and then the week of jet lag ensued! Finally feeling back to normal and excited for spring to be here finally!!
:) Check Facebook for more (I'll put good captions on the pictures!)
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