Ireland
Well, where do I start? There are just too many good things to say about this gorgeous country that I honestly don’t even know where to begin and I know I will leave out so many things but I shall try my best. Choosing to travel to Ireland was pretty random…it was kind of just blurted out (by me) unexpectedly when my boyfriend and I were discussing places we should visit. After it was mentioned a few times here and there in conversation, we decided to really sit down and get serious about planning a trip here. I’ve always dreamed of visiting Ireland. Anytime I would see a photo of it or see a movie filmed there, I thought to myself…I NEED to visit one day. There was something about it that just spoke to me. We decided to go through Aer Lingus to book our trip and they had a package that included all the hotels and the rental car which sounded perfect to us! We really wanted to be able to go out on our own and not be stuck in a tour bus with a bunch of other people, so having the rental car was a big plus. I was kind of nervous about the whole driving in Ireland thing because it is in fact on the other side of the car…on the other side of the road BUT my boyfriend was excited about it. He’s a little more adventurous when it comes to things like that, he’s also just a much better driver than I am and did an awesome job. Haha.
After a 6 and a half hour flight from JFK we finally landed in Dublin. We were completely exhausted and could not wait to get to our first hotel so we could take a quick cat nap. Not exciting, I know… but it was 100% necessary or else we were not going to be able to function properly. We had to drive for the first time on the left side of the road to our first hotel which was about 15 minute outside of Dublin and were lucky enough to be able to check in super EARLY. We then proceeded to our room and pass out. After our much needed nap we decide to walk to the local train station and head into Dublin. We stopped at the famous Temple Bar where we enjoyed some live music and a pint of the black stuff. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. We didn’t have much time in Dublin and had to head out very early the next morning so unfortunately we didn’t get to explore it as much as we wanted to, but we 100% plan on visiting Ireland again so we will get to it next time.
The next morning we headed out to start our drive to Galway and on the way we decided to drive through the Doo Lough Valley. Let me tell you… the view was absolutely stunning. Pictures really do not do it any justice, but if you are driving from Dublin to Galway, I highly suggest taking the route that drives through the Doo Lough Valley. It is just absolutely gorgeous. Also! If you are planning on driving yourself through Ireland, keep in mind that it takes forever to go even the shortest distance. The roads are extremely narrow, like…very very narrow and you need to drive slow and pay attention. So going somewhere that should take an hour could take 2 hours just because of how the roads are. Galway was my second favorite place we visited while in Ireland (Dingle Peninsula being my first). It was just so lively and fun. The streets were packed with people and there was live music on every almost ever corner. I loved how a large portion of it had roads were cars are not allowed to drive on, so you could walk freely and not have to worry. There are so many shops, restaurants and pubs to choose from, it is hard to be bored there. All of the places are brightly colored and have flags draped from one side to the other. The other reason why I loved Galway so much was because that is were the Long Walk is located. The Long Walk is a not so long road that is lined with colorful homes that are all connected to one another and face the water. A lot of people have probably seen them featured at the end of Ed Sheeran’s music video for Galway Girl. If you walk over the bridge and around to the other side of the harbor you can get a nice view of them. Galway was all around such a cool place and I was really sad to leave but we had to move on to our next . On our way out of Galway we made a quick stop at Dunguaire Castle which was a little smaller than I thought it would be but still gorgeous. This castle was built in the 16th century and is partly surrounded by a lake. You can tour the inside and walk up the winding stone staircase to each level and explore the rooms. The top of the castle has a super narrow outdoor lookout area that you can walk around and take in the pretty viewsThe day we planned to visit the Cliffs of Moher was definitely much anticipated. I mean, when you think of visiting Ireland one of the first things that pops into mind are the Cliffs of Moher. We got very lucky and had amazing weather when we went. The sun was shining and it was warm and beautiful, I was actually sweating at one point which was surprising to me because I didn’t think it would be that warm. The Cliffs were everything I ever dreamed they would be and the view was absolutely stunning and I think it goes without saying that this is a must see for anyones Ireland trip. They are just absolutely breathtaking and make you feel VERY small. You can get a little weak in the knees when you look over the edge at the oceans crashing against the rocks at the bottom. One thing that I was very grateful for, were the various pathways that followed along the edge of the cliffs. There were 3 of them, one for the brave souls that walked right up alone the edge, one in the middle for the semi-daring and one that was sunken down a little and tucked behind a small safe stone wall. That third path that was furthest away from the edge was my path. Lol I did make some short appearances close to the edge because I mean, I was at the Cliffs of Moher I had to be a little bit daring. But for anybody who is afraid of heights and thinks that they wont be able to enjoy the Cliffs because they are so high, don’t worry…there is a path for you.
The last place I HAVE to mention before this post becomes way too long is the Dingle Peninsula. This place was hands down my FAVORITE part of our Ireland trip. It was the most gorgeous place I have ever seen in my entire life. Despite the fact that it was pouring and so windy that I felt like it could knock me over any moment…I was completely enamored. It was exactly what I had always imagined Ireland to look like. It had the rolling green patchwork hills, dotted with sheep and tiny colorful cottages nestled into the crevices. I remember getting out of the car and standing on Slea head drive, looking out over the stone wall onto the ocean crashing again the cliff that was covered in wildflowers and thinking to myself…I never ever want to leave this gorgeous place. It was definitely dream-like and everything I had ever hoped it could be and more. If you are planning a trip to Ireland, please make a promise to yourself to drive around the Dingle Peninsula. It will be one of the best decisions of your life. Also! Despite having the most gorgeous natural scenery I have ever witnessed, Dingle continued to make my dreams come true by having a place that welcomes you to come inside their barn and cuddle with their baby sheep. This magical place was simply called “hold a baby lamb”. So, if you’re into holding/cuddling super cute, soft baby animals that feel like little blankets with legs…thats another reason to visit Dingle. But lastly, I must talk about Dún Chaoin Pier. I had seen photos of this particular spot when researching about Ireland and knew it was a must stop on our drive through Dingle, and I am so happy we did because it completely stole my heart. There is a winding path that leads down to the beach where a ferry to the Blasket Island used to depart from. We didn’t walk all the way down only because it was pouring rain and very windy but we did find the path that takes you to the spot that overlooks the whole pier. I wont lie, it was a bit high for my taste since I am afraid of heights but I found it in me to plop myself down on the top of the hill and take it all in. The cover photo for this blog post is me sitting in that exact spot. It was an absolutely breath taking experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I am so happy we were able to stop there, it is a definite must see!
I know that there are so many things I had to leave out of this blog post to try and make it as short as possible but you get the idea...Ireland is gorgeous and you need to go. If you haven't been there, go visit and fall in love with it like we did.
