As many of you know, my mother and aunt came to visit last week for a nine- day girls vacation all over Ireland. It was such a fun trip and so good to spend time with them both. It was just what I needed to get my through the rest of my time here.
One our first day, knowing that they'd be exhausted, I didn't plan much except to show them around Galway. It was Good Friday so unfortunately many pubs and stores were closed. Everything closes on Good Friday then Easter is considered more of a celebration. All the pubs re-open and people go out with their families. So, we popped into a few shops that were open, grabbed lunch, then walked to my school and the beach. Our bed & breakfast that we stayed in was beautiful! It had a giant sunroom that overlooked the water. I should mention also, that our first day was the only day that it was even overcast. We had incredible weather all week!
The view outside of our first bed & breakfast.
The next day we took a bus tour to see the Cliffs of Moher and an area called the Burren. Of course we took lots of fun photos of pretending to fall off the cliffs! The next day we went to the Aran Islands. We decided it would be fun to take a pony and trap (horse and buggy) around the island rather than bike around. It was such a good way to see the island. A local man who lived on the island his whole life took us around, telling us the history of the area. The ride was a little rough, but oh so fun.
Rebecca & Mom on the top of a mountain on our hike in The Burren.
At the Cliffs of Moher.
Being silly :)
On the Aran Islands.
Aunt Rebecca & Mom sitting in front of the fort on the island.
Rebecca living on the edge.
Pretty cliffs.
On our fourth day we drove to an area called Connemara, which is also part of Galway county. It is known for it's beautiful lakes and mountains. Our first stop was in a small town called Roundstone that the B&B host recommended to us. It was one of my favorite little towns, set on the water and just beautiful. It overlooked a mountain range, known as "the twelve bens," which we thought was fun. We stopped in a coastal town called Clifden for lunch. Then we drove on to Kylemore Abbey, which is still a lived in Abbey, set on the water, surrounded by mountains. It is just beautiful. For dinner we drove even further north to the town of Westport in County Mayo. We drove all along the coast to get to our different destinations, which was just beautiful. Westport was another great coastal town. We had one of our best dinners that night and stayed in another bed & breakfast near the Westport harbor.
The small town of Roundstone, looking across to The Twelve Bens.
Kylemore Abbey.
Pretty view of Connemara.
The sisters in front of the Abbey.
All the driving got to her head a bit...or maybe it was the Bulmers :)
Westport.
The next (fifth) day we had a long day of driving, and traveled all the way to the south western courner to County Kerry, where we stay in Killarney for two nights. The night we got there we drove around the Dingle Pennisula, and stopped in Dingle Town for dinner. We all laughed at the name Dingle. Dingle was my all time favorite part of Ireland that I've seen. It is just stunning to drive around the Pennisula where you get the pefect combination of ocean, grassy fields, and mountains. Pictures really only can show just how beautiful it is, and even those don't do it enough justice.
Dingle town.
Along the Dingle Peninsula.
On our sixth day, we rented bikes and rode around the Killarney National Park, stopping at the famous Muckross house and Torc Waterfall. It was so beautiful out and fun to ride our bikes around. We rode around a big, hilly lake. In the afternoon, we did the famous Ring of Kerry Drive. It too, had stunning ocean views and lots of cute, small towns along the way.
Killarney National Park.
Riding bikes in the park.
View of the Muckross house in the distance.
In front of the Torc Waterfall.
Meeting of the waters.
Along the Ring of Kerry Drive.
Seriously, Ireland is so beautiful.
Kenmare, where we stopped for dinner.
We enjoyed a yummy dinner & live music.
On our seventh day, we did some shopping in downtown Killarney. My mom finally bought an Aran Sweater like she's always wanted, after looking in many many shops for the perfect one! Then we drove on to Wicklow on the east coast. Although we agreed that Wicklow town wasn't our favorite, the drive through the Wicklow mountains was beautiful. We has fun laughing all night at dinner and stayed at another B&B overlooking the ocean.
Lots of Aran sweaters.
We just stumbled upon the giant field of the brightest yellow flowers.
On our last full day, we drove on to Dublin. We decided to stop in Powerscourt, half way between Wicklow and Dublin, which is known for it's beautiful waterfall, house and gardens. The waterfall is actually the largest in Ireland and the United Kingdom. We spent the rest of the day exploring and shopping in Dublin. That night, we found a great pub and heard some of the best live music all week. Some other pubs we went to were very crowded and smokey. On our final night, it was a big pub and we were able to sit at a table so that was nice to sit and relax and enjoy the music. My aunt and mom agreed that Dublin was fun to see, but that they were happy we choose a more nature- filled, scenic vacation for the rest of the week.
The Powerscourt Waterfall.
Us in front of the falls.
Lots and lots of sheep!
Mom & Rebecca in front of The Temple Bar.
The pub we went to on our last night.
Mom & Aunt Becky at John Gogarty's.
We had a lot of laughs and great memories over the course of the week, and I'm so happy I got to share Ireland with them.
