Ireland is amazing. It is so beautiful. If you’ve never been, definitely go. It really is as green as the pictures make it seem.
(Yes, I do have pictures. They are still on my camera. I’m planning to download them all this weekend and try to get them online. Really, I should just wait and link to my dad’s photos though. He takes amazing pictures.)
We went as part of a gigantic tour group for the Notre Dame v. Navy game in Dublin last weekend (sorry, Annapolis friends – for the rest of the season, I will cheer for Navy). The running joke among the guides was that the last time this many foreigners arrived in Ireland, the Normans were invading. The trip was booked about two years ago, and we had to select activities and tours without really knowing how the schedule worked out. Ultimately, it meant we were busy. But we certainly saw a lot. And we had some incredible guides. Though I did struggle to stay awake on some of the bus tours.
Because there were so many people in the country for the football game, things were crowded. We went to Blarney Castle, but opted to not wait the 90 minutes to kiss the Blarney Stone. I don’t know that I need to be more gabby anyway. But for the most part, people were genuinely friendly, and we were repeatedly thanked for bringing our money to the country.
I think my favorite part of the trip (after the 10 am drinks at the Jameson Distillery) was the tour of the Ring of Kerry, which is a tourist trail in the southwestern part of the country. It was beautiful. And I learned that there are bike trips along the trail. My friend Chrissy was going on a multi-day bike trip, and I can’t wait to hear how it goes. I want to go back and bike around. Maybe in a few years. Anyone want to go along?
(Oh yes, and then yesterday, I signed up for my first Tri. EEEEK!)