CHEERS!

"It only rains twice a week in Ireland, once three days and once for four days.

Otherwise, it's always sunny."

Welcome to Ireland!

Chicago to Manchester: 7 hours

Manchester to Ireland: 2.5 hours

...piece of cake, right?

We arrived in Dublin at 1pm and snagged an airport taxi. The drive to our apartment was nerve-wrecking to say the least. We booked an apartment via airbnb.com and basically hoped for the best. If Ireland could do one thing better, it'd be properly organizing its neighborhoods. House numbers went up and down on both the right and the left, leaving little room for logic. Even our taxi driver doubted the existence of our apartment toward the end. Just as hope was running out, I spotted the tiny 57 above a emerald green door, and we all exhaled massive a sigh of relief. We were home.

The apartment ended up exceeding our expectations. Everything was so quaint and well-polished. We had space and a homebase. During the day we scouted the Dublin area and by dinner time, we sauntered home to cook dinner and relax. 

We toured Dublin via a "hop on, hop off" bus and visited the following:

• Trinity College: The Book of Kells (4 Gospels in Latin)
• National Art Gallery: Dead Zoo Gallery (yay for taxidermic animals!)
• Christ Church
• St. Patrick's Cathedral
• Guinness Storehouse
• Kilmaninham Gaol Prison
• Trade Music Festival
• Pubs (O'Shea's was definitely the best!)
• The Black Lion Inn (BEST Irish meal, ever.)

Dublin brought upon me many firsts. I've composed a simple flow chart to help illustrate these experiences. Care to follow along? (Good luck- I'm beyond the point of overload, so I apologize for any and all spelling errors and poor organization.)

Double-decker buses-- Every time I got on I felt like I was in a scene from Harry Potter. Judge me all you want. I was kinda disappointed that they didn't have quite the same agility as the Knight Bus. Nevertheless, we snagged a free night tour of Dublin which was cold but beautiful. No worries though, Brandon and Josh cuddled for warmth.

Trains-- My group bought Eurail Passes for Ireland, Spain, and France. Our first train aventure took us to Galway, Ireland. Good thing we found the correct platform because Emily stepped into the station asking, "Where's platform three and five-quarters?"

Castles-- Ruins are everywhere! Nothing is more epic than a legitimate castle, folks.

Cliffs of Moher-- Absolutely stunning. What a display of God as Creator! With each gust of wind, we were nearly knocked to our feet (well, aside from Emily's clumsy moment, baha). 

Hiking-- On the way to the Cliffs, we opted to tour Connolly's Family Farm. What a hike! Our tour guide took us up a mountainside to look out on the very tops on Galway. The wind fought us the entire way, but we all powered through. It was cool to experience the hike with people from all over the world (ie: Poland, England, Spain, etc.) Afterward, we went inside for cheesecake and tea by the wood burning stove. Perfection.

 

PUBS-- yep, you read it right. I, Rachel Kirkpatrick, spent nearly every night in an Irish pub. I've still never exceeded more than one drink a night, and I'm fine and dandy with that. In case anyone wants to buy me a "welcome home" drink, I really like Southern Comfort!

                          

Pubs always have some sort of LIVE music, so I felt right at home. We just so happened to be visiting Dublin during TradFest, a popular Irish music festival, and we got to see some amazing local shows. In case anyone is wondering, there's an Irish Civil Wars out there, and they are divine. 

We stumbled on another festival while visiting Christ Church in Dublin. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, and I just don't have the time to sit here and keep typing. Sorry guys!

Quickest 5,000 words I've ever put to paper.

There's so much more to say, but this blog post has exceeded its socially acceptable length. Again, my apologies. Feel free to ask me about singing in the rain, our packing frenzy (BAHA, hilarious!), and any photos needing more explanation.

For now, I leave you with the Irish blessing.