Ireland!

For Spring break this year we decided our best option would be to visit Ireland. I know, right? When telling people we were going to Ireland, they would look at me in amazement, and I always felt the need to explain that this was not a "normal" trip for us...to just jet off to Europe. You see, my brother and sister-in-law live in Dublin. They moved there this past summer and will probably only be there for a couple years. We figured the sooner we visited, the better. We didn't want to wait too long and then figure out a million reasons why it just wasn't going to happen, so we booked our tickets and away we went!

Needless to say, it was one of the best trips I've been on. Not only were we lucky enough to share this trip with Adam and Nicole, but also with our good friends, Chris and Sarah. We were very busy...after all, when you only have a week, you want to see as much as possible. We decided to tour Dublin, then head west across the island, and finally tour the southern part of Ireland. We had pretty chilly temperatures and rain off and on but that's all part of the authentic Ireland experience! We took a TON of pictures but I'm posting the main highlights of our trip.

Powerscourt Estate and Gardens (Dublin)

Powerscourt (owner built tower for children)

Dublin Castle (original tower dates back to 1200s)

Guinness Brewery

After learning to pour the "perfect" pint

Guinness - Sky Bar (360 degree views of Dublin)

Christ Church (oldest cathedral in Dublin)

Interior of Christ Church

Crypts of Christ Church

Newgrange (County Meath) - oldest monolithic structure;
older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids

Entrance stones

Trim Castle (County Meath) - largest Norman castle in Ireland
(Braveheart was filmed here!)

View from the top of the towers
(Large structure in the background is from an old abbey which is the tallest medieval structure still standing today.)

Cliffs of Moher - by far the most spectacular thing we saw! (County Clare) 

Typical Irish weather - windy, cold, and misty

"In memory of those who have lost their lives at the Cliffs of Moher." 

Bunratty Castle (15th century)

View from the top of Bunratty

Muckross House (Killarney) - estate that was donated and made into a national park

Ring of Kerry (southwest)

driving tour with many pull-offs to see spectacular views!

Ross Castle (Killarney) - We were 5 minutes too late to take the tour inside.

Blarney Castle and grounds (medieval - near Cork)

Blarney House (found on the same land as the castle)

This is where you can kiss the Blarney Stone. Notice we are not in the picture...not interested! 

Jameson Distillery (Milltown)

The guys got to participate in a "special" tasting. 

Our last stop on the tour...Kilkenny Castle (built in 1195) 

Right after this picture was taken, it started raining very heavily (which is unusual), then hailing! We were soaked by the time we got back to the car, but it was all worth it! We highly recommend Ireland to anyone seeking a trip to Europe. Not only do they speak English, but they have the best senses of humor!