Cheers

The end of the trip is near... tear. I'm sad to have to go. Here a few of the photos I've taken which bring endless amounts of joy to my heart....

Temple Bar at night:

Great Blasket Island:

Blarney Castle Gardens:

Yum, coffee in Dingle:

My first Guinness (photo taken in Kilkenny):

You can find me in the Pub! Drinking a Smithwist, Cheers to everybody!!

These are just a few of my photos. I also have a lot of video.. I can't wait to show you in person! We leave tomorrow morning, sad face. I really love it here and could stay for another two weeks. If you ever have a chance, please get yourself to Ireland. It's truly a magical place and I'll never forget it!!!

xoxoxo

Colleen

At the pub- acoustic show

At the pub- acoustic show going on. Just requested more than words... Amazing performance! Dublin is fun...

Sitting across from two old

Sitting across from two old irishmen at the pub- one drinks milk while the other tells him intense stories. Awesome.

Braving the Burren

The road to Lisdoonvarna seemed to be the longest yet. We drove up from Dingle through Limerick, opting out of the shortcut ferry to cross the River Shannon because it was so stormy. It was a good choice, but our car went through a lot of potholes. At one point, I flew into a pothole which shot up rocks that hit our windshield. I tend to laugh during those moments, while Lauryn clings to the door in pure fear. So far, I've hit a cone, the curb while going down a fairly straight road, another curb while making an illegal uturn.. and brushed the bush far too many times. It's fun. But tomorrow we return our car, so that's the end of that!
When we arrived yesterday, we headed right for the Cliffs of Moher. So magical. There is a barrier up to prevent people from going over, but for a moment we became rebels and crossed over into private property for the chance to get closer to the edge of the world. I can't believe places like this exist. We also had a great day today. Saw a couple of castles, The Burren, ancient portal tombs, and walked through a really huge cave. The highlight was sampling some mead, and eating local cheese and oatcakes in the farmhouse shop near the caves.
Tomorrow we begin the end of our trip in Dublin town.. Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College and the book of Kells are top on our list. We're staying in Temple Bar so that should be interesting... :D
Thanks for reading and have a fabulous Monday!!!
xoxoxo

Captain Tight Pants

We are still in Dingle. The shops close at 6, and we learned from an Irishman here on holiday last night that it is unheard of to eat dinner before 8. So ashamed are we, that we loaded up on lattes and roamed to the cemetery and then the last place that's open.. the internet cafe. Hello!

Today was fantastic. We took the scary 10ft wide cliff road out to Slea Head Drive. Please note, we stopped to allow sheep to pass, and crossed over a section of the road that has a stream passing through it, with mountain on the right and a huge drop to the left. Exhilarating! We made our way to the ferry boat which takes passengers out to the Great Blasket, the most westerly island of Ireland. A steep windy road to the concrete pier below was the easy part. We watched for about an hour as our ferry boat bobbed in the water from side to side like a rubber ducky in a rowdy kid's tub. It finally became clear that the ferry boat wouldn't be picking us up.. it dropped anchor and the captain steered a motorized raft thing to come get us. I almost took a dive into the ocean after slipping down the concrete slab. The only thing keeping me from panicking was the fact that a 70 year old man was ahead of me and completed everything with ease. Transitioning from raft to boat was exciting, and riding the ferry boat was even better. At one point I thought we were going to tip and bear hugged Lauryn without realizing it until I noticed all the laughter on the boat was directed at me. Oops!

The Island was beautiful and haunting. Old structures still stood, minus their roofs, with flowers and grass growing in every corner. The inviting beach was off limits due to seal mating, so Lauryn and I hiked around, took photos, picnicked on the edge of a grassy cliff and enjoyed a view of Ireland in the distance. But that was about it, as there was nothing else on the Island but abandoned buildings, sheep, mules, and rabbits (but more rabbit poop than anything). No bathrooms!

So tomorrow we are off to The Burren, Lisdoonvarna to be exact. There we'll see the Cliffs of Moher and take another ferry out to the Aran Islands. There are also prehistoric sites and a cave we want to check out.

I hope your weekend has gotten off to a nice start!

<3
Colleen

Oh no moment and Photos

Yesterday was crazy. We started the day with a trip to Blarney Castle, went to Dunnes to shop, then walked up and down the steepest hills over to Charles Fort. We hitched a ride back on the Kinsale train and landed at an internet cafe after being shunned by all the restaurants for wanting to eat at 5. I was so beat.. I tried uploading some pictures to no avail. To top it off, the internet browser on my computer wasn't working properly. The clerk at the cafe, the most beautiful Irish woman, was also one of the most dismissive and meanie woman we've encountered. I left in a hurry to avoid the extra €1.50 in fees. After dinner we went back to the B&B to get ready for a night of trad music. When we arrived at the pub and after we ordered our Murphy's, I realized my camera had gone missing. I put on my dramas and fled the pub without elaborating to poor Lauryn where I was going, except that I went to look for my camera. I got lost in the windy streets of Kinsale and finally found the car 15 minutes later. I sped up the hill to our B&B and nearly tore the room apart looking for my camera. When my passport went flying out of my purse, I suddenly realized what was more important and collected myself and my belongings and headed back down to a very worried Lauryn, but not before she sent me a few texts asking what happened (she later explained that she thought Vikings had kidnapped me). I failed to finish my beer, went home in silence and moped until I fell asleep. A couple of midnight emails to the madre and Brad made me feel better, and in the morning after a tiny brekfast (still sick to my stomach) we headed down to the internet cafe, the last place I could think the camera would be. The beautiful Irish woman was there again, but this time greated us with a smile and my long lost camera. She apparently tried to chase after us the night before but being the crabs we are, we didn't notice and instead were probably complaining about how rude she was.
But all is well! Lesson learned.. be nice to the Irish!
We are in Dingle now and staying at the nicest B&B yet. It has it's own little farm with a dog that looks just like our beloved Lucky Langan. He is here in spirit! I knew he was Irish.
Here are a few photos I was able to upload before the camera died. Praying that it didn't delete all my photos! Murphy's Law, anybody?? :)

Kilkenny:

Kinsale:

Blarney Castle:

Charles Fort:

Kinsale

Last night we got a loose history of the town while on a silly ghost tour which involved red wigs, singing in graveyards and a backless wedding gown. Yes, we got some video!
Sadly, tonight is our last night in Kinsale. I really like our harbour home with winding streets, good food and friendly pubs. Right now we are really hungry for dinner after climbing Blarney Castle, walking through the gardens, shopping at Dunnes, and an epic hike to Charles Fort.. thank goodness for the smiling Irish; the Kinsale Train conductor gave us a free ride back to town on his train that's more like a skinny bus with a few cars. It was an entertaining ride. But it's only about 5pm and nobody eats dinner this early. Definitely not as bad as Italy- we only have to wait until 6pm, not 9pm!! I'm thinking of getting some fish and chips and a Murphys. Grease! Then we'll stick around for some trad(itional) music and a pint or three. :)
See you in Dingle! Pray that we "have the weather" as they say around here.

We made it to Kinsale 4 hours from Kilkenny. Pouring rain the whole time but fairly easy roads at least. I hydroplaned twice which woke me up... Then we stopped at a gas station and I bought yorkie honeycomb "not for girls" chocolate. I'm a rebel and the marketing ploy worked!! Kinsale is a great harbor town and we're looking forward to the ghost tour tonight. Tomorrow is blarney stone and cork. I will not be kissing a spit slathered rock... But I'll take photos of the fools who do!!

Cheers!!

Welcome to THE ROCK

Ireland really is green.. everywhere. I thought it was only partially true.. but no.. it is greentastic.

We arrived yesterday on time and got off the plane without a hitch. Then we stood in a massive line waiting to get through customs. As you can imagine, my patience ran thin after a disneyland-esque queue, which curved around corners, led us through narrow hallways with low ceilings and cloud wallpaper, and finally into a tiny hot room with lines that didn't make sense. After waiting and waiting, with load of people behind us to start, I ended up being the last person to get through. I'll spare you the details of my lack of patience and general crabbiness. But if you know me, you can now start feeling sorry for Lala. Public apology to her!!!

We flipped a coin and Lauryn ended up driving. She did really well. In our imaginations, Kilkenny was a small town. We were armed with two maps, a beer proof one (thanks, Kate!) and a large Lauryn sized map that I didn't even begin to mess with but figured we'd be able to find our accommodations easily. Wrong! Long story short: Kilkenny is a big place and we had no idea where our Bed and Breakfast was. We drove through town a few times before stopping at a gas station and getting directions. The man told us to turn left at the pub, and left at the roundabout. We asked which pub and he stared blankly while nibbling on his lip. Lauryn said, 'you drive..' and I did. Left at the pub, left at the roundy, and there was our B&B. I like Irish people.

After settling in, our 'brisk 15 minute walk to town' turned out to be more like an epic journey, but we needed it to stay awake. It was raining pretty hard, but most locals don't carry an umbrella and more than you could imagine didn't even have a rain coat on.. just walking through the rain like it was nothing. The kids cuss like sailors, and a lot of the shops displays are haphazard and nothing seems to have any kind of order. Kilkenny Castle is beautiful inside and out, yet the inside is so tiny because the castle walls are about 10ft thick! I am thoroughly charmed. And the food is fine! Can't complain.

Earlier today we drove out to Rock of Cashel- a rock on a hill that has been called home by royalty and later Archbishops of Munster. Highlights were: driving narrow roads in the rain, hitting a cone and hearing Lauryn say, 'oh, cone!', seeing the Lepers' squint (window into church where the Lepers of town were hidden from the audience), repeating 'welcome to THE ROCK' all day (thanks, Brad!), hearing the story of Cashel's largest Celtic cross commissioned by a man named Scully who wanted it placed atop his mausoleum- 101 years later it exploded in a lightening storm because the artist used an iron rod to support the massive cross!!, chatting with the Cashel cafe owner and telling her that a ham salad sandwich sounds really disgusting to most Americans, getting schooled that a sandwich with 'salad' in the title simply means it has lettuce and tomato... the list goes on. It was a great day!

Tomorrow we're off to Cork and Kinsale.. where most McCarthy's are from. p.s. Hortence, McCarty's do not exist here :( We were cheated of our H at Ellis Island.

Thanks for reading! I hope it has cooled down over on the Peninsula.. I was happy to leave that hotness. :)

Our first day: Green, rainy,

Our first day: Green, rainy, castle roaming goodness. We'll talk driving later. Time to eat then finally.. SLEEP!

Taking off!

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Packing!

Before


After




There's one bag... carry on. Wheee!

Less than a month!!!

Lala and I had to change our plans a bit after she figured out that the Waterford Crystal Factory was closed indefinitely. So we cut out Waterford and shifted our trip by adding an extra day in The Burren area near the Cliffs of Moher. New itinerary below.

Went out to see the Perseid meteor shower in the mountains last night and realized something while sitting in the backseat driving up through La Honda, over to Portola Valley, and back down via Page Mill Road: hairpin turns are no joke. Add to that driving on the other side of the road, and you have an anxiety attack waiting to happen!! Lala and I already agreed that we're flipping a coin to see who drives first in Ireland. We also agreed that if somebody proves to be a better driver, that person will be driving more. In addition, either one of us will be active side-seat drivers / navigators at all times while the other person is driving to ensure full awareness of the road. No naps! Plus, who could sleep through the Irish countryside, anyway? Holy sheeeeeep!

Need: raincoat, waterproof shoes, long sleeve shirts, maps of Ireland.
Want: lots of euros, fearless attitude, time to go by faster.
Have: amazing travel companion, supportive friends, family, and boyfriend, lots of excitement!!!

Kilkenny
Monday, Tuesday 8/31-9/2

Kinsale
Wednesday, Thursday 9/2-9/4

Dingle
Friday, Saturday 9/4-9/6

Cliffs of Moher
Sunday, Monday 9/6-9/8

Dublin
Tuesday, Wednesday 9/8-9/10

Bookin' It!!

Wow.. time is going by really fast. It's been over a year since Lauryn and I wrapped up our Europe trip and dreamed up the next trip to Ireland. We bought cheap flights a couple of months ago, reserved a rental car this week, and within the next week or two, all our rooms will be booked. With less than two months to go, we're literally bookin' it!!

Itinerary:

8/30- Depart SFO
8/31- Arrive Dublin, immediately drive to Kilkenny
9/1- Tour Kilkenny
9/2- Early day trip to Armore, followed by a night in Waterford (crystal!!)
9/3- Tour Kinsale, spend the night
9/4- Day trip to Cork, night in Kinsale
9/5- Drive to Dingle, get Dingy with it
9/6- More Dingle
9/7- Cliffs of Moher, overnight
9/8- Dublin sightseeing
9/9- More Dubby
9/10- Fly home :(

Our trip is a bit ambitious for what amounts to 10 days of travel after flights, but Lala and I love a challenge. With her red hair and my Irish names, we're hoping to get by pretty easy in the land of happy drunks people.

Stay posted for updates and a full on blog beginning 8/30!

Colleen