I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! Thank you to my
dad, my brother, and all other members of American armed forces past and
present for making the ultimate sacrifice. I’m grateful for your bravery!
It felt weird to be in another country during an American summer holiday
weekend, but I can’t say that I didn’t have a great time here! Up until last
Monday when Shaun landed in Dublin, it had rained here every single day for at
least a few hours and the temperature had never exceeded 45 degrees. But then
Shaun came to visit and whether or not he packed the sun and warmth in his
suitcase, the weather Gods answered my prayers and magical things happened!!
THE SUN HAS BEEN OUT FOR A FULL 9 DAYS WITHOUT A SINGLE DROP OF RAIN!
It’s a beautiful miracle :)
It’s a beautiful miracle :)
Shaun and I had an incredible week discovering Ireland! I still can’t
believe he was here, but I am so glad he came and was definitely very sad to
see him off on Monday. Not only was I able to cross off so many adventures on
my Ireland bucket list, but it was great to be able to share these experiences
with Shaun…and the fact that it was sunny and warm made for an even better
week!
Shaun arrived early Monday morning. I was so happy to see him after
being apart for seven weeks! Keeping in mind how fast the previous five weeks
flew by and knowing that he was only going to be here for a mere seven days, we
didn’t waste any time. After a quick lunch nearby, we headed to Ireland’s #1
tourist attraction, the one and only Guinness Storehouse. Uncle Har – if you’re
reading this – you would be in your glory! We went on a self-guided tour to
learn how the “black stuff” is brewed before enjoying a complimentary free pint
in the Guinness sky bar! Seven stories high, Shaun and I took in the amazing
360 degree views of Dublin city and beyond. It was definitely a
necessary experience!
This one's for you, Phil... Monday's lunch. JUST KIDDING.
In the Sky Bar!
Afterwards, we checked out a few of the museums in Dublin such as the
National Library of Ireland. I was never much of a museum person growing up,
but I must say the museums here are pretty cool. There is so much to see and so
much to learn!
That night, we headed to the Temple Bar area for dinner and drinks. We
were both being very indecisive as usual and it was getting late, but we
eventually decided to eat at a pub called Farrington’s. I had cottage pie
(similar to Shepherd’s Pie), while Shaun had chicken curry. We walked around in
the city for a little before calling it an early night so Shaun could sleep off
his jet lag. I don’t blame him!
On Tuesday, we boarded a 3-hour train to Galway – we were both excited
to see what the west coast of Ireland has to offer. It probably got up to 75
degrees that day and for the first time in five weeks, I was wishing I had
packed a pair of shorts! We checked into Galway City Hostel for the next two
nights. We were sold on the fact that it was only 9 euros a night to stay
there, but we soon learned that Ireland and America are similar in that we do
in fact get what we pay for! I almost threw up after discovering green mold growing from
the shower floor to the ceiling…needless to say, we were on a mission for
flipflops that day! I should’ve known that Mom knows best – she told me to pack
flipflops for such occasions and I forgot them…oops.
Anyways, Shaun and I set off on a long walk to Salthill, a coastal town
along the Galway Bay. It was full of vacation homes, shops and restaurants, and
the smell of fresh bay water :) We got
lunch, tried our luck in an Irish casino but to no avail (don’t worry – it was
only 20 cents!), and bought a pair of stylish shamrock flipflops to prevent
feet fungus in that shower! It was probably the best 2.50 I’ll ever spend.
Salthill coastline
Lookin' fly
We walked back to the city centre to have a look at the Galway Cathedral
and the Galway City Museum – both were pretty neat!
City Centre
Galway
Galway Cathedral
University in Galway
Then we headed to dinner at a nicer Italian restaurant. Shaun and I
pulled a State College Cozy Thai move by both ordering the same thing – chicken
raviolis in a mushroom and spinach cream sauce. It was soooo good! Our waitress
originally brought us crab and shrimp raviolis by mistake (we all know that
wouldn’t have gone over well with my taste buds) and took awhile to serve us so
she ended up giving us both a free shot of Sambuka! She also didn’t charge us
for our appetizer, so we lucked out. Finally, we were off to Rabbitt’s Pub for
the night – we figured a toast to Shaun’s last name was necessary!
Wednesday was probably my favorite day of the week, although every day
was a great time! We got free breakfast at each of our hostels, but this time
Shaun discovered mold on his toast so we opted to go hungry that morning. We
took a bus ride to a ferry to Inis Mor, the largest of the three Aran Islands,
where we rented bikes to explore the island. My legs felt like rubber bands by
the end of the day, but it was definitely well worth it!! We saw gorgeous
beaches, seals, wild horses, and rock walls. We climbed to the tippy top of an
abandoned Celtic fort known as Dun Aonghus. The scenery took my breath away,
for lack of a better description! Granted we were both sweating and sunburnt by
the end, I was thankful for another gorgeous day to bike around this beautiful
island!
That night we grabbed some quick fish and chips in town and headed back to our hostel to chill. That was the most physical activity I have done since my high school field hockey days…yes, I am dead serious and yes, exhausted was an understatement!!!
On Thursday, we hopped on a bus to Doolin, a small town about an hour
and a half south of Galway. Trish had recommended that we visit there as it a
very quaint town home to O’Conner’s Pub, the most famous in all of Ireland. The
bus dropped us off right at our hostel and then we headed on a long walk down
the only road in town. There are no trees, just a bunch of farmland and wild
horses and cows on the edge of the road. We eventually made it to the pier
where we booked a cruise around the Cliffs of Moher for later that day. After
delicious sandwiches at a “roach coach,” we explored the Doolin coastline for a
few hours – once again, absolutely beautiful!
As we were waiting on the dock for our ferry to arrive, we spotted a
dolphin swimming with a couple scuba divers! I was tempted to jump in and swim
with it, but I’m scared of algae and seaweed – ask anyone who’s been in the
ocean with me.
Anyways, we finally went on the cruise and I felt like I was in a dream.
Many people who live here have told me that if there was an eighth Wonder of
the World, it would be the Cliffs of Moher, and now I know why. I have never
seen anything like them in my entire life! I took about a hundred pictures,
none of which do them justice. The cruise was really fun and I’m excited to
explore the top of the cliffs next week!
After the cruise we headed back to our hostel to get ready for our night
at O’Conner’s. Doolin is famous for their seafood, so dinner was an easy choice
that night. Shaun had the largest pot of mussels I have ever seen (not that I
have seen a lot, but still) and I had a very hefty and scrumptious piece of
salmon…definitely my favorite meal of the week!
O’Conner’s was a lot of fun and the traditional Irish music was great :) We met a family from Lansdale, PA whose daughter
just finished her freshman year at Penn State and is also pursuing elementary
education so we were talking to them for a while. We also befriended Ted, an
older man with only one leg and one lung, who did all of the singing next to
the band and even gave us a lift back to our hostel! He was too cute!
On Friday, I introduced Shaun to a mini Irish breakfast at McGann’s Pub
in Doolin…so much food for so cheap! We had a lot of time to kill because we
had misunderstood the timetable for the bus back to Galway…#touristproblems. We
moseyed into town to take in the last sights, while capping off our Doolin
memories with one last glass of Guinness at O’Conner’s. I really loved our time
in Doolin!
When we arrived back in Galway, we made our way to Salmon Weir Hostel
across town. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone, but at least we were
only sleeping there. The woman who checked us in was kind of creepy and our
room was scorching hot and claustrophobic. At this point, buying sunscreen was
necessary as was airing out our suitcases. Good thing I only brought two
short-sleeve shirts to Ireland…
Anyways, Shaun and I headed into town to grab a bite to eat and then
enjoyed some Bulmer’s while sitting along the Galway Bay. I was hoping to catch
a sunset then until I remembered that it doesn’t get dark until 10:30 here! We
went for a walk along the pier before heading back to our hostel.
That night, another couple from Holland who was staying in our room
invited us to go out with them. We went to The Quay, one of the well-known pubs
in Galway. It was really fun getting to know Sean and Gemma while listening to
the band that was playing. Another great night!
On Saturday, we boarded an early train back to Dublin. It was a long
ride and exhaustion was setting in, not to mention our suitcases also smelled
like roses (sense the sarcasm). It wasn’t until we got off the train when I
noticed one of the wheels on my suitcase was flatter than one of my dad’s
homemade pancakes. Oh well!
We went on a tour of the original Jameson distillery – I think it’s safe
to say that Shaun was in heaven! Our tour guide was really engaging and taught
us all about Jameson’s Irish whiskey before we enjoyed complimentary glasses of
Jameson and ginger ale. I’m not much of a whiskey fan, but I’m really glad we went
on this tour!
Afterwards, we went on what is called a “Viking Splash Tour” of Dublin.
We had another very engaging tour guide dressed as a Viking who encouraged us
to roar at the Celts every time we passed them. The bus took us throughout the
Dublin City centre before it became a boat and sailed into the Grand Canal
Harbor. I learned many interesting facts about Dublin and saw parts of the city
that I probably never would have discovered on my own. It was a lot of fun!
That night we ate a late dinner at a nice restaurant in the city called
Milano’s. The pizza was amazing and so was the chocolate fudge cake that I ate
for dessert, although Shaun kept joking that it looked and tasted like a Little
Debbie’s cake – which is probably why he scarfed what was left…right, Shaun?!
We headed to the Temple Bar for his last night out, but it was way too
hot and crowded so we ended up at a quieter pub across from our hostel before
we called it a night.
Then Sunday rolled around and it was time to head back to Dun Laoghaire
for one last day of Irish adventures. The Conrans were in Cork for the weekend,
so after we dropped off our luggage, Shaun and I headed downtown. We split an
amazing sausage sandwich at the local Farmer’s Market before walking to the end
of the pier while admiring the sights along the way. That was the first time I
have seen so many people walking around there – it must have been the beautiful
weather!
Shaun got to meet Trish and Ger that night. They made us a delicious
lamb roast for dinner and it was nice enough to sit outside on the deck for the
first time since I’ve been here! We were all talking for several hours before
it was time for Shaun to pack up and get some sleep. Ger drove him to the
airport at 5am Monday morning, and just like that, our week together in Ireland
was over :(
It was a really fun week for both of us and we seriously could not have
asked for better weather! I feel so blessed to have these memories.
Tomorrow is already the last day of May and I fly home in just a little over a week! On Friday, I embark on my last hurrah – a 6-day tour of Ireland where I will be
visiting the tourist attractions in each of the four corners of the country.
I’m especially looking forward to walking the rope bridge across Giant’s
Causeway in Belfast and also the Ring of Kerry. I’m going on this tour alone,
but I’m excited to meet many people in the process! I’ll return on Thursday
night and I will post my last entry that weekend before I’m bound for the good
‘ole USA on Monday.
I hope all is well across the pond!
Miss you guys.
Love, Anna
