Spring 2019...
1-27-19 | Cork. Night life, shops, markets, missed busses, and much to explore. Sharing a home with a group of misfit Americans for the next four months has already proved to be eventful and comedic. We've ventured to Cobh and around our own host city during our first week. Making our way down the coast of the River Lee, the sun broke through the overcast and rain to illuminate the bright emerald rolling hills. The warm and buzzing pubs filled with Irish music and candle-topped Jameson bottles, brewed hops, long talks, and walls covered in art have made for an inviting and intriguing first week across the pond. If you ever find yourself exploring the last harbor the Titanic saw, I wouldn't miss out on a breakfast from Leonardo's and exploring the hills of this historic Atlantic cove.
2-6-19 | Killarney made for an exciting day of walking and talking with an old friend this weekend. His Andy-ventures have made for fun and unique stories that can be read here. He's been living in Ireland for nearly a year and was eager to see as much of County Cork and Killarney National Park as we could fit into one weekend. From the bus to Killarney all the way until we reached Ross Castle, the Irish weather showed off its cold winds, snow storms, warm blue skies and rainbows for us all in one day.
2-9-19 Windy Kinsale... an hour south by bus brought us to the small harbor town. The streets were lined with colorful shops and pubs, all surrounded by museums and muddy sea cliffs.We stopped for brunch at Poet's Corner before making our way around the Old Head loop. As everyone should in Ireland, we made time for a pint at the Speckled Door before heading home.
2-10-19 Admittedly I was not on board to go see the Blarney Stone at first. I wanted to avoid the cliche tourist attraction. However, the Cork Crew decided to make a day of it. The spiraling climb to the top of the castle was well worth the view alone. I'm glad I went along to discover everything surrounding the castle, especially the Poison Garden, Wishing Stairs, and Witch's Caves.
2-17-19 The Ring of Kerry proved to be a day's drive with beautiful scenery and amazing food and history all along the way. The Paddywagon tour is well worth the day trip and full of surprises. If you ever find yourself along the route and looking for a bite to eat, The Lobster is the perfect place for a delicious and timely stop!
3-2-19 Hiking through Connemara National Park made for an exciting whirl wind of a Saturday. To make our Wild Atlantic Way bus tour just a little more unique, the severe weather warnings brought us 100 kph wind gusts and intermittent hail throughout our day. We hiked anyways and had fun with the challenging conditions that were well worth the views. The rest of our weekend consisted of restaurant are bar hopping around Galway. The live music around every street corner really is incomparable. Even with consistent downpours, County Galway made for a memorable and exciting weekend.
3-16-19 Friends visiting from the U.S.A brought us to the iconic and most definitely not over-rated Cliffs of Moher. The park is big enough to not feel over-crowded, even on St Paddy's weekend. The visitors center is built into the hills of the park, and has an amazing 3D educational experience for all ages. The Cliffs were breathtaking, and unbelievably tall. I wanted to note though, that the dangers should not be dismissed. The cliffs edge is not sturdy ground, the mud is slippery, and the wind is strong. No amount of wind and rain could take away from the beauty of the cliffs. Just hope to avoid the fog! Anyone visiting Ireland should take the time to experience all that the Western coast has to offer.
