Ireland!

I have just returned from the land of my forefathers! Can you believe it! I spent 9 days in Ireland, eating the local food, mixing with the locals, and of course drinking the local spirits (I've become a Jameson Whiskey fan).  Ireland was absolutely amazing! Everyone was so friendly and went out of their way to help us! By us I mean my travel companions, Emma and Annie, and me. We started off our Ireland tour in Belfast.  The first night we were there we went to an Irish cultural center to see some traditional Irish music.  The band was called Kan, they were so good and the venue was awesome.  It was kind of like a community center but the room had lots of small tables with candles and small stage, very intimate.  We had to walk about 25 minutes to get there, which we found out the next day was very risky.  The next day we went on a black cab tour of the murals and peace wall.  I had no idea the severity of the fighting between the protestants and the catholics.  During the tour we found out that we had walked through both neighborhoods at 11:30 at night (apparently the only people outside after 9 in the areas are up to no good!) So we are lucky nothing happened! The same day we went to visit St. George's market.  They had tons of little stalls with paintings, food, and little things of all kinds. There was one artist that was so nice! We talked to him for about 40 minutes, he basically told us that Belfast was the center of the universe! Our last day at Belfast we went to see the castle.  It was a little disappointing but the gardens were beautiful.  I think the best part of Belfast was all the great people we met in the Hostel.  This was the first time I had stayed in a hostel and what a great experience it was! It was like living in a big house with all your friends!!! The people that worked there were all our age and were so nice, I felt like i had known them for years.  We also became friends with two very nice Scottish girls named Rohna and Paula.  We bonded over scrabble, dirty jokes, and making up our own language! It was very hard to leave but I was offered a job there whenever I want to come back!

Belfast City Hall

St. George's Market

Our hostel living room

I left my mark on the hostel wall!

The peace wall

Leaving a little note on the wall

The barrier between the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods

Belfast Castle

Next we went to Galway.  I AM ABSOLUTELY IN LOVE WITH GALWAY.   I am definitely going to have to move here at some point in my life.  I am thinking after I graduate, before I move to Switzerland to work at a Chalet (aka ski). I hadn't realized how much I had missed the ocean until we got here! The town is adorable with tons of little shops on cobblestone streets, tons of pubs, and once again the locals are so nice! Our first day there we discovered an adorable little cafe called Ard Bia, with tea's and cakes to die for! Needless to say, we went back several times. Our second day there we went on a tour around the southern part of Galway including a stop at the cliffs of Moher.  These bad boys are as amazing as they say.  They were just magnificent, not to mention they filmed part of Harry Potter there (SO COOL).  We only stayed in Galway for 2 nights but I know I am going to go back so that is just fine.  Our last day there we just walked around taking our time and soaking in the irishness. 

Ard Bia Cafe

The main shopping street in Galway

Dungaire Castle

Annie and I in a ruin of Celtic house

A Celtic burial site

The cliffs

All three of us!

A small lookout at the Cliffs

Our final stop on the list was Dublin.  Who can go to Ireland without going to Dublin!? I would describe Dublin as a smaller London but not quite as pretty (no offense to Dublin).   It was also hard to leave Galway so Dublin was up for a challenge from the get go. But it was still amazing! We spent our days wandering through the streets of the city, stopping when we saw something interesting or wanted something to eat.  Our hostel offered free walking tours so we did that on the second day.  Of course we went to go see St. Patrick's Cathedral and we also went to Christ Church.  Unfortunately we could not go into Christ Church because they were filming 'Mary Queen of Scots' inside (pretty cool!).  St. Patrick's we weren't going to go into because it was 6 euros, but I sneakily asked to use the bathroom and took a quick look around!  On the opposite end of the spectrum, Annie and I took a tour of the old Jameson Distillery.  I am proud to say that we are now tutored whisky tasters! The only problem is now that I have had Jameson, I prefer it to all other Whiskeys! My new favorite drink is Jameson with Ginger ale and lime. On Friday night, Annie and I went to see some Irish music and step dancing (Emma stayed home because she wasn't feeling well).  We ended up meeting one of the dancers family's and spent about an hour talking to them.  They were so nice and told me I need to find myself a nice Irish boy to settle down with, I told them that I would try (but wasn't making any promises). On Saturday, Emma and I flew back to London, leaving Annie in Dublin to meet up with her dad the next day! Overall an absolutely amazing trip and I can't wait to go back to Ireland!

Filming!

Christ Church

Whiskey!

The Jameson Distillery Bar

Irish dancing

St. Patrick's Cathedral