We flew into Dublin Thursday afternoon and made it to the hostel around 6. We decided to drop off our things and head to dinner. The girl at the front desk recommended The Porterhouse for dinner. It is a microbrewery and had a range of food including traditional and non-traditional Irish food. I got the Shamrock Pie with mashed potatoes, so delicious! We didn't do much in Dublin Thursday night because we had to be up early Friday morning to board the bus for our overnight tour of Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Cong, Connemara, and other small towns in between.
Friday morning we got on the bus at 7 AM and were then headed west to the city of Galway and then to the Cliffs of Moher. We had an absolutely beautiful day! Clear blue skies with a bit of wind, couldn't have asked for anything nicer! We stopped at several places along the way, including a fairy fort (I don't remember the actual name of it...), Doolin, a small castle, and finally the Cliffs of Moher. Here are some pictures from the wonderful day! Be warned: there are A LOT of animal pictures...I couldn't help myself!
This is how they build their stone fences. Put rocks wherever they will fit and balance to keep the wall stable.
Saturday morning we started off in Galway and headed further west once again to Cong and Connemara (home of the Connemara pony). We had a few stops along the way, but one of my favorites was Kylemore Abbey. It wasn't as nice of a day, actually it was terrible, I thought I might get blown away, but I didn't! There was so much rain our shoes ended up soaking wet, but the beauty of the castle and the land made up for it!
Kylemore Abbey is currently serving as a monastery. Only part of the property is open to visitors. I bought a nice wool scarf and other goodies!
Sunday was sort of a whirlwind because our flight left at 4. We were lucky enough to have some free time to tour the Guinness Factory and do a mini tour of Dublin on our way. The next couple of pictures are the only ones taken of Dublin! We enjoyed a quick tour of the Guinness Factory, ate lunch, and then headed back to the airport for our last flight back to Barcelona! It was a little bittersweet, but I wouldn't trade it for anything!
Old Guinness advertisements
Ireland is definitely a place I hope to go back to! It was probably one of my favorite trips this semester. I wish we would have had more time in Dublin, but I enjoyed doing the overnight tour. There are still so many things I want to see!
This journey has almost come to a close. I had one of my last presentations this morning and only have a total of 3 Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday classes left. My Spanish class is slightly different because I have it every day, so 6 more Spanish classes! My Spanish final begins on Thursday and runs through next Wednesday, and the rest of my finals are next week on Wednesday and Thursday. The next few days will be really busy, but I can't wait to see everyone!
xoxo
Kelcey
Hi Kelcey! I've loved reading your entries over the last weeks and months. It seems to me that the time has just flown by, but you've managed to cram in an amazing amount of travel. Your photos are treasures. The Irish sheep will tickle Aunt Amy, for sure! I think I'll already be gone on my journey so I'll miss your return, but I think we should plan some time in July so we can share travel experiences. I plan to blog, too, but I'm needing Gaby to help get me up and running. If I can do half as well as you've done, I'll be a happy girl! My first problem is remembering the name of the blog!!! (I will let you know, when I figure it out!) Have fun in between exams and enjoy your last days abroad. Love you!
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