Ireland has been on the top of my must-see-countries list and so I decided to take a 5 day weekend that we had to go to Ireland with a few friends and enjoy this country. My brother and sister-in-law went a couple of years ago and said there was something special about but of course I had to see it for myself. Well...they were right. Ireland was a country full of life, greenland, amazing food, great times, and even better people. I could go back to Ireland and easily spend another week there without being bored. Whether it was going out to Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney stone, going to an impromptu Usher concert, enjoying the breathtaking views of Cliffs of Moher, or just walking around Dublin, surprisingly I have had the BEST time here. I have a lot of respect for this country and especially the people. Very prideful but never arrogant, which is refreshing! People just strike conversations with you on the street just and offer help without even being asked. Even though there are a ton of people who live there, it's still somehow a relaxed environment. I've never been in such a big city that can feel this calm. I wish that big cities in the US felt like this, and I would be more inclined to visit LOL. All this to say, I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED Ireland and am already missing it! I can't wait to go back when I'm older!
Blarney Castle was my first stop in Ireland! It is one of the most famous castles in Ireland as it was built nearly 600 years ago and still stands. It is widely famous for housing the Blarney stone, a stone that is kissed by visitors in order to bring them elegance. However, in order to kiss the stone, you have to hover above a hole in the castle, many stories above the ground. There is a guy that holds you to make sure you do not fall but nonetheless, I was still scared to do it! This journey is about conquering my fears though so I still did it! I'm not sure I became more elegant but it was still thrilling!
Blarney Castle was my first stop in Ireland! It is one of the most famous castles in Ireland as it was built nearly 600 years ago and still stands. It is widely famous for housing the Blarney stone, a stone that is kissed by visitors in order to bring them elegance. However, in order to kiss the stone, you have to hover above a hole in the castle, many stories above the ground. There is a guy that holds you to make sure you do not fall but nonetheless, I was still scared to do it! This journey is about conquering my fears though so I still did it! I'm not sure I became more elegant but it was still thrilling!
The next famous part of Blarney Castle are the Wishing Steps. Thinking of a wish, you have to walk down and up the stairs backwards with your eyes closed, thinking about nothing but your wish, in order for the wish to become true within a year. Let me tell you... absolutely terrifying! I honestly thought I was gonna break my neck but with Nicole's help I did it! Can't tell you what I wished for but hopefully it becomes true ;) I happily celebrated near a waterfall near the steps when I was done!
The day before I arrived, my friends were at the Guinness Beer Factory and right after they left, apparently Usher walked into the building. They found out about it and Nicole looked up why he was in Dublin and found out that he was on his world tour! The best part was that there were still floor seats available at a reasonably low price! Now I know that Usher isn't in his prime and it's American music but there were people from all over the world there and it was so much fun talking and jamming with people from all different countries over music that you all love. We were so close to Usher, I could practically feel the sweat dripping off of him! I was not expecting this but it was definitely one of the best nights I've ever had!
This is a traditional Irish breakfast and even though it does not look appetizing, it is delicious! I'm a big sausage fan so the sausage was my favorite part! The meat to the right of the sausage was ham, next to that was a tomato, next to the tomatoes were rice patties, and then was the fried potatoes and in the middle were beans with a sunny-sde egg. My mouth is watering just thinking about how incredible it was! And very filling! I didn't eat again until dinner time!
One of the most breathtaking views in Europe are the Cliffs of Moher and I was fortunate enough to go explore them and even more importantly, do it on a beautiful day. Words nor pictures can even do the sight justice. I spent about an hour and a half just looking at the site. You forget all your problems, worries, stress and really focus on the beauty of the world and the beauty of that moment you are in. There's definitely a peace that comes over you. I would have happily spent all day up there but unfortunately had to leave and continue on with my day. Of course not before throwing up a UC though since I was representing Cincy :)
I had so much fun exploring rural Ireland that I had not really explored Dublin! So the last day and half was spent in Dublin to of course do a tour of one of Dublin's most beloved sites: Old Jameson Distillery. It was so much fun learning and seeing why Jameson is so much different than other whiskeys! After giving us a tour of the Distillery, they have us tastings of 2 other different types of whiskey so we could compare it with Jameson. Then at the end, we all got free drinks and I chose the ginger and Jameson. I discovered that Jameson is extremely smooth and combined with ginger ale, it's amazing!
Fun fact: Jameson sells a special 12-year-old Jameson that is only available at this Distillery. You cannot find it anywhere else on this planet. So of course I bought a couple of small bottles to bring home to my family and to save as a souvenir.
Fun fact: Jameson sells a special 12-year-old Jameson that is only available at this Distillery. You cannot find it anywhere else on this planet. So of course I bought a couple of small bottles to bring home to my family and to save as a souvenir.
The rest of the time was spent literally just walking the streets of Dublin. I did not take a taxi, bus, train, etc. but did it all on my two feet by myself the last day. Like I said, there is something calming about this country so even though I walked over 10 miles that day, it was therapeutic in a sense. Below are a couple of famous sites, including the famous St. Patrick's Cathedral and Town Hall which lit up green at night :)
Until we meet again Ireland