Ireland!!!

Well, I've officially fulfilled another lifelong dream! I made it to Ireland last weekend! We flew into Dublin on Friday night and out of Shannon on Sunday, but it was the most incredible weekend imaginable!!!

Europe has this wonderful thing called RyanAir. It made this weekend possible. RyanAir basically flies from the "second" airports for cheaper. We flew out of Charleroi Brussels South, which is a 45 minute bus ride from Brussels. This picture is us and the plane of delight!

After arriving in Dublin, we found our hostel (Four Courts Hostel: I recommend it highly!). It was about 10:30 pm. Jordan and Rachel (travel buddies) opted to get some zzz's. I couldn't bare the thought of sleeping! :) I went to the front desk and asked the guys working where there was some "really good Irish music." They said that the Temple Bar always had good music, but that's where all the tourists go. They recommended a little bar called Cobblestone in the Smithfield area about 5 blocks away. I took their advise and headed out the door. Let me just tell you, the music was incredible!!! Indoor smoking has been banned in Ireland, so the only thing I had to worry about was how many drunk guys brought me my water... (My new favorite thing is the look on an Irish guy's face when you tell him you don't drink...) The group playing in the bar that night had 2 violinists, 2 banjos, a guitar, and a hand accordion (concertina?). They were phenomenal! I listened to them until after 1 in the morning. I had to leave out the side door because they had locked the front door! I met 2 really nice girls: Jan and Michelle. It was a great evening! Thank heavens for really good Irish music!

The next morning, we walked around Dublin a little bit. It is a completely different city in the morning then it is at night! It has so much character, though. I loved it! Dublin is one of those cities where you either love it or hate it. I loved it! It is built around the Liffey River. There are bridges crossing all over the place. This one cast a beautiful reflection in the water, so I took a picture for your viewing pleasure!

Here's another shot of the river. It is kind of a smelly, dirty river, but awesome nonetheless. I wouldn't recommend floating down this one... It's still scenic though, don't you think?

Walking around Dublin, we found this sweet church. It is called Christ's Church Cathedral. The grounds were beautiful. That's me in the picture, just incase you couldn't tell! Also important to note in this picture is the car. It is driving on the wrong side of the road. As were all the cars and busses. It freaked me out every time we would go around a corner. My heart practically lived in my throat this weekend. I thought I might die. It just threw me off a little. It was really funny to look into cars and think "That kid is WAY too young to be driving" then realize that I was actually seeing the front passenger, that the real driver was on the other (wrong) side...

This is probably the most random picture of the bunch. Ireland has these trees all over the place. It reminded me of trees you'd find in the desert. Note to self: Ireland is NOT a desert. But the trees were beautiful. There were all sorts, from big fir trees like home to skinny little trees to desert trees. All very, very green!

Saturday we went castle hunting. We found one in a town called Bunratty. It's a little town: a hotel, a castle, and a bar. I'm sure there's more, I just don't know where it was. Anyway, I had this fabulous cajun chicken at the Creamery Bar. While there, I enjoyed a lovely game of rugby on TV, as well as a man announcing to the entire bar that he was finally ready to admit that he was gay. It was an interesting lunch! Tasty, though. I had some very creamy mashed potatoes, and some "chips." (Another note to self: chips=frites=fries.)

This is the Bunratty castle. According to the sign hanging on the wall at the castle:

"The earliest fortress at Bunratty (1251) was a "bretesche" or wooden tower erected on a moat. This was followed in turn by De Clare's Stone Castle (1277) and De Rokeby's Castle (1353). The present O'Brien castle, built in 1425, had undergone many alterations during four centuries of occupation. But in the restoration works (1965/58) all additions later that 1619 (the date of the decorated ceiling in the chapel) were removed and the 15th centure crenellations restored. Admiral Penn was besieged here in 1646 and it is generally believed that his son, William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, then an infant, was at the castle."

Cool, huh?

We couldn't go inside, it was closed for maintenance, but we did get to explore the grounds. They were beautiful. It was kind of creepy, actually. Dead trees, hundreds of crows, and a castle as old as dirt. Not really creepy, but entirely too awesome for words!

As we continued our journey from the east coast to the west coast of Ireland, the landscape became more and more like I imagined it initially. Rolling landscapes, green as can be, and fields that go on forever. This picture was taken Sunday morning about 9:30, with the sun rising in the background. It was breathtaking!

As we were driving on Saturday, the sun was dancing behind the clouds. It was so interesting because you could look directly at it without burning out your eyeballs! It looked like a big circle darting in and out of the clouds. This picture doesn't do it justice, but if you look closely, you can see the sun in the clouds.

I think the sun is different in Ireland than anywhere else in the world. It's like Ireland is graced by the presence of the sun. Everything reflects the sun with gratitude. It is beautiful. The sun shines through the clouds and everything rests peacefully.

Here is more of the landscape in Ireland. The land is not separated by wire or picket fences, but rather walls of stone about 3 feet high. The stones are seemingly "thrown together," but so perfectly in place that it looks that way. The landscape just rolls right into the sky. It is amazing!

Here is even more of the landscape. I took this picture through the window of the bus, so I apologize for the reflection. It was just too pretty not to share!

Saturday night we stayed in a town called Lisdoonvarna. It was a quiet little town, but pleasant. The room we stayed in had 8 bunks, 5 of which were filled. Jordan, Rachel, and I filled 3, and there were 2 more guys from Dublin that were there surfing for the weekend. They invited me to go with them to the bar down the street. I gladly accepted, as we had passed a sign earlier that advertised "traditional music Saturday night!" They offered to buy me a drink, but I kindly refused and got a water. They were very much gentleman, though. Every round of Guinness they bought, they brought me another water. It was so much fun! We talked about everything from religion and politics to surfing and snowboarding to Napoleon Dynamite of all things... :) The music was great. It was just a jam session with a violin, a banjo, a guitar, a keyboard, and a tin flute. It was so much fun! I told the boys they had completed my Irish experience. Irish boys in an Irish bar listening to Irish music. It was phenomenal!

Sunday we made it to the place my heart desired the very most. In Clare county, we went to the Cliffs of Moher (said Mo'-huhr). We took a taxi from our hostel in Lisdoonvarna about 15 minutes to one of the most breathtaking view I have ever seen in my life! This is the visitor's center, built right into the hills!

Here I am, with the cliffs in the background. The cliffs are over 200 meters (700 feet) high! I look kind of tired (and understandably so, since I was out until past 1 for 2 nights in a row...), but it is proof I was there! ;)

Me with the cliffs... Gorgeous, huh? (The cliffs, I mean!)

This one is my favorite picture out of the 100+ that I took. It was a misty morning, as most of them are. The cliffs are right on the Atlantic Ocean. It was silent there, but you could still hear the waves crashing onto the rocks. It was a very humbling experience. I've felt similar things at the Grand Canyon. To look down and see how very small you are in comparison to these huge creations is amazing. The most humbling aspect of it all, however, is to realize how that you were created by the same Heavenly Father that created these. He created the sights and sounds and smells, but he created you with even more precision and care. You are just as much, if not more, a sight of beauty and amazement as these cliffs are. And you have potential beyond anything imaginable.

I love the way the sun is shining through the first 2 cliffs in this picture. It reminded me of us, as sons and daughters of God. Christ, the son, shines through to make an amazing creation even more beautiful. His light shines through us. We stand steadfast and tall, and He is behind us every step of the way, every hour of the day!

I love the mist in this picture. If you look closely, you can see more cliffs in the distance.

Here's another one with the sun shining through. I love this one because of the green Irish grass in the foreground!

This was a smaller rock jutting out of the ocean. The waves crashed into a V shaped crevice just below the surface of the water creating a beautiful white foam that sounded so peaceful and steady. It was awesome!