I Have Been To Ireland!! Pinch Me!!

One week ago today I landed back in Canada having accomplished the dream of a life time. I could not believe it was going to happen, then I could not believe it was happening and now I cannot believe it happened and its over and yet I have pictures and memories to prove it happened. I would go back in a heart beat. Lovely country and wonderful people. It was all I wanted from a vacation and more.

I went with The Banker. She is a wonderful travel companion. We managed two weeks together and we are still friends at the end of it. We did not do a tour, we were on our own time table, we started in Belfast.

This charming little bed and breakfast welcomed us in for the first three days. We made the Titanic museum a first see.

Between the Banker and I we took over 1500 pictures. Before you faint I will not inflict them all on you, I will try and hit the highlights. We saw old castles.

Gorgeous scenery. Yes this place really is as green as they say it is;

Lots of fat and happy sheep grazing in tiny little fields.

We say the ocean

The Giant's Causeway:

We moved on to Gallway, which is a pretty little city full of tiny windy streets and quaint shops.

Neat old pubs. We checked out several all over Ireland and had our fair share of Guinness. We sat in side in this one, just inside where the open window is. Its really old!!

We did a day tour out to the Cliffs of Moher, with some stops along the way:

An ancient Church

A burial sight that is thousands of years old but I don't have a picture of it because The Banker took the picture and I don't have her's yet. But I do have a picture of the cliffs.

Still cannot believe I was there!!

On to Limmerick and the River Shannon

Then a day at Bunratty Castle, and the folk park, topped off with a medieval feast!!

I cannot believe I climbed these narrow windy stairs but I did wish on this fertility goddess for Miss Mouse and the Farmer!! IT worked we now have a little Farmer Boy!!

We then moved onto Cork and Blarney Castle

That fuzzy blob up there is the Banker kissing the Blarney Stone. I did not make the climb, I was happy to sit and watch. I have enough blarney in me already.

Wexford was next. No a really big tourist area but we walked the little winding streets and shopped and had a lovely day anyway.

This was the view out our hotel room. Not too shabby.

Winding narrow streets, quaint little shops, lots of pubs and cafes were the pattern for each city we were in. We moved on from Wexford to Dublin. A city that is a thousand years old. We toured it all, saw Trinity College and the book of Kells, The Temple Bar area and the Guinness storehouse.

This is the Zero Gravity  lounge at the top of the storehouse. We downed a free pint of Guinness while looking out over a 360 degree view of Dublin. AMAZING

Fabulous architecture, something new to see around every corner. All top soon we were back in Belfast and at the airport headed home.

Its just memories now but oh what wonderful memories. I will cherish them. Not often your life long dreams come true. This one did for me and I cannot articulate what that means to me.

Slainte Mhaith!!

Linda