Thursday, November 19, 2009

Tina's Travels Pt. 2 - Ireland


In September, I (Christina) spent a week traveling around Ireland by myself. I mostly chose Ireland because of a super cheap plane ticket and a desire to check another country off my list. This being said, I went with very little idea what to expect and a week to fill.

Flying into Dublin after watching movies all night on the plane, I started questioning why I had decided to come in the first place. But after checking into a hostel and getting much needed sleep, I spent the next week constantly being impressed at God's handiwork readily on display where ever I turned.

I spent the first day in Dublin before catching a bus the next day across the country to the city of Galway, located on the western coast of Ireland.

Galway has a laid back vibe, similar to Northern Wisconsin. It's situated south of Connemara National Park and north of the Cliffs of Moher and The Burren. If you like the outdoors and beautiful landscapes, I highly recommend a visit to this part of Ireland.

After 5 days exploring Galway City and surrounding areas, I returned to Dublin and finished my week by visiting the Guinness Storehouse. I’m not a fan of beer, but Guinness seems to be synonymous with Ireland, so I decided to check it out.

The tour was fascinating, but after a few sips of Guinness I decided that I wasn’t missing out on anything and promptly found a Starbucks!!

I am really glad I went to Ireland. Traveling by myself was a bit lonely, but gave me time to reflect on my studies and life in general.

Ireland is a great place to explore, the country is gorgeous, the people super friendly, and the accent and the history are fascinating.


Custom House, Dublin

River Liffy, Dublin

Connemara

Sleep Zone Hostel in Connemara

Kylemore Abbey

Sheep wander free in Connemara and are considered the equivalent of deer in the midwest...a driving hazard that one needs to watch out for

One of the many stone fences that dot the countryside

Killary Fjord

Lough Nafoeey

It is said that there are 365 islands in this lake, one for every day of the year

4 comments:

  1. Beautiful! I've been to Ireland before as well and just love the country! So beautiful!

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  2. Wow! How fun to take off for a week and go to Ireland. One of the advantages of being young and single:)
    Enjoy your time abroad.

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  3. Ireland...very amazing place where my roots are.
    Thanks for visiting, Angie. Hope you are all doing well, and staying healthy over there.
    Talk to you soon.

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  4. Wow, Christina! You're so brave to go by yourself. I'm guessing your mom is extremely proud of you! The pictures are breathtaking...

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