Ireland Take 2!

A little over a week ago now I went back to Ireland for some more fun.  I figured it would be one of my last weekends abroad where I went away for more than one day for some fun.  It was a nice 4 day weekend of some sun, relaxation and good friends.

I took the ferry from Dublin to Holyhead during a major storm.  Not the most fun.  The sea was rough and I got thrown over a chair when I got up to go to the bathroom.  It was just perfect timing that the boat lurched when I stood.  It was also very crowded since they cancelled a few of the ferries that day too.  But I made it safely to Dublin about 2 hours later then we intended but that was ok with me.

For my first full day in Ireland I took a tour through Paddy Wagon Tours.  They were a really great tour company because they had a hostel associated with them which wasn't expensive and the tour picked you up from the hostel door.  It worked out well for me with location too since it was near the train station and bus station.  The tour I did took me to Cork, Blarney, and Cobh.  We had a decent amount of time in each place and it only rained when I was on the bus which was just fine by me.

On the streets of Cork

Looking up at the Blarney Castle, going up there to kiss the stone!

Kissing the Blarney Stone

On the streets of Cobh, looking up at the Cathedral

In Cobh I got to complete a simple task.  I used to read a children's story about Annie Moore all the time.  In the end of the book they talk about her two statues, one located on Ellis Island, America and one located in Cobh, Ireland.  I got to see her statue on Ellis Island back when I was in High School.  I got to complete the task of seeing both statues during this weekend when I went to Cobh and saw her statue.

Oh my gosh!  Look how much I've changed!

With all the rain we got to see a ton of rainbows too!

A little rainy, but we drove through the end of a rainbow.
Where's the gold?

An Amazing Rainbow

It was a great day and I made some friends on the tour.  It was a nice day out and I was really excited to do and see some things I always wanted to.

The rest of the trip I saw some extended family and friends who live in Ireland.  I've only seen them on American soil so it was nice to see them once again on Irish soil.  Everyone made an attempt to come over and see me before I left which made me happy.  They took me out for a great dinner where I woke up still full the next day.  It was a nice relaxing time without a lot of hustle and bustle or running on a schedule.

Until next time!