My Spring Break in Twelve Pictures

Ireland is a magical place that completely filled me with awe.  One of my favorite aspects of Ireland is the fact that you can drive down the road and pass an amazing castle. Castles were everywhere; it was like I lived in one of my favorite fantasy novels.  You definitely can't find that in Pennsylvania. I promised to share my pictures and it was hard to narrow them down to twelve, because we visited so many places.  I hope you enjoy them!

Me at Trinity College in Dublin

(By the way, the Long Room's library was pretty much my mecca.

Pictures weren't allowed in the Long Room though.)

View from the Gravity Bar at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin

The Rock of Cashel

On the way to the Ring of Kerry

Me at the Ring of Kerry 

(Yes, I wore this hat pretty much the entire trip.

Hey- it's windy there and I don't like doing my hair.)

Dingle Peninsula

The Cliffs of Moher

Chris, Krystle, Mike, and I at the Cliffs of Moher

Kylemore Castle, which is now an abbey

(A man built this for his wife! *sigh*)

Mike walking through Killarney at night

Me posing in front of traditional Ireland landscape

Just another day in Ireland

Five Things I Learned From Visiting Ireland:

1.  It's ok to disagree. You can still be friends. The Irish love to debate and argue, but they aren't overly sensitive about every darn thing like we are in the US.  Everyone speaks their minds and then they get over it.

2.  There's nothing a pint can't cure and it's ok to drink in the afternoon.  We do a lot of binge drinking at bars in the US.  In Ireland, most pubs close early (before midnight!), which surprised me. Most bars in the US are open till 2am and at the beach till 3am!  Most people in Ireland go to pubs for sports events, to socialize and listen to traditional music. In the US, the bar scene is entirely different.  People bring their instruments to spontaneously play and sing.  I LOVED the pub scene in Ireland.

3.  Imagination is important.  At every turn in Ireland there was mention of myth and lore.  Who doesn't love that?  I can't tell you how many times I made reference to Braveheart or Lord of the Rings while on this trip.  :)

4.  It doesn't matter what car you drive or what brand your clothing is.  In Ireland, they care more about racehorses than BMWs.  It's like stepping into the 18th century pace of life.  People don't get dressed up to go to bars and sport the latest "IT" bag like they do at home. I went everywhere in my favorite fleece, broken-in cords, and Chucks. I especially loved this.

5.  No matter how important a problem seems, you have to let it go.  Once you stand next to the Cliffs of Moher or the Ring of Kerry, or next to a castle built many years ago, it dwarfs your problems.  It really puts things into perspective. 10 years from now will my problem really matter? 

Ireland is a reminder of a simpler way of life, a reminder of what is most important, and a reminder to never stop dreaming.