After deciding when and where I wanted to study abroad, my Mom finally decided it was time for a nice, family vacation across the pond. I started my journey to Stirling ten days before move-in day. Mom, Dad, Brianne, MaryKate, and myself flew out late into Dublin and arrived at a charming Air B&B for the night. Everyone was greeted the next morning with an energetic Irish breakfast hosted by our lovely Air B&B owners. Later that morning, we picked up Molly and our rental car and made our way to Killarney, Ireland! Once we landed in Killarney, we checked out the Torc Waterfalls and stretched our legs out on a short hike in Killarney National Park. Next, we explored the ruins of Muckross Abbey and managed to scare MaryKate a few times as well. My family and I ended the night at a bar where I tried my first ~real~ Guinness beer and everyone sat and played cards until our dinner arrived.
The next morning, everyone hopped back into the car to drive around the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry was absolutely amazing! Throughout the drive, we were able to pull to the side of the road and snap some pictures of the beautiful scenery! The first stop on the Ring of Kerry was Portmagee. Portmagee is a small coastal town and mostly known as the key entrance way to the Skellig Michael Islands. In the 6th century, Skellig Michael was home to a Christian monastery but was eventually abandoned between the 12th and 13th centuries. Now a days, Skellig Michael is most famously known as a prime filming location for Star Wars. Unfortunately, I was unable to take the ferry to go visit Skellig Michael but I am hoping to return one day and recreate some Star War scenes. After obsessing over not seeing the islands, the family and I walked around Portmagee until making our way to the Kerry Cliffs. The Kerry Cliffs were breathtaking. My sisters thought it was better than the Cliffs of Moher! The cliffs were a brilliant green color and the ocean was bright teal and crystal clear. Although I did sight any puffins, we were able to catch a glimpse of the Skellig Michael islands in the distance. After driving down some windy, small roads, we stopped at the bottom to explore St. Finian's Bay. With the surfers in the ocean, it encouraged Joe to take a quick dip into the bay and it made me wish I had brought my suit. With the salty ocean, we decided to stop for something a little sweet at Skellig Chocolate factory, grabbing some free samples and chocolate to nibble on during the rest of our car ride. We stopped in Waterville to grab an early dinner but I wish we were able to explore the beach a bit more. Afterwards, we made our way to Kenmare and walked around the shops until they closed. After a long day in the car, everyone was excited to arrive back at our little yellow Air B&B house and grab a few pints of cider and Guinness at the pubs.
Although everyone was feeling a "wee" bit tired, we packed our things and explored the Gap of Dunloe the next morning. Despite not being able to drive through the Gap of Dunloe, we walked for bit and was still offered amazing views of Ireland's mountains! After the Gap of Dunloe, the family and I made our way to Dingle.
Dingle was yet another charming and colorful, coastal Ireland town. Our Air B&B at Dingle was the Captain's House, which was another charming bright blue house with a daisy colored door. We experienced more typical Irish weather in Dingle with a slight mist and a chilly wind in the air. Everyone walked around Dingle and continued to snap pictures of the colorful town, dock, and pubs. I think I could easily say our favorite discovery of the town though was Murphy's, the local ice cream shop. Murphy's offered some of the best ice cream I ever tasted! They offered Irish flavors such as Butterscotch, Kieran's Cookies, Dingle Sea Salt, and Brown Bread. I managed to grab a cone of ice cream three times during my stay in Dingle. We took a quick drive along Ireland's coast before leaving Dingle, eventually parking the car and hiking up a rocky cliff for another amazing view of Ireland's additional cliffs and crystal teal waters. We even managed to spy another peak of Skellig Michael and another Star Wars filming location. After Dingle, we arrived late into Dublin that night and settled down with the "chips" before our early flight to Edinburgh the next morning.
Ireland exceeded my expectations and I am so excited to go visit the country again! I am hoping to explore Dublin a bit more during my time here in Stirling and visit the classic places as well such as Galway and the Cliffs of Moher. Hopefully in the future, I will be able to show Erin some of these super cool spots and towns as well. Look out for my next blog post on Scotland soon!
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