Adventures in the Emerald Isle

Honey, I'm home! 

Just got back from an amazing 10-day trip in Ireland. I went over to Dublin for St-Patrick's with a bunch of Oxford friends and ended up staying...an extra week after that. Saw Dublin, Wicklow County and Galway. Took day trips to the Cliffs of Moher (amaaazinggg!!!) and the Aran Islands (also amaaaazinggg!!!). There was much pubbin', Guinness-in', dancin', hikin' and even bikin' (me and physical activity...who'd have thought!). The vistas were great, the cities so much fun and the people incredibly friendly. Even the weather was great -- I somehow managed to get a teensy bit sunburned biking around the Aran Islands on my second-to-last day there! I already miss the rolling green Irish hills and the live traditional music bands in pubs. Aaaah. I might have fallen in love with the Erin. Just a little bit.

Hopefully I'll get around to doing some more in-depth posts about my trip, but in the meantime, here, have some pictures!

And the adventure beings! Our "ferry" (cruise ship!) over to Ireland.

The masses out and decked in green for St-Paddy's.

We're all kitted out for St-Paddy's too! Face paint + Guinness. Oh wait...

We musn't forget to acquire ridiculous headgear!

Watching the Ireland v. England Six Nations rugby game at possibly
the most crowded bar. Ever. 

The former monastic ruins of Glendalough, in County Wicklow.

This place is just incredibly beautiful and peaceful. 

We took a hike along the coast of Wicklow Town. Look at that view! 

SHEEP! So many sheep in Ireland, unsurprisingly. 

Yummy seafood chowder in Galway. I had so much seafood in Ireland.
And lamb. And potatoes. Oh, the potatoes!

Galway at dusk. 

There were live bands playing in pubs all over town. They usually did a mix
of traditional music and covers. I've still got 'Galway Girl' stuck in my head!

THE CLIFFS OF MOHER!

For a perspective of how tall they are...that little squiggle
in the upper right corner is O'Brien's Tower.

Walked this path along the cliffs. The height! The wind! The adrenaline!

Dunguaire Castle, on the shores of Galway Bay.

Dun Aonghasa, a prehistoric Celtic fort that's quite literally perched on the
edge of Inishmore, in the Aran Islands. 

Inishmore. We biked across half the island. Bliss - except when it was uphill.

Having a little lie-in after all that biking and hiking.
Sun and sea and cliffs and Celtic forts...what more could one want?

Apparently England decided to become all nice and sunny while I was away, so I was greeted by 20C temperature and clear skies upon my return! Good news for my tan, terrible for my productivity. Those essays aren't going to themselves, you know...