Ireland - Part 5

In this final post of our Ireland vacation, I saved some of the best for last.  This is the Dingle Peninsula.  

Clouds came in quickly to block the sun below, but you can still see the beautiful coastline.

As we drove around the bend, the sun came out again to reveal the deep blue Atlantic Ocean. 

On the other side, we saw some of the islands.  One of these islands below was the place where the final scene was shot in the latest Star Wars movie.

Still on the peninsula, there's a mountain called Mt. Brandon, one of the highest peaks in Ireland.  Eric talked all of us into climbing it.  On the way, we passed lush green pastures.

The hiking trail is an old Christian pilgrimage created by monks. At the base of the trail we saw this shrine.  

The trail began fairly easy, although I still found myself out of breath.  The fun part was walking side by side sheep who were grazing on the land.

The pilgrimage is marked by 16 crosses.  The first one starts about 20 minutes into the hike.  The next 14 crosses represent the Way of the Cross, or the Fourteen Stations.

Here's where is started getting steep.  The little one needed a piggy back ride to the next cross.  I can't believe he was able to do it, but our son carried her that entire stretch.

This is only the 10th station, and Eric & I were good to stop there.  However, the kids urged us onward.

We realized the crosses were closer together now, but visability was starting to become a problem in the clouds.  Notice how there are even sheep up here!

The 14th station.

There was one final cross on the very top summit, so we pressed onward.  We were grateful for the small white markers every 20 feet, as that was often the only visual we had to stay on the trail.

 View from the mountain, although there wasn't much sunlight coming in through the clouds.

Our vacation was amazing, and I'm so glad all of us had a safe trip.  Next adventure ..??? who knows, but it's good to be home.  Now if I can only find some great Irish butter and a scone....

Ireland - Part 4

Almost all travel destinations to Ireland will show you this scene:

It's the Cliffs of Moher, and it definitely deserves it's reputation.  The bad part is, the place was packed with people and it's hard to catch the coastline when it's sunny. 

We tried to take pictures that were away from the crowds.  All along the edge were endless beauty of sheer rock cliffs towering over the Atlantic Ocean.  Below is one of my favorites.

Here we found another lookout tower that was built to protect their homelands form vikings and other invaders.

After a while, the older two decided to run ahead of us.  They had a great time snapping their own pictures.  Good thing we didn't see these poses!

During our trip, we had the privilege to tour several places dating back to 3000 BC (500 years before the pyramids in Egypt).  

Early settlers here built tombs out of large, heavy stones.  They were then covered with smaller rocks and mud which formed rounded hilltops.  Archeologists believe they were places of significance, possibly for elders and religious ceremonies as well as burial chambers. 

Many of these megalithic tombs had passage ways with heiroglyphics and other carvings on the rocks.

This tomb in the picture above, in particular, had a skylight that was perfectly aligned with the winter solstice.  On Dec. 21st each year, the morning sunrise would light a path into the tomb and reach the far back wall.  Below you'll see more rock carvings.

Another mound we saw is quite tall and dates back to the 13th century.  It's surrounded by rings of dirt with deep moats that are thought to be a fort of some kind where people and even livestock lived between the "rings" surrounding the mound.

Since there were no barriers preventing us from climbing on it, we hand-crawled to the top and got some of our best pictures of the countryside.  

Nearby, teenagers were playing soccer and asked our kids to join them.

Ireland - Part 3

Throughout our trip, we saw so many castles, towers, churches, and other neat historical monuments.  Much of the Irish history is sad with so much persecution, wars, and famine.  They are a proud country who celebrated 100 years of independence during 2016.

This is in Dublin.  We were walking along and this just appears from a side street without us looking for it.

Another castle along the river, rail ways, or road, I can't remember.  Castles were just everywhere. 

We decided to tour one of them in Limerick.  Very well preserved.  Most of the castles were from the 1200s - 1400s, and it's residents severely affected by the black plague. 

A lookout tower on the coast of Ireland.

One of the most interesting places we visited in Dublin was Trinity College.  This is part of the "3 elite" of the UK, aptly named Trinity to complete the trio with Oxford University and Cambrige (both of England).

In their library, they have one of the oldest collections of books in Europe.  The library has two levels and spiral stair cases.

The long hallway was picturesque for what I imagined in Harry Potter novels.

Another interesting artifact in this library is the Book of Kells.  This book was created by persecuted monks in Ireland during the 8th or 9th century.

We weren't allowed to take pictures of it, so this one was downloaded from the internet.  The Book of Kells contains the 4 Gospels of the New Testament in Latin, but with very ornate drawings and lettering using stains like indigo traded throughout Europe & Asia.  This book was sought after during countless raids, so the fact that it survived is incredible.  It is Ireland's most precious medieval artifact.

Lastly for this post, I wanted to highlight some of the beautiful churches we stumbled upon. Above is the cathedral in Limerick.  Below is the cathedral in Killarney.

All their interiors were just as breathtaking.  

Enjoyed Mass at the cathedral in Galway, although I forgot to snap a picture of it.  

Ireland - Part 2

This post will feature some of the things that made Ireland unique as we explored like locals. We slept in hostels (highly recommend them!), ate in local cafes, hit a different pub each evening, and made conversation with all those we enountered.

Sidewalk in Dublin.  Yes, that's a McDonalds.  They serve really good Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake in there.

 

Street in Killarney.

Street in Ballyhoura (smallest town we visited, just south of Limerick).

 Street in Dingle.  You can see the mountains in the background.

 We walked with our backpacks as much as possible, then took the trains between towns.  

At the train station.

We bought sandwiches and carbonated water for a picnic lunch in Gallway.  Beautiful park!

The Irish have signature foods, like their Irish Beef Stew pictured below.  The potato in the soup was a nice hearty addition.  Very tasty!  It's served with traditional Irish soda bread and Irish butter.  Other native dishes were fish & chips, black pudding, and shepherd's pie.

I had to throw this last picture in.  Our smallest village we stayed in was so far out in the country that the road went to one lane.  Not sure how 2 cars would pass each other here.  Most of the time, the sides of the road were stone fences, so you couldn't even pull over.  

Loved the countryside!  This was our mid-way journey, and perfect to get away from the tourist sites.

Ireland - Part 1

Our summer vacation to Ireland was definitely one to remember!  It was just as green and lush as the pictures you typically see, with lots of sheep, cliffs, rolling hills, folklore, history, castles, and pints of beer.  I highly recommend a visit.

We'll start off with some of my favorite scenic pictures and a few things that have made Ireland famous.   First, georgous pastures!

Scenic views from every hill.

Old tombstones amidst fertile ground.

And fences of stone that separate the parcels of land.

Sheep are everywhere!  

I couldn't resist getting a close up picture.

Even driving by on the highways was beautiful.  Just look at that ivy draping over the bridge.

Speaking of driving, Ireland has the steering wheel on the right side, and you drive on the left side of the road.  Completely opposite of the US.  Shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Let's just say I'm glad we had insurance on the vehicle.  Side swiping the left mirror is the most common car incidents for Americans in the UK.  While Eric & I both had our share of hitting the curbs, Eric gets to claim the ultimate prize for the mirror incident.

At night, the Irish hit the pubs.  Guiness is made in Dublin, and is the local favorite throughout the country.  My preference was the lighter beers, though.  

Just as our evenings ended with a pint of beer, the mornings always started with a great cappuccino, or in the little one's case, the best hot chocolate ever!