Ireland!! Need I Say More!?

We spent 10 glorious days in Eire! I don't even know where to begin - we had such a great time and saw so many amazing sights. History surrounds those people everyday in such obvious ways that it's hard not to feel small. We saw castles from 4 different eras, buildings that predate the pyramids, major sites of the island's numerous contemorary revolutions and more amazing coastline than any one country should have been granted.

Erica and I traveled with two of our best friends from school, Scott and Becca. Scott is a musical genius and Bec is one of the "funnest" people I know...and they got engaged in the middle of our trip. It was the rainest, but most memorable day of the whole trip!

We started in Dublin, rented a car and headed north. The driving was a bit harrowing (wrong side of the road, poor signage, random sheep, etc.), but it was totally worth it to be able to drive the coastline.

We saw Bru Na Boinne, commonly called Newgrange. It's an amazing 5000 year old passage tomb with an inner chamber that is lit up on the winter solstice. (Note the gardener to the left for a sense of its massiveness.)

Later, we drove the gorgeous northeast Antrim coast and stopped at Giant's Causeway, a stunning natural wonder where columnar basalt pillars clash with the relentless Atlantic. This place should be on your list of places to visit before you die - photos cannot do it justice!

Two of the coolest castles were Dunluce and Blarney. Dunlace is on the NW Antrim coast. It was built in the 1500s, financed by the salvage from a Spanish galleon that sunk off the rocky coastline nearby. In 1639, a large portion of cliff eroded during dinner, dropping the kitchen and many servants into the ocean below.

And everyone has heard of Blarney Castle. Its touristy, but still an amzing castle. We kissed the Stone (and Becca tried to Purell the thing but got denied) granting all of us "the gift of gab." Ooh...I feel more eloquent already!

We finished the trip in Dublin. We stayed right in the middle of Temple Bar and drank the local cuisine nightly. I'll miss the Guinness as much as anything. We also saw the Book of Kells, toured Kilmainham Gaol, ate boxties and much more. What an amazing place!