Part 3 of 4: Ireland

(View of Ireland countryside from the Hill of Slane)

After leaving Scotland, we flew to Dublin, Ireland. We decided in Ireland we would rent a car and take advantage of seeing the countryside. Wes was really nervous about driving on the other side of the road and the other side of the car. I would have driven but it was a stick shift and I'm not so good at driving stick shifts. So Wes was our designated driver while we were there. Our first day was going to be a day to relax and rest up so we would have energy for the rest of the trip. We didn't do much that day except check-in, go to the theater to catch a movie, order room service and go the bed early.

(Wes driving on the other side of the rode and the other side of the car!)

Day two started out with a venture into downtown Dublin. We woke up early so we could eat a traditonal irish breakfast. After searching and searching (since most places don't open until 10am, we were searching for a while) we finally found the perfect place that served an awesome Irish breakfast served with hot Irish breakfast tea. After breakfast we went straight to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells. This was top on our list in Dublin so we made it a priority to see it first. (click the link to read about the Book of Kells).

(Trinity College Quad Area)

Other highlights of Dublin included:

• A walk down Grafton Street
• Visited St. Stephen's Green
• Took a walking tour in downtown Dublin

(People enjoying a Saturday afternoon at St. Stephen's Green)

On day three we took a three hour trip south to Blarney. The purpose for this trip was to get out of the city to see the countryside and to kiss the famous Blarney Stone. Not only here can you visit Blarney Castle (where the stone is) but there is a huge area where you can take a nature walk where you can walk through caves and enjoy the solitude of this peaceful area (I imagine during tourist season it isn't so quiet). The countryside was absolutely beautiful and if ever in Ireland, make sure this is on your list of things to see. Check out pictures below:

(Blarney Castle)

(View of Ireland from Blarney Castle)

(Susan and Wes each got a chance to kiss the Blarney stone)

(Walking backwards up the Wishing Steps with one eye closed, they say if you do this while making a wish, your wish will come true)

On our last and final day, still wanting to see more of Ireland, we drove a couple of hours north to visit other wonderful sites. After a long day before, we decided to sleep in a little bit and rest up. Plus, we still had one more stop on this journey, we needed our rest! Recommended by our hotel manager, we drove to a place called Newgrange. I could attempt to describe this fascinating place to you, but I recommend clicking the link and reading about it yourself. Here are a few pictures we took:

(Newgrange passage tomb)

(Entrance into the tomb)

We ended the day by driving back to Dublin by way of the coast on the Irish Sea. We stopped in a port town to take in the view and enjoy some seafood. Since by now the sun was setting, we did not take too many pictures. It was too dark. However, we will always remember the views and moments not captured on camera.

To be continued...