Hello fellow readers,
“In Dublin’s fair city
Where the girls are so pretty”
-lyrics from Molly Malone by The Dubliners
I did set my eyes on Molly Malone, in statue form when I visited Dublin! Alas, we
have reached the final post of my Europe trip quadrilogy with Ireland!
Statue of Molly Malone, it is said that if you rub a specific part of her body it's good luck.
You can guess where that is, right?
If you’ve been keeping up with my previous posts - more specifically, A
Potterhead’s Dreamland - the tour group boarded a ferry in Wales and was headed
towards Ireland. Three hours later we touched down in Dublin! We traveled to the
dorms where we’d be staying then had some free time to walk down the famous
Grafton Street. Three of us grabbed some sandwiches and ate at a park at the end
of the street. Our tour director then took us to the most delicious ice cream place
called Murphys before walking us around Dublin. We were given free time for the
rest of the day so my best friend and I went souvenir shopping before heading back
to the dorms. Unfortunately, I got the only bus pass that was defective so I had to
pay out of pocket for the bus ride. Things got more interesting that evening when
she and I tried ordering take out. We never got our food but we got to watch Leap
Year on Netflix to distract our starving stomachs.
Taken post Murphys
Featuring: (Back left) Mallory, (Back Middle) Laura, (Back Right) Lisa
(Bottom Left) Cali, (Bottom Middle) Taryn, (Bottom Right) Tour Director Mike
Our first full day in Dublin we had a guided bus tour where we stopped in St.
Patrick’s Cathedral, which was extremely beautiful inside and out. After our
guided tour we had a brief lunch break before heading to the majestic
Glendalough - I mentioned this location in my Nature and all its Glory post.
It was drizzling consistently the entire time we were there which made the
experience all the more enchanting. After Glendalough we got to visit the
Guinness Storehouse which included a free pint. It was my first time trying
Guinness - not to mention a dark beer - and it was really good! A group of us
then got lost trying to get to Temple Bar while two of us were dying to get to
a toilet. We made it to both, had a late dinner then returned to the dorms.
Photo Credit: Kind Stranger
Location: Guinness Storehouse
The following day we headed out of Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, which is
the one place I have always wanted to see. It was as beautiful as I hoped it
would be. The day was windy and the climb was treacherous but worth the
adventure. After walking through the Cliffs of Moher, our bus driver was
kind enough to make a stop in Lisdoonvarna - Oughtdarra where we took
photos of each other and tried not to fall. It was when we returned to the
bus that our tour director played the song Lisdoonvarna by Christy Moore
followed by Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran. Needless to
say, our bus began to party to a lot of Irish songs on the way to Galway -
Wild Rover by The Dubliners included. Once in Galway our tour director
took us on a quick tour of The Docks then gave us free time. My best friend
and I stopped at another Murphys before grabbing some delicious fish and
chips for dinner. While in line to order, we started talking to these two
gentlemen behind us who ended up sitting with us to eat. We eventually
found out they were on a business trip from San Francisco, California. As the
four of us were eating, an older couple asked to join us at our table and we
discovered they were from San Diego, California! Of all the places in the world,
six of us from California ended up sitting together, enjoying fish and chips in
Galway, Ireland - how crazy is that? After dinner, my best friend and I walked
back to the dorms where we were staying in Galway and got to see a beautiful
rainbow on the way.
Location: Cliffs of Moher
Location: Lisdoonvarna
Featuring: Gabrielle, best friend
On our last day of the trip, we took a 30 minute ferry ride to the Aran
Islands - specifically, Inishmore. We ate lunch at a quaint mom and pop
restaurant that had delicious stew and chocolate cake. A group of us then
climbed to Dún Aonghasa, which was a good uphill trek and worth the
incredible view. The cliffside was terrifying, but a necessity to take a fun
photo. We had some free time to explore the town afterwards so my best
friend and I purchased some beautiful Aran wool products before going
to a nearby market for snacks. When our time was up, we took the ferry
back to Galway and had some time to change and get ready for our heart
wrenching Farewell Dinner. The dinner was bittersweet, but we went to
get ice cream at Murphys one last time as a group to postpone the
good-byes that inevitably came to pass at the end of the night.
Photo credit: Gabrielle
Location: Dún Aonghasa
Early the next morning, four of us had to wake up early to travel to the
airport. Our tour director, being as compassionate as he was, woke up
early simply to bid adieu. The sun lazily rose that morning on our way
to the airport where my best friend and I said our last good-byes to our
airport buddies. It was at this time that my best friend and I boarded a
plane to England then to France. It is here that my Ballad du Paris
begins.
Our last group photo
Thank you for being patient and going on this Europe trip journey with
me these last four weeks. I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more of the
tour group and locations. Please check in with my friend Kayla who has
started her own travel/lifestyle blog - I met her during this Europe trip
and she will have some fun and interesting things to say!
Location: London, England; the dome building is St. Paul's Cathedral
Featuring the lovely Kayla
Live every day to the fullest.
Love, Damaris
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