Ireland: Bring Your Rainboots

Back from the 'Emerald Isle' and I can say we definitely experienced Ireland's weather, culture, and beauty. The forecast said rain so I bought me some boots and packed the umbrellas and rain coats as well. Wonderful vacation, overall. See the pictures right.

Thursday: Flew in after a good flight and the biggest hassle was getting our rental car (with car seats). Eventually we folded ourselves into a small, backwards Toyota Yaris and crawled out of Dublin. Stopped at Cashel, a monastic site, for a few hours halfway across the country. During the second half of the drive Kevin had to scrape the bushes when other cars passed because the roads are so narrow and constantly turning... it was an experience. Also, they have only two real-ish freeways in the whole country so you spend a lot of time risking your life.

Friday: Saw an aquarium and then drove around the Dingle Peninsula. The sun came out as we neared the tip and we round a corner to an incredible rainbow over the islands just off the coast. Played on the beach - had a blast - and tried to dry Mary out the rest of the day. Ate at the museum for the Great Blasket Island all about the gaelic language and culture - very new and very nice. Then saw lots of beauty the rest of the day driving over a pass and back to our apartment.

Saturday: Our day in and around Killarney National Park was very cloudy, drizzly, and view-limiting. But we did hike to a waterfall, buy some lovely Irish scarves (Kev and I), see a stone circle, and visit an 'historical farm' which the kids enjoyed (especially the blacksmith at work) despite being soaking wet.

Sunday: Left our great apartment and boarded the ferry across the bay and onto the Burren - a barren land - and found the Cliffs of Moher. 600 feet from the top straight down to the sea - they are impressive - and the sun even showed its face so we could enjoy them properly. After a lunch and visit to one last beach Kevin endured one more harrowing drive to Dublin.

Monday: Our last day was cold and wet again but turned out great once we decided to start using taxis to get around and the first one we took brought us to the home of Guiness beer. Fun, modern, interactive showpiece and everyone got free drinks. Kevin got a t-shirt. Then back to Trinity College for a funny tour by a student with heavy Irish brogue. And their old, dark wood-panelled library with ancient books was awesome to see. Could've spent hours there but for a few hungry kids. Back to the hotel for naps. While the kids (and Kevin) were sleeping, I went and bought tickets for Disney on Ice's Nemo, playing a few blocks from our hotel! After some more exploring in the evening the kids got to stay up late and see the show. Loved it. A fun ending to a good family vacation.