I traveled in the Contikki Tour group where everyone was about the same age. There were lots of Ausies and Kiwis in our group along with some Canadians and a sprinkle of people from the states. I was the only one from Texas. My nickname on the trip that was given to me was appropriately Texas (very creative). And apparently they were fascinated by my frequent (who knew?) usage of the word "y'all" because everyone would repeat that word after I said it. I remember one moment on the bus where everyone was freezing to death and no one wanted to ask to turn the AC off. So I yelled up to the bus ever so politely,"Would y'all turn off the AC?" I didn't realize I said y'all and soon everyone was repeating y'all like in a wave up to the front of the bus. Awesome.
Our first stop in Ireland was Dublin. Dublin was noisy as hell at night, but so much fun! We took a tour of Kilmainham Goal jail. This jail held many irish immigrants who were put into jail for stealing items as simple as a loaf of bread. Next we took a tour of the Guiness Brewery. Funny story-our tour guide was from Dublin so when he talked in his Irish accent he would say "turdy" for "thirty". Being the mature adult that I am, everytime he said "turdy" I'd crack up laughing. Don't judge me. I teach small children! There was this large waterfall that is used to mix everything up. I threw an American penny in the waterfall. At the end of the tour we got a free pint of Guiness and enjoyed it at the top of the brewery where we were able to see a 360 degree view of Ireland. That was breathtaking. We went to Kilkenny next and toured the St. Canice's Cathedral and the City Hall/Courthouse. I also saw Kilkenny castle. I kinda snuck away for a minute or two to walk inside the castle courtyard area. It was such a beautiful castle. I wouldn't mind living there at all. Afterward we all hung out at the pub in our hotel. The pub was several stories high and made out of remains of a castle. Very cool.
We left Kilkenny and made our way to Cork. On the way, we stopped at the Rock of Cashel. This is where a castle was cut into a wall of limestone. You weren't suppose to climb it but I did anyways (When have I ever followed the rules anyways? Why start now?) I am so glad I climbed up it because the view was amazing! I felt so high up and free! It was one of many breath-taking moments on the trip. I didn't want to leave. Once I eventually had to leave the gorgeous view, we headed to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery where we had a lovely tour of the Distillery. This is where I learned how much I love my whiskey! :-) After that we traveled to the port of Cobh, which was the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic. There was also a memorial for the lives lost when the Lusitania sank. My tour group was impressed with my knowledge of the Lusitania and began asking me questions about it. I eventually took over as tour guide and did a fairly great job in my opinion. I was actually just really happy to be able to answer their questions for them. I really liked it here. I may have been the only one that really enjoyed it. That evening a small handful of us walked down from our hotel to a pub and enjoyed the drinks and darts.
Blarney castle was next. I enjoyed this tour and really loved the whole kissing the Blarney stone thing. I show the picture of me kissing the Blarney stone to my students when we discuss various cultures from around the world. My favorite reaction from my kids is always an, "Ew! You kissed that where everyone else kissed too?" Can't help but laugh. Down by the Blarney Castle we came across the Wishing Steps. As the tradition goes, you are to walk down the steps backwards and make a wish. If you do that your wish will come true. So naturally, I followed the tradition. After Blarney Castle we went along the Ring of Kerry which was a beautiful scenic drive of Ireland. We made various stops throughout the Ring to enjoy the fabulous views. We took a tour of St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral. It was such a beautiful cathedral. The beauty of this cathedral took my breath away. There were stained glass windows everywhere. I sat down in a pew and said some prayers. I couldn't help it. I was overwhelemed by this place. I lit a candle and said a prayer for my Godmother who at the time was battling Ovarian cancer. I ended up chatting with the guy who was taking care of the cathedral. He was relighting some of the candles people had lit. He told me that during the famine, a lot of children died and they were buried around a tree that was behind the cathedral. I didn't want to leave here. I felt so much at peace. When I finally made myself leave the cathedral, we were able to take a ride on the jaunting car through Killarney National Park. This park was so beautiful. After dinner we headed to a pub to watch the World Cup Game. I tell ya, watching the World Cup game in Europe is indescribable. The locals in the pub were so awesome and friendly (as long as I was cheering for the right team), and they told some great stories. We moved to another pub after the game where they played the Electric Slide. How could I not dance to this? Nobody knew this dance but me, my cousin, and one other person. It was great. A large group of on lookers crowded around us to watch and even took pictures! Eventually they all joined in and we all had a blast. This is a moment I won't ever forget.
The next day we went to Galway. On the way there, we stopped in a town where you saw the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. As we got closer to Galway, we went to the Cliffs of Moher. We climbed up and over to see the Cliffs of Moher. Stunning. Just simply stunning. I could've stayed there and just stared at those cliffs for forever. I'll never forget the way the ocean and clouds melted into one so effortlessly. If I could paint, I would've painted that. But since I can't draw even a stick figure to save my life, I took a million pictures instead. I had to peel myself away from the cliffs otherwise I would've been left behind.
We headed to Connemara National Park for the morning and got on a boat. We took a very fast-paced boat ride around the park-awesome!! We picked some excursions to complete for that day. It was either high ropes or bow and arrow shooting. I wanted to do both, but I picked the high ropes. Here we did various obstacles waaaay up high in the air. Was I nervous you ask? Heck no!! The more dangerous, the better. Besides, I was strapped in. No worries. I had the time of my life! Killmore Abbey was up next on our trip. This is where the nuns stay. There was also a boarding house at the back of the abbey. That night we went out and hit the town of Galway. We went to several pubs and had a most excellent time.
The last day of our trip we headed back to Dublin. On the way over the group dedicated the song "No Education" by Korn and also "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz to me. Thanks peeps. Thanks. When we arrived back in Dublin we went to a pub (of course!). Naturally my group had to dance. So yours truly created a fun lively little jaunt for some of us to simply dance. :-) We had a lovely farewell evening at a pub where they had Irish dancers dancing. It was fantastic!
Coming back to the states was an adventure all on its own. We made it to Newark airport, went to switch planes, and then there was a bomb scare and we were stuck outside of the airport for hours. Not. Fun. When it was deemed safe to enter the airport again, our plane had already taken off for home. So we were stuck in Newark with no money. We somehow made it to New York for the night. Next day we were tired, gross, and went back to the airport. Nobody was able to get us a flight to home. At this point my cousin and I had just had it. We broke down, pulled the girl card, and cried. We just wanted to go home. The ladies at the desk took pity on us and magically found 2 seats on the next flight home in first class at no extra charge. This was the first and probably only time I would fly first class. And it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!
This was a trip of a lifetime. I still think about the amazing time I had and the amazing country of Ireland.
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