As my astute readers have already noticed, the picture now gracing the homepage is one of Phil and me on our recent trip to the land of leprechauns and shamrocks: Ireland!
It was a special treat for my deserving husband to celebrate his 30th birthday. We don't know of Irish ancestry in either of our families, but the price was right and the sights (for Phil to photograph) were just what I was hoping they'd be. You really do drive along a country road there and suddenly come upon gorgeous ruins, most of which are at least 1,000 years old.
One spot we visited was the Rock of Cashel. Just to show you how true the "happening upon ruins" is, the picture above isn't actually of the Rock of Cashel, but it's taken from the Rock of Cashel out into a field where other random ruins lay. The contrast of the lush green with the grey stone and blue sky was simple and beautiful.
We also spent a day driving the Dingle Peninsula, in the area where Far and Away was filmed. Although overcast, this drive was still beautiful. In general, the western coast (which we were near when we took this picture) of Ireland reminded us of Northern California, only Ireland was greener, blue-er and maybe a bit cozier.
On the last day, we decided to go out of our way and drive up to the Cliffs of Maher ...
... and MAN, was it worth it! You can't tell really from this dinky picture, but those cliffs are 650-foot drop-offs. I've never seen anything like it.
To sum up, I'd highly recommend a trip to Ireland for anyone. Although I admittedly favor simply beautiful things like ruins on a green countryside, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn't be captivated by the endless supply of gorgeous scenery and some of the friendliest people I've ever met. The local pubs are primarily social hang-outs and neighborhood gathering places and secondarily places where you can have the beverage of your choice. But, if you choose anything other than Guinness in Ireland, you're crazy -- it's no good here in The States, but a tasty treat that must be consumed at least once a day in its homeland.
2 comments:
I'll have to see if my sister and bro-in-law have an online photo sharing account so you can see their pics of the Emerald Isle. I'm sure you would recognize some of the locations.
I'm sooo jealous... Stacey and I have talked about going this next year. My parents are heading there in the fall! Napoleon Dynamite says "LUCKY".
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