My Trip to Ireland: Kinvara

The last installment of my Ireland trip! I hope you guys liked following along with my recap! I know travel blogs are really popular, but I’m not a huge traveler, so I tried my best to keep it interesting! Don’t forget to look at the bottom of this post to see my video I put together!

Kinvara, Ireland

I have never heard of Kinvara. You could tell so because at first, I kept calling it “Kilvara”. When we drove up to the town, it was colorful like the rest of the towns (as in, the houses are painted with pink or white or blue or colors of the sort!) but it was so small. It didn’t even seem like a town. We got to our bed and breakfast and it was more like a hotel, which was nice. Outside our window was the front of the B&B and we noticed a pub across the street. Which was attached to a funeral home. A little weird. 

After we got settled in Kinvara, we walked down to a dock by the ocean nearby and watched the waves lapping for a bit. My mom wanted hot coffee somewhere so we went back to the pub/funeral home and while my dad, my grandpa, and I got a pint (THEY HAD ORCHARD THIEVES!! YAY!), my mom got a hot mocha at the bar top. The staff of 2 there was so friendly that we wanted to go back the next night to eat dinner at their restaurant that was in the back of the pub. But we couldn’t that night, because we were going to eat a medieval dinner in a castle.

(Dunguaire Castle)

We set off to Dunguaire Castle, which is a 16^th century tower house near Kinvara. When we entered the castle hall, we got handed a cup of mead by a woman in what I can describe as 16^th century garb. That mead was fruity but very high in alcohol and I wasn’t a huge fan. When everyone was there for the night, we climbed narrow castle stairs to the dining hall. The entertainment staff was so good at their job of acting like we were in the 16^th century and calling me “my lady” the whole night. We were fed great potato and leak soup (which we had to slurp because we weren’t given spoons), chicken with mushroom sauce, and apple pie.

(Me and my soup!)

Then the actual entertainment started, which I wasn’t expecting. The 3 actors took a small stage and sang some songs of old Irish poets and songwriters accompanied by a real life harpist. It was a lot of fun but it was a lot of sitting on hard bench. Still worth it.

After we got up the next day and had an Irish breakfast at the B&B (consisting of bacon, eggs, and a grilled tomato), we set off the the ever famous Cliffs of Moher. Even if you’ve never heard of the cliffs, you’ve seen them SOMEWHERE. It was in Harry Potter 5 and pictures of it are all over. When we got there, it was rainy and FREEZING. I wasn’t too concerned because it looked like a hike and I sweat a lot. But good lord, the cold still got to me. And the wind was so bad that I had to hang on to the wall so I didn’t get knocked over! A rainbow showed up on one side of the cliffs and it was gorgeous. So neat. 

I swore there were pictures of places there without a stone wall around it, so my dad, mom, and I set off to find it. We entered a one way old stone walkway that was a pain in the butt to get through. And it was a long walkway. My mom went back halfway but my dad and I trekked on. We got out of the stones and came upon the place where there was just us and the cliffs. No walls protecting your safety (I found out 66 people have fallen off the cliffs since 1993, I think). But it was such a sight. 

It made me realize how small we are compared to nature. I just stood there quietly for a bit.

The walk down was easier and we got such pretty pictures. I just wish the weather was better. That night was spent at Keogh’s, the pub/funeral home (Shout out to Chris and Haley, our wonderful bartenders!) and I ate Hake fish and chips with seafood chowder which is really popular in Ireland. Hake was new to me but it was fresh and AMAZING. 10 out of 10, would love to eat there again. I had a couple pints to celebrate our last day in Ireland. 

What a vacation.

The next day was terrible with the airport (we have never been through customs before). We got there 2 hours and 45 minutes before our flight. Don’t do that. At least go 3.5 or 4 hours before if you want to be comfortable. We had 15 minutes before our gates closed because there were so many people and SO many checkpoints. My anxiety was the worst.

BUT WE MADE IT HOME! 

And I am so thankful I got to be able to go to something so special. I saved money for a year for it and it was all worthwhile. 

NOW, I took my little old Flip Camera everywhere with me on this trip and recorded little snippets of my time there. The quality isn’t the best, but it’s nice and my mom is the cutest in it!

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My Trip to Ireland: Killarney

              Next up: the town of Killarney. Which I had never heard of before this trip. And I’m SO HAPPY I got to experience it. It might beat Dublin for my favorite place, but I’m not QUITE sure, since they are so different.

Killarney, Ireland

My dad rented a car. My dad drove the car. My dad was a hero for driving on THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. He had to get situated but he actually did a really good job.

But the roads are crazy. And by crazy, I mean that the roads are very rarely straight and if you get car sick or motion sick, you’re done for unless you have medication. I had no idea. And I get sick so easily.

From the car rental place to the next bed and breakfast that we were going to stay in, was about 3.5 hours. My sciatica doesn’t need to be mentioned much, but let me tell you, every time in the car, I HURT. 

After arriving into the cute town of Killarney, we got to our bed and breakfast called the Ardree. If anyone ever needs a place to stay in Killarney, oh BOY do I recommend the Ardree. The breakfast was amazing and it was so close to downtown.

(The view near our bed and breakfast!)

For dinner, we went to the Killarney Brewery. My grandpa and my dad (big beer drinkers) loved the craft beers there. I tried some of the beers but I stuck with carbonated lemonade. We then had wood fire pizza at the brewery. I got a pizza with artichokes, balsamic vinegar, onions, and cheese. They love their vinegar in Ireland. Malt vinegar is put on every table. I tasted it once and decided not to put it on my food...

Killarney’s downtown was full of shops, restaurants, hotels, and pubs. Lots of pubs. I was in my element. My mom and I had fun going through the gift shops and my dad and I scoped out pubs. We ended up in a pub called Courtney’s Bar. My mom ordered a Coca Cola and I ordered an apple cider called Rockshore (they didn’t have Orchard Thieves!). It was definitely a bar for Irish people because it was full of beautiful accents. We were told later it was a “fiercely local” pub.

(Downtown Killarney)

The next day after a wonderful sleep, we were off the the Ring of Kerry. According to Google’s professional explanation, “The Ring of Kerry is a scenic drive around the Iveragh Peninsula in southwest Ireland’s County Kerry. Its 179km-long, circular route takes in rugged and verdant coastal landscapes and rural seaside villages.” Pretty much, it’s a giant circle that takes you by the ocean and through cool scenic views of Ireland. 

“How long is this going to take, Dad?” I asked.

“I don’t know, about 4 hours?” My dad replied.

I was excited to see the country side more but NOT excited for more backseat sitting. It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL route. I, of course, got very sick. I tossed my lunch (you know...what I mean...) in a sheep’s field because the roads are, once again, crazy zig-zags. I’ll post some pictures from the veiws!!

(Ring of Kerry views)

My dad and I were also obsessed with trying to find  Skellig Michael, which is a rocky island with a 7^th century monastery. Why were we so adamant on seeing an island? Because one of the latest Star Wars movies was filmed there (we’re a big Star Wars family). We only really saw a blurry little blimp out on the sea, but hey! Still cool.

(Atlantic Ocean view)

I don’t remember much of that night, but my stomach was exhausted, I know that much.

Bright and early we were up again and it was time to tour the castles!

Ross Castle was first since it was close to our B&B. It was a 15^th century castle. We didn’t pay to tour it so we just walked along the outside and took some pictures.

(Ross Castle)

 We went to the Muckross Abbey, which was kind of haunting because it was a broken down abbey with a huge (kind of creepy) cemetery in front and there was a chill in the air. You can hear the many “CLOMPS” of the horses of the commercial horse-drawn buggies they have everywhere. As my mom said it best: “It’s pretty spooky”.

(Muckross Abbey)

We then went to Torc Falls which was a hidden waterfall. So beautiful. I saw a path with stone steps so I thought it was a place to view the falls better. After walking at least 10 stories (some places with stones to walk on, some places with just dirt), I realized it was just a steep hiking trail. We were actually higher than the waterfall when I decided to stop and go back. The trees were in the way to actually see any water. If anyone thinks that path is worth it, my inhaler and I sincerely say it’s not...

(Torc Falls)

After that, we traveled about 2 hours to the Blarney Castle and Gardens. It was pretty expensive to get in, but it was pretty much worth it if you love nature and history. My whole family (including my mom and grandpa!) climbed the narrow stairs of the castle to go and see the ever famous Blarney Stone. I was shocked as to what it really looked liked. 

It was a blue slab of limestone UNDERNEATH the castle wall on the top story of the castle. To kiss it (like the legend says to do), you have to lay down, have a guy help you hold onto rails and you bend backwards upside down then quickly kiss it. It was...a lot of work. 

(Kissing the Blarney Stone!)

Someone in front of me asked 2 things to the guys in charge there: “How do they know it was this stone that was the legendary stone?” (It was the only blue limestone in the whole castle) and “When was the last time you cleaned the stone...” (20 minutes ago). 

I thank the lord that they cleaned the stone RIGHT before I was suppose to kiss it. Only my dad and I kissed it because it’s HARD to get to and my mom and grandpa would’ve hurt themselves. But don’t worry, they have a grate underneath in case you fall!

That night was our last night in Killarney so we went back to Courtney’s Bar and I had a pint (...or 3...) My mom asked for a cream soda, which no one there have ever heard of. So she got her regular Coke with ice. It was a really fun time that night. 

And that was Killarney and it’s adventures! Stay tuned for the last post of this series because I made a little video about Ireland that is SO CUTE (I promise).

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My Trip to Ireland: Dublin

  I did it.

 I saved up money for a year, I got my passport, and I WENT somewhere.

 More specifically, I went to Ireland.

 My first overseas adventure. And yes, ‘adventure’ is the right word for it. Almost every day, I shared pictures of my trip to people on social media but I didn’t really TALK about my travels. So I decided to write a blog post describing my time! Well, I want to write a couple separate posts because I stayed in 3 different cities, so that seems reasonable.We stayed in Ireland for 10 days with my mom, dad, and grandpa, so I’ll try my best to recall what I can.

 I want to start with my stay in Dublin. That was our first stop and my probably (maybe, I’m not sure...) favorite city we stopped in. I’ll share pictures so you guys don’t get TOO bored of me rambling. But here we go!!!

Dublin, Ireland

The flight was 7.5 hours, in which I developed bad sciatica (where your leg muscles hurt and cramp from sitting too long. Google it.) The man in front of me put his seat all the way back and every time he went to the bathroom, I sneakily moved the seat up but then he came back and moved his seat in a position where I couldn’t move. What a lovely flight...the Dublin airport was a blur and the next thing I remember was being crammed in a bus and then looking out the window and seeing literally 100 other buses. The city is RUN by the bus system. There were a lot more buses than there were cars (a tip: get off the bus FAST. Make sure you are standing by the door when it stops or you will not be able to get off. The driver closes the door before you barely touch the sidewalk).

We got off the bus, looking like the tourists we were and lugging our suitcases to the hotel. The hotel looked small from the outside but it was decent sized. Nothing like you’d find in the U.S though. The room was small, even though it had three beds; 2 singles and one queen.

 I learned then about the toilets.

You call it ‘toilets’ and not bathroom or restrooms in Ireland. The flushing is also different. In the Dublin hotel, they had 2 buttons over the toilet and uhhhh, which do you press? So I pressed both. They both flush the same way but you need to hold the button down. In America, you flush quick and easy. In Ireland, you have to stand and hold. 

The fan button for the bathroom is on THE CEILING. To give you a quick side note, we learned that Irish people were usually around 5'6 and they use to make small doors in castles and churches because they weren’t tall. So now, why is the button to turn on the fan on the ceiling?! My mom is 5'8 and could barely reach it. I’m just...still confused.

We took a nap when we got to the Dublin hotel then went to Murray's Pub when we woke up for dinner. I had seafood chowder and Guinness bread (Guinness runs this country...) and to be honest, I wasn’t a fan. It was my first time there when I realized that Irish waiters/waitresses don’t really check up on you while you’re eating. I don’t know if they think they’re being rude but I wanted 3 refills on my drink and didn’t get one (this wasn’t just Murray’s! This was every restaurant!) But we went with the flow.

Walking back to the hotel that night, I noticed that the young boys and girls (when I say ‘young’, I mean young adults) all dress nicely. Most guys wore black skinny jeans and a lot of the women wore boots. And I’m not kidding, but I’m not sure I saw an average face even once. They were all so attractive. No acne, all skinny. I felt out of place for a hot second, then I felt fine because I was having too much fun.

p.s. the reason they were skinny? Sugary drinks were rarely around and junk food was not seen except in express grocery stores. They mostly ate lots of protein and drank a lot of water (your options were always “tap, still, or sparkling”).

The next day, we went touring.

My grandpa and my dad went to the Guinness Storehouse and took a tour. They wouldn’t stop talking about it so I guess it’s worthwhile. My grandpa kept saying something along the lines of “If you didn’t go to Guinness, you missed out on the best experience in Ireland”. I didn’t go because I don’t like beer, but it sounded fun!

Christ Church Cathedral was beautiful (even though my mom and I got lost trying to find a very big church...). Christ Church was founded in 1030 and it still holds sermons today. I sat on a chair in the Church and prayed about how thankful I was to be there. How crazy is it to pray in the same place as the vikings did? We had a walking tour for the church in which we got to see more of it than the general public did. My dad and I climbed stairs that made everyone in the group claustrophobic but we got to go to the top of the church and rang the old bells that are heard all around the city of Dublin. So cool.

(Christ Church)

The Dublin Castle was full of political history. Very hard to keep up with, but very cool to see where kings and queens sat and where some of them were inducted. Beautiful lighting fixtures and hallways.

(Me in Dublin Castle)

After wards, we tried going to a hugely famous bar called Temple Bar but it was so packed, I couldn’t even move. It was cool that we saw it, but I didn’t learn anything about it because we didn’t stay. We instead went to Quays (pronounced “Keys”) and I had my first “bangers and mash”. Mashed potatoes and pork sausage with onion gravy. Amazing and I became obsessed right away. 

(My banger's and mash)

After going to take a nap after dinner, my dad, grandpa and I went to our very first Irish pub (I kept slipping and calling it a “bar”). In America, the only draft alcohol I like is Angry Orchard, an apple cider. I don’t like beer. In Ireland, they have Orchard Thieves apple cider. Fine, I’ll take it I guess. 

 Holy cow

It’s smooth and has foam at the top (which are bubbles made by nitrogen, I learned). I don’t know how, but it’s better than Angry Orchard. They don’t sell it in the US and I’m going to miss it so much. The pub we went to only played English pop music, which was weird but great. They also had a bouncer to make sure you were dressed properly to go in. No sweats. I was wearing jeans and my Jonas Brother’s shirt, so I guess that was good enough to go in. I went home from the pub early after a couple of pints and walked in the drizzly rain back to the hotel by myself (which it rains all the time, but this was so dreamy to me for some reason). I felt so independent and I loved it. 

The next morning, I woke up at 6:15 am and went to the coffee shop next door by myself, called Esquire, and had the best caramel latte I’ve ever had. Ireland shops usually open at 8 or 9 am, but this coffee shop actually opened at 6:30 am! I read a book and then asked the barista where I should put my cup and he didn’t understand me. He was flustered. “I’M DONE WITH MY DRINK!!!” “Oh oh oh, just leave it on the table.” It was then I learned that you leave your cups and plates on the table after you eat in every place. I felt rude about it every time, but that’s their culture.

(Thanks for putting a heart in my coffee)

Then we were off to see the Book of Kells, something my mom was excited to see. The Book of Kells is a 9^th century manuscript that was written in Latin and contains the 4 gospels of the new testaments of the bible. I asked my mom a dumb question: “I don’t understand? Why is this important?” She then put it in perspective for me. There were no copies of the bible back then. Monks transcribed the gospels and illustrated it in their own language. Did they have the actual bible in their hands? But even if they didn’t, they were making history. It was very interesting but very hard to look at because it was swarmed by people who stood there for 5 minutes. It was situated in a college called Trinity College that is still in use. The library attached to the Book of Kells room was extremely old and is still a library that college students use today, which is wild because some of these books must covered in dust.

(Trinity College Library)

The next place we went to was EPIC (Every Person Is Connected) Museum. It was apparently the “the #1 tourist destination in Europe of 2019”. My dad was very excited about it. It ended up being...fine. It was an Irish emigration museum where we learned about Irish citizens who moved out of Ireland and did great things. I think it would be more interesting for Irish people but it was interactive a little bit and that kept me going. 

The day was already tiring but we were chugging along. We went to the National Museum of Ireland (Archeology). It was free, which was great. It was also very big. I, myself, was kind of done with the history lessons so I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as my family did. I brought up to my mom that America’s human history didn’t go back to 1000 A.D. but Dublin was founded in 988 and the amount of historical facts overwhelmed me.

(Museum entrance)

We were off to the St. Stephen’s Green after saying that we wanted to skip the Natural History Museum. St. Stephen’s is a huge garden in the middle of Dublin and it was gorgeous. We sat on a bench in the middle of the gardens for a while and got our bearings. I recommend going there to relax during or after a busy day!

(My dad and I)

              The next day after all these activities, we left Dublin. I got a caramel latte to go from Esquire and took off for our next destination.

Stay tuned for the next post!

AND I have a video I'm working on! Can't wait to share it!

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