Ireland!!!!

I left the kids with Jason and flew to Ireland with my friends Jill and Jennie. We met up in New York (they were coming from Salt Lake City) and took the red eye to Dublin, where our friend Kimberly was waiting for us. We all knew each other in Boston and it was so fun to be back together with them. I wanted a shower and a nap, in that order, but Jennie and Jill didn't want to waste a second of our too-short trip, so we bundled up (it was a little chilly) and took the bus tour of Dublin, accompanied by Kimberly and her daughter Samantha. A highlight was the Book of Kells and the park. I loved Dublin!

The next day we packed up in Kimberly's car and headed south. The scenery was very...Irish. I don't know how else to describe it. Our first stop was the Rock of Cashel. Great views and history. Next we went on to Blarney Castle, where Jennie "kissed" the Blarney stone. I passed. The grounds were so gorgeous and I loved the castle and its history. We made one more stop at a town called Macroom...very quaint. Then stopped for the night in a seaside town called Kinsale. It reminded me a lot of Annapolis. I loved the place we stayed and the dinner that evening. It was so good and so fun. The next day we set out on the Ring of Kerry. It was the off season so dry and deserted, but still a fun drive. We stopped in yet another quaint town called Sneem for lunch. We drove and drove until we reached Doolin, a little town on the coast. There are no street lights to speak of, no signs anywhere, and we've long lost where we are on the map. I'm navigating with a combination of my good sense of direction (seriously), the map I'd studied earlier, and a good deal of luck. Jennie is ready to give up when suddenly our B&B is right in front of us. I told her she's not allowed to doubt me ever again. Jennie sent a little bunny on to its Maker on the drive. It was us or the bunny. Glad she picked us.

We found a pub in Doolin that we begged to serve us dinner (we had arrived just after the kitchen closed down and we were starving). Apparently it was "wear a red shirt" night, but nobody told me. The band playing Irish music made me really miss Jason. He would have loved the banjo! We stayed up late playing cards...a theme for the trip.

The next morning I got up early and went for a run through the Irish countryside. One of my favorite parts of the trip. So beautiful and peaceful. After yet another delicious breakfast, we packed up and headed over to the Cliffs of Moher. It was foggy, foggy, foggy, but still cool. We headed back to Dublin after that, but decided to get ourselves a little lost in the countryside along the way. We avoided the highways and just drove. I LOVED this. We saw so many cool things, including this ancient burial area. The rock walls are amazing. They're built so the wind can go through them, and I honestly don't know how they do it. This girls' trip was so good for me. It was so nice to get away and be with friends who are so easy to be around and have known me for so long. There are some great quotes from this trip, but they aren't suitable for a public audience. I'm still laughing... Can't wait for the next one!!