Monday, April 5, 2010

Ireland

Hi everyone! We're in Ireland - and I've forgotten a mini USB cord to download pictures to the computer so I'll just tell you what we've been up to!
On Friday we drove through Wales to get to the ferry and were the LAST car on - the trip took an hour longer than the GPS said thanks to Good Friday traffic. The ferry ride was 3 hours long and there was a magician for the kids who did 2 shows - it was fantastic! One tip for anyone going on the ferry - bring your own picnic. There is food available but it is terrible!
We stayed at a hotel in the port town of Rosslarie. On Good Friday in Ireland, the pubs can't serve alcohol to people who aren't staying there so families check in to the local hotel to drink and let their children run around the halls until 2 am. Who would have known?
On Saturday we drove to Cashel and saw the Rock of Cashel which is a big castle and cathedral on top of a large outcropping of rock in the town of Cashel. It was very nice - huge and made of dark grey local stone. You can see it from the entire town and it is very imposing! We stayed in a Bed & Breakfast in Cashel on Saturday night and went to Easter Sunday Mass in Cashel in the morning. Half of the mass was in English and the other half was in Gaelic - it was pretty neat! The church was beautiful and had lots of decoration inside - tons of statues to look at and keep you entertained the entire time! :)
On Sunday we drove across Ireland to Doolin which is south of Galway on the West Coast by the Cliffs of Moher. We drove around the local area and had dinner at a pub - the lamb stew was excellent. We stayed at the Cullinan Guest House in Doolin last night and we are staying there tonight too. It's great - I recommend it for anyone passing through the area. The rooms are nice and the restaurant is fantastic! This morning we went to the Cliffs of Moher. It was cloudy and VERY windy - 30-40 mile an hour winds! It was still amazing and I'm sure it would be gorgeous in any weather - maybe not pouring down rain... After we had lunch at the Cliffs we drove to The Burren which is a national park. It's a very barren area with a lot of limestone paving - exposed limestone that covers many acres. There are also stone age burial chambers and cairns. It was interesting but the weather had taken a turn for the worse so we just drove around and took some pictures.
Tomorrow we are driving up to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. It's going to be a long trip - 6 hours or so - but the DVD player should keep everyone happy!
Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on a cord so I can get some pictures up!

3 comments:

Laurie said...

Heee - we drove past the Cullinan Guest House back in 2001 when I lived there and the rest of the gang came to visit! Small country. Enjoy the Giants Causeway! It was one of my favorite sights on the island. Big hugs to everyone!

Amanda C said...

So excited for you guys, sounds like you are having an amazing trip! Can't wait to see pictures!

Kelly said...

Makes me want to come and see it all myself, Becky!!! We're so jealous that you're having so much fun over in the UK!!