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I seem to be having a problem with photo upload, so will try to post photo's of Ireland as soon as possible. Peace, love and happiness. :)

Incredible Ireland

A country that never exactly made it on to my list of “places to see” and yet it was by far one of my favourite countries. I never really found Ireland appealing, but decided to pay the beautiful country a visit as family friends (who I had never met before) lived there and so I was able to see a bit of the country without having to pay for accommodation. Win!

My lack of interest in the country was quickly lost, upon my arrival, and replaced with wonder, enthusiasm and a feeling of being greatly impressed. The friendly people and beautiful, green countryside reminded me much of home, and I felt incredibly welcome and “wanted”. When saying this, I am not solely referring to the incredible hospitality expressed by my host family, but just by the Irish people in general. Honestly, it was the only country I visited where people asked you if you needed help or directions, instead of waiting for you to ask. It was also the only place where someone would walk you to the place you were trying to find instead of just pointing or showing you on the map. The people were just incredibly friendly wherever I seemed to go in Ireland. I stayed in a small village about a half hour outside of Dublin, and then did day trips from there.

The day I spent in Dublin was unfortunately rainy and miserable, but that did not dampen my spirits, and I quickly jumped on a “hop-on-hop-off” bus and saw the wonderful city. I never knew Dublin held so much history and it was a truly insightful, jam-packed day. Visiting sites such as the breathtakingly beautiful Phoenix Park, Dublin Castle, the National Art Gallery and Merrion Park, I learnt much about the city. Who knew that the author of Dracula was from there or that the well-known author Oscar Wilde has a statue in Merrion Park and a few things named in his honour. A trip to Dublin would not be complete without paying a visit to the ever popular Temple Bar (unfortunately I did not get to go at night), having a pint at the Guinness Storehouse or a glass of whiskey at the Old Jameson Distillery. Prices are quite reasonable if you have a student card, and I found the Old Jameson Distillery to be great value for money. The National Art Gallery was however, my absolute favourite place and a helpful tip in Dublin is that anything starting with “National” will be free entry. Something else to be aware of, not only in Ireland, is train times over weekends. Make sure you know what time the last train of the day is particularly if you are not staying in the city. I almost learnt this the hard way, but luckily after a truly wonderful day and almost missing the last train of the evening, I retired to a warm bed (and home).

I also visited the beautiful town of Maynooth while in Ireland. It is a university town, with the most incredible old buildings. The university itself used to be a seminary and so with intricate details, low doors and beautiful buildings, I felt as though I had been transported into another era. The town itself was just so lovely and quant.

One thing I found challenging in Ireland, particularly Dublin, was the lack of street names, or signage in general. This can make it rather difficult when navigating using a map. Then again, the locals’ friendliness and willingness to help you find your way around make up for this by providing a human map of sorts. Further, if you just keep O’Connell Street and the River Liffey within sight, you should be fine. Overall, Ireland was one of my favourite countries and I truly hope to return soon.

These were just two of the main places I visited in the South of Ireland (the Republic of Ireland), but please continue to read my blog as my next post will be about my experience of Northern Ireland. If you would like to be informed when I next post, please click the subscribe button on the right side of the screen. I would really appreciate this.

Helpful tip #4

Firstly, my apologies for the lack of posts lately. University has just started and so I have been a little preoccupied with that.

On to my helpful tip…

Take a hat! Particularly if traveling in summer.

If you plan on spending many hours in the hot outdoors, whether it is touring the beautiful cities of Italy or moseying around Capri, a hat is just about as essential as water, sunblock and a good pair of shoes. If like me, you didn’t think to pack one, I highly recommend buying one. You will probably be charged exorbitant prices (particularly in places like Rome) and stand out as a tourist (or blend in with the rest of them), but it is well worth it. Believe me, you will be grateful for the lack of sunburn and sunstroke later.

It may sound a little silly, and perhaps super obvious to many of you, but I was not so bright.

I promise my blog neglect is now over and I will post again soon…hopefully about something a bit more interesting and insightful than a hat.