rockyroadtodubhlinn

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YAAAAASSSSSS #InNOut #Finally

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Most people posted this photo at the start. Posting it at the end. I'm going home. #SlanGoFol #Ireland #Dublin #USABound

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O'Neill's. Where the craic is mightiest of all. #Dublin #ONeills #TheCraic (at M.J.O'Neill's)

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Last view of the Liffey from O'Connell Bridge. I will miss this river dearly. #Dublin (at O'Connell Bridge)

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Beef and Guinness pie for last Irish supper. #Dublin (at Fitzgeralds Bar)

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Scrumdiddly's in Dun Laoghaire. Delicious. #DunLaoghaire #Dublin #Scrumdiddlys

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Starting my last day in Dublin off right with a full Irish Breakfast (or brunch in this case) #Dublin

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Front gate of UCD. So odd seeing it this empty, even for a Sunday. #Dublin #UCD

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Stayed up to see fire in the sky. Perfect way to end my last night of post-term holiday. #Sunrise #Barcelona #España (at Dream Puerto Olimpico)

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El interior de Sagrada Familia. Magnífico. #SagradaFamilia #Barcelona #España

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Sagrada Familia. Still under construction. #SagradaFamilia #Barcelona #España

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Barcelona es una hermosa ciudad. #Barcelona #España

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Such a lovely city. #Amsterdam

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Vesuvio pizza from Fuoco Vivo. Too good to not Instagram. #Amsterdam #Food

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Wind farm and bikes. Yup, Amsterdam. #Amsterdam

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Adventures around Ireland!

First off, apologies in advance for the brevity of this post! I’m typing this while waiting for my flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam and I wanted to be relatively caught up on here, so here goes!

Prior to the week of May the Fourth (be with you), I had seen more of Europe than I had seen of Ireland. That had to change, so two weeks ago I endeavored to see more of my temporary home country. With one of my friends from the UK, I visited:

Galway: This was an obvious stop to do; it’s as famous as Dublin and for good reason. Galway is a much smaller city and that lends it a somewhat rustic, beautiful charm. The food, drink, and music are grand and the craic is mighty here. While here, I saw the Cliffs of Moher, as well as the surrounding area called the Burren. It was full of ancient stones and fields, where countless chiefs and conquerors once walked the earth. It was a majestic time and I highly recommend Galway to anyone visiting Ireland.

Cork: This was primarily to visit my cousin Anne, but Cork city has plenty to offer. For one thing, they have a VERY strong sense of identity in Cork; a common nickname is the “People’s Republic of Cork,” which sounds mildly Communist, but I digress. Some sights to see here include the Cork City Jail, which used to hold some revolutionaries and other criminals of Cork city. There is a cathedral as well which is magnificent, as almost all cathedrals are. It’s also an easy bus ride to Blarney and the accompanying castle, where you can literally bend over backwards to kiss the namesake Stone and gain the gift of the gab. Or for me, the gift of moderating it.

Belfast: My friend and I actually came up here on the day of the V-E Day Parade, which was huge. It’s been 70 years since WWII ended in Europe, which is really something crazy to think about. We saw all sorts of regiments and marching bands going the City Centre in Belfast, after which we saw the Titanic Museum, as the doomed ship was assembled in the Belfast shipyards. It was a fascinating experience that placed the Titanic in the socioeconomic context of Belfast at the time, something I did not expect and was pleasantly surprised by. There were a few nods to James Cameron’s blockbuster movie, but they were mercifully few. After that we got a Black Cab Tour, something I HIGHLY recommend in Belfast. You see the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods and get an hour and a half long lesson on the Troubles and the after effects of it. It was fascinating and sobering.

Glendalough/Kilkenny: This was a day tour done by myself via Paddywagon. Glendalough was absolutely breathtaking; if you can manage a quick trip out from Dublin, do it. The views are stunning. Kilkenny was fairly nice as well, but I didn’t see enough of the city in two hours to really recommend anything. I shall have to visit it in more detail the next time I’m in Ireland.

So in that week and a half or so, I finally saw the four corners of the Emerald Isle and some of its natural gems. I will miss this place dearly when I leave for home in eight days.

I won’t be updating much except via Instagram/Facebook since I’ll be trying to see as much as Amsterdam and Barcelona as possible. Expect a full report on those by the week after next, once I’m home and all unpacked and sorted.

Cheers!

Will

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Edinburgh. This city stole my heart. I will most definitely come back some day. #Edinburgh #Scotland