Leslie's Life

I have been traveling quite a bit so far this summer and it’s all been exciting and great, especially my trip to Ireland! I am happy to finally be able to write this blog and share this awesome experience! 

For just a little of background information, my sister was doing her study abroad trip of 5 weeks in Dublin, so my mom and I met up with her there and stayed for another week and let her show us around. Arriving in Dublin was a little rough because of the jet lag, but after a day or so I was feeling more acclimated. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t rain every day in Ireland! For the majority of our trip, the weather was great, nothing a pair of rain boots and a jacket can’t handle. We did three day trips along with major touring of the city of Dublin itself! 

Our first day we relaxed and took a bus tour of Dublin which is something every tourist should do. You can sit back, relax, and enjoy a native tell you some history of the city along with some blunt Irish jokes. We visited the historical and famous Trinity College which is almost as gorgeous as our campus in Delaware! Then, we also visited the even more historical Book of Kells, which is an ancient manuscript of the Gospels of the New Testament. They don’t let you take photos, but it really is unbelievable to see! Additionally, we went to the National Gallery of Ireland to see some art. Interestingly, any nationally funded gallery like that is free to the public, so you have no excuse to not enjoy some amazing artwork! 

Our first day trip was out to Howth, Ireland, which is basically a quaint little fishing town with a beautiful pier. Howth had amazing little markets and restaurants all over town! Howth isn’t too far out of Dublin itself so it is very easy to get to. 

Our second day trip was probably my favorite. (I can’t decide!) We took a bus tour out to Newgrange with a historian guide named Mary Gibbons who condensed the history of Ireland down into 2 hours, which apparently is difficult to do. Newgrange is an ancient prehistoric monument which was built by the Neolithic people so perfectly aligned with the sun that on the Winter Solstice the sun shines through a small hole and fills the darkness inside with light. The tour you take to and through the actual sight can only be done with around 15 people, since the monument is so ancient, it is older than the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge! The actual act of being inside the monument is one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. Also, the view from around it was just breathtaking, the photos of all the rolling green hills are from Newgrange. 

Our third and final day trip was to Wicklow, Ireland where we went to Glendalough. My sister said this was her favorite place on her trip, so she took us back. To get there, we had to take a bus with a hilarious driver and large group of people from all over the world, it was a really interesting time. Glendalough is a valley full of stunning trees, creeks, and waterfalls. We hiked through the valley and just enjoyed the scenery. 

Besides the excellent day trips, every night we had delicious dinner somewhere different in Dublin. My sister knew all of the good places to eat, so we really got to eat some true Irish food. Overall, Ireland was such a great trip/experience. The people were so kind and wonderful and I really did enjoy the trip throughly. I made a slideshow of all the pictures because I had so many of them and wanted to show them all off! They are arranged in order of places mentioned above. Enjoy!