Ireland ♫


Day 9 - We crossed the border to North Wales and through Snowdonia National Park.  We had a lunch stop at Llanfair­pwllgwyn­gyllgo­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llanty­silio­gogo­goch (no, I can't pronounce that word no matter how hard I try, I listened to it multiple times and i can only hear gogogo, LOL! =P) where we also stamped our passports as souvenirs. ^^  Then we went to Holyhead to board our ferry to Dublin.  It was a pretty smooth 4 hours (I think) ferry ride to Dublin.  Upon arrival, we went straight to the our Irish Night experience with more music and drinks.

Day 10 - It's a short city tour day with a photo stop at the largest church in Ireland, St. Patrick's Cathedral.  We were then dropped at Trinity College to go in The Old Library and view the 1,200 year old Book of Kells.  Sadly we weren't allowed to take any pictures inside.  We went shopping after, where my friend bought a bag worth EUR2,000++ at Brown Thomas. @_@  That night, we went on a tour around Guiness Storehouse, got to taste their famous brew, and had a yummy dinner to end the day.

Day 11 - Our first stop is the Irish National Stud in Kildare, where the guide introduced us to their best Thoroughbreds.  After the tour, we were left to explore the very nice Japanese Gardens on our own.  On our way to Limerick, we had a short stop to take a photo of the Rock of Cashel.  We had the best mushroom soup in a very nice cozy pub in Cashel, then off we go to Limerick.  Another photo stop at King John's Castle and the stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691.  That night we had a banquet at Knappogue Castle, this is probably the best of all our dinners, the service and show were great.

Day 12 - We went to the beautiful Cliffs of Moher, it reminded me of the Great Ocean Road in Australia, and the Sunrise Peak in Jeju Island.  Next we went to Rathbaum Farm where we tried our hand in scone making, and witnessed sheep shearing.  My friend had a different experience there, the "dogs encounter" experience, lol! XD  It's free on our won that night so we went surprise surprise, shopping! =P

Day 13 - First we stopped at Adare to see the thatched houses then off to another long bus ride along the Ring of Kerry.  We stopped for lunch at an inn with a scenic view of the Lakes of Killarney, and another photo stop at the breathtaking view from Killarney National Park.  We finally arrived in the city and we took the Jaunting Car ride tour where our Jarvey picked a flower and asked me to marry him, LOL! =P  We also stopped at Ross Castle for some pictures.  The Jarvey from the other carriage loves to sing and they sang all throughout the tour. =)  I didn't intend to join the jaunting car ride since we also have the same in our country called "Kalesa", but I'm glad I did, it was a fun experience. ^^

Day 14 - Morning visit at Blarney, where the Kissing Stone is.  It is said that when you kissed the stone, you'll get the gift of gab, too bad we didn't get to kiss because I'm afraid I don't have the acrobatic ability to bend backwards to reach the stone. =P  It also happened to be Easter Sunday, I'm so happy to get a chance to hear mass in a church in Ireland. =)  After stopping at an authentic Ireland handicrafts shop, we went to Waterford for a guided tour in the House of Waterford Crystal where we got to see how all those expensive crystals were made.  That night, we went to a pub for some drinks and nice music.

Looking back, I think what I can remember the most about Ireland is actually their music.  Their pub songs are fun and easy to sing to, so I tried listening to other Irish songs and they're actually nice specially the live bands. =)

Last part in my next post - Wales and England. ^^


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