MOC 9 Day 11 Sm
Joan K, Jan 16, 2021
- Description:
- SwL - Artsy Journal Template 51
https://the-lilypad.com/store/Artsy-Journal-13-Digital-Scrapbook-Templates.html
LBW_ LIfe Is Enjoying Days Off
https://the-lilypad.com/store/Life-is-Enjoying-days-off-kit.html
Dark green and star background paper - M Lincoln - 35 mm Remix
https://the-lilypad.com/store/35-MM-Remix-The-Complete-Collection.html
Journaling (650 words):
Ireland was on my bucket list of trips for quite a while. Then Debbie found the “Irish Elegance” tour through Fox World Travel. She was really drawn to the idea of spending a night sleeping in a castle and gently pushed for Ray and me to join her (and Cliff) in the fun! We looked over the brochure and soon decided that we would join them on the tour. The trip was scheduled for May 6-15, 2016. We would return home just in time for Deb’s 60th birthday - and a short six weeks before mine - so persuading our husbands that this was our birthday gift was pretty easy! We had just started building our new home on Big Cedar Lake, and of course, Ray wanted to be there to work on the house and monitor the progress of the subcontractors. He agreed to take the time off though and soon we were headed to Dublin.
After an overnight flight from Chicago (O’Hare), we arrived tired but anxious to see everything that Ireland had to offer. It was Saturday, May 7 and we had nothing formally scheduled, so we explored the neighborhood near our hotel (Clayton Cardiff) and found a late afternoon mass at a small Catholic Church. Sunday we boarded the tour bus for a city tour with the highlights being Trinity College and its famous library housing The Book of Kells.
Monday, May 9th, we left Dublin with our Irish tour guide Erica - a wonderful woman with a vast knowledge of Irish history, culture, and geography. Our route took us to the Rock of Cashel and Blarney Castle, where of course we kissed the Blarney stone. Then we headed to Killarney. Shortly after arriving, we saw the “Jaunting Cars” and booked a ride for the next morning.
Tuesday we toured Killarney National Park via the jaunting car (horse drawn carriage), then headed out on the tour bus to see the Ring of Kerry. Our evening entertainment was a wonderful show by a dance group called “Celtic Steps.”
We traveled the Wild Atlantic Way on Wednesday. Though visibility was reduced with fog (very common!), the Cliffs of Moher were stunning and the luncheon, sheepshearing, and herding demonstration at Rathbaun Farm provided us with a bit of a peek at Irish country life.
Highlights of Thursday were visiting the amazing Kylemore Abbey, sightseeing in The Burren region, and an evening of fun and traditional Irish singing at Padraicins Pub in Furbo, County Galway.
Friday featured a tour of Galway city and a bit of {window} shopping before heading to our much-anticipated destination of Ashford Castle. To reach the castle, we took a ferry “The Isle of Inisfree.” We were entertained on the ferry ride by an older man who sang and played an accordion. His claim to fame was that he was an extra in the John Wayne movie “The Quiet Man.” We were welcomed across the drawbridge of the castle by a lone piper - just a taste of being treated like royalty! We were also able to visit the falconry on the castle grounds and “assist” the falconer. Watching the Harris Hawks and having them land on our gloved forearms was spectacular - maybe my favorite part of the entire trip! Later we took a short walk to the village of Cong - also noted for being the setting for “the Quiet Man.” We ended the day with an elegant dinner in the castle dining room.
As Saturday dawned, we realized that our trip was nearing the end. We boarded the bus for the return to Dublin. We did make a stop at the Killbeggan Distillery. Later we enjoyed a final tour of Dublin with a delicious dinner at Roly’s Bistro.
Off to the airport on Sunday May 15 for the long flight back to Chicago. We brought back lots of dirty laundry of course, but also many precious photos and memories!
-
There are no comments to display.
-
- Category:
- Month of Challenges 9
- Uploaded By:
- Joan K
- Date:
- Jan 16, 2021
- View Count:
- 215
- Comment Count:
- 2
EXIF Data
- File Size:
- 217.5 KB
- Mime Type:
- image/jpeg
- Width:
- 600px
- Height:
- 600px
Note: EXIF data is stored on valid file types when a photo is uploaded. The photo may have been manipulated since upload (rotated, flipped, cropped etc).