Three of my favorite things all contained in one place: Ireland.
The final weekend was wild and Gaelic. There must have been about twenty Techie-Oxfords that made the trip and while we were spread all over Dublin in our assorted hostels it didn't stop us from finding one another, generally at Temple Bar.
That first night at Temple Bar felt just like P.S. I Love You. There was an Irishman playing guitar and the beer was a-flowin. The one stark difference Courtney and I faced, however, was that we were only able to find American men. Nothankyou- I'm in Ireland! Gimme some ginger!
The next morning we grudgingly woke up before the sun to catch a bus to the West Coast... and that's where I fell in love. Galloway is simple gorgeous. We climbed along the cliffs, explored ancient 'castles' and hiked through the dewy flower-laden hills alongside the cows and the stacked-rock walls... the West stole something from me that day... I've been under its spell ever since.
After our hike we were invited into a local's home where we had some of their grandmother's cooking- peach cheesecake- and warmed up from the mist with a nice traditional Irish coffee (yumJamesonyum). We also got some puppy play time on the farm:
The next day we toured Dublin- and the factories. Guinness. Seven stories of beer know-how and the top floor was a circular room with only a bar and chairs inside. The whole room had floor-to-ceiling windows all the way around and it was a beautiful way to see the city. (And tasty.)
Our last big Dublin-hoo-rah finaled with Gaelic Football. What. A. Sport! It's a cross between football and rugby and hotdamn is it intense!! We battled a ferocious downpour to make it to the game but it was well worth being soaked to my very core- I have never been around such vicious, die-hard energy before! And oh the cheers and the spectator dialogue... vile! Crude! Awesome!
We spent the remainder of the trip taking a tour around the city from a true native. I just... I loved Ireland. I'm ending up there.
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