Luck of the Irish

I had the most amazing four day weekend. We were out of school last Thursday and Friday so Carley, Tiffany, and I took advantage of this and went to Ireland. Ireland is the one place I have always dreamed of going. Traveling there was the only thing I had on my bucket list. We left late Wednesday night and arrived in Ireland just after midnight. After some confusion with where we were staying we got everything sorted out and had a peaceful weekend. The little bed and breakfast we stayed at was perfect. The owners picked us up from the airport, took us where we wanted to go, showed us how to travel and where to go, and took us back to the airport when we left. They were two of the nicest people I have ever met and I look forward to going back to see them again as soon as possible. The place we stayed at was in Swords which is about 20 minutes outside of Dublin. By doing this we were able to see the country and the city. I must say I prefer the country.

On Thursday, we went to Dublin. We were going to take a walking tour, but decided to just grab and map and go exploring on our own. Our first stop was Dublin Castle. We were able to go in and tour a few of the rooms on our own.

Once we left the castle we made our way to St. Patrick´s Cathedral. It´s not as spectacular as the Sagrada Familia, but it is the biggest cathedral in Ireland. It is also the place where Jonathan Swift is buried. I loved walking through the cathedral and learning all about the history of it. The cathedral and the castle were both beautiful sights to see.

gardens at St. Patrick's Cathedral

On Friday, we woke up early to head to Howth. Des sat down with us to show us where to go and the walking path to take once we arrived in Howth. He helped us call a taxi and explained the Dart, which is their metro system. Once in Howth we found our way to the Howth castle and stopped to make some new friends along the way.

As soon as we saw the castle it was like we had stepped into a fairy tale.

Des had shown us a way to go around the castle to find a foot path behind it. This area was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It advanced the fairy tale surroundings even more.

We got a little confused in the woods after we reached the cliff top, but Ireland is not a bad place to get lost in.

It didn´t take us long to get on the right path and find our way back to the city. Once there we stopped to eat before heading back into the woods. Finding the arrows for the walking path was like a scavenger hunt. We had to stop and search for them each time we came to a crossroads. After much more walking we found ourselves along the coast and in the mountains. It had been cloudy all day, but finally the sun came out at the perfect time. Howth was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. If ever given the option, I would move there immediately.

On Saturday, we journeyed to Malahide and took a tour of the castle. It is from teh 12th century, and one of Ireland´s oldest castles that is still in use. During this tour we were able to learn about the history of the castle and some of the antiques that are held within.

Once we left the castle we made our way back to Dublin. We toured Trinity College and saw The Book of Kells and The Book of Armagh. These are two of the oldest books in existence. The Book of Kells contains the four gospels.

After Trinity we hit up a few souvenior shops before heading to Temple Bar. Temple Bar is an area in Dublin that contains nothing but pubs. Walking through there was an experience on its own.

When we left Dublin we sat with Des and Sinead for a while before finally going to sleep. We had to leave Ireland first thing Sunday morning. I have never dreaded leaving a place as much as I did Ireland. As soon as I was on the plane I was ready to turn around and go back. Ireland is definitely a place I will be visiting frequently.

Picasso and the Mediterranean Sea

This weekend was amazing! As I was sitting on the beach yesterday it suddenly hit me that I was sitting on a beach in Spain. No words can even describe how amazing that feeling was. Beaches in America are nice, but they do not even begin to compare to Spain.

On Friday, Carley and I decided to bravely make our way through La Ramblas to find the Columbus monument. La Ramblas is a street that is nothing but shops and is always full of people. We had been warned by many people that it is the worst place of pickpockets. (Don't worry. We are both very smart and resourceful.) While going to the monument we met some very interesting characters along the way.

If I could take him home with me I would.

 Then we finally reached the monument.

After seeing Christopher Columbus we met up with some of the other girls to go eat dinner at Rosa Negra. It was a very nice dinner, but we had to wait 50 minutes before being seated. The chances of me trying that again are very slim. By the time we finished dinner we had to make our way back home, but not before stopping for gelato. The gelato place had Ferrero Rocher flavor! My taste buds thought they had died and gone to heaven as I was eating this.

On Saturday I started the day by going to Park Guell with Carley, Cristina, Santi, and Blanca. Walking up to Park Guell was serious exercise. I did not realize it was nothing but hills along the way. My legs have been sore since we have been here from all the walking I am doing, and today they hurt even more due to these hills. What I was able to see of Park Guell was beautiful.

We were going to pay to get in to the monument area, but we were told the wait would be 1.5 hours. We all decided to just walk around the park instead. Carley and I are going to try to go back so that we can see the rest of it on a later date. After this event I was feeling a little disappointed. I felt that we had wasted most of our morning, but it all worked out. Once we left Park Guell, Carley and I went to the Picasso Museum while Cristina and the kids went shopping. The Picasso Museum was nice, but it was not what I imagined in would be. Although the museum had some beautiful paintings (and some not so beautiful ones) it did not have any of his most famous works. When we left the museum we met up with Cristina, Javier, Santi, Blanca, and Javi to go shopping and to walk the streets of the old part of the city. This part of the city is my favorite. It is beautiful and full of things to do.We saw many different shops that we want to try to find again. Cristina helped us find the Barcelona History Museum, Barcelona City Hall, Roman towers, and the Santa del Maria.

Barcelona City Hall

Roman Towers

Inside of Santa del Maria

After touring the city and meeting Cristina's cousin we went to Market Princessa to eat dinner. Carley and I both tried tiny fried fish, as well as eggs with mushrooms. It was definitely interesting. The food here is so different from America, but I am trying as much of it as I can.

On Sunday Cristina and Javier took Carley and me to the Torres Vineyard outside of Barcelona.

 We toured the outside.

And the inside.

This was the fist time I had been to a vineyard, and we went with three other families. It was definitely an interesting experience with all of the children there. After the vineyard we went to the beach in Sitges.

Carley and I braved the cold to put our feet in the Mediterranean Sea.

And we walked out on the port.

There were a few times the wind got so strong that I thought I was going to lose my phone. Luckily, we made it back without any accidents. We had a picnic on the beach with all of the families and we had a great time.