Sorry this entry has been delayed!  Other things came up...like my car story and then St. Patrick's day!  So, here we go...

As many of you know, one of my friends, Grant, came to visit for a few days this month.  I spent a few days before he arrived pouring over my maps to find a few NEW locations to tour (outside of Dublin) since I've created a well-worn path in both Dublin and Kilkenny.  I came up with a few good ones!

We started his visit sticking close to Dublin, because you can't come to Ireland and not visit this city.  The Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour was even better than I remembered.  Very informative, and I added to my personal list of facts about the city in which I live. 

After visiting a few other places in and around Dublin, we decided to hit the road for a couple days in the west of Ireland.  Our first stop was the Bunratty Castle...the most complete and authentic medieval fortress in Ireland.  We loved this tour first of all because it was self-guided :)  Other high points included the preserved "village" that surrounded the castle.  We visited a fisherman's thatch-roofed home, the local doctor's office, and more.  We tried to visit the print shop, but as I opened the door, I was met with a stern "we're closed"...so we went on our way!

About this time it began to rain, so we went back to the car and headed off to the Cliffs of Moher.  This was the second most impressive site that I've seen since arriving here in Ireland.  (The first was Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland...see photos and you'll know what I mean.)  The wind was CRAZY when we arrived, so we were thankful for the stone wall that surrounded us at all times!   All I can say is...check out the photos...amazing!

Finally, we wound our way toward Galway, and I say WOUND because the roads were the most curvy that I've ever driven on.  Thanks to my awesome driving skills, we arrived unharmed :)   I can't say much for my sense of direction once we got to Galway though...it took us about 45 minutes to find our hotel! 

We woke up the following morning to enjoy a full Irish breakfast and head on our way.  So much to see in Galway.  My favorite row of houses (photo I took at the top of my website) , the ocean, and some great shops.  The weather was amazing, so we even enjoyed the 3 hour trip back to Dublin. 

Great time hanging out and enjoying the scenery!  Check out the rest of the photos on the Photo page...

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