Ireland… The End

Our final 3 nights were spent right in the heart of Dublin and I can’t think of a better last stop than beautiful Ireland. We had 2 full days to explore the city and also try to see some of the more rural, picturesque parts of the country! Our first day was spent wandering around and visiting some of this big things to see in Dublin such as the St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Grafton Street, and St. Stephen’s Park. Lots of other churches and cool parks were found along the way, but those were the main ones and quite frankly the only names I can remember…  We ate at the most adorable vegetarian cafe for lunch where I had a delicious soup and a vegan strawberry coconut cake. It was delicious, and basically guilt-free I think, so I was very satisfied. That’s pretty much all I have to report for that day, nothing too exciting to share. At night, the place is crazy and every single restaurant and pub is filled completely by 7 o’clock. The Irish pubs are everything you’d expect: beer (particularly Guinness) everywhere, live music, and lots of older men drunkenly singing along. It is really quite something, however we didn’t actually go out and join it. Observing it from afar was enough for me.  Our second day, however, was amazing! By 6:50 am we were on a tour bus on our way to the west coast towards Limerick and the Cliffs of Moher! It’s about a 4 hour drive, which is quite long, but we took a few stops on the way so it wasn’t too bad. And of course it was all worth it once we got there… Wow! The cliffs were everything I dreamed them to be and MORE! When I picture Ireland, I picture the vast bright green fields with tons of sheep and the enormous grassy cliffs overlooking the dark sea, and that is exactly what we found there. It was so dreamy.  We got to walk along the cliffs for almost 2 hours and the wind was so strong that I sometimes thought I would get whisked up and blown off the cliff. Not really, but I definitely felt my fear of heights kick in at a few instances. It was such an incredible sight, and definitely the highlight of my time in Ireland. As cool as Dublin is, it’s just another city, dare I say it… The coasts and countryside are definitely more impressive, in my opinion.  And that pretty much wraps up not only Ireland, but the WHOLE TRIP! Ahhhhh! We are heading home today and I type this as we sit in the airport waiting for our plane. I can’t believe it’s already been 76 days… Sometimes it feels like we’ve been here for an eternity, and others it feels like no time at all. My sense of time is all jumbled in my head and thinking back to our first few weeks here seems like a lifetime ago! But at the same time, I feel like I just got dropped off at the airport yesterday. It’s a weird feeling.  I am ready to come home, though. It is sad and weird and I feel a lot of mixed emotions because I will never live this way again or have this same opportunity. I definitely plan to travel more in the not so distant future, already thinking about my next adventure, but it will never be quite the same as this one. Coming home is bittersweet, but maybe a little more sweet right now since I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed and see the love of my life (MY DOG!!!! I MISS HER SO MUCH) I have been thinking about my sweet Abbi nonstop for the past few days and I can’t wait to squeeze her in my arms! Dogs over humans, always. Sorry. I am excited to see my family and friends and Michael and all that of course, but gosh I’m just really excited to see my dog.

And I guess that is how we will end off this blog! I may still post on here, if I ever have anything to talk about… Although my audience is really just my immediate family and relatives who are all over the age of 40, maybe even 50 by now, and no offence, but I don’t think that’s exactly the kind of following I was aiming for. Just kidding, y’all have been great! Thanks for taking the time to check up on my travels! I appreciate your views! I just don’t think my boring everyday life sprinkled with extremely awkward encounters every time I am forced to leave my hermit cave would be too interesting to read. But we’ll see! Well…. I guess this is it! This is the end! But really, it’s just the beginning…

(Had to throw that cheesy line in there) Seen you soon, folks. Tal