Next Door Naber: Irish Mini Moon

Thanks to my husband's new boss, we took a mini honeymoon right after we got here! He told Brandon not to come into the office and to see the country first; otherwise, being the hard worker that he is, we would not have gotten the chance to take a little trip. It was a great way to relax after our hectic move, and see more than just Dublin to really appreciate Ireland before getting back to the daily grind and into a busy routine.

So, we rented a car and gave each other a pep talk before pulling out onto the ~~right~~ left side of the road. Quite frankly, I needed it more than the driver! I've learned by now to close my eyes when I get nervous, contrary to what I was doing this first time around... gasping, clutching my chest, white-knuckling my door handle, air braking, yelling "oh my god!" when I thought we were pulling into the wrong lane... In other words, making my husband very comfortable and not annoyed whatsoever... ha! That's all part of the fun, isn't it? If we can make it through driving on the opposite side of the road, on narrow roads, without GPS, we can make it through a lot!

Blarney Castle - kissing the stone gives you the "gift of gab," or eloquence - hopefully I can put it to good use in this blog!

Following the advice of many, we spent 5 days driving around the southwest part of Ireland and stopping in cute little villages on the way. We stayed in Kinsale, Kenmare, Dingle, and Lahinch... and also spent one night in Galway! The main sites we hit were Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, Dingle Peninsula/Slea Head Drive, Cliffs of Moher, and the Aran Islands (I'll eventually post a couple good itineraries for traveling around Ireland).

Kinsale - cute fishing town, lots of pastel colored buildings!

Too many times, I've heard Irish people say that they've lived here their whole lives and have never seen the Ring of Kerry or the Cliffs of Moher, which is such a shame! If you get a chance to come to Ireland, don't just pass through Dublin and call it a day. Ireland is a such a beautiful country, rain or shine, and so small to drive around! What is considered a long drive here would be a drive from Cleveland to Columbus in my world.

Ring of Kerry

As an Irishman said to me, "so you've decided to leave Dublin and see Ireland."

Muckross House - Killarney National Park

Couldn't be more true. The serenity of the rolling hills, rock walls, coastal cliffs (everything you picture when you think of "Ireland") is completely different than the bustle of the city, and it's important to experience both in order to truly fall in love with Ireland.