Being part of the AIFS Internship program meant I didn't get a spring break, so while my non-internship friends were off exploring the different countries in Europe I was stuck in my small office working the week away. Although it was an inconvenience, it was also what I signed up for, so come Thursday night after I got done my internship I eagerly got on the tube back to my dorm because I had a flight to catch.
My friend Lindsey and I carefully planned this trip so spring break wasn't a complete waste for me. She got back from Italy the day before and waited till I got done work to jet off to her next destination, Ireland, and this time I went with her.
We flew into Dublin late Thursday night and took a taxi to our hotel, where we discovered that taxis in Ireland don't take credit cards, but luckily we had enough cash on us to cover the fare.
After we got checked into the hotel, we went straight to bed. We had booked an early morning tour for Friday to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway, which meant we would only be getting about four hours of sleep that night.
Our tour was amazing, even though it rained almost the whole day, although from what I was told that was typical of Ireland. The Cliffs of Moher are a pretty well-known landmark, even if you don't recognize the name. They are these massive series of cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, and a sight I highly recommend you see. The day we went due to the storm front coming in, there was fog everywhere and the cliffs weren't as visible as they usually are. Ignoring the rain and cold, Lindsey and I trekked across the cliffs and weren't disappointed by what we saw, even if the view was slightly limited.
After we left the cliffs we headed to another "photo stop" as our tour guide called it. This one was pretty, but not as pretty as the cliffs, and by this point, I was soaked to the bone and just wanted to be back on the tour bus to warm up. Although I don't really know what I was looking at, here are the pictures from that spot.
After this stop we started on the scenic route to Galway, which I'm not going to lie, I fell asleep during this. I think only having four hours of sleep finally got to me, although I do remember waking up at one point to everyone gawking at a double rainbow in the sky. I guess you could say it was the luck of the Irish (I couldn't help myself).
Galway was by far my favorite place during this trip, although I did love the cliffs as well. Once we arrived in Galway we had free time until it was time to go, which was nice. Lindsey and I spent our time walking around and exploring. We also made sure to buy some snacks for the bus ride back to Dublin.
If there is one way to describe Galway it would be charming. Although it is technically a city, it reminded me more of a small town. The streets were flooded with an encore of music due to the numerous amount of street musicians scattered around the brick walkways. To be honest, words are failing when I try to describe this wonderful place, so hopefully, these pictures can help convey what I'm failing to say.
When we got back to Dublin, we made our way back to the hotel, had dinner, and went to bed, exhausted from our activities. Saturday we were still pretty exhausted so we had a slow start. We spent the afternoon wandering around Dublin but didn't see much that interested us so we had an early night. We also had an early flight the next day, so it worked out perfectly. Here are some of the pictures from my time in Dublin.
Ireland is a beautiful country, and if I were to go back I would spend more time in the countryside than anywhere else. In my opinion, that's where the true beauty of the country lies. If ever the opportunity arises to travel there I would highly recommend taking it. It would truly be an amazing journey.
As Always,
Talia