Talk about the luck of the Irish. Last year in Dublin we just happened to stumble upon a rare weekend of sunshine. Oh yeah, it was the middle of summer and the Irish were complaining they hadn't had a sunny day all year until that very weekend. Fast forward a year or so and we find ourselves in a very sunny yet again. This time it was for Saint Paddy's Week. Strangly enough it felt like summer to us who live in Germany. It felt great!!!
The bright, warm sunshine we encountered as we stepped off our Ryan Air flight was definitely a sign of things to come. In retrospect, this was one of the best trips we've taken since we've been stationed here. It's impossible to cover everything but easily the best thing about Ireland is the very friendly people. Ireland is aptly named the land of a thousand welcomes and we discovered why when we checked into our B&B. Our host, Michael and Barbara, were extremely welcoming and kind. Rather than customers at a non descript hotel, we were treated like family. They even kidnapped me one night and took me out to a local pub for a few rounds of Guiness.
One of the biggest surprises was the food. The bread over there was simply delicious and the soup was amazing. Also, I was never a big fan of Guiness until this trip. They always say that the stuff tastes differently in Ireland and they're right. Part of the problem was that there is a technique to drinking this "blonde in a black dress". The trick is to wait a few minutes after the pour to let the drink settle. A local helped me out and said that drinking it too quick is like "heresy around here". Good tip.
Finally we got a chance to rub elbows with the locals at a pub called "Danny Mann's" in Killarney. There we watched the Irish rugby team win the "Grand Slam" for the first time in 61 years. Talk about Irish Pride! These guys went nuts everytime their boys stuck it to the Welsh. Even though we didn't really understand the nuances of the game, we got the gist of it and had an absolute blast.
Until later, Slàinte "Slan-juh" (cheers!)
Cute sign at the Ladies View, Killarney Natl Park
Dingle (an Deingan) Harbor
A Couple Cute Irish Ladies in Dingle
Windy Ventry Strand, Dingle Peninsula
"Jaunting Car" on the way to Muckross House outside of Killarney
Celtic Milestone Marker outside of our B&B
The White, Orange, and Green overlooking Dingle Harbor
Torc Waterfall, Killarney Nat'l Park
Luke eyeing my Guiness at Danny Mann's Pub in downtown Killarney
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