Beautiful Ireland Part 1

Oh, Ireland, I love you so! I would easily move there next week if I could. 

This place felt like home to me. Both Nate and I felt this way. I have to tell you that while Ireland itself is absolutely beautiful, it’s the Irish that make Ireland the wonderful country it is. The people are so warm, friendly, down to earth and outgoing. The landscapes, well… they are just outstanding! Nate and I road tripped all through both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Emerald Isle has always held a certain allure: you can practically hear Enya and easily pretend to see leprechauns in the background as you stroll through the rolling green hills mixed with ancient castles scattered all over. I also fell in love with the thick soda bread and chowders. Hit the spot every time! YUM!

Don’t get me wrong tour guides and tour busses are wonderful if you don’t want to deal with a ton of planning or deal with driving on the opposite side of the road just to see the main attractions. But, if you have the time and love to explore on your own I highly recommend taking a road trip. Ireland is not that big. It’s very drivable. In comparison, the island of Ireland is about the size of the state of Indiana. Renting a car, filling it up with fun snacks and wondering all through unfamiliar country side with attractions on the way, is so amazing I can’t put it into words. You’ll just have to trust me. Plus you’re away from the crowds, and it’s just you and the views all to yourself.

There are so many quaint and charming little towns to visit. It’s impossible to explore them all during a week, but if you can, try to hit at least one or two. Make sure you chat with the locals. They’ll fill you in on where to eat, recommend things to try and what to see. One of the locals we chatted with highly recommended Ladies View. He said it’s a must and man was he right!

Ladies View

In other countries, I go out of my way to avoid the souvenir shops. I personally can’t stand them. I love the hidden gems with unique products. In Ireland, I have to say their gift shops were very well done. I found myself wandering in them a lot. By the Ladies View is a gift shop that had great gifts.

Along the way we’d randomly stop to hike and meander. Here’s what we found on the way to the Ring of Kerry.

Spring is the rainy season so I was prepared.

 

Ring of Kerry

I don’t know how folks do it when tourists are crammed in all over the place, especially because there are roads along cliffs that are just one lane. When we drove this gem, though, not too many folks passed us and it felt like it was all ours. We could pull over when we wanted to, take pics with no one blocking our view and just relax with nowhere to be.

We drove to this little low-key B&B that was perfect in the city of Tralee. It was clean, the owner was as kind as the rest of the locals we met and the fresh baked breakfast the next day was outstanding (very filling).

Up next in my travel posts is Beautiful Ireland Part 2 where we road trip to the Dingle Peninsula, Cliffs of Moher, see a handful of castles and drive on to Northern Ireland.

It was also a bit windy.

What part of Ireland would you want to see?

XOXO

Melessa