Ireland - the land where legends don't seem so impossible. But before that I just have to say that I am super thankful to have safely made it through the UK customs. For two reasons; the first was that I do not have a return ticket as I am not sure when and where I want to fly back home from exactly and that usually raises some magor questioning. Thankfully, I recieved no major questioning and arrived safely through border control.
So there was just a couple things that I really wanted to do while I was here in Ireland - See West Ireland and see some Irish cliffs. I am staying with friends who also live in another community here in Blessington, Co Wicklow. (where Braveheart was filmed) and I knew that I would be busy catching up with all my friends here. (I lived here for 3 months about a year and a half ago). I have one of those personalities that if I get ideas in my head about what I want to do then it can become a fixation so I knew that I just needed to let go of my ideas and enjoy every moment...I am Ireland after all! It's sometimes amazes me how I can be in the most idillic situations and yet if it isn't exactly what I had wanted or had in my mind then I can ruin the moment for myself and those around me. This is an area I want gone! Anyways, my friends picked me up from the airport and we rushed home so that they could lay out in the sun, as it is normally not hot enough to do in Ireland. As we drove from Dublin to Wicklow my breath was just taken away by the beauty of Ireland; rolling hills covered in wild flowers, patchwork farms with sheep, horses, and cows grazing contedly, quaint houses with vines and flowers practically swallowing them up. It truly is a magical place. I arrived at Humphreystown House and quickly felt right at home, it's so weird that even when you only lived somewhere for three months and that was almost two years ago how fast it just feels natural again. It's a funny thing but something as small as remembering where the plugs where without trying made me happy :)
The people here have been so amazing! Without really knowing what I was longing for some of the young people had arranged a trip to the Cliffs of Kilkee in the West of Ireland for last Saturday. We left bright and early for our three hour drive through some of the most beautiful countryside you can imagine and arrived in County Clare around 10:30 am. For those of you who plan to travel to West Ireland I would definitely suggest that instead of heading to the Cliffs of Moher where you have to pay for parking and cannot get all the way up to the edge of the cliff try going to Kilkee! It's an absolutely gorgous Seaside town and you can go exploring wherever your heart desires on the cliffs. I am not really a "fence" kind of girl so having the freedom to get as close as I wanted to edge to peek over into the swirling waters below was just up my alley. I also felt like most of the people where locals as we were some of the only people stopping every ten feet to take pictures. And if you end up going to Kilkee on a day warm enough to take your shoes off you must try walking off the path - the ground is crazy soft and springy! We had hiked up to the highest cliff and on the way back we all started to run down the hill and I found myself feeling like a dufflepod bounding from mushroom to mushroom...super exhilarating! Every part of Saturday was awesome, from the breath taking sights of waves crashing against towering cliffs, emerald grass laden with yellow and purple flowers, and brilliant blue skies, to the smells of the ocean, seagulls, screeching, and the warmth of the sun, the day was perfect. A highlight for me was venturing down the cliffs to explore the pools where sea anenomes, clams, and seaweed where growing in abundance. One of the guys ate a few of the clams right then and there and tried to get me to but even though I love being daring that was just a bit much for me. The day ended with enjoying fish n chips and a coffee at the seaside cafe before driving home again. *Sigh* I know every day cannot be like that but I have to say that it does the heart good when you have one that is.
I could go on and on about the Beauty of Ireland, the amazing times I am sharing with my friends here but since I am already a good deal past my self allotted one thousand words I am going to end here and try to write again tomorrow on the other subjects that I wanted to cover. Hope everyone is grand!
