Top Ten Experiences in Ireland So Far

As it’s summer now, I took an unexpected break. To be fair it was refreshing not having to worry about a post a week, but I did miss the schedule of it all.

I’ve officially been here ten months, wohoo!

That means I have lived in Dublin longer than anywhere else in the past five years.

Here are my top 10 photos that I’ve taken in the past 10 months. I’ve selected a mixture of travel destinations and just pictures of great memories.

The Beginning

After nearly 8 years I finally returned to this gem of an Isle. This was the first picture I took of Ireland from the plane heading down to Dublin airport.

A Halloween Like No Other

Did you know that Halloween actually originated in Ireland? Neither did I until this past year.

Howth

This side of Dublin Bay has become one of my most frequented travel spots and I plan to go back to this place right outside of city centre. It's a quaint town that's right on the water, and, on the weekends, there is a great market there filled with delicious treats.

The Cliffs of Moher

This is seriously one of the most breath taking scenes I have ever visited. I'd love to go back out west and complete the entire cliff walk someday.

The Festive Season

With all of its small alleyways and narrow streets, Dublin was ripe with opportunities to decorate for the holidays. I loved just going out at night and walking aimlessly around.

Paddy's Day

No it's not St. Paddy's, or is it ever really called St. Patrick's Day. I spent my time watching the parade with my friend Steph from Australia- I hadn't seen her in nearly two years. A lovely member of the garda- policemen- took this photo of us and everyone around was buzzed with happiness.... and maybe a bit too much of alcohol, but who am I to talk.

The Giant's Causeway

I loved learning about the formation myth of this landmark, and I highly recommend going there and taking a tour of it. 

Pentatonix

After years of watching them come together as a group on The Sing Off and then all their youtube videos, I finally was able to see them live in Dublin. If you ever get a chance to see PTX live I would recommend going. They sounded amazing, if not better, live than on their records.

Dublin Zoo

Even though it's summertime and many of my friends have gone home, we were still able to plan a day trip to the zoo. Although I can't say it compared to the zoo in Dubbo, Australia or the Tarangire in Tanzania, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I especially loved that the peacocks were allowed to roam freely all over the zoo grounds, plus good company always makes for an amazing day no matter what.

Home

After living here for 10 months I can confidently say that I am feeling Ireland is home. I really can;t describe what drew me here, but now that I am, I really do not want to leave. I've made some incredible friends here and I can only hope to make more and gain more fond memories.

xxKim

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Normally I would put a music recommendation here but I've been listening to such a variety that I can't choose.

-Olly Murs: just feel good music, especially his earlier material

-Fleetwood Mac: I was never a huge fan, but they have some great summer tunes

-DNCE: I can't stop listening to Cake by the Ocean

-The Beatles: summer becomes my time where I put on the White Album or 1 over and over again.

Gallivanting Around Galway

Here we are yet again. So much to talk about, so little time.

During this past week, I’ve had some of my best Irish experiences and some of my worst. I somehow triumphed over sleep deprivation, registration frustrations, and the always present fear of university assignments.

The first week of November was reading week, meaning a week in which students are supposed to study and start final assignments. For me it consisted of registering for the long awaited GNIB, taking a trip to Galway, and eventually doing some work for university. The GNIB is a visa process unique to Ireland. Unlike most countries where you get a visa before arrival, in Ireland you have a three month grace period to study and then go through the process of getting a GNIB card. My friend and I went to the offices at 5, however we did not leave until nearly 9.

I still do not understand this.

There were other people who came in after us, yet received their cards long before we did. I guess it was worth it though; I can now leave Ireland and come back again without any issues.

One of the many rainbows spotted over the two days.

On Wednesday night my friends Jana, Maxi, and I decided to go to Galway on a two-day tour with the Galway Tour Company. For Thursday morning I woke up at 5 to catch a bus into city centre, and then from O’Connell the three of us began our journey to Galway.

The first day was packed with stops from Galway to the world famous Cliffs of Moher. Honestly one of the most spectacular sites I have ever witnessed- completely worth a visit if you’re ever in Ireland.

Cliffs of Moher.

Back in Glaway city, the three of us were delirious from lack of sleep but decided to go out and explore the nightlife. We tried some good beer, and I met a few new friends while on our mini pubcrawl. At 1:30 I was practically dead on my feet and collapsed into bed as soon as we got into our hostel.

I wish that we had better roommates, but we definitely got the short end of the stick.

At 2 am, a person decided to hit snooze on their alarm SEVEN times before getting out of bed. Then, at 7 am, another decided to make a bunch of noise and take a shower. Lastly, the final unknown roommate left on the lights and didn’t even bother closing the door when he left. It was my first horrible hostel experience, and it resulted in 4 hours of sleep when I desperatelyt needed more.

Inagh Valley.

The Victorian Gardens at Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey.

The second day tour consisted of gorgeous scenery… and the feel of vomiting. I felt extremely ill on our tour through Connemara, but I tried to take in the towering mountain ranges that we were passing by. After eating some food and taking a walk through the gardens at Kylemore Abbey, I regained some of my strength before we ventured onto more breathtaking sights.

At 6 we returned to Galway and then departed for Dublin, and I eventually returned home around 10 pm. I don’t think I moved positions all night when I eventually passed out.

The rest of my weekend was spent doing coursework, and I am happy to be back in university on a schedule once again.

Killary Harbour, aka Ireland's fjord.