Showing posts with label paddy's day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paddy's day. Show all posts

Sunday, 17 July 2016

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.






Thursday, 24 March 2016

Friends, Fun and Paddy's Day

Over the past two weeks I've had my share of adventures, reunions, and just plain amazing times with both new and old friends.

Let's start out two weeks ago. On the Thursday before Paddy's Day, Maxi and Jana arrived from Germany and we had a reunion party to celebrate their return. We had some pre-drinks at a friend's and it was so good to talk with them face-to-face instead of in text or over a computer screen. By the end of the night it felt as if they never left.

Sunday we went into Howth and I finally got to experience the markets there. The pier was so foggy and you couldn't really make out anything but it the photos came out nice.
Looking across the pier- no editing, just pure fog.

Maxi, Jana, Emma, and I

The foggy Howth Pier

The next few days were generally relaxing and I had to say goodbye to my Germans again but also hello to my Aussie. Steph and I hadn't seen each other for a year and a half and Tuesday was spent catching up. Wednesday we had a mission to get suited up for Paddy's day- yes, we went full tourist but it was fun.
Steph and I waiting for the parade to start.

Since we were out late Paddy's Eve, Steph and I didn't get into town until late but we still managed to get a spot for the parade. The theme this year was 'the future' and some of the floats edged on an open ended interpretation. It started almost an hour late, but the wait was worth it. The marching bands were definitely the highlight! For being the largest outside of NYC, I was not disappointed.

So. Much. Green.

Friday and Saturday were Belfast and traveling around northern Ireland. There was definitely an influx of Americans everywhere and it felt strange being surrounded my my native tongue once again. Steph and I went on a tour of the north coast and saw sights such as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge- if you're scared of heights I do not recommend!- and the geological landmark of Giant's Causeway. I never knew the full myth of how Giant's Causeway came to be formed, but learning it definitely put a smile on my face. Let's just say if involves hubris, pranks, and a onesie.



The view on Carrick-a-Rede.


Tourists flocking over Giant's Causeway.

Yes, you can climb to the top of the rather steep hills.

The sights were amazing as always- Ireland hasn't disappointed yet!- but Belfast itself wasn't quite what I was expecting. Its kind of hard to explain, but  I'll have to go back and really explore the city.


Uni started back up on Monday and the reality of how much work I have to do is finally starting to set in. It's a bank holiday Monday so I'm determined to get as much as possible done this weekend.

Happy Easter!

Psyched to go back to Edinburgh at the end of April and I cannot wait to reunite with Chris and Steph again.

Let's just pray I survive the next month.

Xx kim


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Song of the week

Panic! At the Disco-  Death of a Bachelor