Ireland 2014

Never in a thousand, no wait, million years did I ever think I would have the opportunity to travel and explore Europe with my best friend! I mean, yeah--I hoped I would be so fortunate, but with college loans and three other kids, I never thought my parents would be able to help my dreams become a reality. But like most parents do, they pulled all sorts of magical strings, and somehow on the 30th of June I was sitting on an 8 hour flight to Dublin. Mom and Dad, if you're reading this post (which I hope you are), thank you. Thank you for sending your crazy and undeserving daughter on the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for always supporting my friendship with Clara, and for teaching me that when a lifelong friend comes into your life, you keep ahold of them.

I had never traveled much before. Besides some flights to Disney World when I was six and a puddle-jumper home from Myrtle Beach, I had never seen the world. After purchasing my tickets to Ireland back in March, I began to immediatly feel anxious over the idea of flying solo. I was convinced I wouldn't be able to navigate the airports and what-not all by myself. I would Skype with Clara and tell her how excited I was to see her, but how worried I was about doing it all by myself. "What if I accidentally fly to China?!" I must have asked about a hundred times. Clara would laugh and reassure me that I wouldn't end up in Asia, but I still worried. However, after finally making it to my gate in Charlotte NC and getting settled in for my international flight, my nerves settled. I wasn't headed to China, I was headed for Dublin--but more importantly, my best friend. I didn't sleep a wink on the flight, and I'm fairly certain I smiled the whole way.

Ireland is more beautiful than any picture you could ever see, or travel book you could ever read from. It's so beautiful that you can't help but smile when you fly over it's patchwork fields and gentle rolling hills speckled with fuzzy sheep and cows. The air is clearer and crisper than any air I've ever breathed, refreshing and inviting. And the people--oh the people! They're such kind and mild natured people. Every person I had the pleasure of meeting in Ireland was pleasant.



Hugging a friend you haven't been able to embrace in over a year is definitely at the top of my "Best Things Ever" list! After a long flight, luggage claim, and customs checkpoint, I was more than ready to see my girl. I rounded the corner, pushed past a crowd of people and there she was! Standing at the front of the group eagerly waiting for me too. I think I forgot I was rolling two enormous bags behind me when I left them stranded and I flung my arms around my friend. "I can't believe you're really here!" Clara kept saying, the both of us wearing huge smiles as her mom, Jackie, snapped some pictures on her iPhone. Those first few moments were spent hugging over and over while I wiped away tears.

 The next few hours were filled with a car ride from Dublin to County Cork, where Clara lives. It was so amazing to have my best friend in front of me, not on a computer screen. I couldn't stop hugging her. I think we were both in a happy state of shock. But then something happened that still, and probably will always, keep me in even bigger shock. "Look over there!" Clara suddenly said, pointing out the window of the car. I turned and saw some passing buildings in Dublin. I wasn't sure what she was showing me, but I smiled because to me everything looked interesting and new. I turned back to Clara with a confused smile on my face and she flung a piece of folded paper in my lap. I had no idea what was going on, but I could see Jackie from the front seat smiling. I opened the paper, and I honestly, I don't even think I read it fully because the first thing my eyes caught was "...a weekend in London, England..." and I burst into tears. I'll insert the picture of the note now so you can see what I'm talking about and why I started sobbing uncontrollably.

As if something could make my trip more amazing, I was going to London?! With my best friend?! I was so overwhelmed, and too thankful and happy to form proper words. I just cried. Clara hugged me and said something like "Well we have to go because you're already so close!" It had always been my number one dream to go to London. For as long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with all things British. I never, ever, thought I would get to go until I was much older and could afford it. And even then , I wasn't for sure I would be able to! I hadn't even been in Ireland for an hour, and already I was making incredible memories.

Blarney Castle

I spent the next three days in Ireland recovering from jetlag and touring some famous tourist spots. I had to laugh when Clara admitted she had never kissed the Blarney Stone. "But you're Irish?!" I laughed in disbelief. She smiled and said we could do it together. Clara's dad, Aidan, drove us about 45 minutes to Blarney where he dropped the two of us to explore the castle grounds and kiss the stone. I didn't realize, but the Blarney Stone is actually located at the top of Blarney Castle. And it's not really a free standing stone--it's a stone wall. And you have to kiss it upside down. It's said that those who kiss the Blarney Stone "gain the gift of gab". Basically meaning that you kiss a stone and can then talk some convincing BS, haha!

To get to the Stone we had to walk up a tiny, spiraling stone staircase. As you can imagine, it's quite drafty in castles, especially when standing on the roof of one. It was sort of scary making our way to kiss the stone with the wind howling and looking down over the edge to see just how high we really were!
 

Here's Clara (right) and I kissing the Blarney Stone. We had to lay on our backs and slide back to kiss it. There were workers everywhere to help hold people while sliding back because there is a hole that somebody could fall through if not careful!

After walking the stunning castle grounds in Blarney, Clara and I boarded a bus that took us into the city center of Cork. I had never been on a public bus in my life, but Clara had experience taking it to and from school every day since she went to school in the city. We walked a short ways into downtown Cork City and found a delicious Italian cafe to stop and have lunch. Cork is such a neat city! On one corner you can find a unique Irish trinket shop, and on the next you'll find eclectic cafes nestled in between big brand store fronts. Not to mention the lively street performers! The day was overcast, but not a raindrop fell until we boarded a bus back towards home. It was a wonderful day of exploration and culture.

While with Clara I also visited the sea town of Kinsale which is filled with beautiful markets, shops, and delicious restaurants. I loved Kinsale dearly, everything was full of life! The buildings were all painted vivid colors, a stark contrast from the brackish gray water of the harbor. We visited Clara's family who lived in a beautiful house overlooking the harbor. Honestly, the view was breathtaking!

We also ventured to the Old Head of Kinsale, which is the end of the coast where the cliffs drop straight into the sea. This was one of the most spectacular views of my whole trip!

Before I knew it, it was Thursday evening and we were packing for a weekend in London! Even typing "a weekend in London" still feels like a dream to me! We drove to the local Cork airport and boarded our plane for Heathrow airport in London. It may sound super dorky, but even the idea of walking through Heathrow excited me! We landed around 8:30 am in London and made our way to catch the subway, or as the Brits call it, the Tube!

Tickets for the Tube!

Everything about the weekend in London was a surprise; not even Clara or her sister, Andrea, knew what the plans were or where we were even staying! After an hour and a half Tube ride to the business end of London, we got off at the Canary Wharf stop. We walked with our suitcases a good while, the three of us girls having no idea where the Murphy's were taking us. It was around 70 degrees and all of us were hoping to find the hotel soon to change out of our flight clothes. I think my jaw hit the ground when we I saw where we were staying.
The London Four Seasons!!! The three of us girls were so excited, I think my head started spinning! It truly was like a dream. But there was no time to swoon, we had sights to see! First stop was Covert Gardens-- An upscale shopping plaza with open air vendors, designer stores, and 

The first of many phone booth pictures

street performers.

Entrance to Covert Gardens

From Covert Gardens we took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus where we walked the streets and saw many neat shops. We even stopped for frozen yogurt! We walked to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, a stop all of us were very excited about! The National Gallery is an art gallery that sits at the back of the square, and both are massive and impressive. Below are panoramas of both.

I had never had the chance to go to many art museums before, so getting the opportunity to tour the National Gallery was very exciting! I got to see works from Monet, van Gogh, Picasso, Rembrandt, and many others. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. The vast amount of beauty, talent, and history is swoon-worthy! Below is a piece I was definitely not supposed to be taking a photo of...but it was so beautiful! Shhhhhhhhh

From the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square we walked a short distance to the "Mall", which is the road that runs from the western end of London to the eastern end. This way includes famous stops like Downing Street, Buckingham Palace, and Westminster Abbey.

The famous face of Westminster Abbey

In Parliament Square: The buildings Parliament meet in

From Westminster Abbey we made our way to perhaps the most iconic sight to see whilst in London: Big Ben! From Big Ben we made our way to the West Bank to ride the London Eye!

And here's one of my favorite pictures right before we got on the London Eye. Big Ben and Parliament are in the back.

We had a blast riding the London Eye! Andrea, Clara, and I could see all of London! Aidan and Jackie waited eagerly at the bottom for us.

By this time, our first day in London was coming to an end. We ate dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant by the River Thames and the Eye. We were all eager to go to sleep and wake up for another spectacular day!

Day two consisted mostly of shopping on famous streets such as Camden High Street and Oxford Street!

Shopping on Oxford Street

Camden High Street

Clara and I had loads of fun nipping into shops like Urban Outfitters, Zara, and of course Topshop! The whole vibe of London is so different from any other place I've ever been. People dress like you would see in magazines--Posh, elegant, and expensive! It was super interesting to simply stand still and take in all the fashion and culture around you. After shopping for a few hours, we caught a famous double decker bus to Notting Hill where we hoped to do more shopping on the iconic "Portobello Road" which is a street full of vendors and interesting shops. It's also the area of London where the award winning film "Notting Hill" with Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts was filmed.

The day was growing later and later, but we still weren't finished exploring London Town! From Notting Hill we caught our first English taxi. Where were we headed? Harrods Department Store of course!

I could never have imagined a more luxurious place than Harrods! It was extravegent, pricey, and beautiful! Every designer and label I could think of was stocked to the 9's there! Even though I could barely afford a tin of tea, I enjoyed walking around with Clara and Andrea admiring all of the beautiful items. "Maybe one day!" I kept thinking to myself. It was definitely a very interesting place.

The last destination for the day was Buckingham Palace! I filled up my phones memory taking so many selfies in front of the Queens lovely home. Here's one of my favorites!

And of course the best friend had to get in on my selfie action!

Day two in London was a total success!

 Day three started out bright and early with church at Westminster Cathedral (not the Abbey because it's Protestant and only holds service on special occasions). We then did a bit more shopping before making our way over to Tower Bridge--our last London spot. Here's Clara and I with London Bridge!

From London Bridge it was back to the hotel to gather our luggage and head to Heathrow to catch our flight back home to Cork, Ireland.
Leaving London was incredibly sad. I had an amazing time while I was there. But I will say, leaving was made easier knowing I was going back to beautiful Ireland. I cannot thank Clara or her family for a weekend I'll never forget. One day I'll get to go back to London, and who knows--maybe it will be with Clara.

Flying back to Cork

Once back in Ireland we packed up to visit the Murphy's vacation house in Castletownsend, a small village in Southern County Cork. It was about an hours drive, but we made many stops along the way to see sights, take pictures, and go into shops. It was pretty chilly in Ireland, but I loved the brisk weather and cool breeze! Everything about being in Ireland was fresh and exciting. I really do think that when you're some place new it's much easier to pick up on everything that makes a place beautiful. The grass grew thick and lush, the clouds were puffed into the whitest clusters I had ever seen and were nestled plumply in the sky. The wild flowers bloomed in the palest shades of purple and yellow, dotting the fields like kisses of color. Even the sheep looked delighted just to be wandering through the vast fields of endless clover and greenery.

We stopped in the town of Clonakilty: a place famous for their black pudding. Jackie eagerly bought some for me to try the next morning with breakfast.


We also stopped in some pretty neat towns to check out shops (mainly so I could buy my brothers and family presents). We had tea at a quaint cafe. I had tea and gooseberry cake, while Clara munched on a scone and pear juice. I loved having tea every day. It's something I already miss so much about my time in Ireland. There were so many wonderful cafes!

 We had fun driving around County Kerry and seeing the beautiful landscape, as well as taking pictures with funny signs we saw.

Exploring Kerry was extremely fun! We had "typical" Irish weather which consisted of dampness and misty rain, but I loved every second of it! We took a horse and buggy ride around an old manor in Kerry, and our tour guide's accent was so thick that I had trouble understanding him. The Irish accent is really cool--it can be sing-songy in certain parts of the country, but brogue and thick in others. I find it very comforting. I kept trying to do the accent and Clara and Andrea would give me words to say to practice. The main word I had trouble pronouncing was "pasta". Irish people pronounce it was "paaa-staa-ah", but Americans (or at least Italians) pronounce it "past--uh" with a long "a" sound. Anyways, it's pretty difficult for me to say it in an Irish accent, haha. I never did get it just right.

That night back in Castletownsend we explored the harbor and quite streets. The town probably has 200 residents at most, and the serene setting is the perfect place to relax and explore.While there I also had my very first "Irish pint"! Of course I was excited to get my hands on an tall glass of Guinness, but Jackie told me I would also have to try a glass of Murphy's--a popular Cork brew. Knowing that a whole pint was probably out of my league, I opted for a more lady-like glass of both beers. However, that didn't stop me from asking some random man to take a picture with his pint! What? I had to get a classic "pint picture"! I wasn't about to come home without a picture of me and a pint--what would I brag to my brothers and dad about?!

Me and my "borrowed" pint

Clara even had a few sips of the beer with me, it was great! The pub was about half full, all of the other guests were gathered around the TV screens cheering on Germany in a World Cup match. All in all, I can't wait to go back to Ireland
and have some more pub experiences.

On our last day in Castletownsend we relaxed and had tea, as well as a picnic lunch in the small town of Baltimore. We walked out to the cliffs with the iconic town's beacon to see some views and take some pictures. It was pretty chilly, and I was definitely thankful for me rain coat and scarf.

Like I said before, pictures of Ireland can never really show just how beautiful it is. Being there in person was surreal and breathtaking. I especially loved any time we were by the water. The stark contrast of the green earth plummeting into the dark sea is spectacular! I was so sad to have to say goodbye to such beauty when I left.

Before I knew it, my two weeks abroad were coming to an end. My last few days were spent watching movies with Andrea and Clara, and meeting some of Clara's friends. On my last day I went to tea with Clara and her friends Ava and Fiona. It was really cool to meet girls my age and relate to the things they deal with in their lives, even though we're from different parts of the world! Our afternoon of tea was spent with delicious cakes and many laughs.

That evening I put off packing my bags, simply because I was too sad to think of leaving. Clara and I were going to be waking up at 1:45 am to catch the 3 am bus to Dublin Airport. Saying goodbye to Clara's mom and sister was difficult, they had been so welcoming and kind from the moment I had arrived. The next few hours moved in a blur. Before I knew it I was hugging Aidan, Clara's dad, goodbye and boarding the airport shuttle with Clara.

I'm not going to go into detail about my flights back home or my goodbye with Clara, it makes me too sad to think about. It's incredibly difficult to say goodbye to somebody you love so much, and not know when you'll be seeing them next. But here I am, safe and sound back home. In a way, I feel like a new person. I've now seen parts of the world some people will only ever see in photographs. I've experienced new cultures and people, all while enjoying it with my best friend. I can't say enough how thankful I am to have had this experience. The biggest thank you in the world to Clara and her family for their kindness and generosity. Thank you Murphy's for opening your hearts and home to me.

Clara, if you're reading this, thank you for an amazing trip and the lifelong memories. I'll never have another friend like you. I love you with my whole heart.

So that was my trip in a nutshell. I must have over 1000 pictures from Ireland and England, meaning I'll probably do another post in the future to talk about more specific events from the trip. I'm also hoping to make a scrapbook very soon. I hope you enjoyed this post, and I look forward to writing more very soon.

-Sarah x