Parent's Visit to the South!

Mom and Dad just visited me last week and we courageously explored the South. It was, to say the least, perpetually thrilling and terrifying, even to the extreme of frustration. Dad had a little trouble with the stick-shift, though to his credit its been forever since he had to drive one (Think back to the VW Rabbit of the early 90's). With that in mind, driving in Ireland is crazy; the driver sits on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road. He was therefore shifting with his left hand while cars were racing past him on the rightside of the car! It was equally terrifying for me, best expressed by the 4 knitting projects I completed in just 6 days. Mom had trouble with the map, and the road signs, but hey none of us can actually read Irish, though for the most part they were in both languages ( the english was just very small!)
We absolutely trekked around the entire country!

Mom and Dad started their journey with a 24 hour international expedition to get to Belfast; then Dad apparently ran them off the road while stalling out a few times before reaching me in Coleraine. They met all of my lovely roommates and we chatted for a bit. Dinner was amazing in Portrush. We stayed in a lovely hotel, which ended up being our favorite for the entire trip! Next day we did the Giant's Causeway, another cold day but thankfully it was clear and beautiful and the bus was running!, and the Bushmills Distillery, where I actually got to taste test the whiskey, which is horrible, but I got a certificate which Mom got busted with getting onto the airplane when leaving; I think they thought it was a bomb (the certificate came in a long gold tube). Oops! Next we made our way to Dublin, which was a nightmare. I sent us down the wrong streets and up one ways going the wrong direction. Truly, I have never felt so stupid/frustrated/angry/helpless etc. in quite some time; I think we all needed to relax. Dad and I went to the famous Temple Bar where he bought me my first alcoholic drink ;), a Guinness of course. Then McGwiggen or something like that thought we were brother and sister and kept kissing my hand in the bar, and asking where my family came from even though we clarified the dad daughter relationship. Oh, good times!

The following day we headed for Kilkenny where we shopped around a bit, ate lunch, and went for a tour in the local castle. Hitting the road again, we made it to Waterford and decided to spend the night! With a quick change of plans, and a great meal at the Wine Bar in Waterford, we went to bed in the Titanicesque hotel. Waterford crystal was the next stop; We had a really thourough tour, and I got to hold the Superbowl trophy! After a bit of shopping and lunch, we progressed on to Killarney! Our bungalow house didn't turn out to be as scary as we thought, there was heat other than with the peat moss fireplace. The next day we did the Ring of Kerry, which was truly spectacular, so Mom, I'm SOO glad we went, thank you SOO much! :) We were able to stop and get some really good photos of the ocean and the cliffs and some of the small towns along the way. Kenmare was especially nice, with great shops and beautiful storefronts. In Sneem, Dad got a great deal on my St. Patty's Day hat with a sheep! Speaking of, we witnessed sheep escaping from their farm! They had broken through a fence and were literally racing down the road away from their home. For miles, we saw various clumps of sheep just hanging out by the side of the road! That evening, we headed to a local Irish pub with great food and traditional Irish music.

On the road again, we stopped within the Killarney National Park to take a quick hike on one of the trails. After some great pictures, and no Inn in site, we headed off to stop at Clonmacnoise to see the Irish High Crosses that I have studied at school. They are really beautiful and an entire museum had been erected to house the originals, while they had produced replicas to stand in the cemetary where the originals had been. We made it to the Connemara coast for a fun evening of pizza and hottubing!

Our final day together was bittersweet. We had such a wonderful week together and the thought of not seeing my parents again for 2 months was especially heartbreaking. We stopped in Sligo and Drumcliffe where another High Cross stands, and is actually the final resting of place of the renowned William Yeats. Stopping again in Donegal city, we got a quick view of the delightful town, and continued to Letterkenny where we did some shopping for my birthday, which delightfully will fall when my Aunt Shirl and Uncle Tom are visiting! The goodbye in Coleraine was painful and full of rain and tears. I hope you guys are doing alright at home! I miss my travel partners already! I hope everyone enjoyed that very through recount of the trip; I figured I'd give you tons to make up for the lack of posts in a while. All my love to everyone at home! Enjoy these beautiful pictures of our trip around Ireland, Megan


First night of their visit! Pictures of the restaurant in Portrush.

Outside of the Bayview Hotel with the breathtaking coastal view!

Giant's Causeway Pictures:



Mom and Dad standing underneath the "Organ"

The Giant's Boot


Honestly, we just couldn't get this shot to work.

Bushmills, sampling the goods.

Outside of the famous Temple Bar in Dublin -- inside Dad bought me my first real drink, a Guinness!

Waterford Crystal Pictures:


Me -- holding the Superbowl Trophy!!

Artists actually can create images etched onto the glass with shoking accuracy!


Road Shots:

The sheep -- all escaping the farm!

Cool old castle Dad and I explored.

Killarney Photos/Ring Of Kerry Trip:

Me being a goofball -- This is the place we stayed in Killarney.

Kenmare with the colorful shop windows!

Killarney National Park:

Killarney Pub:

Clonmacnoise:

Mom giving Dad a present for the scrapbook! I got one too!

Robotic, ultra buff girl signalling the women's restroom.

Remains of a Norman castle

Connemara Coast

Donegal City