The next day we spent wandering around Dublin checking out the different shops and the different statues scattered around the city. It was fun to actually know where I was most of the time, even though navigating from place to place was often a bit circular rather than direct.
We found the hedge maze in the Iveagh Gardens, but Dad and I let Mom, Kyle, and Jo Ann navigate it:
That night we went to a dinner theater show in Howth with traditional music and dancing. It was fun, but don't talk to Dad about the Baileys coffee. He probably still holds a grudge since Mom and I didn't take ours.
The next day we went out to Bru na Boinne, which includes Knowth and Newgrange, massive Neolithic passage graves. It was one of the coolest things I've seen in Ireland, and I definitely thought it was more impressive than Stonehenge. I also enjoyed the many labels they had in front of different trees since it helped my Horticulture project quite a bit (I had to photograph and identify 15 different types of trees or bushes).
Newgrange:
On top of the main mound at Knowth:
In front of a secret escape route (possibly) at Knowth:
Some of the ancient art at Knowth:
Kyle's closed eyes take away from what was a nice picture:
At least closed eyes are better than this face:
Mom and Dad at Newgrange:
Inside the passageway at Newgrange:
The evening we went to Howth, a tiny fishing town outside of Dublin. We walked up to a group of people gathered by the harbor and saw that they were feeding a couple of seals! It was pretty cool to see them outside of an exhibit at an aquarium.
Kyle likes to think she's on Deadliest Catch:
The next day we met Kathy and Noreen and took the scenic route to Limerick so that we could stop in Tipperary.
Jo Ann, Dad, and I played some Tetris to fit everything into the car for the ride to Limerick (mind you, this is just the front seat):
A majority vote meant Dad sat in the backseat:
Despite having 6 backseat drivers, Mom did a fantastic job of ferrying everyone around all week:
We stopped at the Rock of Cashel, the ruins of an old fortress, and took shifts climbing into driving wind to the top of the hill that the castle is on. The view from the top made it clear why they chose that place for a military fortress. You could see for miles!
Some views of the castle itself:
I unfortunately had class for the rest of the time everyone was visiting, so I would go to my lectures in the morning and then meet back up for dinner (eating proper dinners for an entire week was such a treat!). The one day I did have relatively free we went to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.
How many Mitchells and Keanes does it take to actually get to the castle? (Dad was looking at a map too, but he was too far away to get in the same frame)
What you can't see in this picture is that Kyle is trying to step on my foot:
If I lived in a castle, I don't think I'd ever get tired of the view. However, I'm not sure how often I'd brave the steep, winding stairs in order to actually see the view.
Mom takes her place on the throne:
I think Kyle's favorite part of the day were the animals:
In her defense, the rooster was a bit intimidating:
Dad and Jo Ann tried to act like natives by ordering Guinness. Kyle had to help them finish it.
And so ended the first of what will hopefully be several trans-Atlantic family vacations!
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