IRELAND!

Sorry, I've been behind on my posts. I've been extremely busy with work. Anyway, I am so excited because today (Nov. 2nd) I am leaving for Ireland. My friend, Sarah, and I are venturing to the Emerald Isle to visit my cousins and his family. I will update my blog when I return. :)

(Me and Sarah)

Ireland was so beautiful! I have always dreamed of going there and it lived up to my expectations. My sister, Katie, studied abroad in Dublin and ever since hearing her stories, I've wanted to go.

Our trip started November 3rd. Sarah and I rented a car and drove to Frankfurt. Frankfurt is about 6 hours away. We flew out of there because Ryan Air does not fly out of Munich (which is only an hour away). So we road tripped it! It seemed like a good idea, until my friend, Bob, informed me that Ryan Air flies out of Salzburg, which is only a 2 hour train ride away. Whatever, it gave Sarah and I a chance to really get to know each other. We left at midnight and started our journey. The autobahns are pretty clear at night, so we made it there in about 5 hours. We dropped off our rental car and headed to the airport. Man, we were exhausted! Our flight was only 30 euro a piece (ROUND TRIP!). An hour later, we landed in Dublin. I do not recommend flying Ryan Air if you are over 5'8''. I am 5'10" and Sarah is 5'1". I had to sit sideways in my chair, while Sarah slept comfortably to my left. The seats also do not recline, but hey I'm not complaining, my flight came out to only about $40.

When we arrived in Dublin, we took the city bus to Galway (where my cousins live). We were greeted by my cousin's wife, Elaine, James and Ben (ages: 2 1/2 and infant). We took a much needed nap and Elaine cooked us a delicious home-cooked meal. Then, Mark took us out on the town in Dublin. We had a blast visiting real Irish pubs!

The second day, we were so exhausted that we just relaxed at Mark's. We needed a day of recovery after our driving all night excursion.

The third day, Sarah and I explored Galway and Bray. They are both beautiful, quaint coastal towns south of Dublin. We shopped, people watched, and walked around. It was a nice relaxing day. That night we just relaxed with my cousins and watched movies and drank wine. Poor little Ben was sick! He just could not sleep.

The fourth day, we got up and went with Elaine to take James to cresh (his day care). James loves his cresh. He is so adorable when he talks about it. He told us about a bunch of the activities he does there. It was so cute, in his little Irish accent! After dropping him off, Elaine drove us into Dublin. The traffic was insane. I thought Germans didn't know how to drive! I was wrong. It was also my first experience driving on the wrong side of the road. A wee bit scary! While we were in Dublin, we visited Trinity College, St. Stephen's Green, and shopped! I did buy a really cute jacket from Top Shop while I was there. We went to Temple Bar and went to "The Temple Bar" for a beer. Yes, Mom, you would be proud of me: I drank a Guinness!!! Then, Sarah and I ate dinner at Gallagher's Boxty House (a recommendation by my sister). Delish. We came back to Galway and Mark took us out to a couple of local pubs.

The last day (Friday), we left extremely early and took the bus to the airport. Our flight was at 6 AM. We got to Frankfurt and rented another car to take home. We thought we forgot the directions back to Garmisch, but luckily I found them in my bag. That morning was a little stressful trying to speak to speak in English to German Europacar associates who do not really understand English. We finally made it back to Garmisch after about 6 hours in the car. We had such a wonderful trip! Thank you Mark and Elaine!!! :)