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Ireland

Strolling around Dublin after stashing our bags @ the Hotel.
Trinity College, Dublin: Founded in 1592!
Walking around Trinity College.
Statue of Sir John Gray, Irish Nationalist, Physician and Politician.
390ft Tall, The Spire of Dublin is hard to miss.
Sampling some of Ireland's finest @ the Whiskey Museum in Dublin.
View from our Hotel Balcony. We stayed @ the Fitzwilliam which was located right next to St.Stephen;s Green and Grafton St.
Walking around the Temple Bar area, Dublin.
City Hall, Dublin (left).
I like the tri color paint scheme here. Unlike London and other European capitals, you will find very few skyscrapers here. Instead you will find plenty of brick buildings which adds to the charm.
Dublin is a city divided by the River Liffey. Most of the tourist attractions are on the South Side.
Somewhere in Dublin.
A Bridge across the River Liffey, Dublin.
Beautiful Architecture around the Temple Bar area, Dublin.
It's more than a bit touristy, but the streets surrounding the Temple Bar area are worth a walk.
..There's even a Hard Rock Cafe..
Walking around the Temple Bar neighborhood in Dublin.
This Public House has been around 1840. In case you are wondering the neighborhood was named Temple Bar long before the Pub opened its doors.
If you are a fan of the dark brew, the Guinness factory is not to be missed!
At the end of the self guided tour, you get to have a drink at the aptly named Gravity Bar, offering you a nice Panoramic view of Dublin.
Inside the Guinness Storehouse.
St.Stephen's Green, Dublin.
The fountain of the Three Fates, St Stephen's Green, Dublin.
Commissioned in 1956, this statue was sent over by the German Federation to express their gratitude to the Irish for their help and generosity after WW2 had ended. The Irish put forth great efforts to help German refugees after World War II focusing mostly on helping German children.
Emma enjoying St. Stepen's Green, Dublin.
Going for a walk in the park..
At 22 acres, St. Stephen's Green is one of the largest parks in Dublin, and it's located right across the main shopping area of Grafton St.
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Originally a marshy area that was used for grazing, it was converted into a park back in 1664. Access to this park was restricted to residents only until 1877.
You can see Dalkey Island in the background. Took this snap from a Suburb of Dublin, about 25 mins S. Full of winding narrow roads it was dotted with some rather impressive mansions.
About 30 Minutes south of Dublin, you will find the Powerscourt House and Gardens.
Occupying 47 acres, the house was initially a 13th Century Castle.
In addition to the well manicured Gardens, there is also a fair bit of Woodlands.
And some terrific vantage points from where you can see the Wicklow Mountains.
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The Pepperpot Tower was built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales to Powerscourt.
Looking down from the observation tower.
And finally a glimpse of the Powerscourt House from atop the tower. If you are tired of walking around Dublin, I highly recommend spending an afternoon here.
Powerscourt Waterfall is about 10 minutes drive S of the Gardens.
The Kilkea Castle Hotel & Golf Resort. The Original Castle was built in 1180 but has been updated over the years. We didn't get to stay there this time, but did manage to have dinner at the Restaurant on the grounds.
Dollardstown House. Ireland is full of big Estates. You will find quite a lot of them have been turned into B&Bs. We stayed in this 300 year old country house.
The Wicklow Mountains National Park is not to be missed if you are visiting Dublin. It's about 45 mins South of Dublin and offers some spectacular views of the Wicklow Mountains.
If you like roadtrips and don't mind narrow mountain roads, go for a drive on the Old Military Rd (R115).
Somewhere in the Wicklow Mountains
While not as rugged as Scotland, the Irish country side does have her charms..
Roadtrips are more fun in a Quattro ;)
One of the Six National Parks in Ireland, the Wicklow Mountains compromise roughly 220 sq. km.
While most of the park is in County Wicklow, part of it is located in County Dublin. It's really not that far from the Capital.
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Bring a Jacket. Temperature here can be a bit Chilly, even in Summer.
Glendalough is located in the Wicklow Mountains National Park. Lough = Loch (Lake).
Here you will find ruins of a 6th Century monastic settlement founded by St.Kevin.
The round tower was used to store grain, but also was a place of refuge during times of distress.
St.Kevin's Church.
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The Priest's House
It's about a 30 min walk from the Ruins to the Upper Lake
And the scenery along the way is stunning.
GlendaLough from Irish Gleann Dá Loch, meaning "Valley of two lakes". Here we can see the larger of the two lakes (The Upper Lake)
Surrounded by Mountains, it's a rather picturesque spot. The water is pretty clear as well.
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Glendalough, Co. Wicklow
On our way back we took a different path through the woods. Ireland receives a lot of rainfall every year. Even in the Summer. It is called the Emerald Isle for good reason.
When driving around Ireland, always go for the road less traveled :)
Staying off the motorways is rewarding if you are not pressed for time.
After the Dollardstown House we stayed at the Cliff House, in Ardmore, SE Ireland. As the name suggests, this interesting Hotel is built directly onto a ciff side. Here's the view from our Balcony looking down.
And here's the view looking straight out..
The Cliff House boasts a Michelin Star restaurant, but you can also dine by the Casual dining area shown here. It offers a better view as well :)
Flowers on the property of the Cliff House hotel.
Practically right outside the hotel is the Ardmore Cliff Walk. Here we can see ruins of St.Declan's Church.
THe Ardmore Cliff Walk takes about a 1.5 hours to complete and includes some changes in Elevation.
The views alone are worth it. We walked it twice.
Wildflowers along the Cliff Walk.
It's a bit of a hike at times, but well worth it.
You can also see a Shipwreck here. The Sampson, a Crane Barge ran aground in bad weather in 1987.
Thankfully the crew made it out alright. You can see the crane sticking out on the left.
If you get a Sunny day in Ireland, by all means get outdoors. The color of the water here reminded me of the Caribbean.
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They call it the Cliff Walk for a reason :) The scenery is Fantastic.
If you were wondering what we did with the baby, she was fast asleep in the backpack. The rough terrain meant strollers were not an option.
One of the many Military observation towers built around WW2.
You will find plenty of Wildflowers on the Cliffwalk.
Thought to be built around the 12th Century the round tower of Ardmore is around 30m tall (98ft).
Small Dock in Ardmore, SE Ireland.
After the pampering of the Cliff House we drove to the Western part of Ireland and rented a small cottage by the Sea.
Located in Kilbaha Peninsula, this particular town was so remote that it only had one Bar. If you wanted Heat you had to burn Peat or Firewood.
I'm a big fan of Airbnb for this reason. You get to stay in places with Character.
The Cottage sat on a parcel of land surrounded by the Sea. Here's the view from the Cottage grounds.
It was a rugged sort of place, very windswept. Temps were in the 40's (F) at night, in the Summer.
On rainy days, head for the nearest town. Here's Galway, the third biggest city in Ireland (after Dublin and Cork).
Walking around Galway. All the houses had different color schemes. Something you'd normally see in parts of Scandinavia or the Caribbean.
Not sure whether the Owner of the barge painted it this color after seeing the building on the opp side..
Thankfully we got a break in the Rainy weather the next day and headed off to see the Cliffs of Moher.
If you are visiting Cliffs of Moher, go early as it does get super crowded.
Beautiful vistas all around
If you are a Harry Potter fan, you'd recognize the Cliffs from the Half Blood Prince.
The Cliffs rise about 390ft from the Ocean floor
Just don't get too close to the edge..It's quite windy for one and the cliff edge can be rather clumsy.
Looking Eastward from the Cliffs of Moher. We headed off to Explore Northern Ireland (UK) next.

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