Ireland, you blew me away (literally)!

       Have you ever seen those gaudy T-shirts that read, "The Luck of the Irish" on them along with people saying it if they have any Irish blood in them? Well, you would think that being in Ireland, where there is a plethora of Irish people, you would assume to have some good luck while there. Well let me tell you friends, that was not the case for me. Each day I had an unlucky moment that was both embarrassing and sort of humiliating. So lets start from the beginning and hopefully you will get some laughs out of my face palm moments.

      
       So the three of us (Kelsey, Adrienne, and I), headed off on Friday (October, 24) for the Gatwick Airport in London to take us to Ireland!

After getting there around 4:30, we had some troubles with figuring out the bus system and we really didn't know where our apartment was that we were staying at, so we defiantly had to rely on the help of others to help us out. By the time we had left the airport, I had already asked 6 people for help and that's impressive if you ask me. We were told we needed to switch buses to get to the city of Rathmines (where we were staying) which is around a 30 minute walk from the Dublin city center. Again, I asked for help and we soon found ourselves on the correct bus heading in the right direction. Thanks to a lovely local that was on our bus, she was able to pinpoint where our apartment was, how to get there, and where good places to eat were.

So our accommodations were through a site called airbnb.com and it has truly been a lifesaver for us. Instead of staying in expensive hotels or creepy hostels, you go on this website, put in the city you want to stay in, and up pops peoples places you can stay, the price, pictures, and other information. I highly recommend this site to anyone wanting to do some traveling on a tight budget. So we met up with Katie (the renter) at her apartment where she showed us around her place and soon gave us the keys.

By then, it was time to eat. 

So the place we were told we had to go to that had the best burgers around was called "Jo Burger". It was a really cool restaurant where they used children books to hold their menu choices and each light above was a different style. The best part was of course, the burgers. Now men, again I will say this to you. Don't ever doubt the amount of food a woman can eat after not having food for 6 hours. I devoured my burger and did not care one bit if I wasn't a lady while eating it (sorry mom). 

Conquered it.

Now for my unlucky moment of the day:
While waiting for our food and taking in the decor, we noticed that each table had a bottle of ketchup on it. But it didn't look like ketchup and so Kelsey decided to open it a little and it started bubbling to the top like a shaken bottle of soda would do. It was strange, but we left it alone since our food had arrived. I waited till I was done with my food, but during the whole meal, I was wondering what it could be. So as would any curious person do, I opened it. Well let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, I found out pretty quickly what was in that bottle as the contents soon shot out of the bottle and all over me. It didn't just get on my shirt though, oh no! It got in my hair, all over the table, on my rain coat that was laying next to me, and even on my pants. I will admit that some words were said by me in frustration and embarrassment, but it was justifiable. I was now a smelling acidic sauce that has still yet to be discovered since my mind was on other things than finding out what it was from then on. 

It's funny now, but I was ticked when it happened and Kelsey and Adrienne just kept on laughing and taking pictures. I'm glad I was able to give them a memory we will always remember (at least I will). We then headed to bar Katie also recommended to us called Black Bird. The decor was very unique. It basically looked like a hodgepodge of stuff you find at a garage sale or at Goodwill. All of the chairs were different styles from one being a picnic chair, to the next being a nice dinning room chair, and another looking like a throne. They also had a bed randomly placed on a platform. It was very weird.   

After we had our pint, we were exhausted and ready to go home since we had to get up the next day super early (like 5) to catch our tour bus that would take us to the Cliffs of Moher!

So, I am not a morning person and when I have to be up by 5 to walk 30 minutes in the cold to meet a tour bus, I need coffee. You would think that the local Starbucks would have been open at 6, but sadly, they were not. Luckily, the McDonalds right next door was open, so we opted for that. It wasn't as great of coffee as Starbucks, but it was something.

Me sad that Starbucks isn't open.

On the tour bus, ready to head to the Cliffs of Moher!

We got on the bus and had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. I got to sleep in that time until we got to our first stop which was King Johns castle. It is on the River Shannon which is the longest river in Ireland. We then headed back onto the bus and drove into County Clare (sadly it's spelled wrong, but oh well). 

The River Shannon!

Clare Castle! I have my own castle!!

We then finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher and by golly were they still beautiful from the last time I was there with my choir!

Top 2 Photos: At the Cliffs of Moher in 2012 and 2014
Bottom 2 Photos: At Dublin castle in 2012 and 2014

It was super windy!

Lots of wind!

Such a beautiful view!

Sitting on the edge of the Cliffs!

Rebellious moment #2

 After getting our hair tossed around there, we then headed off to the Mini Cliffs. They were smaller cliffs (hence the name), but still had the same wind effect if not more powerful. 

After our hair was officially tangled to no repair, we then set off to an abandoned Abby called Cock and Row Abby. Ireland has a lot of abandoned Abby's around the place and this would be due to King Henry the 8th ridding Ireland of Catholicism. He basically gave the nuns a few months to pack up and go.

Now for my embarrassing moment of the day:
I stepped in dog poop. 
At the Abby. 
Where there was even a sign posted. 
And I still got the short end of the stick.
Cool.

Some people don't know how to read or listen to directions!

We then stopped off at a family owned chocolate shop and bought a bar to split between the 3 of us. It was really yummy!

Hazel Mountain Chocolate Store

The final stop was Dunguaire Castle. On the way walking there, some random dog started following Kelsey (whom she later named Skippy). We don't think he was homeless because he looked pretty well fed and taken care for but he soon got bored of Kelsey and turned around and walked the other way.

Kelsey and "Skippy"

The castle from off in the distance!

Kelsey trying to open up her umbrella in the rain and wind

Let's just say that umbrella no longer works.....

These 2 tried to walk around the castle. It looked slippery so I didn't go. Good thing too because both of them fell and got mud all over themselves.

TA DA!!

We then hopped back on for our 3 hour bus ride back to Dublin. When we arrived we were of course hungry. So finding a place to eat was next on the agenda. We started off by walking back towards our apartment, but we got a little lost, and I had to ask a nice patrol guy to point us in the right direction. We ended up at a little Italian place with fantastic food. We ate it all and then headed across the street to a bar called "The Vine". The three of us sat together and just talked about what the highlights of our adventure have been so far and stuff we still can't wait to do. It was then time to go home. Our beds were calling our names.

Kelsey having a hard time picking something from the menu, even with our waitresses help.

The next day was dedicated to seeing Dublin and all that it holds. We didn't have to get up as early, but Starbucks was needed and luckily it was open this time! Huzzah!

We first walked to Dublin Castle. It was weird because I remembered going there my freshman year of college with Kammerchor. It was such a flash back for me, and I took a moment to just thank God for being able to come to Ireland twice! It was so cool seeing it again!

Time Warp! Even with growing older, you never truly grow out of being weird. Check!

We then walked to St. Patricks Cathedral. Since it was Sunday, we weren't able to go in unless we were going to stay for mass... and since none of us are catholic... we just took some photos.

We then headed off to visit the famous Guinness Factory and to take a tour! So these are self led tours so you can take as long as you want. It's very interactive and the whole place is a huge Guinness glass! At the end of the tour, you get your free glass of Guinness to drink in their their 360 degree lounge which is above the whole factory. It is magnificent up there and a great way to see all of Dublin.

About to start the tour!

I do not like these in my beer...

In the sensory room, they tell you how to properly drink a Guinness beer along with taking time to taste all the flavors.

Learning how to properly pour a Guinness

The 360 Lounge

Guinness!

The view! Absolutely breathtaking!

So we all had a wonderful time there, but we had to keep moving since our plane was leaving at 6 and we still needed to check some things off our list. So we quickly walked to the Jameson Distillery since Kelsey had to get some gifts, we had lunch, shopped for a little bit, and then it was time to head back to the Dublin airport.

Shops

Now for my unlucky moment of the day: 
I never have problems going through airline security. I just want to get in and get out. I know the system and I am proficient at it. Shoes off, belt off, computer out of bag, fluids in a liter bag, everything out of your pockets, and jacket off. 
I have it down, and usually I have no worries....unless I go through the scanner and it beeps at me because we all know what that means. Yes, a pat down. This means someone first has to tell you that they need to search you for anything you might be hiding from them and then the inevitable embarrassment happens. That's right ladies and gentlemen. I got felt up...in public...by a woman....lucky me..... I was ready to go home.

Got to sit right next to the propeller.

We made it back, yet still had an hour train ride back to London. My phone was dead, but luck finally did come to me. My crappy UK phone that I got to communicate with Kelsey and Adrienne allows you to listen to the radio. Who knew that a crappy Nokia phone would be able to bring so much joy! It was a true lifesaver! I could now listen to UK pop songs (which I didn't know) or the daily news!

So Ireland was full of wrong turns, backtracks, and learning points. I counted, and throughout the whole trip, I asked a total of 14 strangers for help (High-five to me)! 
Yeah, I had some mishaps along the way, but they have made some everlasting memories for me. It was great to see some of the same things I saw with my choir 3 years ago and it made me realize how great God is and how blessed I am. Ireland was really windy, but that won't keep me from coming back again someday!

Yours truly,
The outgoing, unlucky (at times), and sarcastic
Claire Utech