Seeing Green

No, not envy, Ireland!

This past weekend was spend frolicking in the land of luck in celebration of M's 20th birthday!

The trip could have started off a little smoother, as both M and I had to deal with massive delays. But, after long, sleepless hours spent at the airport, we were in Dublin - dead tired. We tried to make the day last as long as possible, distracting ourselves with dinner and a walk around the city, but were were just too pooped to do anything too exciting. That is, until we came across a "Ghost Bus Tour." (Which if you say over and over, just starts to sound like "Ghostbuster"). This nighttime adventure carted us around Dublin while giving us a taste of the darker side of the city's history. It ended up being pretty fun, despite the twenty something wasted Irish women who were on the tour as a "team building" exercise. This definitely made for an interesting evening..

Friday was an early morning as we hopped on a bus and headed toward the west coast to Galway. We really lucked out with weather and got to spend a beautiful, sunny day on the coast. This city is a real taste of Ireland - your token cathedrals and tourists sights, of course, but mostly just beautiful views of the water and the hills and a coast lined with little houses and intertwining streets. We almost capped off the day with a visit to the aquarium but realized that, as much as we are kids at heart, when the ticket prices are listed in "family bundles," we were too old for this type of fishy fun.

Coast of Galway

Saturday was all about Dublin. A hop on-hop off bus helped us get around the entire city and take in sights such as Christ Church Cathedra, St. Patrick's, Trinity College, among others.

Dublin Castle - Near Temple Bar

Perhaps the greatest of all these sights, however, was the Guinness Storehouse. A seven-floor adventure that takes you through the ingredients, production process, history and advertising of Guinness. M and I even learned the art of pouring the "perfect pint" of Guinness and got to enjoy our beautiful work while looking out over the city.

Sunday, celebration of M's birth, was basically spent running around the city in hot pursuit of an Ireland rugby jersey for M. We frantically attempted to find every sporting goods store in the Stephen's Green vicinity. Totally ridiculous, but a very "N and M" way to end the trip. We finally found the prized jersey...at the sports store in the airport...

Goodbye is never easy, but only two more weeks until M and I meet again in Morocco!