I can’t believe we are already halfway through our trip and it somehow manages to keep getting better! On Saturday we took a day trip to the Rock of Cashel, the Blarney Castle, and the Cahir Castle. I enjoyed having lots of time to explore the castles on our own and they were all unique in their own ways. When we arrived at our second stop, the Blarney Castle, we headed straight to get in line to kiss the stone. Some friends and I waited for nearly two hours, but we kept each other occupied and time passed surprisingly quickly! I actually enjoyed exploring the interior of the castle and navigating the incredibly steep and narrow staircases. I’m not sure what I expected the stone to look like, but I never would have imagined laying down backwards and lowering myself down to the stone in order to kiss it. It was definitely an unforgettable experience and I’m so glad I decided to wait in line.
Sunday was one of my favorite days that I have had here so far! My roommates and I took advantage of our free day and explored more of Dublin. We began our day at the Blackrock Farmer’s Market which was completely hidden behind buildings on the main street. There were so many small shops with handmade clothes, jewelry, and food. It was a really cool experience, and if we had not researched it before, I never would have known it existed. We then went swimming at The Forty Foot in Dún Laoghaire! After hearing all the locals rave about it for weeks, I knew we had to make the trip and it exceeded my expectations. The water was a crisp 60 degrees which surprisingly didn’t bother me at all, and we were having so much fun swimming and cliff jumping. We then found another farmers market located in a park where a bunch of locals were dancing to music on the lawn. The atmosphere, beautiful weather, and friends made this an amazing day.
Class on Monday was super interesting, and I really enjoyed our time at the Guinness Storehouse! While the Guinness was not the best I’ve ever had, the views from the Gravity Bar and people made it super fun. I am so excited to explore Belfast and Derry this weekend!
Sunday was by far one of my favorite days here too! I had such an amazing time swimming, even with the freezing water! I’m so glad we got to experience that together.