nickolasandlinda

The Aberdeen B&B, Outside of Dublin. The door of a church near the Aberdeen

A rainy day on the coast of the Irish Sea, the first day we just walked around near our B&B and saw the coast and some small nearby towns

We had coffee and hot chocolate and then dinner in a nearby town called Sandymount

The next day we had breakfast before heading into Dublin
A Traditional Irish Breakfast: eggs over easy, bacon, sausage, ham, fried tomatos & mushrooms, white and black puddings, toast, tea, orange juice...

...and a buffet of cereals, breads, scones, fruit, yogurt, etc. etc. etc. Whew!!
Then we went into Dublin and saw Trinity College and the Book of Kells: ca. 800 AD

Then we saw Christ Church Cathedral which is the Cathedral for the city of Dublin

The door to Christ Church Cathedral -we didn't go in b/c it cost

We did go into St. Audoen's Church -built between 1181 and 1212, it's still a working church but part of it is in ruins

St. Patrick's Cathedral -the cathedral for the country of Ireland
This cost too, so we just went back for Evensong so we could see the inside

Then we took a hop-on/hop-off bus tour that was constantly running around the city
This was one of the many beautiful bridges crossing the River Liffey

Then after our day in Dublin, we drove across the country to the west coast
We stopped in Athlone and saw the River Shannon -the longest river in Ireland
Athlone also boasts of the oldest bar in Ireland -900 AD

Some of the Irish Countryside at sunset

Our huge suite at the Ballynahinch Castle (it was bigger than our apartment is now!)

View from our room. The back of the Ballynahinch

We took a walk around the grounds of the Ballynahinch

A kissing reflection The grounds of the Ballynahinch

The grounds of the Ballynahinch The Ballynahinch boathouse

The front of the Ballynahinch Castle

The Kylemore Abbey. We happened upon a sign for it and drove out to see it. It promised English gardens and teatime...
Well the view was breathtaking! We passed on the cafeteria tea and costly gardens though, still it was one of my favorite finds

There were thatched roofs and sheep everywhere in Ireland

Looking towards the Aran Islands and the Atlantic Ocean beyond

Irish Countryside

We stopped at a pub and had dinner in the small coastal town of Clifden

Then we went to a different pub and to listen to traditional Irish music
One of the best nights of our trip!
We went back the next day to see Clifden in the daytime, it was a great little town

The final day on the west coast we drove to see the cliffs of Moher.
These are shots of the Irish countryside on the way there, showing the rock walls that crisscross the entire countryside of Ireland