A trip to the Emerald Isle (Pt. 1)

If you’d have told me months ago that I would finally touch Irish soil, experience the vastness and beauty of the country, the kindness of its people, and the euphoria of being near the Atlantic… I would have called you crazy.

I originate from Europe, and have always wanted to go back to visit, eventually even move back. But life had a way of always getting in the way when I planned a trip, and it never happened. I had almost started to despair, when my husband and I took a leap of faith and bought our tickets back in June.

Despite this, perhaps because of how much I had wanted the trip, it did not feel real. Not until the moment we got on the plane and took off, did I finally dare to believe my luck. About 1000 different scenarios of why we’d be unable to get on the plane swirled in my mind: issues with our dog boarding, flat tire (we were driving from Ottawa to NYC), missing documents, unable to pass security check… you name it!

But we made it on to our Aer Lingus flight and I was ecstatic. A few details here, then I will follow up with pictures and a play by play on our trip 😁
– the flight company we went with was Aer Lingus, and their staff was AMAZING, the food was great on the plane, overall amazing experience
– Our trip was for 8 days so we rented a car from Dan Dooley at the Shannon airport. It has to be, hands down, the best experience with car rental. The check-in/check-out was seamless, barely 5 minutes, the car was AMAZING, and staff super friendly.
– Our lodging: we used The Inn at Dromoland for the first night, followed by 3 Bed&breakfasts places we booked via the  http://www.bandbireland.com website (Carrigane House in Adare, Castle Farm near Youghal, Corrib View Countryhouse near Oughterard). Our stay at all three was top notch, the food superb, and the people in charge just lovely!! We had a view of the Atlantic at the last 2 b&bs that was simply spectacular!

And now, onto the highlights of the trip!!

NOTE: Because GR does not have the same capabilities as my blog, please go to www.alexawhitewolf.com/blog/ to view the full post with tons of pictures!