A Sisterly Tour of the Emerald Isle

When my sister came to visit me in Iceland at the end of November,  it was her first trip to Europe!  I know! The concept is so foreign to me.  Anyway, we had long dreamt of exploring Ireland together.  I only had two days off of work that we could make the trip, but we booked our flights from Reykjavik to Dublin and went for it!

The Cliffs of Moher! They were misty, but it was still like something out of a dream!

Dublin was all wrapped up like a Christmas gift!

We left on an early Friday morning and spent the day exploring Dublin.  I had visited Dublin twice before, so I showed my sister around.  There was one major different from my earlier (St. Patrick's Day 2015 and August 2016) trips - the Christmas lights everywhere!

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We also made a stop at St. Stephen's Green and the shopping centre (where I had actually never been before!) in order for my sister to stock up on gifts that said "Ireland" on them.

St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre was certainly in the Christmas spirit!

Lights and arches in every corner

On our second day in Ireland, we took a day tour with RailTours Ireland.  At this point in my travelling, I don't usually opt for group tours, instead preferring to adventure on my own.  Due to the lack of time and our desire to see more of Ireland, we decided on this tour.  And we saw so much of Ireland in one day!  We met at 6:40 AM, hopped on a train, and went as far as Limerick.  Our first stop was Bunratty Castle.  

The dining hall at Bunratty Castle

The castle tour was nice, but I was most excited about the Inis perfume in the gift shop!  I've used this for years, not originally even knowing it was Irish.  It is hard to find, even in Ireland.  Carissa, however, was more excited to meet this pigmy goat!

She eventually parted with the pigmy goat.

We stopped in the small town of Doolin for lunch and then saw the Cliffs of Moher!  I had dreamt of these cliffs for as long as I could remember!  If was misty and rainy, but that only enhanced their appeal.  We then started the trek by coach to Galway.

A quick stop at the Burren

The last stop was Galway, which was all lit up for Christmas and also had a Christmas market of its own.  I loved the town and wanted more time to explore, but after a couple of hours, we went on a train back to Dublin.

The city lights of Galway

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As always, it went by too fast and we wanted to stay in Ireland.  I might be back sooner rather than later though!  I'll keep you guessing for now, but my next post will about my trip to London and Manchester the week before Christmas.