IRELAND

The nice thing about living in Morocco is that it is so close to Europe!! For our last break of the school year, five other teachers and I headed off to Ireland. And it was amazing!

Our flights there were a little tight but we made it and arrived in Dublin Saturday night. Stepping off the plane into an airport where I could read every sign and understand almost every conversation around me was almost overwhelming! We didn't really know how to get our hostel for the night, but since we could read signs and ask other people around us it was easy to figure it out. (Hearing/Seeing English just may have been my favorite part of the trip!)

Megan, Cherith, and I by the rope bridge

First thing Sunday morning we went on a bike tour of the city! I think am going to do these more often when I travel because it was a great way to see different sites, we got some tips from locals, good exercise, and it oriented us to the city (kind of!). Dublin's city center was surprisingly smaller than I imagined, but like most European cities, it had tons to explore. We spent the rest of the day wandering the city. Sunday night, Cherith and I went to a comedy club in one of the pub's....If you ever go to Dublin, check out this show. Best part...it was free! 
 
On Monday we left on a tour of Northern Ireland. We stayed in Belfast the first day and were educated on some of the tension that still exists in the Northern Ireland. I honestly had very little knowledge of Ireland's history but the tours we went on were really informative and interesting. The city is divided by a huge wall and each side keeps to their own- except for the stray rock or object tossed over.

Rope Bridge

Giant's Causeway

Tuesday, we went to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and the Giant's Causeway! Both on the Northern coast, both beautiful! I even enjoyed the drive to the these places. Plenty of green pastures and cozy little homes. Sheep that were actually white and fluffy! Horses that did not look like skeletons. It was great to be in the country again! It was also considerably more cold there than in Morocco...but again, being from Michigan, it felt like home! I think I enjoyed the chilly weather a little too much!

Galway

After exploring the coasts, we landed in Derry (or Londonderry) for the evening. Another divided city, but this time by a river. We explored the city and crossed the Peace Bridge connecting the two sides. The next day we headed down to Galway, but sadly we were only there for a few hours before leaving our tour and heading back to Dublin.

Thursday, some of the girls I was with went to the Cliffs of Moher on the Western side, but I stayed back to see more of Dublin. It was a rainy day, which we really upset about! It had been blue skies and beautiful up to this point. We ventured out in hopes of seeing all the major things in Dublin. But since it was Cherith and I, it didn't take long to get lost! Thankfully, we could just ask anyone for directions because they understood us and we understood them! (Really, this was a big deal!)

Rainy Day in Dublin!

Churches! (not mosques!)

We did manage to see most of the things we wanted to see until our feet couldn't handle it anymore! We opted for a relaxing night of going to bed early! (lame, I know, but it was our break too, not just a vacation!). Friday was our last day in Ireland, and most of us went to the Guinness Storehouse...when in Ireland, you know! It was a pretty typical brewery/tour but it did end with an awesome 360 degree view of the city! That was pretty cool! After the tour, we hunted down all our favorites we can't find here in Morocco to stock up on! We got some pretty funny looks for being so excited about pop-tarts, reese's, and Subway but when it's been months since you've had one it totally worth it! Even if you don't really like it, you still get excited! Friday night, we went on a Musical Pub Crawl. We got to hear some old Irish tunes from the 'only real pubs' left in Dublin. It was a nice way to end the week!

Saturday was just sad. We ate breakfast and headed to the airport. None of us were really excited to leave. I certainly wasn't! Everywhere we went there was such a peace and comfort.  Everyone was kind and cheery and funny! With an accent of course! It was the closest thing to home I have felt in a long while! I would love to return to Ireland....there is still more to see!