Ireland - land of rain, castles, music and beauty.

After three months of being apart, my family flew to England to visit me! I was so excited to see them and share my adventures. We spent the first two days of their visit with our British family members. On Easter Sunday, we attended a family get together complete with an Easter egg hunt! I was able to meet relatives that I've only been able to contact via internet. After hearing about them through my Nana's stories, it was wonderful to finally be able to spend time with them in person. Everyone was so nice, and we had a great time.

The following Monday, my parents, sister, cousin and I headed to Ireland! We flew via Ryanair with very little problems. The flight only lasted thirty minutes. After hearing horror stories about the airline, we were rather nervous. However, I'm happy to report that we didn't run into any issues. We did have a bunch of rowdy Irish youths on our flight, but that's a story for another time...

I loved our accommodation. Our room was fantastic, and the staff was so incredibly friendly. We made friends with the night porter, Brian. He was such a helpful, sweet man!

We stayed at Staunton's on the Green. I would highly recommend it! Our room had a view of St. Stephen's Green, a beautiful park in the center of Dublin. In order to get to the main attractions of Dublin, we had to walk through the park. It was so beautiful, and the walk was a great way to start the day.

Our second day in Ireland was probably my favorite. We took a rail tour to see the Cliffs of Moher. The tour was incredible; we went to so many beautiful places. From Dublin, we took a train to Limerick. From Limerick, we headed to Bunratty Castle.

After taking a tour of the castle, we made our way to the stunning Cliffs of Moher. I couldn't get over the incredible view. My sister, cousin and I kept walking around in awe.

The rail tour took the entire day. We were exhausted by the end of it, but I definitely think it was worth the time. The day after seeing the Cliffs, we decided to have a more laid back day. We took a hop-on hop-off bus tour of Dublin. While my parents and sister went to the Guinness Factory, my cousin and I went to Kilmainham Gaol, a former prison. It holds so much history; many leaders of the Irish rebellion were imprisoned and executed there. It is seen as an important part of Irish history due to its ties with Ireland's struggle to gain independence from Britain.

The following day, we headed off to kiss the Blarney Stone. Blarney was so beautiful! I could have spent all day there. We climbed up to the top of the castle and got in line to kiss the stone. In order to do this, you need to lie on your back and practically bend backwards over the edge of the castle. My mom almost didn't go through with it, but in the end, she overcame her fears and was able to kiss the stone. :) Everyone in line gave her a round of applause haha.

Our time in Ireland ended too quickly. We flew back to England and spent the remaining day with family once again. We went to a pub and shared family stories and old pictures. It was fantastic. I was able to see old pictures of my Nana that I had never seen before. We had an absolutely amazing time with everyone, and I wish my family could have stayed longer. Our farewells came too soon. I loved seeing my family, and their visit was incredible. :)

Now I shall leave you with this youtube clip of a lovely Irish song. Our driver sang this to us while we were on the hop-on hop-off bus tour. It has been stuck in my head ever since. Enjoy!