Ireland // Connemara & Clifden

On my second to last day in Ireland (and my 28th birthday!) I left Galway and headed toward Connemara peninsula. The drive out there was beautiful - there weren't many cars on the road so I felt like I had the entire place to myself. The golden hills, the sheep crossing the road, the sun peaking through the clouds - it felt like a dream.

Ireland // Dingle Penninsula

As I started planning my trip to Ireland, I knew that I wanted to drive either the "Ring of Fire" or Dingle Peninsula. I was a little too timid to drive the Ring of Fire after hearing about the steep, narrow, busy roads, so I opted for Dingle instead, and I'm so glad I did. The drive from Kilarney to Dingle was adorable, with views of the ocean and green fields alike. I had made a pretty solid playlist before heading to Ireland in preparation for hours in the car by myself, so with Vance Joy's "Mess is Mine" and The Tallest Man on Earth's "Love is All" blasting on repeat, I started on my journey north. 

Ireland // Killarney & Killarney National Park

Like I mentioned in this Ireland post, I planned my Ireland trip on a whim and did minimal research before going. I booked a rental car (which I was TERRIFIED about) and a few nights in random hotels based on booking.com recommendations. My plan was to fly into Dublin then drive across the country to Killarney for 1 night, drive along the Dingle Peninsula and up to Galway on the second day, drive out to Connemara National Park and then stay at the Abby Glen Castle (my birthday!) and then drive back to Dublin on the last day. Looking back I wish that I had about 10 more days to really take in the scenery and Irish life, but I this short plan was actually a perfect taste of how amazing Ireland is as a country. 

Ireland // Thoughts on taveling alone

Back in March Jack got the amazing opportunity to go back to the States for a week to attend the Water Summit at the White House. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was so excited for him - the only problem was that he would be gone the entire week of my birthday. It wasn't a big deal because I had missed his birthday for work in September (his birthday was when I was working in Greece & Italy), so we made it a joke that we would be spending our birthdays apart from now on. The only problem for me was that I didn't want to sit in our apartment in Delft alone for an entire week, let alone the week of my birthday. So I used this "free" time to plan a little trip by myself! After minimal research I booked a four day trip to Ireland last minute and then didn't really think much of it. I had read that Ireland was a great place to travel alone, Jack had already been to Ireland so he wasn't dying to go there this year, and it had the perfect mix of cute little towns and outdoorsy adventures that I've been craving. So why not?