Lake Hotel Oughterard

... 30th.<br><br>Next I'll spend 3 weeks in New Zealand, mostly on the South Island, and fly from Auckland to LA on May 22nd. <br><br>After a final 3 weeks in America I will fly from New York to London on June 17th.<br><br>I have bought and scrounged everything I need to take, and I have typed up more notes than I can handle. I'm very excited to finally be so close to going, after years of planning and hoping!! <br><br>My next post will be from India!!!<br>

Day 3 led us up north a bit along the Atlantic Ocean to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway. <br><br>If you haven't heard anything about the Cliffs, I would highly recommend researching and visiting as soon as possible. The weather is a bit temperamental but it is honestly one of the world's most beautiful places. The cliffs are 100s of feet above sea level. They overlook the Atlantic and the water can be seen splashing up against the ...

... a site to behold. We walked around the tourist part, but we were soon done with that and decided to venture off the beaten path a bit... Now I am sure you all know that I am pretty accident prone, so when we went to the area that was "off limits" (though there were a ton of people hopping the wall) I was a bit scared, but I survived and got the best pictures of the day from it. It was really neat to be off of the pavement and away from the walls ...

... in Joe Wattys with a beer and listening to an afternoon music session in the sun, I thought there was no chance of me leaving, so i stayed Saturday night, and dragged myself away from the island early the next morning.. which is very hard to do.... On arriving back in Dublin, I was chased by a junkie and was greeted by the horrible smell coming from the Liffey, and the pollution that comes with the place. I longed a bit for Inis Mór. I'll be back soon.<br>

... Maureen, the little Irish lady who ran it. She was adorable and showed us to our room with a view. We had two large beds with floral everything, a kettle with coffee and tea, and OUR OWN BATHROOM! We were in heaven. We put down the backpacks that we had been carting with us everywhere. made some tea, and sat on the soft, cushy beds that had too many pillows. Bliss. We didn't sit long though, considering Galway ...

Audrey & I arrived in Galway yesterday, which I would have written about, but before I got the chance I got an email that I was not only accepted to USD to finish my BA (I have one year left, long story), but that I am being offered a full ride to do so. I must say that I was in quite a bit of shock about that one, and was left wont for words when it came to travel blogging. So anyway, we have encountered some interesting problems at this hostel. First of all, we ...

... massive Galway Cathedral, walking around the University, and shopping in the market area. It is definetely more Irish feeling, but I also think it is more touristy. Luckily, the weather was great today, very sunny and no rain HURRAY! After walking we came back to the hostel, took a nap, and then went to dinner at a yummy fish and chips place. I had excellent chowder... yummy. We sat on a ...

... s and beyond. Local musical heroes' fortunes were spelled out in the yellowed paper of the news, preserved behind glass for all to comment upon. We shimmied our way past the cluster of chairs near the top of the landing, making our way towards the bar. Here there was air, and enough space for everyone to perch and sit. In the corner was the prize we had come for; a band of musical warriors, just pausing for a quick sip and a puff or two. A guitar, some ...

... set without so much as an &#8216;excuse me&#8217; or &#8216;sorry, dear&#8217; coming from their lips. Once I&#8217;d been shoulder-charged back outside by a running maul of old ducks, I was going to take issue with Nanna about the disgrace of her generation but I just couldn&#8217;t keep up with her &#8211; the wind was pushing her along so fiercely she was power walking like an Olympian. <br><br> After another ...

... s famous black faced sheep graze in the open fields and along the road. It's easy to imagine Joyce drawing inspiration from this wild wonderland for his writings. Attraction/Rating: Kylemore Abbey/5* Combine perfect neo-gothic architecture with a lakeside setting, add a brilliant green mountain backdrop and you have ...