The long awaited journey has finally come!
Ever since I got accepted to the NUIM program in March, my parents told me they would come out and visit me for a week. After weeks of imaging what it would like to give both of them a big hug, they arrived in Maynooth on Tuesday right when I came home from Italy. We started out just catching up in the hotel... talking about the flight, figuring out what we wanted to do for the rest of the week, catching up on everything going on back at home, etc. Then we walked around Maynooth for a little bit. I showed them my beautiful campus and where I lived. (If you ask my mom for pictures, she will most definitely show you!) I think that this was one of my favorite parts of their visit. For once, I got to be the tour guide and show them around! Also, they got to see the place that I have temporarily called my home. So when I say I was just at Dunnes getting groceries or that we went to the Roost for drinks that night, they have an image of me doing those things. I was so proud to show off my school and my luxurious apartment and I am so glad that they finally got to see what I have been doing.
Mom and I just hanging in the Glen Royal in Maynooth!
For dinner that night, we went to a Irish restaurant called O'Neills here in Maynooth. For those of you who don't know, I got my Dad a steak brander for his birthday and I have been getting so many pictures of the nice EEW branded into a nice piece of steak. There is nothing I have missed more than a piece of my Dad's steak so I ended up getting a steak sandwich and a nice glass of Guinness. Didn't taste as good as my Dad's but it tasted a little better eating it with him!
It was awesome to sit and have a Guinness with my Dad before I am 21!
By the end of dinner, my parents were exhausted and needed to get some sleep so the night ended a little early. The next morning we headed over to Glendalough and Wicklow. This was my suggestion because I have already been with the girls and Roberta. I had never been in the town of Wicklow so we decided to walk around a park for a little before heading out to Glendalough.
Our wonderful driver for the week! (Notice, she is sitting on the right, freaky!)
A park on the coast of Wicklow!
No, I did not drive the car. This was for picture purposes only.
My beautiful Momma and I in Wicklow!
First time to Ireland!
We love to take selfies!
After we hung out in Wicklow for a little bit, we headed to Glendalough. Glendalough is famously known for their early medieval monastic settlement founded in the early 7th Century by St. Kevin.
We walked around the cemetery for little bit and I gave my parents a little information that I learned in the previous time I was here. Direct quote from my dad. "For the first time, you are saving us money!" As in, I am giving them a tour and they didn't have to pay for one!
When I went with the Saint Mary's girls, I went in the middle of September so being there in the middle of November all the leaves had started to change. And somehow, in the pouring rain, Ireland looks just as beautiful.
Right near Glendalough, there is a hiking trail that is goes through the Wicklow Mountains and the National Park. Unfortunately, the weather was not what I wanted it to be but it was the exact weather you would get for weather in Ireland in November.
Dad and I at the Upper Lake in the Wicklow National Park.
After Glendalough and walking through the National Park, we asked the workers at Glendalough for a suggestion on where to eat. They told us to go a few miles up the road to a town called Hollywood. And were we thankful we went! This pub we went was called The Hollywood Inn and it was a hole in the wall restaurant with delicious dining. It was the perfect place to get the real Irish pub feel. The locals were there drinking their usual drink after a long day's work and the Irish music was softly playing in the background.
We drove back into town and just had little time to ourselves. Then we met up for drinks at my favorite place called The Roost. My parents got to meet some of the girls and we just chatted about our semester and how fun we were having. I love when my parents get to meet my friends because it's the two most important things coming together and I thought it was good for them to see who I spend all my time with and put a face to the all the "M" names!
Our weekend adventure started at the Carton House which is located here in Maynooth. My parents stayed there for the night and it was absolutely beautiful! They love watching Downton Abbey and the Carton House came straight out of the television show. We walked around while my Dad took pictures of everything. We left the Carton House in the morning and made our way to the Cliffs of Moher.
Now, the Cliffs are the most iconic part of Ireland and I was so glad I got to spend it with my parents. It was a long and stressful drive all the way to the coast of Ireland but we made it no problems! My mom was a trouper and drove slow around the twists and turns. When standing in on the coast of the Cliffs, I got a little teary-eyed. Here I am, staring out into the beautiful ocean with my two best friends in Ireland, a country where I have learned so much about myself. Words cannot do it justice and neither do the pictures. The feelings I felt in that moment were very surreal. It is an image I will never get out of my head. And to have my mom and dad there to experience it with me was everything I could ever ask for.
They were bundled like we were in Antartica!
We got lucky with the weather!
Absolutely breath taking!
After our day at the Cliffs, we headed to our first hotel for the night. We stayed in Doolin which is a town right near the Cliffs. That drive was a fun one... NOT! The road could only fit one car and I am shocked we didn't lose a side mirror! We checked into the hotel and I finally had some big girl bonding time with my mom down in the lobby drinking hot wine by the fire. Sounds like it was straight out of a movie! It was great to just talk with her and it was something I needed and had wanted for a while! (Love you, Mom!)
On our arrival, we got free drink tickets for a restaurant that was connected to the hotel so we decided to get some food from there. We were also told that there was going to be live Irish music played that night as well. My parents got this beautiful seafood platter while I got a good ole traditional burger. In Doolin, they manufacture their own beer called the Dooliner. It was a traditional Irish red ale. I wasn't a big fan but my dad said he liked it!
Once we were done with dinner, the Irish band started! It was a three person band including a guitar, an accordion, and an Irish flute. They were amazingly good and I actually knew a lot of their songs. But my personal favorite was Danny Boy. I sang it with Barrington Children's Choir for my senior song and it has been on of my favorites ever since!
We woke up the next morning and drove to Tralee to meet up with some of my grandparent's friends, Ruth and Martin. My grandparents are very blessed to have traveled to as many countries as I can think of and during their honeymoon, they met Ruth and Martin and Irish couple from Tralee. We got their information and we met up with them and went out to lunch. It was great to just sit and talk with Irish (even though I do it every day!) and get a sense of their lives compared to the lives out in Maynooth. Their hospitality was wonderful and I can see why my grandparents are such good friends.
We spent the night at the Country Shores in Castlegory. This place was your typical bed and breakfast with cute rooms and a very homey atmosphere. The people who owned the place lived in the house that we stayed in! That night, we were told there was a big Irish rugby game against the Samoans. I have not been to a Rugby match here in Maynooth but it was great to have my dad explain how to play. And not to mention the rugby boys were not too bad to look at! :) In the morning, we made the treck back to Maynooth and my parents stayed in Dublin while I, unfortunately went to class. Yes, I am doing a little bit of learning here! My parents took a day trip out to Gallway with a tour bus so you should ask them about it if you have the time!
We spent our last day in Ireland in Dublin. We met at the Molly Malone and started our day getting a tour of the beautiful Trinity College. This was my second time getting a tour but it's always good to get some new information. The one thing we didn't do while I went to Dublin with the Saint Mary's girls was see the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is the illustrated bible with very ornate and detailed sketchings of the bible.
We weren't allowed to take pictures of the actual book but the library upstairs was pretty cool!
Then we headed over to the Guinness Factory! I have been wanting to go to the Guinness ever since that tall, dark, and handsome liquid touched my lips on the first night at The Roost. I have created a bond with my boyfriend here in Ireland and I love drinking it! I thought that I would hate it but it is absolutely delicious!
The start of our tour!
The Guinness factory is broken up into different floors. First we learned about the ingredients that make Guinness so special. Then we went into the tasting room to learn about how to drink Guinness correctly and have a true taste for a good glass of malty goodness.
After the little taste and learning about how to taste the right Guinness, my dad and I learned how to pour our own glass of Guinness. We got certificates and everything so you know it's official. First, you check to see if the glass is clean without fingerprints or lipstick stains. Then you tilt the glass to a 45degree angle and lean the draft forward. You fill the glass up to the middle or above the Guinness writing on the glass. Then you have to wait for the foam and the drink to settle. You can see a white snowy "Christmas" going on in the glass. Then you push the draft away from you because it releases more nitrogen and fill the rest of the glass up. And lastly, the presentation. You must serve your Guinness logo outwards and look your guest in the eye and say "Slainte!"
Watch out, Evan! There's a new bartender in town! I bet you don't know how to pour one of these bad boys!
Officially certified!
Once we crafted our perfect pints, we headed up to the Sky Bar. This is the top of the factory where you can look out at the city of Dublin! It was beyond beautiful and it was a great place to drink a Guinness with my parents!
It was the perfect day and the sun was just setting!
After the tour, we headed towards the train station and said goodbye. Words cannot describe how much fun I had with my parents. I got to show them around and we got to be tourists together and check out the motherland of Ireland. Not going to lie, there was a moment of homesickness when I hugged that last goodbye and the next morning. It was great being with them for a few days that it became the normal and I got very upset when I woke up and they weren't in Ireland. Mom and Dad, thank you for coming out and visiting me. I hope your trip was everything you wanted and more! I love you more than ever and I am so happy you came to visit me! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH!
Sláinte!
-Libby <3
