Where is Hogwarts? I know it's around here somewhere!

The last week of classes flew by with the exception of my spoken Irish final which was, aha....interesting to say the least. I just really hope the other teachers know how awful my teacher is at actually teaching.

The weekend started off on such a good note when I didn't wake up for my alarm and woke up to my parents calling "We're just leaving now! Are you ready to go?" Being the procrastinator I am, I was not actually ready. After rushing about throwing random clothes into my backpack (but really it was a surprise when I opened it to see what I packed) I raced out and we were on our way. We were headed back up to Dublin as my parents had their flight out on Sunday morning and we decided to do things along the way.

First up was the rock of Cashel, which is actually a bunch of rocks....in the form of a church:

 It's supposedly where St. Patrick did something important, but I was still too tired from my early morning rush to really pay attention. Maybe he broke off this part of the wall:

That could've definitely done in the wicked witch Dorothy didn't need a whole house.

It was fairly early in the morning so there weren't very many visitors or guides walking around so it was perfect for taking picture that would definitely no be allowed:

such as climbing into a centuries old tomb and doing my best impression of Nosferatu. I was coerced into taking nicer pictures:

but that's probably because I was too tired to care really. I also took this gem of a photo:

which doesn't actually have any significance but I just thought it was funny.

After that we continued upwards to Newgrange where there's a really really really really old tomb. There's an exhibit a couple of miles away since it's actually still on private land, but it was pretty cool. Kinda reminds me of what Native American exhibits are like in the States, which basically these people are the equivalent for the Irish. They had fake houses and lots of little artifacts that were dug up and fake fur clothes, which were pretty gross from all the grimy little kids' hands touching it:

I didn't really want to touch it.

There's also a picture of this five year old trying to be funny and go planking:

well even if he didn't succeed in actually planking, he did succeed in trying to be funny.

The tomb is actually called Brú na Bóinne which basically means "Lodge of the Bóinne" who were some tribe or family or something. It also is kinda camouflage since the entire top of it is covered in grass:

A bunch of the front stones are replaces but there's a lot that's still original. Some of then have these cool spiral designs on them:

We were allowed to go inside as part of the tour, but man was it a tight squeeze. What's coolest, for my not-so-inner nerd is that during the winter solstice light shines through the passage and creates a beam of light on the floor in the end burial chamber. It's pretty incredible considering the passage is so winding and the fact that this thing was built before either Stonehenge or the Pyramids. Pretty dang nerdy and pretty dang cool.

After that we tried and failed to find a place to eat as it was Good Friday and basically the whole country shuts down on that day. Literally, there were very few places besides big grocery stores that were open. We bought some food to eat back at the bed and breakfast, which for some reason, required a picture:

of which I was not pleased of the taking.

In an attempt to finally get a picture of me where I wasn't making some sort of face at the camera, my dad took on the title of ultimate creeper of the day and the next morning after he got ready, waited for me to wake up. The result was indeed a picture of me not intentionally making a face, but like I said early, my face looks weird even if I'm not trying:

I don't even think I'm awake in this.

After finally waking up fully, we made our way to Kylemore Abbey which was in the middle of this gorgeous scenery that really looked like what I imagined the train ride to Hogwarts would look like:

Serious, Hogwarts must be just behind the mountain.

The place is actually very cool and was built as a summer home for some couple;

Then a bunch of other people owned it until some nuns eventually go their hands on it and now it's call "abbey". There's some pretty cool grounds that go along with it. There was a chapel thing that had pillars made from all the different marbles of Ireland:

We also took the classic "good catholic girl" picture:

as well as the more realistic version:

We also snooped around the gardens which were still pretty even though nothing was really in bloom since it was still so cold. There was some gardener's house or something that was set up as it would've been and some typical pictures were captured there as well:

After that we mad our way up to Dublin where I again managed to do things I hadn't done the other two times I've been there.

We strolled up O'Connell St and saw the Spire which is just about as stupid looking as it sounds:

It literally is just this narwhal-ish horn sticking out of the middle of the street. No real point to it, it's just there.

We also went to the museum that's in the post office there which was actually kinda cool. It had the mother of all stamp collections as well as the evolution of the postal system. We also did the Book of Kells again since my parents haven't done it and I actually wanted a chance to read all the nerdy info on it this time around unlike last time where we whizzed through it. We also got super sneaky pictures of the long room which we weren't really supposed to take:

We managed to find a pub that was open for dinner and even saw this cool guy:

I wish.

After that we took the long route (got lost) to our hotel which was really close to the airport since their flight the next morning was pretty early. We had to wake up redonkulously early again since they had to return the rental car and it was a pretty uneventful morning. They hoped on their flight and I hoped on a bus back to Cork to start my month long adventure

This is not a ferry ride it's a rollar coaster

The first weekend that the parentals were here also happened to be the same weekend as my last API excursion to the Aran Islands which are these guys here:

They're stereotyped as the ultimate example of Irish culture, and I have to say, parts of it were like looking at a history book. I had a brain fart forgot my camera so I have all my parents pictures prominently featuring yours truly.

After the few nights traversing about Cork and grabbing a pint in a pub with the parental units (still feels weird for me too mom, don't worry), we woke up bright and early Saturday morning to make the 3 hours drive to catch the morning ferry to the largest island, Inis Mór (pronouned in-ish more). It was reeeally early:

Now, I often pride myself on how difficult it is to make my stomach upset and lemme say, that stomach of steel came in veeeery handy on the ferry ride. The waves didn't look all that rough but boy was it some ride. At one point the gangway, which not so wisely had wheels on it, rolled right across the room. We also weren't allowed to sit outside and for good reason too because not only would we have arrived looking (and feeling) something like this:

we probably wouldn't have even made it as we would've been thrown overboard instead. It shouldn't need to be stated at this point, but the pictures of me continued:

and I continued to ruin them.

This is definitely a place that I would've preferred to travel by bike. The island isn't all that big and you could easily bike around the whole thing as a day trip, which many travelers do during the summer and what these poor French teenagers did:

 I say poor teenagers because it wasn't summer. The weather was just barely beginning to think about spring and it was still close to freezing the entire time. It also was super windy. Like nearly blew people over windy. And the reason for my hair looking like this in every photo:

At least I'm cooperating in this photo even if my hair is not.

So the bikes weren't happening. I also was leaving early the next morning with the rents to go and do Galway before heading back to Cork while everyone else was catching the afternoon ferry and spending the second day on the island so even if it was nice enough to do so, I wouldn't have had the time.

Once we got there, it was clearly the off season because there were vans out the wazoo at the port offering tours. We had already booked one through API and my parents kinda wormed their way onto the tour with us. Deborah had already said it was fine since we had the space and were already paying for it anyway. Yay Deborah!

We saw horsies:

 And thatched houses:

and even too some nice pictures! I told you they existed!

And then the wind had to go and ruin it for us:

I should send in my application to be the next Medusa.

As part of the tour, we visited the ring fort called Dun Aengus that's literally right on the cliff's edge. It kinda looks like the baby Cliffs of Moher:

I could barely hear the tour guide but of course Señor was right up next to him asking questions. I was more interested in the literal sheer drop on the edge of the cliff that you could get right up too. To keep Deborah from having a heart attack at having someone fall into the sea, we were required to lie down if we wanted pictures over the edge. To keep my parents from having heart attacks at having their child fall into the sea, I decided to do the responsible thing (for once in my life) and just stand a few feet away.

I did get them worried when I sat here though:

But even I have to admit it was kinda a rush cuz that is literally the edge of a cliff RIGHT THERE.

We managed to keep anyone from falling away and even took a nice picture of everyone. Since my parents were there, Deborah even got to be in it this time:

I really think Tommy's hair got messed up the most by the wind. Hmm, yeah definitely him.

After that we visited The Seven Churches which are actually only the ruins of two churches but I forget why it's named that.

Look! Another nice one!

There's also a cemetery there:

And it's actually still in use. It was cool to wander around it and see headstones from the 1800's right next to ones from the 2000's.

We made a quick stop on the coast to look at the other two islands (I forget their names) but in the water were a bunch fo seals!

They kept popping their heads up for air and were probably looking as curiously at us as we were at them. It was like a game of whack-a-mole trying to predict where the next one would pop it's head up and eveyone would scramble to focus their cameras to get a picture.

After that, it was cold and had started to rain, so we decided to grab lunch at one of two pubs on the islands. It was fairly close to where my parents were staying so they wouldn't have a long way home. And of course, the pictures of me persist:

 I actually did take a cute one of them though:

After that I walked home with API people to our guest house which was about a mile and a half away. It was a nice walk, and would've been nicer if it wasn't so windy that sand from the beaches was being blown in our faces. The bed also at this place was like sleeping on clouds made out of sheep it was so comfortable compared to my on at Vic Lodge.

The next day I woke up earlier than everyone else and hiked my way back to the port and my parents' inn where I thankfully was able to snitch their breakfast since I had left before mine was served. We then took another roller coaster ride to the mainland and went about Galway for the day. I won't post any pictures since I already was there. OH wait except this one!

The river was waaaaay lower than last time I was there and surprise! There were these cool rock things in the river bed that someone had put there. Not exactly sure why they wrote "Get Free" or what they are getting free from, but it still looked cool with circle designs and stuff.

After that it was a pretty uneventful trip back to Cork only that we got there about 1 in the morning but what else is new in my life.