The thing about traveling to new destinations is that it truly allows you to live in the present. If you've never been to the place you're traveling to, then you don't know what to expect and all you know is what is right before you in the very moment. It is quite refreshing.
The Rebel County:County Cork. From Dublin we hit the rails to Cork, our only expectations being: a local true Irish pub experience (not some hoaxy touristy spot which are abundant in Dublin), a graveyard of epic proportion, and castle galavanting.
My handsome Sean O'Brien reached back to his Irish roots and took the wheel of our rental car. From Cork the four of us headed to our next Air B&B destination in Blarney, home of the Blarney Castle. A truly magical place. It also showed how restrictive our sites in the US are. What would have been a mere roped off photo op in the US is, in Europe, a site to potentially break your neck but also to explore the true spirit of a place. We then took a couple days to drive the Southern Coast.
For this reason alone, I highly recommend renting a car when traveling to Ireland. Despite driving on the left side, with a left shifter, both Sean and my dad took to it quite well (perhaps because they're both left-handed...). We were able to stumble upon many a sight that was untouched by your run of the mill guidebooks. Not to mention driving through the countryside is exactly as you'd imagine, except better (and slightly more terrifying being on the other side of the road): rolling green hills, stone walls, sheep, and even thatched roofs.
Along the side of the road would be random castles, left in ruins, not regulated or littered with caution signs, just sitting there, awaiting a curious traveler. Certainly my dad and Sean had no problem climbing through a myriad of mysterious ruins along our journey. My mom and I opted out on a few, and instead mused about art journaling and the beauty of land. Indeed a good blend.
One of our discoveries was the Franciscan Abbey in the little town of Timoleague. The Abbey itself dated back to the 1400s but had been long since burned down and left as a tragically beautiful ruin. The surprising part is, that people are now buried amid the castle ruins, graves dating back hundreds of years and on up to current times. It was fascinating! These drives also lead you to true local Irish pubs. We stumbled upon a particular favorite in Skibereen, run by a lovely Irish family. I guarantee you've not had fish and chips of this caliper before, caught straight from the North Atlantic.
It is safe to say our time in Ireland was grand. It was marked by wonderful company (thank you rents for being such great travel buddies), castle climbing, good beer, and excellent conversation. And now off to Amsterdam, where we will see what adventures await as each moment comes.
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