Ireland.

Last week Ron and Jenna and I were in Ireland. Our friend (and Ron’s longtime employee) Ursula married an Irishman, Johnny, so we were lucky enough to go to the wedding and see the beautiful country of Ireland as well.

It took 33 hours to get there because of a delay due to the Iceland Volcano Ash, but once in Ireland, we had a grand time. We started the week with the Irish wedding, which was a blast. Ursula looked gorgeous, and Johnny looked quite cool with his braided mohawk.

Boy, do the Irish know how to have a good time! The wedding started at 2:30 pm, and was going strong when we snuck out at midnight, exhausted. Johnny told us the wedding would go until 5 am! I secretly pointed the camera through Ron’s arm to get this shot of all the empty beer glasses.

After a fun wedding and a good night’s sleep, we took off in our rented car to see the countryside. We used one guidebook the entire trip, “Back Roads of Ireland,” that I got at Costco for about $8. Worth every penny! We spent three days and did about ten of the drives in the book. It advised to take two to three days for each drive, but we found it quicker than that. Plus, we didn’t stop at every ruin or monastery the book recommended. Ron drove the entire trip, thank God. (I offered to drive, but he wouldn’t have it!)

Had to get used to the steering wheel on the right side of the car. Ron did a great job driving on the left side of the road!

Ireland has LOTS of cows.

And gorgeous scenery. This is the Cliffs of Moher, which is petitioning to become one of the seven wonders of the world.

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A typical roadside scene.

Beautiful seaside villages. This is the town of Cabh.

Adorable Bed and Breakfasts. This is Jenna and me leaning out of the window at the Heron’s Rest B&B.

The Heron’s Rest B&B is right on the water overlooking a natural swan habitat. This boat was the view out the window. You can see some swans in the background.

One of my favorite towns is Galway, in the west of Ireland. I’m not alone in liking it; it’s the fastest growing city in Europe. A great feature is the pedestrianized streets. Here’s the Galway Quay, a popular street filled with lots of quaint shops– we bought a few fishermen’s sweaters here!

Kissing the Blarney Stone was hilarious. You have to lay on your back and kiss it backward; once you do, you are bequeathed with the gift of gab. This guy kept telling me to scoot back to reach the stone. And for you wondering germaphobes, there are NO anti-bacterial wipes!

I think the fable is true, because I couldn’t stop talking afterwards! The Blarney Castle is on gorgeous land. We took advantage of the lovely backdrop to get some family shots.

Ron took a couple of Jenna and me.

A sweet picture of Jenna.

Ron and me.

It was a lovely trip, and we hope to go back to Ireland again one day. Have you ever been? Let me know what you think of the pics!