We Finally Found Ireland

Hey, all! Aaron here.

Remember way back in one of our first blogs when I said that Dublin isn't really Ireland? You know, how it's not the green, lush, wild Emerald Isle that comes to mind when you hear the word "Ireland"? Well, we finally found the real Ireland, and it's only 30 minutes away from city centre.

A few weeks ago, the Bees told us that they went to a marvelous little place called Howth, which is a large, head-shape peninsula just north and east of Dublin. They told us that the hiking is good there and that we should check it out sometime. Well, last week, I found a 50-Euro bill on the shop floor at work. I turned it in to management, and after a few hours, they gave the bill back to me since no one came in to claim it. Lauren and I decided to save the money for a day-date out of Dublin. Today was my day off, we haven't been out of the city since Glendalough, and Howth seemed the perfect destination. Let me tell you...

We were right.

Without further ado, I present to you more than 40 pictures and two videos from our wonderful day trip. Remember, you can click on each picture to see a large version!

Here we are on the way into town. The nearest train station (called the DART over here) is right next to Trinity. There's nothing like a morning constitutional to get all lathered up for an adventure.

This is the DART. We boarded at Pearse Station and bought two round-trip tickets to Howth for only 8.50 Euro. To put that in perspective, it costs 7.60 just for two round-trip tram tickets from city centre to our apartment! We boarded and, twelve stops later, arrived in Howth (pronounced "hoeth").

We found this map just outside of the train station entrance. If you click on the picture, you can see the railway snake onto the map from the west near the northern coast of the peninsula. The colored lines that run along the north and east coasts are the various trails. Yeah, you read that right--coastal, cliff-line trails. Ooooh man, wait til you see the pictures!

 

Here is a closer shot for those that want to take a good gander.

Howth is a sleepy coastal village by day, bustling tourist attraction by night. We were lucky to visit on a Friday when most people are at work.

 

If you specked out the map, this is the beginning of the easternmost pier. These old ships begged to be photographed (not literally).

We're standing on the pier now, looking east along the northern coast of the peninsula. See those hills off to the left? Yeah, Lauren and I totally climbed those. You'll see the pictures soon.

We're quite a ways out on the pier now. It was WINDY, so windy that we had a very difficult time walking straight. We kept picturing ourselves getting tossed off the pier into the sea.

This is an island you can see looking due north from the pier. If you click on the picture, you'll see the remains of Martello Tower on the lefthand side of the island.

Here's a shot of the lighthouse at the end of the pier.

Another shot of Martello Tower from the lighthouse. On the righthand side of the island, you'll see a rock formation known as "Ireland's Eye."

On the way back, we found evidence of the Hound of the Baskevilles! In Ireland! Lauren is amazed!

Is this a bathroom for local fire fighters? Or perhaps for ents? Or lumberjacks?

Lauren and I started walking along the coast toward those two hills that you saw earlier. The road took us pretty high above sea level very quickly, offering incredible views of the scenery below. Look at the water's edge on the right side of the photo for a crane.

This blew us away. The green expanse is this guy's backyard, and that wall borders the cliffside more than 50 feet above the waves crashing below. Incredible. You can see Howth in the background.

This marks where the coast begins to wrap southward. We'll be back here later. First, we have a few hills to conquer.

Well that was fast. Here we are at the top of one of those hills. We walked up the road below to get to the base of the hill, and you've already seen that island out on the water.

We decided to hike over to the other hilltop, as it had a much better view of Howth village. This is my adventurous wife navigating the steep descent. She totally rocked on this trip.

Here we are! That's Howth down below. You can see the piers off to the right and the road that we walked on the right, as well. The next several pictures are a panoramic of sorts, starting with a look west, rotating to the right, and eventually looking east. Enjoy!

 

 

Thus ends the panorama. Remember that picture where Lauren was standing epically with her hands on her hips? She was standing right where those people are on the other hilltop.

 

Lauren takes a moment to ponder the epic implications of our epic epicness. And to look at the town.

I was really happy to be out in nature again. This may be one of my favorite pictures I've ever had taken of myself. There's another contender a bit further down.

Oh, what's that? You want to see a video of the hilltop? It would be our pleasure! It's a bit grainy, and wind is bit loud, but it's still fun to watch.

Lauren and I decided to head back down to the path and continue adventuring. There were trails leading everywhere through the heather and bracken, like this one.

The beauty of the ocean was simply inescapable. Every time we rounded a corner, there she was in all her azure splendor.

Yup, nothing like hiking in a pea coat. It's too bad we couldn't pack clothing more conducive for backpacking, but our suitcase space was limited.

Okay, so we're back here. Lauren and I continued hiking south along the coast on the eastern side of the island. Oh, do you see that rock jutting out to the left above the waves? Yeah, you know I couldn't stay away from that.

A contender for one of my favorite pictures ever.

A look over our shoulders back at the village of Howth. After a few more steps, the village was hidden from view behind the rocks.

To any and all visitors: If you come to Ireland, we will take you down that path. Seriously, that one right there. Just make the flight and we'll take care of the rest.

Lauren finds a bench and stylishly demonstrates how to sit on something.

Here's another video for you!

See? We found Ireland.

 

Just before taking this picture, we stood still and listened... Completely absent were the sounds of cars, planes, people, civilization entirely. Only ocean waves, seagulls and the lonely wind.

Lauren and I made our way back into town, since our stomachs were rumbling and we wanted to grab some authentic seafood. We passed these houses on the way and decided to live there in 40 years.

Howth Church, located at the top of the hill and just up the town's main road. Even the church in the tiny town is full of character. And probably fish.

Pictured: Quaint sea-town of Howth. Also, a Porsche.

This is where Lauren and I ate dinner. We had steamed mussels for starters, followed by chowder soup, smoked salmon, braised mackerel, seafood salad, fried shrimp and homemade bread. We thanked God for that lost 50-Euro bill with every bite.

Well, there you have it! We had an absolutely incredible time, and there were several moments that I know I will never forget (sitting on the hilltop overlooking the town with Lauren, walking above the ocean along the cliffs, enjoying fresh seafood in an Irish cafe). We are both so thankful for the opportunity to come over here and experience these things, and also very thankful to our friends and family for letting us leave for awhile! We hope these pictures give you a glimpse of the joy we experienced today.