So after our three nights in Dublin, we packed our bags and hopped a train to the countryside.

I was excited to get out of the city because everyone told me if you want to really see Ireland you have to get out of Dublin -- and they were all right.

The Irish countryside is gorgeous and some of the places we stopped on our remaining days of the trip were just breathtaking.

Our first stop on Thursday morning was Blarney Castle. Yes, yes I know it's extremely touristy, but it was totally worth the stop.



The castle itself was nothing super spectacular. (Though there was a pretty cool dungeon that we explored).


We climb lots of narrow stairs

And yes, of course we kissed the Blarney Stone.



Obviously the most flattering picture from the whole trip.

The real treasure of Blarney was having time to explore the castle grounds. They were absolutely gorgeous. There were beautiful streams and waterfalls.





There was a lush garden with the Wishing Steps. Legend has it if you walk down them backward with your eyes closed and then back up again it brings you good luck.



After kissing the Blarney Stone, Erin and I set out to find these steps almost immediately. We were trying to amass all of our possible good luck. (For me, it was basically an epic failure and I'm pretty sure only brought me bad luck -- if you were on this trip with me you know exactly what I'm talking about).



We also got to check out the house where people live now, since the castle isn't really so livable these days.

Blarney was definitely one of my favorite things on this trip just because it was so nice to be outside in gorgeous weather exploring these perfectly maintained trails and paths through the castle grounds.



After wrapping up at Blarney, we headed back into Cork where we explored the English Fish Market. This totally reminded me of Reading Terminal Market in Philly -- except perhaps with bigger fish staring you in the face.



Our last planned stop of the day was in Cobh (pronounced cove), which was the last port of call for the Titanic before it set sail for America.


Titanic Memorial in Cobh

On the way we stopped at this little cemetery along the side of the road, which houses the graves and memorials for those who died in the Lusitania attack.



When we arrived in Cobh, we stopped at a gorgeous cathedral overlooking the port, which was where the memorial Mass was held for the victims of the Titanic.



This cathedral was stunning. There were no other words to describe it.

And then we spent some time down along the port, where we went to the Titanic museum and learned all about immigration to America from Ireland. Fun fact: If your ancestors came to the United States from Ireland, they most likely departed from the port of Cobh.



 


Lusitania Memorial

Our hotel for the night was in Killarney, so from Cobh, we hopped back on the train to enjoy more of the Irish countryside. When we arrived in Killarney, we were all pretty hungry and exhausted.

We ventured out to a pub for some quick dinner and of course, to listen to some traditional Irish music.



I also tried a Murphy's here. It's the competitor to Guinness in Ireland, and I've got to say, I liked it a lot better than I liked Guinness. Those that know me in person, know I pretty much hate beer, but I found the Murphy's tolerable, which is basically a ringing endorsement coming from me.



After dinner and music, we headed back to the hotel, where I think Hadass said I passed out in about five minutes on top of my Kindle. Sounds about right. I was beat.

Snapchat from the day: