Shipping Up To Dublin: Exploring Howth and Glendalough with Tanner and Co.

This was such a fun and adventurous weekend in Ireland! My good friend Tanner Flyckt was with us this weekend. He is studying in Madrid for the semester and decided to hop on up to Dublin. His trip almost got off to a rocky start. I had to chase the bus down once I realized that Tanner had no clue he was at the right bus stop. On Friday morning, Sarah, Tanner, and I headed off to Howth (Same place where Mike and I golfed) for a hike. The pininsula has a handful of hikes to choose from. We decided on the "Bog of Frogs" route; the longest and seemingly most scenic. The hike takes you around the edges of the coast, providing stunning views of the Irish Sea, Dublin Bay, Dublin City Center, and plenty of wild blackberry plants along the way. Tanner and I had our fair share of them...they were delicious; most definitely not poisonous, right?

DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit). Creative name if you ask me.

Livin on the edge.

Berries and cream, berries and cream, I'm a little lad who loves berries and cream.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryjpbd4D4bg

Good looking guys on the cliffs.

Meadow

I bet you know what happens next!

Friday Evening, the entire Boston College group headed downtown to find Tanner some authentic Irish pub music. While in the Dubliner, he ran into some SMU (his home university) girls who were only in Ireland for three days on their semester at sea. We started with some Guinness. You gotta have a pint if you are in Ireland. The taste and quality is far superior to the imported version we have. Tanner raved about the dark, frothy nectar; it didn't taste anything like he had expected it to. At one bar, the BC group as a whole came together for a collective dance. At another, it was so crowded that we were forced to kneel in the window sills. Twas a fantastic night indeed.

Flags

Irish counties with crests

Temple Bar District

Guinness has the best adds!

On Saturday, the BC group headed an hour south to the Wicklow Mountains, specifically Glendalough. Tanner and I barely made both of our buses. Our late start could be attributed to Tanner's less-than-comfortable sleeping situation on the floor. We were thankful the bus drivers operate on "Irish Time". Here, being on time for something means arriving 15 minutes late. Once in Glendalough, we began to blaze our own trail. After hopping a fence and hiking uphill for a half hour, two things struck us. First, the mountainside was getting too steep to climb. Second, Tanner had to stop for a prolonged bathroom break. Once we turned around, we were met with a beautiful landscape of green trees, rocky switchbacks, glorious ruins, wild sheep and goats, and an invigorating stream complete with several waterfalls. We came across a shallow pool and Tanner stripped down to his boxers, knowing that if he didn't get in, it would be THE regret of the trip. I followed suit. The water was so fresh, cold, and clean. Invigorating and rejuvenating are the only words that properly describe the experience. Once out, we dried off quickly in the warm breeze blowing over the ridge. This has to be one of my favorite experiences on the trip so far. We simply were enjoying nature to the fullest. Soon reality struck and we only had 15 minutes to make our bus. We ran at a blistering pace for 12 of those minutes; our drying boxers clipped to the outside of our backpacks made for quite the sight. There were only 2 seats remaining on the bus and we caught it just in time!

Definitely the set of a fairy tale.

Hey what's Tanner doing?

This place rocks!

More precarious than it looks.

Crime Scene Investigation

On the edge of the waterfall. Thank goodness for the self-timer feature on the camera!

Tanner in the tub.

The face of refreshment.

Hey, I'm on the side of a wildly scenic mountain enjoying a nature bath.

Colorful sheep.

Two friends enjoying God's creation.

King of the hill.

Sunday morning, Tanner and I headed off to the Guinness Factory. When I told people I was traveling to Dublin for a semester, the number one thing everyone said to do was the Guinness tour. It definitely lived up to the hype! The Gravity Bar on the top floor provides stunning views of the entire city. They give you a pint for going on the tour. Tanner and I made some friends who didn't care to have their pints. We exercised our civic duty and gladly accepted the free beer. After perusing through the gift shop and deciding on some awesome shirts, it was then time for Tanner to venture back to Madrid. It was such a great weekend and having Tanner out here made it all the more fun! I will be repaying the favor as I want to visit him in Madrid. Stay tuned!