Weddingbee

I’m home! I’m home! I’m so excited to be home! Ireland was incredible, but we are soooo glad to be home. I have to say that if we were to do it again, we’d jet to the furthest tropical island we could afford and just LOUNGE. Our rather ambitious, all-over-Ireland itinerary wore. Us. Out.

We slept for 12-15 hours a night, and alas…did absolutely no ghost hunting. I know, I know! Pathetic, especially considering the awesome, creepy castles we stayed in. But we were completely, utterly exhausted from all our daily driving and sightseeing. (Oh, and that party we threw before we left did a number on us, too.) Not to mention, it doesn’t even get dark until 9:30 pm this time of year in Ireland. So while we made the most of our days, that’s about it.

But it was beautiful and we had a blast; Ireland is stunningly scenic and the people are so, so friendly. I’ve already shared a bunch of our “Best Of” set, but I hope I can forgiven the urge to share some more. Every inch of the country just begs to be photographed…

Pretty much every twenty feet, I was making Mr. Lovebug pull over so I could satisfy my urge to photograph every cute, weird, funny, or ironic sign we passed:

There were countless cool pub fronts to be photographed:

…and of course, the headstones. Every tiny town has a towering church filled with a yard of crumbling crosses:

The Antrim Coast in Northern Island was breathtaking:

…and as animal lovers, we were pulling up alongside every roadside farm to say hello:

The steps down to the rope bridge at Carrick-a-rede in Northern Ireland:

Every forest we passed looked like it was made for “little people” and other sprites:

Vintage Guinness bottles line the shelves at the storehouse in St. James’s Gate, Dublin:

…and a lovely lakeside cottage near Donegal:

The half-sunny, half-cloudy conditions seemed to make every patch of greenery explode with color:

…and around every corner is an old manor or ruined estate peeking out from a well-worn road:

Signs don’t get more Irish than this:

…or murals, than this:

A viaduct near the Antrim Coast:

…and the rope bridge we braved (twice!):

This guy was all ready for his closeup:

The pool at the spa at Solis Lough Eske Castle (an absolutely incredible hotel Ireland honeymooners must not miss!):

Mr. Lovebug gets his bearings at Giant’s Causeway:

A path in the woods near Kingscourt:

…and the overgrown ruins of a friary:

Mr. LB strolls the grounds at Lough Eske Castle:

Lucky wishing in a lucky country:

The sheep we helped to herd with our tiny rental:

A bust in St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin:

And a few quick shots from our stopover in London:

As much fun as London was, I would have to encourage anyone with second thoughts about honeymooning there to have third and fourth thoughts, as well. Everything in and about the city - at least right now - is just comically expensive.

But for those of you planning a jaunt through Ireland, don’t let my stories of exhaustion scare you. It’s a really, really fun place to explore, especially by car, not to mention a photophile’s dream.

I would only say to give yourself plenty of time to get from city to city - there’ll be so many side trips you’ll want to take from the main roads (famous ruins, graveyards, castles, farms, etc.). And pack boots! Waterproof boots (my Wellies did the trick) - the almost constant mist/rain soaks everything, and you’ll be miserable without dry shoes.

A few other tips/suggestions for the Emerald Isle-bound:

1. Don’t bother trying to drive around Dublin. You’ll go insane, period. Leave your car at your hotel and bus around the city.

2. Solis Lough Eske Castle, in Donegal, is the best hotel I have ever stayed at in my life (and that’s including an over-water bungalow in Bora Bora). The castle itself is spectacular, the service is superb (they surprised us with rose champagne, upgraded us to a HUGE suite for free, allow guests full use of all spa facilities), and the town of Donegal is adorable and very friendly (check out old man McGinley’s sweater shop, but whatever you do, don’t let him get started on the fishermen’s knitting guild…). You can see the Lough Eske Castle website right here.

3. The Antrim Coast is gorgeous, but though the area looks small on a map, it takes several hours to get around (very curvy coastal roads). Visiting Giant’s Causeway, the rope bridge at Carrick-a-rede, and the Glens of Antrim aren’t something you can bust out in a day. Plan on spending several hours to get to any one place.

4. And finally - if you plan on drinking in cool little country road pubs (there’s a cute village about twenty minutes along every motorway in Ireland - the roads go right through them), bear this in mind: it gets really, really dark on those tiny, narrow, two-lane roads at night. No street lights, very few street signs - it can be totally disorienting if you’re driving. Just something to keep in mind.

Ok, guys. Thanks for letting me get this last bit of honeymooning out. Next up, professional photos from the wedding, finally! Woooo hooo!

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