For a country the size of Indiana, Ireland has a beautifully varied terrain.

How is it that I didn’t remember this from my first visit in 2000?

Of course I remembered the weather, especially the rain.

I remembered how that rain gave the rolling hills and vegetation such a lush green color.

I remembered the sheep dotting the landscapes and the stone fences.

I remembered the cliffs with their drastic drops to the sea below.

But how is it that I hadn’t remembered how diverse the landscapes were throughout the country? Maybe I just became fully aware of it this time around because we hired a personal driver. Ray drove us off the beaten path of normal tourist routes so we could discover his country in all its beauty.

There are waterfalls.

There are forests.

We drove around more lakes than I ever imagined Ireland would have.

In the past, when I thought of Ireland’s bodies of water, I thought of the sea, not inland lakes!

Even the beaches varied near the shores of the sea.

Some were even sandy instead of rocky.

This sandy beach was hard and flat. I wanted to break out into a run!

There were even mountains.

In short, it was beautiful.

My in-laws planned this trip with a travel agent so that we would have a private driver. I probably would have never done that nor have seen most of these places because of it. This post is dedicated to my mother-in-law, Joyce. It’s her birthday today! Happy Birthday! I am grateful that we could travel with you in such a beautiful country. Thank you.

What do you think is most beautiful about where you live?

Slàinte,
Carrie