Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday began bright and early, as the sun was shining brightly through the curtains. I've come to learn any day in Ireland without rain is a beautiful day. Abby and I find our Easter baskets outside of our hotel room door. The four of us had breakfast at the hotel, before venturing through town to the Holy Cross Church for mass. My experience with Catholic masses is limited, and the last one I attended was at the Vatican in Rome. It lasted a short 35 minutes, and there wasn't any music in the service.


We walked back to the hotel, changed and headed out for another day of sightseeing. This time we, or Dad I should say, drove around the Ring of Beara, the smallest and least traveled of the three peninsulas.

Needless to say, the Ring of Beara was my favorite of the three, the scenery was absolutely beautiful!

Someone Dad had met the day before suggested we drive through the Healy Pass. The winding roads led us around the mountains, until we nearly reached the top, to take in this view:



We continued around the ring, stopping to take many photos and to allow Abby to chase after several sheep alongside of the road. Yes, she did jump out of the car and chase after them. Only my little sister would do that.



Check her out, I really wasn't kidding!
We made a special trip to the Kissane Sheep Farm, to catch a glimpse of some of the sheep and their lambs. (Make sure to check back tomorrow to hear a full recap of our visit to the farm!)

Another dinner in town at Packies, a well-known restaurant in Kenmare, to celebrate Easter. We were all completely exhausted yet again, and it was another early night for the family.

We awoke the next to rain and grey skies. One last meal at the hotel before checking out, and then we were off to trek back toward Dublin. Before we left we walked around the outside of the hotel to check out its front and the grounds. Mom managed to catch a shot Dad, Abs and I in our bright raincoats.



Our plan was to stop in Waterford to visit the crystal factory/museum. Little did we know the factory had closed, and a new museum is due to open up in June. Unfortunately, we didn't see any of the beautiful crystal, but did get a chance to ride through the city.

We also stopped in Thomastown, a small town near Kilkenny on the way back. We visited Mount Juliet, home of the 2002 and 2004 American Express Championship tournaments. After another delicious meal, this time overlooking the green, we jumped back in the car to complete the last leg of our journey.

And this is exactly what happens when you spend the majority of the day (and weekend) in the car.

After checking back in the hotel in Dublin, we decided to do some last minute shopping. Here's a shot of Dad, Ab and I on O'Connell St. in the city centre.
We ate dinner at a little Italian restaurant called the Italian Connection. Full of caprese, pasta and salad, we couldn't resist the tiramisu! And the laughter that last the entire weekend didn't stop with dessert, as Abs somehow managed to get whipped cream on my face.


What a great way to end the weekend of family, fun, food and constant laughing! As I said before, if only Adam would've been able to come it would've been perfect. We had such a great time, and I'm incredibly thankful they were able to make the trip to visit!