A late night flight from Paris to Dublin. When I booked my flight to Europe in the spring I had found a cost efficient flight returning from Dublin. The lights from the Olympic summer games of 2012 could be seen below as the plane flew over London. Making my way through customs I got a taxi to my pre-booked hostel near the Temple Bar district in Dublin. The taxi driver was friendly and spoke highly of his time visiting New York City a few years ago. Telling me if he was a young man he'd be living there getting into trouble.

As I checked into my hostel I met two Germans spending the summer in Ireland to become more fluent in English. We headed to a pub for a pint and introduction to this country. While they practiced their English we talked about the economic situation at the time in Germany. They also shared their thoughts on Germany being better off staying in the European Union compared to leaving as a economic benefit. For them the economic benefit made traveling more cost efficient to other European Union countries. There's a feeling of friendliness and I immediately feel at home in this country.

The following day a made solo trip throughout the city of Dublin. This was the last leg of my summer in Europe and I was burnt out of socializing. I needed some time to “introvert” as I walked up and down the streets taking in the sights and buildings. I make my way to Guinness Storehouse for a tour! My favorite part of the tour was seeing the old advertising campaign signs, especially the signs with Ostriches on them. At the end of the tour I enjoyed the heavy dark drink made famous in Ireland at the top of the Guinness Tower overlooking the city. The rest of the day was spent wandering around, making plans back at the hostel, while meeting more backpackers.

The next day I booked a popular tour through the hostel taking a large tour bus to the other side of Ireland to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. We started with a tour of an Irish farm with lots of sheep. Breakfast was a scone and Irish coffee. A shot of Jameson whiskey in coffee with cream on top. A delicious breakfast of champions. Our tour guide tells us various stories of fairies (good and bad) and the history of the land as we past the green rolling hills. Even though the majority of the country is strongly Catholic they have adopted their folklore beliefs from the past. It’s amazing that such a small population and country has preserved and continues to preserve its language. It is strange to think the county has only had its independence since around 1921.

Stopping in the town of Doolin on the west coast for lunch. I ordered a seafood chowder with brown bread and a Guinness to wash it down, this seemed to be a common dish. Following lunch we head to the cliffs. Despite making this whole trip to see the cliffs they were covered in misty clouds... I would not be capturing the picturesque view so many others have seen. From what I understood from our driver it is common to not to be able to view the cliffs. I make the best of the disappointment but it's a long bus ride back to Dublin. I arrived back late and stayed in the hostel and made plans for the following day.

The next day I boarded another large tour bus bound to see Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains. At this point I was very tour bussed out. The countryside is so quaint and peaceful and I was feeling like I was on a big eye sore riding through it. Stopping at the only monastic city of its kind left in Ireland. Glendalough dates back to the 6th century and as I walked around the the grounds I could only imagine the stories the trees could tell. Walking around the ruins and viewing the tower was worth the trip.

Following Glendalough we stopped for lunch. I always like to talk up good food, but I can not sugar coat how awful the salmon was. I felt sick for the rest of the tour and am still remembering this 6 years later…

As we continued through the countryside we made several stops at sights that were featured in movies and films. One pop culture reference I do recall was while viewing Lough Tay or the Guinness Lake. Lough Tay is one of the most photographed lakes of Ireland. According to the tour guide it was an inspirational writing spot for the Paul Mccartney. This sight is gorgeous and I could spend the whole day hiking around the grounds. The view of green does not get old as we head back.

When I returned I was persuaded by other guests at the hostel to do a pub crawl tour. The tour guide had pre-set up deals with each bar as well as information about drink specials. I can't remember how many pubs I went to but it was a lot. There was embarrassment at times being part of this loud drunk obnoxious group. One bartender told everyone to shut up as he watched the end of an Irish olympic boxing match. The night concluded in a club with a mixture of too many posh English and Irish people for my taste. It was actually really funny to watch some of the girls trying to dance with such high heels, it reminded me of middle school level awkwardness. I made my way out and back through the alleyways that smelled like beer and piss.

I woke up feeling surprisingly good after the previous night. My last day in Ireland was my favorite. It gave me that feeling that I needed to return to this place someday. The receptionist at the desk recommended that I check out the village north of Howth. Howth started as a small fishing village but now is a suburb of Dublin. It was easy to take the train, two American girls from Boston were in the same car and ecstatic to be on their first trip abroad. As we come to Howth I was pleased to see the piers and shops. I made my way for an early lunch at a little restaurant with a view of the ocean. Watching the seals play in the water I ate some soup of the day and fresh fries dripping with grease as I sat alone at the bar. Following my meal I got directions to the head of a good hiking trail by the bartender.

I made my way through the cliff loop trail, casually taking in the views of the sea birds and the oceans waves. Weather conditions were perfect, not too hot, not too cool. The only other people besides myself I encountered on the trail was two women from Amsterdam. They stopped and spoke broken english with me as we admired the wild flowers. Making my way back to town I stopped the farmers market and tried lots of samples. When I arrived back at the hostel everyone was jealous of my photos and day. We decided to get dinner as a group, my last dinner in Europe at Pizza Hut… Not my choice, but it was the only logical one with such a large amount of people. The final night was a late one that consisted of live music played by musicians with fiddles at a Temple district bar. Later at a different bar a man played a chilling acoustic cover of U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday. It was the perfect way to end the trip and can’t wait to go back and explore more.