As is probably known Thanksgiving is an America holiday. So therefore Thanksgiving break is not a thing in Ireland. Instead they have Halloween Break (half term break). The whole week before Halloween I was off school and taking a tour of Ireland!
Galway
The first stop on my tour was on Sunday when I went to Galway with my organization. Technically I was not supposed to go on this trip because it was with a different coordinator, but I had some friends who were going on the trip and they got me a seat on the bus. The first stop on the trip was the coast. We stopped at the ocean for about an hour before going into the city. The coast was beautiful. It was super windy I thought I was going to get blown over. Me and my friend did some parkour on the rocks and got some beautiful photos. After the ocean we drove about 30 minutes into the city. It was super windy and rainy all freaking day and I brought and umbrella instead of a coat which was a terrible idea. My umbrella ending up breaking and I had to but a coat. The city was also terribly boring, the shopping centre was small and a whole maze. It just was not a great experience and I didn't not enjoy Galway very much, but I still want to go back and see the cliffs of Moher because we didn't get to do that.
dundalk
On Tuesday I went to Dundalk. The trip started out at a trampoline park for about 2 hours. This was also terribly boring, the park was very small and just not very entertaining. I jumped for about 30 minutes before I went and sat down and ate for a little. I then went and talked with a couple of Italian people. We finally left the trampoline park and went to Marshes shopping centre. The shopping centre was a little more interesting. We had about 2 and a half hours in there and it got boring very quickly, but I had some nice chicken curry for lunch 馃憣. After the shopping centre we went to this park thing that was like on a mountain. It had a big play ground and a hiking trail that kind of like told a story. It had like little fairy houses/villages. It also had a giant house and these horse statues. That was my favorite part of Dundalk. I really enjoyed the trail and the views were very pretty.
sligo
On Thursday there was a very last minute trip to Sligo. The trip started off with a stop at Glencar waterfall. There was a small hike up to where the actual waterfall was and it was beautiful. The water fall was also next to a lake in a valley type thing. The view from every direction was absolutely stunning. There was also a cute little cafe, the coffee wasn't great, but the pumpkin spice cupcake was 10/10. The next stop was the coast. It was so beautiful. There was a little beach and some rocks that shot out into the ocean and I did some nice parkour on those. There was also this cliff that hung over the water that created a beautiful type skyline view with the water and then more cliffs across it.m You could see hills, land, and water for miles. I just can't express how beautiful it was. The last stop on this trip was Sligo town. I bought like 2 shirts that said sligo on them and then ate some pretty good Mexican. It wasn't Texas good but since Ireland is so far from Mexico Im going to let the decent Mexican slide. Me and my friend walked around for an hour and then went back to the bus early to just relax. We were exhausted. Sligo was by far my favorite place. It had so much natural beauty. It was like the perfect "small town life". Sorry mom, but I think I might move a little farther then California.
light party
On Friday I was invited to a light party at the church in Monaghan. It was supposed to be like a costume thing, but I wasn't given enough notice so I just went in my normal clothes as an "American tourist". The party was so freaking fun we did several games, sparklers and multiple Irish line dances. They are so easy to learn and even more fun to do. It was definitely one of my favorite things I have experienced so far I really enjoyed it.
I had the best week!!! I also got so many photos so go check those out on "halloween break photos"
What a great week for you!! The experiences you are having will be with you the rest of your life. You are so fortunate to have these amazing times.
The pictures are so good and gives a feel for the beauty you mention.
Love your photos, Casey! They tell a story of their own, and your added blog makes the story even better. Once again, thank you for your writings. I am happy now to be more familiar with a town I had not heard of before, Sligo, and to know how much it meant to you to visit the town and that part of the country. It sounds wonderful. The Light Party during Halloween Week sounded like LOTS of fun, too! Continue to enjoy your adventures and your time in Ireland. I am loving traveling along as you go……….
Where are videos of the line dancing? So happy you had a fun break!
I can鈥檛 help laughing when you bought an umbrella.. only to realize you needed a coat very quickly! Have loved ALL your posts! Looking forward to the New Year and new adventures! You are living a lifetime of fun in one year 鉂わ笍