A Horse is a Horse of Course of Course

Hurry up mom I want to go ride!

Tara at Mount Juliet was amazing to work with

Checking out the beautiful stables

My Bonnie

Jeff - this was Bre's riding companion for the duration of her visit.  She loves him!

 

Off we go!

Coastal tour and Dublin from the double-decker bus

Departing on Dublin's Coastal Tour to the Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough, and Powerscourt House and Gardens 

What does this even mean?

Glendalough- the round tower, St. Kevin's Church (top right), and Bre enjoying a break from the tour bus crowd at a nearby forested stream

Glendalough

Bre was so excited to get away from the crowds that she spent an hour of the allotted tour time at the Powerscourt House and Gardens (next blog post) walking to some  nearby horses by the side of the road for some fresh air and alone time

The Spire of Dublin

The O'Connell Monument

Beautiful Maiden

Bre has spoken often of how she would enjoy modeling a white dress with the wind picking up the fabrics on the cliffs of Moher!  What an exhilarating experience it was to photograph her - she is such a natural in front of the camera.  We didn't have much time to scout for a location considering the light was going fast but this fortress was perfect in the images and we were lucky to have stumbled upon such an amazing spot!  She really enjoyed herself during this shoot and the ocean breeze did its magic just as we were hoping.

Cliffhanger

We embarked on our road to the Cliffs of Moher and encountered several toll bridges.  Surprise!  We stopped for (YET) another cup of coffee and had a "proud to be an American" moment when we ordered a white chocolate americano with room for cream.... we got the craziest look!  The guy working said "wouldn't that just be a mocha?" ...No.  A mocha is made with milk.  Americano is made with water.  Don't these Europeans know anything about coffee?    Later on in the car we keep saying "MERICA!!!" and giggling after we have funny moments like these (and there are way too many to count!)

ALL the fences around here are made out of stone.  Apparently the farmers used to burn their fields to prepare for next year's crop.  The stone walls keep the fire from traveling to the field next door!  Genius.

Many cars push their mirrors in when they park around here. 

Another small town pub in Doolin.  Perfect authentic Irish food and local live music.  It took us a little longer than we expected it would to eat (the place was super busy) so the race was on to catch the sunset at the cliffs when we left here!

Driving like a bat out of hell on the no-name backroad to catch the light 

As we pulled in, Alicia sprinted up a bazillion flights of stairs with camera gear and barely caught the sunset lighting up the cliff sides! 

If you're feeling tipsy after your pub visit read the sign..... 

Teaser: A few minutes after the sun set, Bre and Amy arrive fully garbed for a gorgeous twilight cliffside photo shoot

A Day in Galway

Love the local music!

The Original Claddagh Ring Museum - We loved seeing the variations through history

Our lunch venue

The Quays (pronounced Keys) used to be a thatched roof cottage!  They have since rebuilt it to be 3 stories with a pub on the top two floors, and the restaurant on the lower floor where the cottage used to be. As luck would have it, they had SPRINGROLLS for Bre!  We loved this place.  Alicia ordered Beef and Guinness stew and Amy had fish and chips.

We ended our journey in Galway enjoying the live street music.  If we had to do it all over again Bre would have chosen  Galway over Dublin.  We certainly daydream there will be a next time in each of our futures!