We headed down the road to the ferry and made our way over to Inisheer to explore.
We had a fairly rainy day but it was still so cool to see these islands as they hold a lot of the Irish tradition and culture. There was the option to take bicycles or carriages around the island but we opted to walk.
There were stacked rocks that acted as fences, it was something we’d never seen before. We made our walk to the Plassey Shipwreck and enjoying the views.
We came upon the Plassey Shipwreck which was a ship that washed up in 1960 and was now a rusty piece of art. The ship was huge and we were able to get up close and personal to explore.
The rain began to pick up and so we started to walk back and see An Tur Faire which is a tower ruin. James suggested we set up the tripod and get some photos together – we had fun posing in the rain and stealing kisses.
On our walk up the hill, we noticed a graveyard and decided to walk around a bit. The way people honor the dead is so unique and special – as dark as they may seem.
We made our way all the way up the hill to An Tur Faire. The building itself was really neat but this was also the highest point on the island so we had a great view of the land. James set the drone up to get an aerial shot – we made it quick as the rain began to pick up.
We noticed the time and that we had to catch the last ferry off the island. We hustled down the hill and the rain continued to pick up. I saw a sign for a craft store and couldn’t help but stop in. The had all kinds of clothing handmade from Aran wool, everything was so beautiful. I saw a sweater on the mannequin and just fell in love. I tried it on and it fit just perfectly – SOLD to the soaking wet American! I’m still so happy I got that sweater, it was the perfect piece to remember this trip. We made our way back to the boat to take our tour of the Cliffs of the Moher by the sea!
The tour began and our boat made its way to the cliffs! The weather was rainy and windy and this made for a VERY rocky boat ride. I personally spent half the ride inside taking slow deep breathes and talking myself out of the seasickness. I was so sad I couldn’t enjoy the views more because it was stunning and a very unique way to see the Cliffs of Moher.
We were able to get some great shots and James stuck out the sickness to get lots of great photos.
After the quick hour-long boat tour, we were on dry land – alas! We headed back to our bed and breakfast to dry off and take a warm shower (and a nap 🙂 ). Not going to lie, I had model my new sweater for James and ended up wearing it out to dinner. Aran wool is so warm and I am in love with this sweater. After we felt refreshed, we walked down the street to the local pub that our host recommended. The first order of business…a tall glass of Guinness.
They aren’t lying, Guinness in Ireland does, in fact, taste better. We followed a round of beers with squash soup and some traditional Irish stew.
There was a live band playing and we sat in this pub for hours slowly enjoying our warm food, beers and good conversation. Normally when I think of a bar having a live band I think of a stage and lots of equipment. We noticed a couple of guys sitting at a table and playing instruments together. It was a very chill and fun vibe!
We usually aren’t dessert people but the server handed us the dessert list and we couldn’t help but be curious about the Baileys Cheesecake. I’m not kidding you, this cheesecake with Guinness was the perfect pair and this was hands down the best dessert I’ve ever had. Oh yum, I’m drooling just thinking about it! We enjoyed the music a little longer and wobbled our full bellies up the street and into bed.
We woke the next morning to another homemade Irish breakfast before headed out to see the Cliffs of Moher from the top of the cliffs.
We got so lucky as the sun came out for the first time in days! We were so excited to see these iconic works of nature and even more excited that we’d have a good clear view without storm clouds and fog.
We parked in the main lot and made our walk around the cliffs. I’m not kidding, these were as perfect as the pictures make them seem.
It is hard to not get a good picture of the Cliffs, and we walked along the edge in awe. We kept telling each other “be careful” and “don’t fall” because seriously that 400-700 feet are very gut-wrenching.
James and I were grabbing photos of each other when a very nice group of women offered to take pictures of us together. I’m so thankful they did because we got some of my favorite photos of us!
We walked along the small trail and kept stopping for more photos and to take in all the Cliffs of Moher had to offer us!
After taking in the views, we knew we needed to hit the road as we had a long drive back to Dublin where we were going to spend the last couple days of our Ireland trip. On our drive through the Irish countryside, we noticed this beautiful lake that was so still and we ended up turning around to pull off to take in the serenity
James grabbed some great photos and we couldn’t get enough of Ireland. We hit the road again only to stop again to take more pictures, we just couldn’t stop. There are sheep and cattle on every turn and I was so excited to get pictures of them!
We eventually made it into Dublin and checked into our Airbnb. We got a great little spot central to all the attractions we had on our list. We arrived very hungry and set out for food right away. We made our walk to the Brazen Head which is the oldest pub in Dublin dating back to 1198. We must have arrived at the perfect time because we got the last open table and it was right in front of the live band! This was one of my favorite parts of Ireland, the live music seriously made this place just perfect. We enjoyed hearty meals, Guinness and live music for hours. It was hard to leave because the vibe was so great here, but we grew tired and knew that tomorrow would be a busy day.
The following morning we headed out to grab food and sight-see before our tickets to the Guinness Storefront. After a quick bite, we saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The weather was perfect this cool morning and the sun rising made for amazing lighting.
James was in a creative mood and kept posing me and he loves to somewhat embarrass me while I “model” for him. This would be the result of this moment haha!
After strolling around the city, we made our way to the Guinness Storefront where we unexpectedly spent the rest of our day.
We walked in and started our tour! We learned about the history of Guinness and the way they brew their iconic beer. They had a great display and interactive displays and it was easy to lose track of time in here! We got hungry and stopped in the cafe for some soup and chips before moving on.
We were so pleasantly surprised at how well done this storefront was as it kept us interested and intrigued the entire time. We made our way up the levels of the storefront and enjoying ourselves. We had tastings of different types of Guinness and took a seat in the tasting room. It happened to be International Stout Day and they had a band and traditional Irish dancers who got up on the tables and danced. It was SO cool!
We then headed up to the next floor which is where we got to perfect the pour of a Guinness. As we were waiting in line, James noticed this spot near the window where the lighting was stunning so I got some fun photos here – not mad at all that he loves to photograph me and I get these beautiful photos all over the world!
It was our turn to go in and learn how to pour Guinness. I had no idea there was an art to it and it was fun to watch James pour his favorite beer and get a certificate to commemorate that he learned the perfect pour!
We walked around the museum of advertising and saw how the iconic harp has evolved over the years as well so the different styles of advertising used by Guinness.
We then headed up to the next floor where they had opened the first day of printing your photo on top of a glass of Guinness. We had to pay extra for this but it was so worth it! They had a photo booth and we took a photo together, walked over to the bar and watched as a machine lasered our picture on the foam of the beer.
We then headed up to the last floor of the Guinness Storefront which was a bar surrounded by glass windows with a stunning view of Dublin!
We finished our beers and walked around the room seeing the view from every angle. We arrived right as the sun was setting so we were lucky enough to see the view during the day and the night.
After a long day of drinking Guinness and learning all about the history and life of the beer, we finally left the Guinness Storefront. I’m not kidding you, this place is like a theme park for adults and there was so much to see and do here that we didn’t even realize we spent hours there.
We made the walk back towards the Airbnb to find dinner. Not before stopping in and grabbing some souvenirs and gifts for friends and family! We opted for a quaint pizza place where we shared a pie and laughs. We noticed that we weren’t far from Temple Bar and we wanted to be able to see the iconic bar. We didn’t end up going in for a drink due to time but it was a really cool looking bar!
