Ireland Trip 2010

I don't know why I've been avoiding this post, but I have. I feel like there is so much to catch up on! But I decided to bite the bullet today. We went to Ireland for a week in mid-June for a family vacation. My parents were there, my brother Dan and sister-in-law Ashley and their kids, and then of course Megan and Andrew. Here's a picture of the gang, minus Megan and Andrew. Quite a group!


Nicole was such a trooper the entire trip, considering that she was SERIOUSLY lacking sleep. She'd fall asleep anytime we were in the car, probably because she figured that was the only time she'd get a chance to nap so she'd better take advantage! The sun stays up until after 10, and then rises before 6 so we just kept playing the entire time the sun was up.

My favorite memory of Nicole falling asleep was our first day there, and we stopped at Bunratty Village and Castle. We went across the street for some pub grub, and Nicole was sitting on my lap eating chips (Ireland's french fries) and while bringing a chip to her mouth, she zonked out. I was laughing so hard! Poor girl just crashed.

Some highlights of the trip included driving the Dingle peninsula - beautiful, scenic, and something we had never done before; picnicking and playing soccer on the beach; the Cork city festival that was going on while we were there; the walkie-talkies (we had 2 vans to transport all of us around and my dad brought walkie-talkies so we could communicate); gelato, the chocolate candy bars, and of course, shopping!

Alex, Nicole and I stayed a couple of days longer than everyone else, so we hit the Shandon Bell tower and Nicole got to ring the bells, and we also went to the Cork City Gaol (Jail). We all had a great time and the weather was sunny the whole time! Here is a slideshow of our adventures.