Ireland

Sorry for the long lapse between posts. For some reason this past week we’ve been avoiding the task of writing a blog like it’s the plague. It’s probably because Rachel’s parents are here with us and we’ve been trying to just relax with them. Or maybe all of the Guinness we’ve been consuming is making us lazy. Either way, writing this just sounded like too much of a chore.

It’s been a slow work in progress over the last few days, with Rachel starting the post and Dustin finishing it. Anyway, we’re finally motivated enough today to finish it up (and Dustin’s mom has been bugging us for an update) so here we go…

Our Ireland journey kicked off in Dublin. We spent a few days checking out the city and, of course, heading to the Guinness Brewery. Much to my Dad and Dustin’s dismay I was never a huge fan of Guinness back home, but that has now changed. Maybe it’s the quaint little villages, charming pubs, or the lure of the countryside, but the Guinness just seems to taste better here. Even Dustin and my parents, all self-proclaimed “beer connoisseurs”, insist that the Guinness really does taste better in Ireland.

Rachel and her parents enjoying their first Guinness in Ireland:

The bartenders at all of the pubs have perfected the art of a perfect pour and take great pride in serving a beautiful pint of Guinness. Dustin and my parents decided to make it a point to have one pint of Guinness (usually more) a day during our entire time here…their excuse is that it’s the best way to mingle with the locals and learn more about their culture. Thanks to one friendly bartender, Dustin has even mastered the art of pouring a “proud pint.” He insisted on pouring all of our pints while staying at our hotel in Doolin.

Dustin working on his "proud pint" form:

Believe it or not, we haven’t spent all of our time drinking Guinness inside pubs. Over the last week and a half we have managed to make a loop through the bottom half of Ireland. We’ve visited some charming villages and completed a couple of the great scenic drives both through green rolling hills and along rugged coastlines. We’ve listened to plenty of lively Irish music and explored the ancient ruins of countless castles and churches.

Dingle Harbor:

The Cliffs of Moher:


As we’ve been driving the coastal route we have always been on the lookout for places to surf. Although we didn’t want to deal with the hassle and expense of hauling our surfboards from Italy to Ireland, we were still hoping to get a few surf sessions in while here. With the high cost of board and wetsuit rentals and the surprisingly good surf we found, we’re wishing we would’ve hauled our boards here after all.

Our first sign of surfable waves was at a beautiful stretch of beach on the southwestern edge of the country near the village of Dingle. Although the waves weren’t great, we couldn’t resist the chance to get in the water. We had fun playing around in the waist high beach break and managed to get a handful of decent waves each. We were just stoked to get any waves at all…the last time we surfed (not counting Dustin’s river surfing in Munich) was five months ago in Bali. The frigid water here was a far cry from the warm, wetsuit free waters of Padang Bay, Bali but we’ll take what we can get.

Feeling somewhat satisfied we worked our way north and stumbled upon even better surf a few days later. (Just in time for Rachel’s birthday.) We surfed until we were both frozen from the cold water and then stayed out a little longer until our arms just didn’t work anymore. The waves were not the biggest or the best of the trip, but the laidback vibe (there were only 8-10 other people in the water and the locals were friendly and even interested in what we thought of their wave) and great scenery (rolling green hills, a quaint little village, and even the ruins of a castle overlooking the break) made for one of the best surf sessions of the trip.

Heading out for Rachel's birthday surf session:

After our surf we headed straight to the sauna to warm up and then enjoyed a great lunch. It certainly made for a birthday to remember for Rachel. (Right up there with the time I took her pheasant hunting on her birthday...I’m sure you’ve all heard that story a few times.)


More Ireland surf:

We stumbled upon this place, Ireland's premire big wave spot, where they routinely get 60+ foot waves during the winter. It was much more managable on this day. If we would've had more time (the tide was rising fast and the nearest board rental was a long way away) Dustin would've been tempted to paddle out....Rachel didn't want to have anything to do with the climb down the 600 ft vertical cliff, the paddle out through the rocks, or the 15+ foot surf.

We’ve had a great time in Ireland with Rachel’s folks…the scenery is spectacular, the locals are friendly, and Guinness is always on tap.