It all started with a very early morning at 4 am. Sleepy eyes, 2 flights, lots of coffee, and lots of naps. When we first got to Ireland we got off the plane running. We were busy right away. Over these past 10 days we've been all over creation and back. We started in Shannon, went to Ennis for breakfast, Cliffs of Moher for the morning, St. Nicholas Church in Galway, Westport, Croagh Patrick, Armagh, Portrush, Derry, St. Columba's Cathedral, Peace Bridge in Derry, Giant's Causeway, then onto Dunluce Castle, (wow this is quite the list, bear with me, I'm halfway through!) Christchurch Cathedral in Dublin, Temple Bar..., Grafton Street, Kildare, Glendalough, and finally the Merry Ploughboys Pub. We went lots of places and had lots of experiences and fun times.
I'd like to share my favorites and a couple of my highlights. I also included picture aids to help but I'm sure all of you have been following along on previous blog posts and Facebook of course. I enjoyed the whole trip as a whole overall but my favorite spots were definitely Croagh Patrick, Giant's Causeway, the Round Tower in Kildare, Grafton Street, and the Merry Ploughboys Pub.
Croagh Patrick as I'm sure you've already heard was quite the trek. For me it was very difficult at times and really pushed some limits but the view at the top was great and very much worth it. Always do what others think you can't. My next favorite place was Giant's Causeway. The reflection time that we had there was by far my favorite one we had. It's been quite the journey with all these people but it's always nice to have time to yourself at some point of the day so I always looked forward to reflecting on my day, reflecting on my pilgrimage so far, my surroundings, and my life. The Giant's Causeway was so peaceful and I loved it. I took so many pictures there. I would say I might've taken too many but then again there is no such thing! Beware!
Another one of my highlights was being able to do the Round Tower at Kildare. The thing so special about pilgrimage is that it is your own in every way. Some things are easier than others, or harder, depending on the person of course. Some things can be viewed differently as well. To most of the rest of the group climbing the Round Tower was a piece of cake along with Croagh Patrick. To me? Not so much. I tend to have a fear of heights and a wee bit of claustrophobia as well so the simple Round Tower was a little more difficult for me and took me a little longer than the rest of the group. The feeling at the end when you overcome something or complete something is so much greater than the fear itself and you realize why you tried so hard in the beginning to start with.
Two of our last stops were Grafton Street and the Merry Ploughboys Pub. I loved Grafton Street, otherwise known as the Souvenir Street. Everyone broke off into small groups and got to shopping. I walked around with my wonderful mentors, Michael, Martha, and Barb. I loved trying to find the perfect thing for everyone but it didn't stop there! I'll be finishing up my shopping tomorrow in the Dublin airport until i'm all out of Euros. Hey family I hope you like all your gifts! Finally, tonight we went to the Merry Ploughboys Pub for dinner and a show of Irish music and traditional dancing. It was a great way to put a closing on our trip. Food was good, music was great, company was nice to have, and I even got to do a little dancing myself when I was randomly picked to join the pros on stage in front of everyone... That was interesting!
As a closing statement, I had a really good time in Ireland and it's bittersweet to go home but I miss home quite a bit. I really enjoyed my time here and I really learned a lot about the history here, my views, myself, and about finding God and the small things in your day that make it good.
It's close to 12:30 at night here so I'll leave you with a few of quotes that I found through my pilgrimage to be important or inspiring.
"Bridges connect what has been separated. What bridges do you need to build in your life?"
"Water has to hit rock bottom before it can spring back up to the top."
"Be in the world not of the world."
"God doesn't make mistakes or give you anything you can't handle."
"A tourist passes through a place but a place passes through a pilgrim."
Goodnight Ireland. See you soon America!
Isabella Galvez