Ireland - The Emerald Isle

Today was a beautiful sunny day as I drove to Connemera. By noon I arrived at Kylemore Abby, a beautiful gothic style victorian abbey situated by the water. It was built by a man named Mitchell Henry for his wife when they fell in love with the area on their honeymoon. At one point King Edward VII even considered buying it, but reconsidered saying it was too grand for a king!  From afar it looks like something out of a fairy tale, with...

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Northern Ireland

After arriving at Dublin I jumped in the rental and made my way up to Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. The 3hr drive was pleasant enough though nothing special since I was on the main road. Once there, with the exception of paved roads, I found the area quiet similar to Scotland with its rolling hills and livestock all around. The actual Causeway was hard to describe. On the one hand the formation was quite impressive given its size and height,...

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The Scottish Highlands

Before the next few days in Scotland can be spent touring the picturesque Highlands a quick detour was made to Sterling Castle which is only 50mins outside of Edinburgh.  Prior to the union with England, it was one of the most used Scottish royal residences, both as a palace as well as a fortress. The castle itself sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, that is part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. Having arrived right when it...

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The Historical City of Edinburgh

My first day in Edinburgh left me slightly disappointed. The city I had so highly anticipated turned out to be a bit of a let down. Instead of a quaint city filled with rich history at first glance it seemed no different than any other place in Europe. I started my day with a walk around Prince St, the shopping district of the city. The stores along the blocks were all names you'd find back home, all mass produced, nothing special. From there a short...

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