Ireland was a blast! From Belfast we hopped a bus to the Republic of Ireland, to Galway City. This chill little city was hosting its annual Galway International Arts Festival. The exhibits included a giant whale air balloon, many amazing surreal sculptures by Patricia Paccinini, and much more. Very cool!

We took a day trip from Galway to the Cliffs of Moher. These are some fantastic ocean cliffs that rise 120 meters above the Atlantic Ocean. Standing at the edge and dangling our feet over the edge was quite the experience! We also checked out some fantastic castles.

We then hopped accross the country to Dublin! We had a great pub experience while in the city. We skipped the very touristy Temple Bar area, and found a local pub called The Deer’s Head. The people we met were very friendly and generous. We ended up staying for six hours, but only paid for a few beers. When we shared our backpacking stories and plans, our new friends kept feeding us Guinness, chicken wings, and fries! A true Dublin experience! If you’re in Dublin, check out The Deer’s Head!

Included with the photos is a rather strange statue of Lady Justice. She’s holding her sword in an offensive position, with her back facing the people. Back when the British occupied Ireland, they had a different sense of justice! Not to fear, however, as the Republic of Ireland obtained its freedom in 1921. The history of Ireland is quite fascinating – I recommend Googling it!

Now off to Amsterdam! We’ll try to behave ourselves – until then!

Cheers,

Shawn