Ireland, but not really

I've been trying to narrow down the pictures I should use in a single post about Ireland, but the task is just too hard. Rather than make you wait until December to hear about what is going on with us, I'm going to (gasp) just skip Ireland. Well, kinda. I will do a full write up on my travel blog: http://www.whereisqt.blogspot.com/. Until then, you will have to settle for this:

As a part-Christmas, part-Birthday, part-Anniversary present, I took Rod to Europe (for the first time!). We spent 11 whirlwind days making a counter-clockwise trip around Ireland.

The highlights were spending time with our friends--Kara, Colby, Flannery, and Finnegan--exploring Howth and Dublin.

spending a night on the wrong side (depending on who you ask) of town in Belfast,

the Coastline,

(Giant's Causeway)

randomly ending up in the front row of a David Gray concert in Galway,

riding our bikes around the Aran Islands,
the Coastline, (Cliffs of Moher)

Dingle Peninsula,

Spending my birthday in the most incredible bed and breakfast




the Castles.
And did I mention the Coastline?

Ireland was so beautiful, but cold. It is the only trip that I've ever come back from whiter than I left. :) Everything was so green--in shades that I've never seen. It fully lived up to its Emerald Isle reputation. July is supposed to be its warmest month, but it never got above 65 degrees.






The Guiness deserves its own paragraph. If you can believe it, it tastes even better in Ireland. It was silky smooth, great for cutting the grease from all the fish-and-chips and full Irish breakfasts, which include bacon and sausage, eggs, tomatoes, two types of bread, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and cereal.



All of this completely made up for the fact that they drive on the wrong side of a very narrow road, the overabundance of fried foods, and turning 29.