DUB-->LHR

Day 6:
We had one last morning in Ireland before our flight to the United Kingdom, so we packed in a visit to Christ Church Cathedral, in all of it's tiled floors and stained glass windows glory. 

We quickly learned that flying within foreign countries is slightly more challenging, but we made it only with the help of a tall, red-headed employee of AerLingus named Mark. If I had remembered to get his last name, I would send him a thank you card for finagling me to the front of the checked baggage line so I didn't have to toss my entire 31-day supply of toiletries. 

We spent our first evening in London dining at Brixton Village, per our host Alex's guidance. We tried okonomiyaki, a japanese street food that can be likened to pancakes made from kimchi and pork, at Okan, one of the many darling local shops in a former London underground station. We splurged on a gluten-free dessert at Vozars and both fell in love with our British-Indian waitress, Rav. Another local's advice for the win.

City folk

Day 5:
Dublin, though  only a few hours drive from County Cork, felt like an entirely different place than the countryside of Ireland. The people we met were friendly but we no longer felt as though they were family. The bustling city was beautiful and full of life, with a much faster pace than we had been accustomed to thus far. We stumbled upon some of the loveliest little shops, including tea at Clement & Pekoe, plants at The Garden, and home goods at Industry on Drury Street. We also fell in love with the Georgian style doors adorning all the homes and businesses along the way. We walked as far as we could make it before dusk and thus began the next chapter of our travels: Europe sans vehicle. 

Royalty for the day

Day 4:
Our stay with the O'Sullivan's was just as warm and welcoming as the rest of our nights in Ireland. Their cottage, covered almost entirely by greenery and flowers, was tucked away along the River Lee with the most abundant garden in their backyard. Anne, of course, made us a feast for breakfast, including our first taste of black pudding. She even stitched up my snagged sweater before we had to get back on the road, headed towards our final stop in Dublin. We stopped in Kinsale, per a friend's recommendation and we were enamored with the Irish countryside homes. We then made our way to the Rock of Cashel, where we roamed around Medieval castles and monasteries made of limestone. A great way to bid farewell to rural Ireland!

Ryan's birthday in Ireland

Day 3-
We woke up before sunrise to explore more of the coast in the peaceful, quiet morning. We had to bundle up until the warmth of the sun greeted us, and we had all the views to ourselves, minus a shepherd and his flock. 
When we got back to the house we had stayed in the night before, the young girls, Cora and Siehe, sang happy birthday to Ryan in Gaelic while we ate brown bread and "silky" eggs overlooking the sea. 
Per Clodagh and Eoghan's recommendations, we took a ferry to the Blasket Islands and hiked around the primitive island with its charming, decrepit stone cottages. 
We had a fairly long day of driving ahead of us, so we stopped at a coffee/pottery cafe that lived up the the hype that the ladies we had met on the ferry were raving about.  We drove through the Gap of Dunloe and all of it's Lord of the Rings vibes on our way to our next stop, Iniscarra.