Castles and Cliffs and Boats...oh my - Part One

I landed in Dublin this past Thursday and morning and my Irish adventure was off to a running start. First off, Chad had forgotten to inform me that if you tell the customs agent you are staying in Ireland for 6 months (honesty is the best policy right) they expect you produce paperwork/visa/etc that gives you permission.  I of course had none of these! The agent looked at me like I was a terrorist while I tried to explain the situation.   Luckily she could look Chad up in their system and gave me a 1 month pass until Chad and I can go to the immigration office together. Whew...I thought for a little she was gonna make me get back on the plane. 

After a long nap and a good nights sleep we left Friday afternoon for a weekend outside of the city. Our first stop took up about 2 hours outside of Dublin to Dromoland Castle in County Clare where we stayed the night.

Our room was up in the tower on the right

Part of the castle was originally built in the 1543 but was updated and added on to in 1835.  It was originally owned by the O'Brien Family who apparently owned a lot of castles/land in Ireland. Little factoid...George W. Bush stayed there in 2004 for the EU-US summit 

When we arrived we walked the beautiful grounds and gardens for a few hours. The castle sits on 350 acres with a golf course and trails. The walled garden and lily pond were my absolute favorites. You can see from the pictures why its called the Emerald Isle...everything is so lush and green from all the rain. 

Entrance to the garden

Chad did not believe the water was as deep as they stated

Standing on the bridge in the lily pond.

That night we had an amazing dinner in their Earl of Thomond Restaurant.  Our waiter was from Poland and probably one of the nicest people I've ever met.  The food and the service was impeccable and we left thoroughly stuffed! 

Our "palatial" room for the night

More to come on day two of adventures soon!