A Brand New World

          I have traveled to many different countries throughout my lifetime, but this was the first time I actually planned a trip myself. It was quite difficult and time consuming but it was also quite thrilling to do my own research and create my own itinerary. Now, I will no longer just follow in my parents footsteps, I will create my own path! And hopefully, since my parents also wish to travel to Ireland, they might use the itinerary I created and I would be honored seeing as they are avid travelers. To Ireland we will now go, to lose ourselves in the vastness of the Irish country, to hear the roar of the waves, to see the expanse of greenery, to experience the liveliness of Irish pubs while sipping Irish beer and dancing to Celtic music.

          The reason why I have always wished to go to Ireland is to trace my Irish roots. I have always felt a calling to visit the land of my ancestors, and nothing against my French side, but I seemed to have inherited many of the Cahill Irish traits. I will admit when I first started researching Ireland and planning out this dream vacation I didn't really know where to start. I just wanted to go to Ireland, I didn't have any specific landmarks I wanted to see. I just wanted to see the land of green. From my University studies, I have developed a love for many Irish writers so this inspired portions of my trip. And besides Dublin and the Blarney Stone, everything else I added to the trip was interesting sites I came across as I dug through the Lonely Planet travel guide and from the ratings on tripadvisor.ca. Though I used the Lonely Planet guide (LP) Davenport, Fionn. Ireland. Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet, 2012. Print., my trip was not one they had preplanned. I used key locations, but tweaked  it to make it my own :)

Map compliments of Lonely Planet Guide book (all maps used throughout blog are from LP 4-5)

          As the Lonely Planet travel guide states, the best time to travel to Ireland is during the months of June to August due to the good weather and availability (LP 16). I WILL partake on my dream vacation in three years, as I will have finished school and will hopefully be teaching by then (which will work well for traveling seeing as elementary schools are out during July and August so I will have all summer off). 

My travel buddy Josh and I. Are we Irish enough or what (well Josh isn't actually Irish ... )? :)

                              

          Furthermore, I really would like to go on this trip to celebrate maybe our first wedding anniversary or a year of being engaged. (I told my boyfriend we have to get matching Irish friendship rings and he intends on re-proposing to me sometime in the middle of our trip. I am banking on the boat tour :) Considering we are a young couple, and in order to avoid the highest rates which occur during August, July seems like the best time to go (LP 16). Furthermore, though I would love to go tour Ireland for a month since there is so much to see, I had to shorten my trip seeing as it would only be plausible for my boyfriend to take two weeks off at work as he is a computer technician and not a teacher.

Matching friendship rings

            So follow me as we embark on a journey to Ireland! (If you are in the mood, listen to some Celtic music! http://icebergradio.com/#!/world/radiocelt/)