Cliffs of Moher and Doolin

After talking with the owners of the B&B they told us to make our drive up to our next destination by ferry. After looking at a map we were so happy they told us because it saved us about an hour of driving time.

 Just outside of our next B&B (we had a view from our place) was the Cliffs of Moher. We both went to this place (separately with our friends) 12 years ago so we didn't spend too much time. We got our pictures and hit the road again.

 At lunch we had a ginger beer. This might be my drink of choice with as car sick as I get on just about any road.

 Our pictures of the cliff on a somewhat clear day in Ireland.

 After about a 15 minute drive we made it to Doolin. 

 These rock walls are EVERYWHERE in Ireland. I love how they don't use any cement or binding agent to construct the wall. 

 Our rare moments of sunshine during the trip.

 Love this...so perfect for the typical scenery in Ireland. Cows, green grass and rolling hills.

That night we walked to a pub and stayed for about 3 hours. They had live traditional Irish music and a whole crowd of people. Great night #2!

10 Years and Back to Ireland

Hard to believe it's been almost 12 years since we met in a pub in Ireland. We had this 10 year anniversary trip planned for about 4 years now so we were so excited to finally go after all the planning.

Thankfully my parents were here for our anniversary so they took care of the kids so Jason and I could enjoy our special day. We left on Thursday and flew back on Sunday night. Each night we stayed at a different B&B in a different city. Ireland is just too beautiful to stay in one place for the whole time. 

We flew into Kerry Airport and stayed the night at a B&B in Castlemaine which is about 30 km from the airport. Our first adventure we took a quick drive to the Killarney National Park on a typical rainy day when we landed. Good thing we had umbrellas and raincoats!

This tree was amazing! It was just off the trail on the hike we took to the waterfall.

 This IS how green Ireland is. Just beautiful!

 The waterfall was beautiful and so peaceful.

 I loved how short this walkway was on the trail.

 Our first of many Guinesses and Smithwick's during our trip.

 This was the first place we stayed and it was so wonderful. As typical Irish are the owners of the house  they were so nice and made you feel at home. I would recommend this to anyone staying in the area. 

I just loved the four poster bed in our room.

 We walked around the farmhouse and were able to see all sorts of animals.

 We loved just being back in Ireland and getting away together. Our next days only got better...

Munich...then Homebound

After driving from home, Salzburg, Slovenia, and most through Croatia it was time to make the trek back homeward. 

It was neat to drive through Slovenia and see and area we never thought we would see. Slovenia is a very rustic and hilly countryside with many old fashioned hay racks. 

We made our last stop (with no stau's...thankfully) and stopped halfway in Munich for the night.

 A castle we saw in Austria from the autobahn.

 At a pit stop my dad got a coke with his name on the bottle. Apparently it's the new thing here. There are all sorts of different names on the coke bottles.

 Our hotel was close by subway to the Höfbrau Haus. This place holds about 5,000 people and is the place to be in Munich.

 Enjoying a nice beer after a long days drive.

 We got a table on the first floor...call it luck...but we were happy to be out of the car.

 My mom and I shared and pork knuckle. It was SO yummy!

 My mom and her namesake Grace Kathryn.

 In this picture she is calling Jason her "little sweetie pie." She is a goofy girl all the time. Love her!

They were setting up for Oktoberfest just around the corner from our hotel. We were going to walk around and see all the action, but we were ready to get home and to our comfortable surroundings. 

We made good time on the way home and couldn't be more thankful for our safe travels and fun times.

Last Night in Croatia

Some snap shots of our last night in Starigrad-Paklenica, Croatia.

We had a great week long trip and did some amazing things while we were there.

I am so thankful for the time we had with my parents and exploring a new area during their visit. We made some memories that last a lifetime and I will always treasure our time together!

Plitvice National Park

This place is one of the many reasons we decided to go to the area we did. After seeing pictures of this we wanted to make this a must visit.

We drove about 1 1/2 hours from the apartment on a long, winding rode. There are two entrances to the park, it just happened that drove by entrance #2 first so that is where we parked. 

There are a number of trails to choose from to walk around the waterfall depending on how far and long you wanted to hike.

We opted for the "trail H" which is about 4-6 hours of hiking. It takes you to the top of the upper falls and you hike to the middle lake from there. The boat then takes you to the top of the lower falls to end at the biggest and most popular fall of all.

  The beginning of the hike to the buses.

 

Waiting patiently among the hundreds of others.

 Here you can see the map of the falls. They are protected and recognized as one of the first natural sights of the UNESCO Natural World Heritage. It extends over 295 square kilometers. The waters are so blue and clear because as the water flows through the limestone it picks up minerals within.

 Before the big hike we took a break and had lunch by the stream.

 Our first view of a waterfall. 

 Most of the paths looked like this along the way. It was great being so close to the water and being able to see the many trout and carp that live in the waters. I don't think I have ever seen water so clear.

 The view from the top of the trail. 

 On the way out we bought some local honey from this nice man. His parents and wife get the honey from the hive and his job is to sell it. We got honey from an acadia tree. Might just be some of my favorite!

This place is my favorite thing we did on this trip. The waterfall and water are just amazing to see. The pictures just don't do it justice. We hiked just about all day with stops here and there and were exhausted at the end of the day. We all took guesses at how far we hiked and Jason won with the closest vote...10 miles!!! No wonder we were so tired! We are so proud of the kids for doing that hike for so long. They hardly ever complained and kept up the whole way.

If you get the chance to go...it's a must!