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Wow!  What a trip!  I don't think I could've imagined a better, more well-thought out trip. Who planned this again? ;-) For the final day, we packed our bags, bid a sad goodbye to Aird Clachan, and drove six hours southwest to Bunratty.  Going to the Bunratty Medieval Banquet seemed like a fitting way to end our trip. Seeing as Ethan hasn't been here in years, and Rebecca has never been here, it was a completely new experience for them.  So when we were brought our "beverages" for dinner, they asked me if the one jug was water or mead (once again, a free alcoholic drink that we Mormons can't drink, but that I'm sure is included in the admission fee).  I was absolutely positive that the jug was water.  However, as soon as I saw their faces, I realized (as did they), that I didn't know what I was talking about! Yep, I have corrupted my children.  They have now have the taste of alcohol on their lips.  Sinners... The dinner was delicious ...

I don't even know how many times we have been to Northern Ireland.  And in all honesty, we always visit the same places.  It doesn't matter though, because it's one of my favorite places on earth. John loves nothing more than to head out for a run anytime we arrive at a new place, and seeing as he knows the paths around the Giant's Causeway so well, it took him only a few minutes to put on his running shoes.  And he convinced Ethan to head out with him. Honestly, is there any place more beautiful than this?  Meanwhile back at the ranch, Rebecca and I had a nice chance to take naps and relax.  Our home was named Aird Clachan, and I do believe it is the nicest place we have ever stayed in Ireland.  I mean, c'mon, how can you go wrong with a cheery yellow front door? One of the best parts about the house was the kitchen table.  It was nice and big, and we spent every night playing games around it.  Namely one game.  A game that shoul...

It wouldn't be a visit to Dublin without heading to Trinity College.  John and I have taken multiple people there, and it never disappoints (although getting there and finding parking can be a problem). The best part of it all is the The Long Room of the library, and the display of The Book of Kells. A shot of The Long Room from the entrance.  The books in this library are still used and accessible to the Trinity students. There is always some exhibit in The Long Room, and this time, it was an exhibit of Irish authors and first edition copies of their books.  There were also some first edition copies of books by English authors (seeing as Ireland wasn't independent from England until 1916).  What a trip it was to see a first edition copy of The Hobbit .  We also learned that Eoin Colfer, one of Ethan's favorite childhood authors who happens to be Irish, doesn't pronounce his first name E-O-win (as we always thought), but pronounces it Owen. ...

Most of this day was spent driving.  I was hoping that we would be able to attend church in either Germany, or Ireland, but with limited flights out of Frankfurt-Hahn, I couldn't make it work.  However, I believe one of our most memorable moments of the trip happened this day (at least for me). We drove from Rothenburg back to Frankfurt-Hahn, a three hour drive, caught our plane back to Kerry airport, and then drove the four hours to Dublin.  I had bought tickets for a show that I've tried to book before but had never worked into our schedule:  dinner and a show at The Merry Ploughboy. The Merry Ploughboy is an Irish pub owned completely by musicians.  Let me repeat that:  it is OWNED by MUSICIANS.  Honestly, it's a wonder that it's even viable as a business, knowing how poorly musicians tend to mange things.  However, they have made it work. The pub is just any old pub on the main floor, but the top floor is where the magic happens. ...

I had read in lots of tour books that people have decidedly different views about whether or not to stay within the walls of Rothenburg.  I figured this might be the only time we were ever going to visit, so we might as well go all the way. John had been wanting to visit Rothenburg since we lived in Germany.  For some reason, we never got around to it...until now.  It's a medieval city in the heart of Bavaria, and there is a wall completely surrounding the city.  In fact, when we first drove up, we weren't exactly sure where the entrance was. It doesn't exactly scream "ENTRANCE", now does it? I decided it would be worth it to spend the extra money and stay in the city (kind of like staying in a resort at Universal Studios). I booked us the best rated hotel within the town, The Goldener Hirsch.  No joke, it was gorgeous...and rather sad to think of how this stately hotel was used in olden times.  It was dripping with elegance and old-world cha...