A Wedding in Ireland (Day 9)

Sadness, the day had finally come for us to leave Ireland.  :-(

I checked-out of my hotel and took my last bit of photos this morning.  Here's The Convention Centre Dublin!

And one more of the Samuel Beckett Bridge.  :-)

These waterfront properties must be expensive!  I wish I could have stayed longer, but I didn't want to take too much time away from work.  ;-)

Most of us were on the same direct flight home including the newlyweds.  It only took us around 9 hours to get back to Vancouver from Dublin!?!  I can't believe how incredible this trip was, which is why I'm eternally grateful to Trevor and Cassandra.  Because of them, Ireland will always have a special place in my heart!

Thank you, my friends!!!  :-)

A Wedding in Ireland (Day 8)

The breakfast was so good at McCambridge's that I went back for their Avocado Smash Toast this morning...

before hopping on the bus back to Dublin with the rest of our party!

Once we arrived in Dublin everyone pretty much parted ways with each other because we were so tired from our travels.  We all just wanted to get settled-in for some rest.

I booked a room at The Marker Hotel for the night.

It was pretty fancy...

and creepy.  Haha!

My room was pretty stylish!

The bathroom was...

absolutely beautiful!  :-)

The hotel was located in Grand Canal Square which kind of reminded me of Yaletown in Vancouver.

I eventually walked over to the Temple Bar District...

to do more sightseeing...

and people watching.  Hehe...

It was quite busy...

and obviously...

a tourist attraction.

The loved all the...

cobblestone roads!

Apparently, it's quite the hazard for...

drunk girls in heels.  ;-)

I bought some gelato and went outside to see this horse and carriage barrelling through the crowded streets just to drop-off its passengers at the bar!?!

I couldn't stop laughing.  It was such a crazy moment to witness a crowd of people parting like the Red Sea for this old school taxi!  So awesome!!!  LOL!

More historical...

architecture.

Trinity College Dublin.

I don't know what building this is, but it looked old, so I took a photo of it.  Hehe...

Here's a bar that's over 200 years old, Mulligan's!

And according to Kyle,

they pour the perfect pint of Guinness!

It was time for me to head back...

because I had to wake-up early the next day for the flight home.

I love this bridge.

It totally resembles...

a harp!

It's totally like Yaletown, eh?

When I got back to The Marker,

I went up to the roof and took photos.

I eventually got hungry, so I ordered another steak downstairs.  Haha!

Of course, I had to take advantage of my room's bathtub.  ;-)

A Wedding in Ireland (Day 3)

I checked-out of the Ashling Hotel this morning and just walked across the street...

to the Heuston Train Station.

I was on my way to Cork for 19.99 Euros.

The interior of the train was very spacious!

I had two and half hours of this lovely countryside.

I wanted to sleep along the way, but I didn't want to miss any sightseeing like...

these SHEEP!!!

Oh, and they've got wind turbines here too!

Wifi is free on the train, so I was able to update my blog.  ;-)

Whoa, that's the ruins of a castle?!?

I finally arrived at Kent Station in Cork.

I just snapped photos as I walked over to our rendezvous.

I was just trying to comprehend how old these buildings were.

Crossing the streets, you have to be extra vigilant because of the way they drive here.  ;-)

I was early,

so I killed some time in this...

130 year old pub...

named Sin e!

A lot of history in the bar and many bands have played here!

They also have free Wifi!  Hehe

Time to see the city centre.

The Lee River...

runs through it.

I love how the weather changes constantly here.

A lot of shopping is done here.

Here's my boy, Trevor!!!

He and Cassandra are getting married tomorrow!  They're the whole reason we flew over here.  :-)

They and a bunch of their friends all worked on "Game of Thrones" on their stunt team!?!

We all took a 45 minute bus ride to Blackwater Castle...

located in Castletownroche.

We went up the tower...

and took some photos.

This place was awesome!

It even has its own bar with Guinness on tap!?!

I met Adam, a UK based stunt performer who also knows Charles!  :-)

And here's a grand piano.

Friends and family...

all started to gather in our pub.

I just couldn't believe we were all partying in a castle.  Haha!

Gotta get an ego portrait.  LOL!

Dinner was served.

See how the weather changed?

Here's Maya and her cat, Chloe.  Her parents own and run Blackwater Castle.

Trevor's cousin, Jen and his aunt, Linda were a couple of cutie pies!  :-)

IT'S TIME TO PARTY!!!  :-)