I finally did it!

I officially went to Ireland—meaning, of course, that I left the airport this time and actually got to see some of what makes the country so beautiful. And beautiful it is. It was all green and lush and full of sheep and colorful cottages. I’m going back in a few weeks, and I can’t wait.

There will be posts about this, I promise. But in the mean time, here are some fascinating things I learned during my trip.

• The phrases “Home is where the heart is” and “There’s no place like home” were originally coined by the Irish.
• All of the signs are written in Gaelic first, and then English.
• There are ruins everywhere, and most of them are free to explore.
• Leprechauns exist, and they live underground with the fairies.
• The bed and breakfast I stayed at took breakfast seriously. Smoked salmon with cream cheese? Full Irish breakfast? Soda bread with raspberry preserves? YES PLEASE. I even tried blood sausage. I am a vampire now.
• Don’t invite rock bands to stay in your castle unless you want it to catch fire.
• King George was quite the dandy.

Look! Pictures!