We got back Friday night from our almost 3-week long honeymoon! It was an AMAZING trip and we are so sad that it’s over and we have to start work (Declan) and school (Erica) today. But! We can reminisce and show you all kinds of pictures from it! Sound fun? (Warning: Prepare for lots of pictures!)
We started off with a week in Dublin. Declan’s mom was born there and he has a bunch of cousins in Dublin so it was really fun to meet everyone.
Walking around Trinity College
Dessert at Avoca in Dublin
Tour of the Guinness Storehouse
Drinks at the Old Jameson Distillery – Hot Jameson Apple and Jameson Honeycomb
Dinner with some family!
After Dublin, we flew to Paris to stay over Christmas. We had Christmas Eve dinner in the Eiffel Tower – so cool – and went to Christmas morning Mass at Notre Dame. Of course, we visited all the fun places like l’Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, and the Louvre.
Delicious yummies!
Watching the Steelers game in Paris 🙂
Lunch at the Christmas market along Champs-Élysées
The Eiffel Tower photo of course
At night
Erica’s main course on Christmas Eve
The view from our seats during Christmas Mass
Notre Dame is so beautiful inside
Cute square where we got Christmas dinner and gelato afterwards!
Pont Neuf – where Declan’s grandma ate lunch everyday until she moved to America!
After Paris, we flew back to Ireland and visited Galway on the west coast. The town is a lot smaller than Dublin and really cute. We took two day tours while we were there – to Connemara and to the Burren and Cliffs of Moher. Our favorite day of the whole trip was our trip to Connemara because the countryside is just so beautiful, even at this time of year.
The Kings Head Pub – over 800 years old and home to the best fish and chip we had in Ireland
We visited quite a few old abbeys and friaries and each was so different and unique
Old stonework in an abbey
Such beautiful scenery!
Connemara Pony
Mountains in Connemara
Kylemore Abbey
Another old Abbey
The Burren and Poulnabrone Dolmen – ancient burial ground over 6000 years old
The Cliffs of Moher – the highest winds we have ever experienced!
Exploring Galway Bay
Old boats along Claddagh Quay
We headed back to Dublin for New Years Eve and celebrated at a local pub near the townhouse we were staying in. It was a lot of fun and we met some cool people!
New Years Eve
On New Years day, we took a train down the coast of Ireland to Wexford to visit Declan’s mom’s cousin Audrey and her husband Jack. We were so excited to spend time with them, but we both suddenly came down with a stomach bug and were in bed all that day sick. Declan recovered the next day and got to go exploring some with Audrey and Jack, but Erica still wasn’t feeling well and stayed back to rest (don’t worry she recovered before we had to go home). Audrey and Jack were the best hosts ever and we cannot thank them enough!
Views from the train ride
Ship used to transport passengers to America during the famine
Declan and Audrey
The beaches were gorgeous
After Wexford, we went back to Dublin to pack up and have dinner with another cousin who just happened to be named Declan as well, which was confusing because we have never had to deal with that before. We packed up all the stuff we had accumulated and headed to the airport Friday morning to come back to Pittsburgh.
The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we enjoyed every second of it (other than when we were sick)! We are so grateful for everyone who helped make it such a great success. 🙂
A recipe post is coming soon so be on the look out!!
-D&E
Cooking in College 
Glad to know you’re back! 🙂