Ireland, Day 1

So, Ireland for St. Patrick's day has been on my bucket list {and I don't even drink!} There is something about being somewhere when everyone is excited about the same thing. This trip did not disappoint! Matt let me head off with 6 other wonderful ladies, and we had the time of our lives! Well, on day 1 we went on a tour up the Irish west coast.

The first pictures you see were my favorite stop, and these are pictures of the Cliffs of Moher. They are breathtaking. The views were amazing and the historical tidbits of how the vikings were the first to take over Ireland were interesting.

Next are pictures taken in the town of Doolin which is famous for its music and its pubs. I had to try the fish and chips. I also purchased an Aran, Irish sweater. They are beautiful and made from the sheep's wool right there in Ireland. I bought a green cable knit.

Next you'll see pictures of the Bunratty castle and the small village that surrounds it. Don't you just love the chickens walking around and the thatched houses?

The next pictures are of the beautiful Irish countryside that we drove through. I couldn't get over how beautifully green everything was. The river pictured is the river Shannon {I loved the way the Irish said "Shannon"!}

The last picture is a night shot of our hotel: Bewley's Ballsbridge.

The Alps

We LOVE the Alps! We feel so lucky to be within a drive from them. They are just a 2-3 hour drive away. J & G have gone skiing a total of 6 days now, and they are LOVING it! They both are quite the skiers too! Below are pictures Matt and I took while on top of the Zugspitze (The tallest mountain peak in Germany). We took a train to the top and a tram down (hanging from that high up was exhilarating and a teensy bit scary!) Seeing the world from this view was breathtaking. We love the mountains. They are just gorgeous and we couldn't help but enjoy this majestic beauty.




We also enjoy driving through the mountain villages sprinkled along the base of the Alps. Garmisch is one of our favorites. We visited where the 1936 Winter Olympics were held. Hitler himself was in attendance.





J & G just love ski school. They learned some great skills. Their teachers were awesome.





On one other cities we stayed in was Lermoos, Austria. We stayed in a great little house with the Ponds. The kids and husbands enjoyed skiing while Kim and I quilted the day away.