First impressions

Hello from Ireland! I have just a bit of time to write, but I really wanted to share just a few miscellaneous shots and thoughts since we began our trip last Sunday.

Here's Roxy, my farm pup, sound asleep on my lap as we drove to the airport. During our time away, she'll be staying with my mom. She *loves* being with my mom:

Our flight path was Portland to Philadephia, Philadelphia to Dublin. While we were in Philly, we decided to try Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. They were yummy:

My first glimpse of Ireland:

Look! A field of Canola:

Our rental car...steering wheel on the right:

We thought it best to write a small note for the dash to remind us that things work differently on the roads over here:

Jim's GPS doesn't have a map of Ireland loaded yet, but at least we could confirm we were in the country we thought we were:

Our first two nights were spent in a town called Kilkenny. We found a 13th century tower adjacent to a church that we just had to climb:

Going up was a lot more fun that coming back down. Talk about a tight squeeze:

Not being a real fan of heights, I sucked it up and thought of this as practice for the staggeringly high ocean cliffs I'll be peering over later in the trip:

They say things differently here in Ireland:

Another case in point:

This had me worried. Washed rooster - in a bag - really?:

Fortunately not. Seems they call some potatoes here "roosters":

Hunky Dory chips are big here in Ireland:

You have your choice of cheese and onion, salt and vinegar...

and...Buffalo. Jim, of course, had to try the Buffalo:

Third ingredient on the ingredients' list is "buffalo flavor", in addition to all sorts of other nasty stuff. It's important to try new things, right? (Once was enough, though):

We took a day trip off to the Wicklow mountains and to a small town that was featured in our very favorite Irish t.v. series:

Anyone recognize this place? (I'm high-fiving you, if you do):

The use of baling twine is alive and well here in Ireland. It's even the same color as ours:

Our favorite thing is the unexpected. We are travelling with virtually no itinerary and very few reservations. By venturing off the beaten path, we are encountering many lovely, seemingly hidden, surprises:

Look at this guy. Isn't he incredible?:

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my last post - I love that there are so many fellow Ireland-lovers among us! ♥