Ireland, the land of dreams. And I don't say that facetiously: the postcards, in fact, do not lie. Studying abroad in the country's capital city allowed for constant adventure and excursions and easily, it is one of the most extraordinary places out there. If my word isn't enough to convince you, maybe my un-filtered photos will. Below you'll find a journey through the island, mapped out by memory.
1. On first sight? Love. Pure love.
2. Dublin, the fairest of cities, always gleans with a new pub to spend time at or museums to while the hours away in.
2. Just a DART (coastal train) ride away from Dublin is Bray, a seaside escape for hiking and casually passing the homes of Hozier and Sinead O'Connor.
3. Cork (specifically Blarney) holds more than a stone that gives you the gift for gab. What lies around are spectacular gardens and tales of witches and ice palaces.
4. Doolin—a village of four pubs and fewer than 30 homes—can be prided on its more quintessential aspects of Ireland in the greenery, quiet gravel paths and a heck of a lot of cows.
4. The Connemara Valley follows an expanse of exquisite mountains, some of the most beautiful in the country. Shepherding is widely practiced inside the green reaching towards the sky.
5. A true wonder of the world: the Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare.
6. Not far off the west coast can be found the Aran Islands. Pictured below is Inisheer, the smallest of the three and best traveled by bicycle.
7. Need a great cycling route? Look no further than the Dingle Peninsula, of southwestern Ireland. The town of Dingle features one stop light, two main roads and the joys of small-town visiting.
8. You just can't beat the views.
9. The medieval world appears before your eyes every time you turn a corner. Castles—the ones only ever seen in movies and described in novels—rise from the land and make you feel slightly less significant, comparatively.
10. And city hall? Looks just like royalty.
11. What is left in Ireland but to find a peace of mind among the rugged beauty? The kind that fills your soul with intense emotions for this world and the need to seek as much of it out as possible.
12. Majesty.
13. Glendalough, a monastery one hour's bus ride outside of Dublin, is a daylong hiking extravaganza. There are a number of routes located in the area, and each one provides its own stellar views of the Wicklow Mountains.
14. The Tullymore National Park, where a number of scenes from Season One of "Game of Thrones" were filmed. Need I say more?
15. May the road rise to meet you. And never end.
16. One of the world's most beautiful campuses, Trinity College.
17. There's simply nothing like it.
18. Nothing.
