It all started with a school holiday and a bite from the travel bug.
When most people think of spring break, they see beaches, parties, and a bunch of friends taking their minds off of a crazy spring semester. However, when I thought about spring break this past year, I saw an opportunity for solo travel.
I'd traveled outside the country before, but never to go somewhere where I didn't know anyone. This trip was special because I was uniquely on my own. I didn't have any friends going from Arkansas, nor did I know anyone who'd be there on the trip. It was just me and 43 strangers for a whole week. And it ended up being one of my favorite travel experiences yet.
This trip was designed to be what I call a quick and dirty travel experience. The people hosting you kind of give you a quick and dirty view of the country, going to a variety of places in a short time. So because of that, we were almost constantly moving. From the big city to the countryside to the modern college town, we saw little bits of it all. While that's not necessarily my preferred way to travel, it was good for the situation, and I'd love to go back to Ireland someday and spend more time there.
We spent the first two days in a bustling Dublin. We crossed the River Leffy countless times, explored the Temple Bar area, and walked among the halls of St. Patrick's cathedral. We basked in the beauty of Glendalough National Park, and our hearts lit up at the romantic story behind the Claddagh ring. We spent the first evening geocaching in the streets closest to our hostel, and four of us got to leave a little mark on that big city.
Our second day in Dublin, I got to have a little introverted day to myself. Most everyone else took an excursion to Belfast, but I wanted a day in Dublin with no agenda and nothing but my spirit of adventure. My spontaneity took me to the campus of Trinity College, the Claddagh Jewelers, a biomedical art display in a local gallery, and a healthly little brunch place called KC Peaches. My evening was spent with my new American comrads, exploring Temple Bar and enjoying our last night in Dublin.
We then loaded up the bus and headed to our next destination in the Irish countryside: Killarney in County Kerry. We stopped briefly at the Blarney Castle, and there I received the gift of gab by kissing the Blarney Stone upside down. Once we were in Killarney, we spent a night listening to a local band play traditional Irish music, complete with dancing and twirling to both Irish and American beats. Our full day in Killarney took us on a road trip around the Ring of Kerry, taking in the Irish "neat-ure" and seasides. We sipped on Irish coffees and squinted past the fog over Ladies View. All 44 of us took part in tour bus karaoke on the last leg of the road trip. Twenty or so of us tempted the supernatural realm during a night time tour of Muckross Abbey. After I nearly dragged a poor guy to the ground with me as I jumped back from fright, our spirits were lifted as we found a Lord of the Rings themed pub called The Shire. It was a heartwarming sight for us weary travelers to be reminded that indeed, not all those who wander are lost.
The next day was spent on the road to Galway, with a quick stop at the famous Cliffs of Moher. I learned in Galway that I actually have a bit of a significant Irish heritage, as one of Galway's 14 founding families was the Martin family. In fact, my family crest is hanging on a flag in the town square along with the other 13 founding families. So needless to say, I went to sleep that night feeling like royalty.
During our last day in Ireland, we took a ferry to the Aran Islands and visited an old stone fort called Dun Aegnus, which was built around 1100 B.C. We hiked up to the very top, taking in the views, the breeze, and each other's company for one last full day. We had our farewell dinner at the Western Hotel, complete with three courses and inside jokes from the past week. And to top off the whole week, we all spent the entire night dancing the night away, even though we all had to be up at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. to go to the airport.
All in all, the views were great, and the food was better, but the best part of the trip was the friends I made. About eight or so of us really bonded over those five days in Ireland, as if we'd known each other for months or years. We are all still friends on Facebook, and I love seeing how everyone's doing and all the adventures they've been on since. It was the strangers turned into friends that made my spring break 2016 the great adventure it truly was.
