Seeing Green

Like a good number of Americans, I can trace part of my ancestry back to the emerald isle. In my previous travels, I had been lucky enough to spend a week in Ireland with my family exploring our mother land roots. On this round of adventures, I had the opportunity to go back to my ancestral homeland with two of my closest friends to take advantage of its lush splendor.

I will be honest, I am somewhat partial to the North of Ireland. It is truly one of the most glorious places on Earth. That being said, I can tell you quite frankly that Cork City is not my favorite Irish urban hub. It is certainly worth seeing, but it isn't near the top of list. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the city, Cork County's surrounding countryside did not disappoint. The areas was brimming with a bit of character, a dash of flare and oh yes a lot of green.

I know, I know focusing on the lush greenery when it comes to Ireland is so cliche. However, anyone who has ever been to the island can testify to the intensity of green that surrounds you.

Mantis, mint, pistachio and chartreuse all seem to mix together in a dazzling array. It really is quite a sight.



Even the boys couldn't help but be amazed by all of the vibrant color!


Although it was a quick jaunt, I truly do feel extremely forunate to travel back to this lovely island. Visiting Blarney Castle and kissing the legendary Blarney stone* was something every bona fide tourist should do. Also, make sure to check out the small towns that lace Cork's countryside they will certainly give you more of a taste of the county's local flavor.



For the most part, our trip to Cork was truly a nice one** and I was left wanting to explore more of the county. Therefore, if you are ever in the southern part of the Isle I would recommend spending a little time in Cork County. This will allow you to get an even more complete feel of such a beautiful island.


Tanti Baci,


Lauren



*Has kissing the stone given me the gift of gab; the true skill of eloquence, flattery or persuasion. Well, the verdict is still is out on that one. I do know that in the short term, kissing a stone while partially dangling upside-down off of a roof did scared the Bejesus out of me and left me incapable of speaking for an hour or so (or feeling my legs either.) I have no pictures of myself kissing it (that I would allow to be posted online.) However, here's a picture of Matt and Sam capturing super cute Irish memories. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!



**Poor Matt go terribly ill while we were in Ireland. This means that much of the time he was either in bed or not feeling up to his Emery Travel Agenda. Therefore, both Matt and I agree that he deserves an Ireland redo (anyone willing to front the bill?)