Newgrange

{Blazer—H&M (similar), Crochet Sweater—Anthropologie, Skinny Belt—H&M,

Scarf—Forever 21 (similar), Jeans—Holding Horses, Ankle Boots—Marks & Spencer (similar)}

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew and I had made plans (and bought plane tickets) to go to London for the weekend. But, after a series of unfortunate events involving the Irish immigration office, it turned out we could not leave the country until we had a specific stamp in our passport. Naturally, we were both really upset about the fact that we couldn't see London and had completely wasted money on airfare (I still haven't let that go...). However, when we finally accepted the reality of the situation and made ourselves feel better with an entire lemon meringue pie and some wine, we decided to make the most of the weekend and planned a little getaway trip to see Newgrange and the Boyne Valley.

First, we headed up to Dublin with some friends to visit the Guinness Storehouse, and then took a train over to the neighboring town of Drogheda. There, we stayed the night in a cute bed and breakfast before venturing into the Boyne Valley, home to one of the oldest and best preserved ancient tombs—Newgrange. Believe it or not, Newgrange is actually older than the well-known Stonehenge, and having been to both, I can say it was equally as impressive. Boyne Valley itself was gorgeous, and the best word to describe it would be green...very very green. We also got lucky with weather, and despite being freezing and windy, the sun shined all day long giving us spectacular views of the valley.

As for my outfit, you can't tell from looking at me, but I definitely wore the exact same clothes two days in a row because I had some issues with packing and did not come prepared for the weather. I wore my favorite new blazer from H&M that I have been wearing almost everyday since I purchased it. I has been the perfect staple for traveling because it's lightweight, warm, and matches with pretty much everything.

The Ring of Kerry

{Beanie—Krochet Kids (shop), Raincoat—Anthropologie "Climatic Cropped Anorak", Cardigan—H&M (similar),

Striped Top—Splendid (remixed), Jeans—AG Cuffed Tomboy (remixed), Rain Boots—Hunter (shop)}

After we saw the Dingle Peninsula, Andrew and I went on a tour of the Ring of Kerry. Although I'm not the type of person who likes massive tour groups (aka I hate them), because we can't drive ourselves, a guided tour was pretty much our only means of seeing the area. So, we bit the bullet and hopped on a massive charter bus for the day. While there were definitely some moments that I wanted to run away from the huge tour group (i.e. when we stopped for lunch at a tourist trap that accepted US DOLLARS), overall, it was a nice way to see the beautiful Kerry coast. PLUS we even got to see a super touristy but actually kind of awesome demonstration from a shepherd and his sheep dogs (see picture below).

However, my favorite part of the tour was our stop at Ladies View in Killarney National Park. The lookout point was named by Queen Victoria's ladies-in-waiting, who loved the view of the land. And after visiting the point myself, I can definitely see why they adored it so much.

obligatory tourist picture...

Lost Coastlines

{Dress—Anthropologie "Two-Button Sailor Chemise" (shop // remixed), Cardigan—H&M (similar), Scarf—H&M (similar)}

After a weekend trip to the beautiful County Kerry, it's official—I am in love with Ireland. These photos were taken on the first day of our trip where we went on a small driving tour along the coastlines of the Dingle Peninsula. Our tour guide kept saying that it was the "most beautiful day of the year" and he was probably right. It was bright, sunny, and breezy the whole day and I was so excited with some of the landscape shots I was able to capture.

We used Killarney as our home base and stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast right outside of town. The town centre had some great pubs, but our favorite meal of the trip was at a place called Murphy's that had the most amazing cottage pie, beef and Guinness stew, and locally brewed Irish lager.

The only awkward part of the trip was when we found ourselves in a tourist trap bar filled with a (name-tag wearing!!!) senior citizen American tour group that had just filed in to enjoy the "local culture." What I don't think they realized is that a traditional Irish pub isn't exactly authentic when it's only customers are 100 half-pint drinking American tourists...

And it was in that moment that Andrew and I felt a little bit more like locals than American exchange students...and it was great.