Hello, friends! We just finished up 5 days in Dublin and are now staying on a farm in Clifdon, just outside Galway. We stopped at the Cliffs of Moher on the way here and the views were breathtaking. This part of the country is seriously the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. The green foliage is so saturated, the water is clean and clear, the air is pure and crisp.

We’ve definitely lucked out on the amazing weather. I’m surely one of the few tourists to visit Ireland and get a sunburn. Even so, no one could spend time here and not be completely rejuvenated by the richness of the land. Man, that sounds so hokey. Anyway, that’s how I feel today.

The farm is really quiet and secluded in a good way. We felt the need to release our children into nature, ha! Besides the animals and farm scenery, we are only 1km from the coast. Walking down there is really exhilarating. Goodness, I sound like a motivational poster. But seriously, I believe in the power of fresh air!

Oh, and about Dublin… I liked it. It was fun. Our apartment was in the perfect location and we got to visit all the attractions on our list. The kids were amazingly agreeable and we didn’t get pick pocketed! However there are absolutely some things I would do differently if I had it to do over again or if anyone wanted recommendations.

First, the city isn’t exactly what I expected. It was much more industrial than other big cities I’ve visited. Also, there was a ton of road construction everywhere. We still walked everywhere and took in all the sites, but it wasn’t as historic or picturesque as I was expecting. Still very nice though.

The things I would skip if I had it to do over? I’d skip the Viking Tour. It was not worth the hype and the kids were bored. I would also eat at home more. The kids absolutely loved shopping at the markets and so did we! And everything was so cheap!

A pack of smoked salmon was 2 euros, a wedge of brie was 1 euro, a large bag of pink lady apples was 2 euros.

Seriously, we bought ingredients for dinner and a bottle of wine for about $15 usd. I’m a budgeting nerd, so the high quality food for such a low price made me super happy. Yep, a budget nerd, I’ve tracked every purchase we’ve made in the last 4 years in a notebook. Scary, right?

And being home was so nice after all the walking we did everyday. The little courtyard in the back of our apartment had the biggest snails any of us had ever seen. Huge!

And the things I want to do if/when we come back? Dublin has several reputable cooking academies that offer classes to the general public. I’d love to take some real cooking classes and learn some mad skillz. And recommendations?

The Guinness Storehouse was an awesome tour and we really enjoyed listening to some live Irish music in one of the onsite pubs, Arthur’s. The kids would say their favorite part was playing on the playground at the park next to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It was a beautiful park, well landscaped and close to our apartment. We also enjoyed St. Stephen’s Green. Turns out we’re nature people.

All in all, our first week has been fantastic and I think we’re finally settling into our new lifestyle. It’s hard to not think you’re on vacation.

Long term travel is very different from a vacation and we were definitely on vacation in Dublin. Ultimately we want to spend our time in each city living as though we are permanent residents, not just flying through the city checking off all the attractions we’ve seen.

My favorite part of this past week was spending time with my family without having to worry about the logistics of day to day life. I feel like I can be so much more focused. I’m happy to be able to give Craig and the kids my full attention and I feel like we’ve already learned so much more about each other and have drawn closer in only 1 week. Goodness, we may be complete weirdos by next month!

Well, that’s my round up of week 1. I hope y’all are doing well, We have enjoyed the comments and emails you’ve sent. Talk to ya soon!