a little further outside the city. dublin 4.0.

not only did we get to see the sights in dublin, but we got to see some of the area around dublin too! i was dying to see a tiny bit of some irish nature and, being the amazing hosts that they are, n & c drove us to the airport by way of the coastline (totally out of the way, but soooo worth it!). i was excited like a little girl; and when i stood on those cliffs, as cheesy as it may sound, it felt as if one of my little dreams in life had come true. i had always, always wanted to see the irish coastline: the cliffs, the water, the mist. and nature did not let my imagination down! so, here come the pictures of my peek into ireland’s natural, stunning, legendary beauty.

we woke up on sunday morning to warm and sunny weather. it was so beautiful that i couldn’t resist asking n & c if i could go out on their balcony and soak up the rays. while lina & i were out there enjoying the view and taking it all in, breakfast was being made inside: irish bacon, eggs, bread, jam, chocolate spread (like nutella), peanut butter, and orange juice. yummy! i felt so overwhelmed and spoiled. and, by the way, i want a balcony! no i NEED a balcony!

after breakfast was cleaned up, we all headed out to the balcony (again) and had cappuccinos. it was a perfect start to our sunday, and a great beginning to the end of our weekend in dublin.

we drove (on the wrong side of the road, mind you!! felt crazy and weird, especially sitting in the front passenger’s seat where otherwise i would be driving) out of the city and along the coastline. our destination: the hill/mountain you see here. wait till you see what we saw when we reached the top…

beautiful. but, wait for it…

keep waiting…

unbelievable!

wow!

the wind. the clouds. the sun. the water. the boat. the lighthouse. the cliffs. my brain was overloaded! my soul was overflowing with joy & excitement.

i could barely take it all in. i was in awe of everything around me.

and then we got back in the car and headed further north to a little fishing village: howth.

seals are popular residents in howth harbor. too cute!

fishing boat.

local fresh catch!

fisher’s cross. in remembrance of those who were lost at sea.

one last stop at starbucks  at the airport (since we have none in sweden, which i’m sure i’ve said before, thereby being annoyingly repetitive) and we were on our way home. i cannot say enough about what a wonderful weekend we had in dublin, ireland with our friends!! lucky for us (and fantastic for them!), c & n are getting married next september (i think it was september, n. gaaah. can’t remember exactly!), so we are planning a trip back to ireland to celebrate their wedding with them. can’t wait!!!

thanks for following along & for letting me share my pictures! i realize that i am an amazingly blessed and lucky woman to have the life that i do and to share it with my beautiful, wonderful wife! my pictures capture the moments & memories for me, but i hope that they are a source of inspiration and a glimpse of beauty for you, too. i believe that beauty is everywhere, all around us, no matter where we are. sometimes it is very difficult to see, but i promise you that it is there. it all depends on what kind of eyes we are looking through. the eyes of wonder, love, and awe always reveal beauty and joy. so, i encourage you to join me; and together, we can look at this day, this moment, this life with eyes of hope.

i wanna leave you with an old irish blessing (that i love to play on the piano) to end this series of posts on the beautiful, inspiring country and vibrant, friendly people of ireland:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.