Ireland was everything I dreamed of and more. Like most of my adventures, it began with turbulence. Wildly violent turbulence. We took off in Denver (there’s a reason they’re called the “Rocky” Mountains) and almost didn’t make it to Chicago due to a severe storm and we were on the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean—30,000 feet above the Porcupine Bank—when I finally contemplated parachuting to safety. We eventually landed in Dublin and I couldn’t wait for the Blarney Stone. I just dropped to my knees and kissed the ground.

Dublin is a vibrant city overflowing with art, literature, and music. We had dinner at The Brazen Head, Ireland’s oldest pub, hung out at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, and visited the Francis Bacon exhibit at the Hugh Lane Gallery. If you’re not familiar with his work, Francis Bacon was an Irish painter who died in 1992. He painted extremely dark portraits. The gallery relocated Bacon’s studio in London to Dublin and transformed the entire studio into an actual exhibit. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

After a couple of days in Dublin, we ventured out and drove across the country. Before we left, I watched a video advising tourists not to drink and drive. I advise visitors from the United States not to drive at all! To say that driving on the left side is foreign is a gross understatement. There are also more roundabouts than you can shake a stick at. Even the roundabouts have roundabouts. Seriously. Not to mention, the roads are woefully narrow and everyone drives fast, fearless, and free as the wind. It was like we were in Chevy Chase’s European Vacation. Remember this scene? It’s not exaggerated for comedic effect.

We somehow survived the woefully narrow roads and gratuitous roundabouts and made it to the west coast of Ireland where we stayed in castles, explored ancient ruins, and even fed wild sheep along the hillside. We visited gorgeous towns like Galway, Killarney, Tralee, and Dingle. Dingle might have been my favorite part of the trip. Slea Head Drive is a stunningly beautiful drive along the coast. We even visited a filming location for Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Dingle also has an amazing pub scene. The pub scene is woven into the fabric of Irish culture and it was such a cool experience to see live music. One band even covered “Dirty Old Town”’ by The Pogues, which made my night. We also hiked the entire length of the Cliffs of Insanity, AKA The Cliffs of Moher. I can cross that off my bucket list. Words simply don’t do the cliffs justice. It was a spiritual experience that I will never forget.

I’m typically itching to get back home by the end of a trip, but not this time. Ireland is such a magical place and if you haven’t been, I hope you get to visit someday. Here are a few of my favorite shots.