Story time: I first went to Ireland in 2012 to do a study abroad semester at the Burren College of Art in County Clare-- it was absolutely life changing and really kick started my travel addiction, and much of my art and photography is still influenced by the experience.

A couple years ago I convinced my mom to take a trip back with me; but unfortunately my grandfather died the day we were meant to fly out... so we rescheduled for spring instead of fall. It turned out to be the trip both of us needed and I was inspired all over again. Revisiting favorite-- sacred, to me and I'm sure many others-- places and discovering new ones!

We started in Dublin-- just in time to catch some of the 1916 Centenary celebrations. From there, we made our way through Counties Wicklow, Cork, Kerry, Clare, and Meath, visiting gorgeous landscapes, castles, and estates.

1916 Centenary celebration in Dublin

Dublin

1916 Centenary celebration in Dublin

Dublin

Dublin Castle

Trinity College, Dublin

Trinity College Library, Dublin

Glendalough, Co. Wicklow

Powerscourt Estate, Co. Wicklow

Wicklow Mountains near Sally Gap

Lough Tay (Guinness Lake), Co. Wicklow

Crosshaven, Co. Cork

Blarney Castle, Co. Cork

Ross Castle, Co. Kerry

Muckross House, Co. Kerry

Killarney National Park, Co. Kerry

Ring of Kerry

Ladies View on the Ring of Kerry

Lough Looscaunagh on the Ring of Kerry

Moll's Gap on the Ring of Kerry

Ring of Kerry

Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare

Burren Perfumery, Co. Clare

The Burren, Co. Clare

Corcomroe Abbey, Co. Clare

The Burren, Co. Clare

Brú na Bóinne, Co. Meath

Trim Castle, Co. Meath

Trim, Co. Meath

February 2017-- which seems a lot more recent than it is, in hindsight-- I went on a road trip with my mum from our home in Louisville, Kentucky, first to visit her sisters in Colorado Springs, then on to a friend's home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As much as I love road trips, I did not love driving across Kansas the long way!

In Colorado we did a lot of exploring of old stomping grounds-- Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods-- and discovering new places, like Manitou Cliff Dwellings. On our way from Colorado Springs to Santa Fe, we stayed a night in the town of Crestone and visited Great Sand Dunes National Park. The dunes are AMAZING. The tallest dunes in North America, they are a phenomenon nestled at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the "centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra" (from the NPS website). We crossed the Rio Grande at some point, and I got a shot of the beautiful canyon-like layers it cut through the earth.

Sadly, I put my camera away during our Santa Fe leg of the trip, as we were doing a lot of walking and touristy activities (Meow Wolf, Santa Fe plaza, Georgia O'Keefe Museum, gallery hopping on Canyon Road, etc!).

We took the southern route back to Kentucky, and got to travel Route 66 for a while, which is something I'm going to have to revisit in the future! The town of Tucumcari, NM by itself is worth a visit, though we only passed through... it's like a time capsule of amazing old signage and buildings.

Photos from this blog can be purchased as prints!