Back with my blog series of reliving 10 days of bliss in Ireland. Day Two greeted us with rare Irish sun (only a little bit of rain) and a day full of adventure.

Fulfilling my love for nature (and inner Swiftie), we ditched the hustle and bustle of the city and climbed aboard a tour bus headed towards the country side … specifically to the Wicklow Mountains. As Taylor Swift once sang about the peace and serenity of these hills of green, it was something I was excited to see for myself ever since we booked our trip.

We started our journey with a pass through a 13th-century graveyard where we learned about old Irish family traditions and the importance of the Celtic cross in Christianity. Learning a local legend from our tour guide, he taught us that anyone who is able to hug the body of the cross and close the circle with their fingertips will get all their wishes granted. If not, they have to find someone who can close the circle with them.

Here’s my dad helping me fully reach around the body of the cross … thanks for the help, Dad!

Exploring more of the sacred land, we stumbled upon beautiful waterfalls and a lake with mountaintop views. The pictures don’t do the views justice, as the ever-growing fog seems to be the main character in these photos.

We explored the land for some time and swapped Air Pods with one another to listen to Swift’s song, “Sweet Nothing,” the one that references Wicklow. My dad even liked the song, so that’s a win in my book.

We continued our journey up the mountains as our tour guide gifted us with stories of magical fairies that live amongst the trees of the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. He informed us with the right amount of luck, we may even catch sightings of gold within the streams. Maybe a leprechaun?

Back on the bus, we headed to our next stop of the day, Kilkenny. With about an hour-and-a-half drive, it was the perfect amount of time to squeeze in a much-needed nap.

We hit the ground running once we touched down in Kilkenny, eager to satisfy our hungry bellies after all the walking through the mountains. We explored the town for a bit and soon grabbed sandwiches at a café in town. Thanks to a local’s recommendation, we packed up our lunch to go and scurried to Kilkenny Castle, where we had a lovely picnic in the garden.

Obviously, we had to have a photo shoot after lunch as well.

Our tour guide of the day, Michael, kindly offered to guide us on a walking tour through town, where we explored more of Kilkenny Castle, historic churches and pubs, and listened to old wives’ tales of famous residents of Kilkenny.

We ended our time by listening to various street performers on the walk back to our tour bus. One of my favorite things about Europe: live music everywhere you turn.

The music didn’t stop there; Michael connected his Spotify to the bus’s aux cord and we were soon all singing along to classics like Willie Nelson, Billy Joel and U2. He even made up his own song about the day’s adventures through Wicklow, Glendalough and Kilkenny. The real highlight though? Michael and I singing “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” for the group of tourists on the bus. A memory I will never forget!

Saying goodbye to Michael, we were back in our home base of Dublin, headed to our hotel to freshen up for the night ahead of us.

We were staying only a block away from the portal that links live cameras to Philadelphia, Poland and Lithuania. As a Philadelphia native, it was a must that we stopped by on our way to dinner. Sure enough, we saw someone oh-so-familiar on the other side of the portal in Philadelphia … my brother!

Hi, Ryan!

We were ecstatic for dinner, as we had reservations at an underground speakeasy in the heart of Dublin named The Blind Pig. We were directed to walk downstairs, underneath another restaurant and pull on a golden pig nose to unleash the sliding doors into the speakeasy. Sure enough, it was quite easy to find. Nonetheless, the dark, intimate vibe; strong cocktails; and unique plates made the night feel extravagant.

We ended the night bouncing between a few different pubs, thanks to the recommendations our server lent to us. A few pints of Guinness later, we were still stuck on the fascination about how much better Guinness tastes in Ireland compared to the States.

Day Three greeted us bright and early, as this was our last day in Dublin until the end of our trip. We packed our bags quickly, as we had a 10:15 a.m. tour scheduled at the Guinness Storehouse. Beer for breakfast? I guess it’s not the worst thing in the world.

Each floor of the storehouse offered different exhibits for guests, showcasing the history of advertising, tasting rooms, the brewing process and, of course, the gravity bar on the seventh floor, looking over the entire city of Dublin.

After browsing the gift shop and picking up souvenirs for my brothers, we headed to the train station for the second leg of our trip. This time, we’re headed south. Next stop: Cork!

Can’t wait to tell you all about it!

— Emily Gladu, administrative & events coordinator