A Weekend Out West: Co. Limerick

After about a week of straight rain, I was looking for anywhere in Ireland that showed a possibility of a sunny forecast!  About a 2-hour drive away, we explored a bit of county Limerick and county Clare.  In Limerick, we just adored the town of Adare, with it's picturesque village of thatched roof houses and shops, a lovely walk along the river, and an awesome park.  There was a moment of rain in the day, but that's what umbrellas are for, right?  Plus, the bright side to the rain: we popped into a little cafe and had lunch, then when we left, we explored the park followed by a beautiful rainbow!

Our spot for lunch.

Adare Town Park

Lough Gur park, Bruff.

The visitor center.

Lina enjoying a break in the stroller, our big baby. ;)

Lina's 6th birthday!

For Lina's birthday, she had a shark-themed birthday at an indoor play area called Base.  The kids got to play for over an hour, then head up to the party room for food and cake.  It was so fun seeing Lina run around with all of her friends, laughing and not having a care in the world!

Getting homework done before her party!

Laughs with her long-time friend Isabelle.

A Fall Bike Ride in Straffan

The grounds of our neighborhood are part of a hotel/country club, and are beautiful to walk through.  Our friends from the US, Aleyda and Ryan, who are currently teaching in Turkey, came to Ireland for the week to visit and explore the country.  While they were out, we decided to take advantage of the unusually sunny weather as well!  It was a great walk with lots of fall leaves to be found!

Stopping to admire some flowers.

Off they go!

They love going over the big, green bridge!

Isandro is getting really good on his balance bike!

Going through a forest trail.

On our way to the playground!

Best part: throwing huge piles of leaves into the air!

The hotel on a blue-sky day!

Fancy a boat ride?