Final thoughts on Ireland

To wrap it up, Ireland is definitely not the place where my family comes from. Far from it. However, I wouldn't have been all that upset if they had.

To copy an Esquire column, here's what I've learned about Ireland:

1. Bring a coat. No matter the time of year. The strongest wind I ever saw was the wind from Ireland.

2. Go cycling. I went cycling in Galway and County Clare, and, to quote my cycle guide Noel, it was unlike any experience one could feel from the motorcoach. Your touch on the land is uninhibited. It's ridiculous how beautiful the terrain is. Mountains are reflecting off the water's top in absolute clarity.

3. The cycling ride is better when your guide looks like a cross between George Clooney and Owen Wilson.

4. The cycling ride is even better on high-end Cannondales. This Florida gal's not used to riding bikes on all these hills and inclines, so undoubtedly my quads appreciated the good steed.

5. Bring your camera. Everywhere. I forgot mine at key moments. And no, I'm still not over it.

I managed to get some more photos in, though. Enjoy!

Me at The Burrens

A sign at the Cliffs of Moher, a range that's 400 feet high and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean (and apparently the final destination of those who aren't very careful)... I was told some tourists fell over the cliffs last year when the wind picked them up. Don't know if it's true, but as the Irish say, "Never let the truth get in the way of a story."

Another sign at the Cliffs of Moher

The watchtower at the Cliffs of Moher

Me at the Cliffs of Moher

Ah! The sport of kings, falconry, comes alive at Dromoland Castle. Here, Dave Atkinson (who runs the School of Falconry) holds Limerick, a rescued peregrine.

Day 3 in Ireland: Fly fishing

The hotel I'm staying at, Ballynahich Castle, has a resident fishing instructor, or ghillie as the Scots call him. Cyril Baggins is his name, and fishing is his game.

For those who've never fly fished, it's a funny sport. I was told time and time again that "the rod and you are one," meaning the fishing rod should just be an extension of my arm. Well, I don't know about you, but it's odd thinking a 9-ft pole is an extension of my appendage. Unlike spin-casting, there's little to no use of your wrist. There's no bait, just a fly.

When done properly, casting is a very graceful action. I kept on awkwardly casting and casting my line on the river that's just outside the hotel. The salmon and trout were probably thinking, "What the heck is going on up there?"

Needless to say, I didn't catch anything. However, I felt a snag -- or at least that's the story I'm sticking with.

The fish were no match for me and my Wayfarers!

Mr. Baggins and me (and yes, he's trying to cover up his laughter at my awkward technique)

The river we fished in, Ballynahich River

Day 2 in Ireland

Day 2 in Ireland, and I've concluded I didn't bring enough warm clothes. It's something like 42 degrees Fahrenheit with whipping wind that makes it feel 10 degrees colder, and my Florida blood is thinning out. I knew I should have brought that coat!

From Dublin, we traveled west today -- to Connemara. Apparently we went to a bunch of other places too, but my short-term memory isn't serving me well. When I told Dubliners and others we were to go to Connemara, the reaction was all the same: "Hmmm... You'll be impressed." That I am, that I am.

Below are some snapshots of the day.

The stone crosses at Clonmacnoise, a 6th century monastery founded by St. Ciaran. It overlooks the River Shannon (not the Shannon River for all you Americans used to that word structure). Through the years, it was pillaged by vikings and the English. Like, over and over and over again. And each time, the monks would rebuild and rebuild.

Above is bog wood, a material that is literally centuries years old.

Today bog wood is used to formulate jewelry pieces like the ones above, among other creations.

A view of the exterior of the hotel, er, CASTLE, that I'm staying at tonight. Called Ballynahich Castle, it's currently owned by a Jacksonville, Fla., businessman.

Dublin, Ireland

I already have my lede for my pending article about my current trip to Ireland. Tell me what you think:

I've always wanted to find out more about my roots, my heritage. And to do so, I decided to go to Ireland...

There's more to it, but you'll just have to wait for the article. In the meantime, I can update you on what I did today.

Our tour guide, Pat Liddy, said one thing that will forever stick with me about Dubliners: "Drivers here tend to see pedestrians as targets, and they want to get them." Boy, did I learn the hard way. After a couple unsightly encounters with Audis and BMWs, I learned that I needed to stick with the Irish and cross when they cross.

Other than that, Dublin's been a great introduction to Ireland and its people. It's a pretty metropolitan town, and it doesn't hurt that I'm staying at a hotel just off Grafton Street, one of the city's most popular shopping spots.

The popular Grafton Street (behind all the people and flowers is my hotel, Westbury)

Irish thinker, author and quoter, Oscar Wilde

Trinity College, one of Ireland's most prestigious, is home to about 16,000 students and nearly the same quantity of bicycles.

Our tour guide, Pat Liddy, not surprisingly dressed like a true Irishman in a Burberry trench coat

On My Way

I forgot what day it was, but last week the "Today Show" had a segment on the dangers of posting your geographic status on Facebook and other forms of social media. For example, posting you're on your way to the Dolphins game, or about to walk into a concert, or something like that. They had a young adult female on the segment who spoke of her woes after posting she was at so-and-so place, basically alerting robbers (aka Facebook friends) that her place was empty.

You'd think I'd learn from that segment, right? Rarely do I post where I am at, but I feel compelled to share that: I. Am. Going. To. Ireland!!!

So for all those people looking to rob my place now that I've publicly posted my whereabouts, rest assured. You'd be wasting your time. There's not much for you to steal. Other than the two secondhand couches I got from Goodwill and my "renovated" entertainment center that my old roommate literally hacked the top off of (think "Dexter" when imagining my roomie's slaughter of the entertainment center's wood frame), the material items I'm leaving behind are, well, reflective of my own shopping habits: cheap.

Oh, but if you so dare think of trying me, I have insurance. And it comes in the form of a sub-180 pound boyfriend who's still recovering from major knee surgery. Yeah, son.

C'est Magnifique

I wish I was a better food writer. After you finish reading this blog, you probably will as well.

I won't do the food justice, nor the genius behind it, but I hope the team at L'Escalier at The Breakers in Palm Beach will forgive me for the below roundup of my recent dinner at the legendary restaurant.

Friday was my first time ever at The Breakers, and obviously my first time at L'Escalier. What a spectacle. Water was poured simultaneously into the glasses by the synchronized wait staff. The master sommelier, Juan Gomez, stopped by each table to discuss the pairings. Too bad everything he said was like Greek to me. Him trying to explain the science behind why he paired this wine with this meal as oppose to another one from the restaurant's vault of wines was like me trying to explain sentence syntax and the inverse pyramid to an illiterate. And yes, to Juan, I was clearly illiterate.

Someone at the Friday's dinner table summed it best: "I can't describe the food, but I know it tastes good." Ditto, I say. Ditto.

First course was a "caprese" salad. I use quotation marks around the word caprese solely because the L'Escalier menu did the same. I guess they were trying to say it wasn't really a caprese but instead a "caprese." Nonetheless, it was awesome. I don't know how they did it, but the white circular balls were mozzarella filled and literally exploded in your mouth after pressing your lips together. Don't worry, no deaths were reported at the dinner.

The Peekytoe Crab dish

Served with Argyros Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece, 2008

Cauliflower Veloute

Served with Puligny-Montrachet "Vieilles Vignes," Vincent Girardin, Burgundy, France, 2006

Colorado Lamb

Served with Buil & Gine "Baboix," Montsant, Spain, 2006

Master sommelier Juan Gomez, one of two master sommeliers at The Breakers

The genius, chef de cuisine Gregory Vassos