I went to Dingle on a sheer whim after hearing such great things about it. Aside from some day trips, most of the places I had been to were cities, and I was desperate for some fresh air and open scenery. Dingle, nestled on the Southwest portion of the island of Ireland, was once cited as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’ by the National Geographic; and was voted among the top 100 destinations in the world by Trip Advisor. It is an adorable, quaint, and picturesque town, situated on hills overlooking the gorgeous Dingle harbor. It was quite a treck to get there from Galway, (three busses to be exact) but it was well worth the effort. I had spent a lot of time searching for a Bed and Breakfast that was affordable, but to no avail. They don’t get many single travelers, so they would have required that I pay the price of two people. That wasn’t going to happen, so I somewhat dejectedly booked a hostel in a crunch for time. However, I think the Lord may have been looking out for me. I found a charming place to stay called Lovatts Hostel, which is a family run joint. It has the feel of a bed and breakfast, as it is ran out of their home. Quaint and cozy, this was not the nicest place I have ever seen, but it had Irish charm and I was able to stay in a three bed dorm that I had all to myself. In other words, I got the comfort of my own room, but only paid the price of a hoste! (I think I paid $15 per night.)
Dingle at Dusk
Dingle is a small town, and it was pouring rain the day I arrived. In about twenty minutes I had walked through the town and gone to the grocery store. I didn’t feel the need to go out that night and I ended up reading and drinking hot chocolate by the fire for hours. (Thats bliss, Jenny style.) The woman who owns and runs the hostel was slightly rude at first, but I got her to warm up to me by talking to her nine year old daughter about her favorite books and movies. Later that evening I ended up watching Cool Runnings with them in their living room. Just me and the Irish fam 
By the end of my stay there, this woman was sitting in the guest kitchen with me, having our morning tea, and discussing how wonderful a country Ireland is.
Because of the geographical location of the peninsula, it is often foggy and misty. So much so, that at times you can’t clearly see past ten feet in front of you. I had been wanting to rent a bike so I could see this gorgeous area that I had heard so much about, but had been unable to behold due to the weather. On my last day there, I was delighted to wake up and look out my 
window over the harbor and see no fog or mist! It was cloudy and gray, but at least I could SEE. I was like Miss Perma-Smile, biking along and taking in the sights. I almost scoffed at those who opted to drive around the peninsula as opposed to biking, because any time I felt like it, I could get off my bike and run through green fields (and I did), peer over cliffs, or take pictures of the ocean. The first half of the bike ride was nothing short of epic amazingness. However, during the last half it poured buckets of rain, and the fog rolled in so I could hardly see the road. With every car that passed and speedily made its way home, I was no longer scoffing at them; I was wishing I had one of my own. In spite of the fact that I was soaked all the way through and literally poured the water out of my shoes after I removed them, I saw beautiful sights, and truly enjoyed the experience.
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