I wanted a quick getaway.

Somewhere I could hop on a direct flight, fly for about six hours, and suddenly find myself somewhere that felt very far away.

And voilà: Ireland.

I booked the entire trip exactly one week before I left. Apparently, this is what we’re calling trip planning now. See a place, like the idea, book the flight, and figure out the rest later.

And just like that, I was in Dublin.

It was a little colder than I expected, which meant I had to do the only reasonable thing.  I bought a wonderfully warm, Irish-made sweater. Consider it both a souvenir and emergency outerwear.

There was rain, of course. Plenty of it. But it didn’t dampen my spirits. If anything, Ireland seems to wear rain particularly well.

I’m not a beer drinker, but when in Ireland, I tried Guinness. And I have to admit, it was good. I also discovered their local apple cider, which I liked a lot. There was Guinness everywhere, naturally. But here’s what surprised me. Mojitos were everywhere too. Ireland apparently said, “Yes, Guinness, but perhaps you’d also like a tropical cocktail?”

Dublin gave me lovely people, beautiful landscapes, incredible history, and a LOT of music.

I visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, wandered through the extraordinary Marsh’s Library, where centuries-old books are astonishingly well preserved, and explored the National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology. The bog bodies were absolutely incredible and slightly haunting in exactly the right way.

Then there was Howth.

I went for what I thought would be a nice little hike. Instead, I apparently signed up for an expedition into the weeds, up and down hills, and seemingly along the edge of the world. The views were breathtaking, and I’m pretty sure my legs would like it noted for the record that this was significantly harder than the Cliffs of Moher.

But there was something wonderful about being out there feeling the breeze, seeing the sea, getting a little windblown and sweaty, and feeling completely immersed and very much alive.

Galway was gorgeous, with the Spanish Arch and Latin Quarter, followed by the absolutely stunning Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs were majestic in that humans are really very small and nature is showing off kind of way.

And then there was Temple Bar, with its live music spilling out everywhere.

Which brings me to Ireland’s soundtrack.

Somehow, during this trip, I heard covers of Kenny Rogers, Enrique Iglesias, The Cranberries AND Dolly Parton.

I’m still trying to figure out what musical Venn diagram makes those four artists overlap, but honestly? I’m not complaining.

And the food.

I ate an impressive quantity of chips, Guinness stews and pies which, fortunately, Ireland also provided several extremely ambitious hikes to help me work off. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I had a burrata salad with tomatoes so unbelievably sweet and flavorful that I briefly wondered whether Irish tomatoes had somehow been keeping a secret from the rest of us.

And just like that, I’m on my way back to the U.S.

A quick getaway that somehow managed to feel like much more than a quick getaway.

Ireland, you were lovely, rainy, musical, historic, rugged, delicious and completely unforgettable.

Not bad for a trip I planned in seven days.

Onwards!