After spending several hours touring through Northern Ireland, I am convinced that this country is truly unrivaled in beauty. Ever seen the color green? Well I gaurantee you’ve never seen all its possible shades unless you’ve explored Ireland’s countrysides. As someone who’s from a rural area in America, I believed that if you’ve seen one pasture, you’ve seen them all. Nope! Ireland’s pastures are carved by rolling emerald hills, sprinkled with weed-like (yet stunning) patches of yellow flowers, and claimed by herds of lazy sheep, horses, and cows that look like they belong in a child’s picture book. Utterly gorgeous.

Of course the beauty doesn’t end with the land. Many of the open fields end abruptly at the Atlantic. Considering that the site I visited was a relatively touristy space, I expected the sight of murky, navy water with bits of trash floating about. Once more, nope! The water was clear. Clear! As in, I could see through it. It also never seemed to end. Standing at the edge of a cliff, I could look out and see how the hazy, light blue sky simply became one with the water. Everyone respected the beautiful area and as a result, it looked well preserved.

The only thing that might obstruct your glorious view throughout these sites is the occasional charming farmhouse or possibly…a castle? Yes, I spotted a real castle that puts Disney’s to shame. Poor Cinderella should feel embarrassed with her frivolous abode compared to the stone walls that once made up a king’s luxurious center of ruling. But wait, there’s more! This seemingly random castle in the middle of a field at the edge of a cliff is used for Game of Thrones. It’s the one used for the Greyjoy’s castle (also may be known as the Ironborn’s castle). How cool is that?

There were plenty of other sites along the way, and with each stop our tour group received a history lesson based on the area. My favorite piece of information was this: A long while ago, Ireland had a king (sorry, I can’t recall which one in particular). He wasn’t liked much, but eventually he died. When he died, the citizens of Dublin were requested to mourn the loss by painting their doors black. Because the people disliked the old king so much, they painted their doors every other color but black. That is why the doors of Dublin are famous for being wildly colorful throughout the city. Now I can’t wait to see and learn more.