Guin-knees and Blar-knee in Ireland

I tried to be very diligent with Physical Therapy from weeks 2-5 because I wanted to be extremely mobile for our trip to Ireland. I took my knee brace, exercise sheet, and resistance band so I can do some exercises while on vacation. Well, I wasn't as meticulous as I'd hoped with the exercises and didn't really ice much, but I tried to do as much as I could when I had access to a gym. Otherwise, the knee was fantastic, I hardly used the knee brace!

If I was still on crutches our activities would have been limited, but I'm happy to report that I was able to climb the steep steps of the Blarney Castle to kiss the Blarney Stone...












...the picturesque hills around the seaside town of Dingle...














...and the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, all without much difficulty! It was reassuring to know that we didn't have to limit the amount of walking or our overall activities on the trip just because of the knee. We also did plenty of other fun activities such as exploring the caves in the Dingle Bay via kayak, hanging out on a beach in Achill Island, boating around the Clew Bay, and plenty of Guinness and Murphys in pubs. It was a perfect vacation and I was happy to enjoy it with freedom of movement.