Nothing like working a full day, dashing to the airport, and then catching an all-night flight to Paris. In coach, crammed by the engines and the bathrooms in back. If only I could detach my legs.
I took a few notes on the in-flight food served by Air France and Aer Lingus, for those interested in what to expect on similar flights.
Day 2: Saturday (6/8/2013)
We landed in Paris and caught a small plane to Dublin, landing about 6pm local time.
The airport was absolutely deserted. When I asked about this, I was told by the Hertz attendant nobody flies in or out of Dublin on a Saturday night.
Our chariot for this trip was a puke-green Suzuki golf cart we promptly named the "Vomit Comet". This was not so much because of the color but the crazy jackhammer-like vibrations the car went through as it grudgingly hit freeway speed. The first time we drove on a M-road we both got worried that the thing would vibrate itself to Valhalla before our vacation was up.
Driving in Ireland can be a challenge, but if you want to truly see the island there really is no other way to travel. For some thoughts on renting an car and driving in Ireland in general, see my notes here.
White-knuckled, I zipped through downtown Dublin in an attempt to avoid tolls. The transition from driving on the left to the right was a bit easier this time, but it's still jarring. A few hours later we were on the freeway to Kilkenny, our first stop.
We arrived in Kilkenny around 10pm and apologetically roused John, the proprietor of the Butler Court, our bed for the night. We thought the Butler Court was a really cute place--two rows of very nice rooms bordering a small open courtyard. John was fantastic as well. After showing us where to park, he called a friend of his at a nearby Italian place to keep them open a bit longer so we could have dinner. What a warm welcome to Ireland!
Kilkenny is a weird mix of retirement community, medieval town, and frat party. There's a jam-packed bar every 20 feet. Apparently, it's traditional to hold Bachelor ("Stag") and Bachelorette ("Hen") parties in Kilkenny, which meant we were perpetually dodging drunken groups of drunken Irishmen looking for a fight (we saw several of these) and inebriated Irishwomen dressed to kill. It made for really interesting people watching.
Dinner was at La Trattoria, a cute little Italian place run by John's friend Giovanni. I threw a quick review on our meal here.
After dinner we could barely keep our eyes open. Back to the Butler Court, and some sleep.
The airport was absolutely deserted. When I asked about this, I was told by the Hertz attendant nobody flies in or out of Dublin on a Saturday night.
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| Behold, ye olde Vomit Comet. |
Driving in Ireland can be a challenge, but if you want to truly see the island there really is no other way to travel. For some thoughts on renting an car and driving in Ireland in general, see my notes here.
White-knuckled, I zipped through downtown Dublin in an attempt to avoid tolls. The transition from driving on the left to the right was a bit easier this time, but it's still jarring. A few hours later we were on the freeway to Kilkenny, our first stop.
Kilkenny is a weird mix of retirement community, medieval town, and frat party. There's a jam-packed bar every 20 feet. Apparently, it's traditional to hold Bachelor ("Stag") and Bachelorette ("Hen") parties in Kilkenny, which meant we were perpetually dodging drunken groups of drunken Irishmen looking for a fight (we saw several of these) and inebriated Irishwomen dressed to kill. It made for really interesting people watching.
Dinner was at La Trattoria, a cute little Italian place run by John's friend Giovanni. I threw a quick review on our meal here.
After dinner we could barely keep our eyes open. Back to the Butler Court, and some sleep.
Day 3: Sunday (6/9/2013)
Today's goal: seeing the Rock of Cashel and Waterford.
After an early breakfast in our room, we headed out and got to Cashel at 9am. Overall, it was the perfect time to see the Rock. Brilliant sun--it got hot, in fact, an apparent rarity in Ireland--and no tour-bus crowds. We opted for a self-guided tour and walked outside.
It's hard to describe the visceral impact of wandering an old ruin. Cashel is a very significant site in Ireland (primary royal and religious seat in Munster). It has a tremendous history that you can almost feel. I will leave the details of the attraction to the tour books, but I will say that they're not wrong in calling this a place worth visiting on your trip.
After seeing Cashel, we attempted to hike across several fields to reach a nearby ruined monastery, but were thwarted by stone walls and hedgerows. Getting arrested in Ireland would have sucked, so it was probably for the best. We also tried to go to the Brian Boru center, but it was closed on Sunday. Ah well, another time.
By now Cashel was hopping with tour buses, so we took off for Waterford. We again took back roads to avoid tolls, but this time I thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Zooming at breakneck (and legal!) speeds on curvy one-lane tracks through gorgeous countryside in perfect weather--what's not to like? I was driving through a continuous green tunnel that normally you'd only see in a car commercial. I was starting to fall a little bit in love with Ireland.
We got into Waterford around 11am. For some reason, traffic near the waterfront was obnoxious--Sunday church rush hour? We finally gave up on free street parking, found parking in a deserted lot, paid too much for it, and then wandered across the street to see Reginald's Tower.
Reginald's Tower is purported to be the oldest structure in Ireland. It started life as a Viking guard tower, and over the years did time as a watch tower, jail, and now museum. It's one of three major museums in Waterford charting the history of the town (more on the other two in a moment). The museum in the tower covered prehistoric through the Viking era of Waterford. It was a fun visit, although walking up and down the low winding stairs was painful--I was bent double in some levels. It must have sucked to get old in the 9th century.
After the tower, we grabbed some lunch at the nearby theater cafe, and ended up in the Waterford Crystal Showroom and Factory.
We started out in the showroom. This is essentially a giant Waterford Crystal shop, where Mary hoped to get a souvenir until she realized she'd have to sell her organs to do so. Still, it's a fun wander--there are some really beautiful pieces here.
After that, we went on a factory tour. This was extremely worthwhile--we got to watch crystal pieces being made by hand, including blowing, finishing, cutting, and engraving. I have to wonder, though, how long these artisans are for this earth. They're graded on precision while doing tasks that seem very automatable.
After the Factory tour, we wandered across the street to check out the other two museums in the Waterford trifecta: the Wine Merchant's Cellar and the Bishop's House. Be sure to visit these in the order we did--the Tower covers up to the 11th century or so, the Cellar takes it from there through the 15th century, and the House wraps things up. All are worth viewing. It was amusing to note that their audio guides were simple Android phones running an app and encased in plastic.
We grabbed some bubble tea from a small waterfront shop run by a very shy young man and drove back to Kilkenny. From there, we spent the afternoon wandering through the various middle ages structures, including several cathedrals and the Black Abbey. Surprisingly, there were no Stag/Hen posses stumbling around in these.
Dinner was at Langton's, a place recommended by our travel guide. It was a reasonable meal--see my review here.
After eating, we stopped by a local candy shop to see what the Irish liked for sweets, and walked out with some samples. To round out the night we wandered around the Castle Park, taking the path by the river. Beautiful walk.
Tomorrow, on to Cobh!
After an early breakfast in our room, we headed out and got to Cashel at 9am. Overall, it was the perfect time to see the Rock. Brilliant sun--it got hot, in fact, an apparent rarity in Ireland--and no tour-bus crowds. We opted for a self-guided tour and walked outside.
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| The Rock of Cashel |
After seeing Cashel, we attempted to hike across several fields to reach a nearby ruined monastery, but were thwarted by stone walls and hedgerows. Getting arrested in Ireland would have sucked, so it was probably for the best. We also tried to go to the Brian Boru center, but it was closed on Sunday. Ah well, another time.
By now Cashel was hopping with tour buses, so we took off for Waterford. We again took back roads to avoid tolls, but this time I thoroughly enjoyed the drive. Zooming at breakneck (and legal!) speeds on curvy one-lane tracks through gorgeous countryside in perfect weather--what's not to like? I was driving through a continuous green tunnel that normally you'd only see in a car commercial. I was starting to fall a little bit in love with Ireland.
We got into Waterford around 11am. For some reason, traffic near the waterfront was obnoxious--Sunday church rush hour? We finally gave up on free street parking, found parking in a deserted lot, paid too much for it, and then wandered across the street to see Reginald's Tower.
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| People in the middle ages were all midgets or gymnasts. |
After the tower, we grabbed some lunch at the nearby theater cafe, and ended up in the Waterford Crystal Showroom and Factory.
We started out in the showroom. This is essentially a giant Waterford Crystal shop, where Mary hoped to get a souvenir until she realized she'd have to sell her organs to do so. Still, it's a fun wander--there are some really beautiful pieces here.
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| Today they were making engraved bowls |
After the Factory tour, we wandered across the street to check out the other two museums in the Waterford trifecta: the Wine Merchant's Cellar and the Bishop's House. Be sure to visit these in the order we did--the Tower covers up to the 11th century or so, the Cellar takes it from there through the 15th century, and the House wraps things up. All are worth viewing. It was amusing to note that their audio guides were simple Android phones running an app and encased in plastic.
We grabbed some bubble tea from a small waterfront shop run by a very shy young man and drove back to Kilkenny. From there, we spent the afternoon wandering through the various middle ages structures, including several cathedrals and the Black Abbey. Surprisingly, there were no Stag/Hen posses stumbling around in these.
Dinner was at Langton's, a place recommended by our travel guide. It was a reasonable meal--see my review here.
After eating, we stopped by a local candy shop to see what the Irish liked for sweets, and walked out with some samples. To round out the night we wandered around the Castle Park, taking the path by the river. Beautiful walk.
Tomorrow, on to Cobh!
Day 4: Monday (6/10/2013)
Another early start, quick breakfast, and on to Cobh.
Cobh is a small, windy, cold city about 2.5 hours by car from Kilkenny. It briefly had a stint as "Queenstown" before the Irish Republic; these days, it has returned to being "Cobh." The local claim to fame is that the Titanic made its last European stop here before making the fateful voyage to New York. Well, about halfway to New York.
To commemorate the Titanic, Cobh has built the Titanic Experience, a small museum that's long on videos, reenactments, and information, but falls short on artifacts. You're given a ticket with the name of a passenger on it, and after going through the exhibits, you're told if you survived. Surprisingly, both Mary and I did, despite "having" third class tickets.
After finishing the museum, we wandered the town, including up to the massive 19th century Gothic cathedral. There's just not a lot to recommend a stay in Cobh--the town just feels tired.
From Cobh it was on to Kinsale! An hour more in the car and we were flipping in side mirrors and driving on sidewalks making our way through the medieval city streets. By this time, it was pouring rain. We'd see a lot of rain during the rest of our trip.
After finding our B&B (The Old Presbytery, a really cute little place), we decided to wander the town for a while in the rain. This was about as fun as it sounds. The highlight was touring the Medieval Wine Museum, a small 16th century building housing some informative posters about the wine trade through Kinsale in the middle ages.
Dinner at Max's Wine Bar. Expensive, but absolutely worth it--this was by far the best meal we'd had in Ireland so far. See my review here.
Once we'd finished, we'd hoped to hit the pubs, but the rain defeated us: by now it was absolutely pouring. We ended up crashing.
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| It's as cold as it looks. |
To commemorate the Titanic, Cobh has built the Titanic Experience, a small museum that's long on videos, reenactments, and information, but falls short on artifacts. You're given a ticket with the name of a passenger on it, and after going through the exhibits, you're told if you survived. Surprisingly, both Mary and I did, despite "having" third class tickets.
After finishing the museum, we wandered the town, including up to the massive 19th century Gothic cathedral. There's just not a lot to recommend a stay in Cobh--the town just feels tired.
From Cobh it was on to Kinsale! An hour more in the car and we were flipping in side mirrors and driving on sidewalks making our way through the medieval city streets. By this time, it was pouring rain. We'd see a lot of rain during the rest of our trip.
After finding our B&B (The Old Presbytery, a really cute little place), we decided to wander the town for a while in the rain. This was about as fun as it sounds. The highlight was touring the Medieval Wine Museum, a small 16th century building housing some informative posters about the wine trade through Kinsale in the middle ages.
Dinner at Max's Wine Bar. Expensive, but absolutely worth it--this was by far the best meal we'd had in Ireland so far. See my review here.
Once we'd finished, we'd hoped to hit the pubs, but the rain defeated us: by now it was absolutely pouring. We ended up crashing.
Day 5: Tuesday (6/11/2013)
Today's goal: the Ring of Kerry and on to Dingle!
This is a tall order for one day, so we got up early, had an excellent breakfast (I honestly can't recommend the Old Presbytery enough, despite crappy wifi), and hit the road by 8:30am.
We drove northwest and hit the Ring of Kerry by about 10am. Almost immediately, we were blown away by the amazing vistas--Kerry is just astonishing countryside. And boy, did we really put the vomit comet through its paces today--we were tooling around roads in backcountry Ireland that would be a tight fit for hikers. I think our GPS spent the day trying to punk us.
Our first stop: the Staigue Ring Fort. Getting to this place was a challenge, but it was worth it. The ruin is almost intact, and still stands guard over a valuable and healthy crop of rocks and wind.
From there, we continued our drive (stopping at several lookout points for pictures) until we hit Daniel O'Connell's house at Derrynane. You can read more about Daniel O'Connell elsewhere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O'Connell), but in short he was an important political in the 19th century who won equality for Catholics in occupied Ireland. His house wasn't that interesting in and of itself, but the history it teaches about this extraordinary man made the stop worthwhile.
We went from there to around the Ring of Skellig. In the plus side, there were no tour buses here. On the minus side, there's a good reason why: the roads got even crazier. I don't know who decides the speed limits for roads in Ireland, but they have a great sense of humor. The highlight of the loop was a stop at the Skellig chocolate factory, a modern building marooned in a sea of heather and stones. The chocolate was absolutely amazing...and of course Mary left with plenty.
We kept going down to Portmagee, the cast-off point for Skellig Michael. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see the Abbey on Skellig Michael due to time constraints. I really wanted to see the abbey. Another time.
By now it had really started to pour, so we were grateful to finally arrive in Dingle.
While in Dingle Town we stayed at Bamberry's Guest House, a quiet, clean little place within easy walking distance of the center of town. Overall, we enjoyed our stay here, and recommend it.
Once we had checked in, we went out to John Benny Morrisey's pub for dinner, drinks, and Irish folk music. Dinner was meh--see my review here--but the draft cider was great, as was the music: a guitarist and an accordion player running through a number of Irish folk tunes.
We left late--and lo! The rain had finally stopped! Maybe tomorrow we'll actually get to wander outside without drowning?
This is a tall order for one day, so we got up early, had an excellent breakfast (I honestly can't recommend the Old Presbytery enough, despite crappy wifi), and hit the road by 8:30am.
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| Welcome to County Kerry, Ireland. |
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| Staigue Ring Fort |
Our first stop: the Staigue Ring Fort. Getting to this place was a challenge, but it was worth it. The ruin is almost intact, and still stands guard over a valuable and healthy crop of rocks and wind.
From there, we continued our drive (stopping at several lookout points for pictures) until we hit Daniel O'Connell's house at Derrynane. You can read more about Daniel O'Connell elsewhere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O'Connell), but in short he was an important political in the 19th century who won equality for Catholics in occupied Ireland. His house wasn't that interesting in and of itself, but the history it teaches about this extraordinary man made the stop worthwhile.
We went from there to around the Ring of Skellig. In the plus side, there were no tour buses here. On the minus side, there's a good reason why: the roads got even crazier. I don't know who decides the speed limits for roads in Ireland, but they have a great sense of humor. The highlight of the loop was a stop at the Skellig chocolate factory, a modern building marooned in a sea of heather and stones. The chocolate was absolutely amazing...and of course Mary left with plenty.
We kept going down to Portmagee, the cast-off point for Skellig Michael. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see the Abbey on Skellig Michael due to time constraints. I really wanted to see the abbey. Another time.
By now it had really started to pour, so we were grateful to finally arrive in Dingle.
While in Dingle Town we stayed at Bamberry's Guest House, a quiet, clean little place within easy walking distance of the center of town. Overall, we enjoyed our stay here, and recommend it.
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| These guys were realllly good. See the video here. |
We left late--and lo! The rain had finally stopped! Maybe tomorrow we'll actually get to wander outside without drowning?
Day 6: Wednesday (6/12/2013)
Another early start. Today: exploring Dingle!
Breakfast at our B&B was extremely good. I've really grown to love whole-wheat Irish soda bread, fresh butter, and tea to start the day.
We fired up the Vomit Comet and headed out onto the Dingle Loop, a fantastic narrow road around the outer Dingle peninsula with amazing views and plenty of interesting stops along the way. Surprisingly, it wasn't raining--but we knew that wouldn't last. So far Ireland's weather is turning out to be Seattle, only without all the sunshine and 15 degrees colder.
The first stop: the Celtic Prehistoric Museum. This was basically the display of one man's collection...inside his house. The proprietor was actually from the Bay Area and spoke the lingo--he immediately asked if we were from the city, east bay, or south bay. It turned out he did his undergrad at UC Santa Cruz. The collection was extremely eclectic, containing everything from goddess figurines from 2,000 BC to 18th century leather children's shoes the guy found while digging in the muck below his houseboat in Amsterdam (why would you randomly dig...oh, never mind). Overall, it was a worthwhile stop.
Next we stopped at Dunbeg Fort, a series of defensive earthen walls and ditches surrounding a stone wall, surrounding a series of small buildings right at the edge of a cliff--and in fact, falling off the cliff bit by bit. The fort is built in the Iron Age of Ireland (~400 AD). We wandered the ruin before crossing the road and watching the video on it. Um, enjoy the amazing reenactments by local actors.
The rain held off through about noon, then started really letting us have it. Undaunted, we donned scuba gear and continued.
We next went roughly 50 yards up the hill to a thatched cottage abandoned by a family named Kavanaugh 150 years ago, during the famine. I was initially dubious, but after exploring the complex and the surprisingly informative exhibit that explained the potato famine, I think this sight is underrated. It's very interesting, although it could probably do without the freaky mannequins.
We continued up the road to a group of beehive huts, or clochans, while stopping at several viewing points for pictures--amazingly beautiful views despite the rain. The huts themselves are worth viewing, and in amazingly good shape.
Speaking of that, I wonder a bit about the appearance of several of these "ancient" ruins. While viewing the clochans, we saw two workers from an "Archeology crew" (according to the sign) disassembling other pieces of the fort (using pickaxes!) to rebuild a building within the walls. That's archeology? Really? Hmm.
Thanks to the rain, we continued through several pull off views (which now had very little visibility) until we reached Ionad An Blascaod Mór (Great Blasket Centre).
Here, we stopped. Until now, I had no idea about the Blasket islands or their role in the rediscovery of Irish culture. The islands (the westernmost point of Europe) were left behind by progress as the residents there spoke/wrote Gaelic daily as they struggled against the elements to survive. Greater Bhasket island was only abandoned in 1950 as the population declined. The islands are a ruin today, but their role in the documentation and rediscovery of Irish culture was absolutely vital. The center was absolutely worth the stop--we learned quite a bit about these amazing people.
From there we continued on through the rain to the Gallarus Oratory. This is essentially a funky-looking church built out of stacked rocks. Technically, the construction is supposed to be drystone--but if you look closely at the interior, there is definitely mortar or caulk crammed in the seams. A later edition? Preservation work? Who knows.
We continued on with the intent to stop at Kilmalkedar (Cill Mhaoil-cheadair), but the tour buses were so dense by this time that combined with the rain we just viewed it from the roadside, and continued back into Dingle.
For dinner, we hit the Murphy House pub with Allie and Paul, two of Mary's good friends who also happened to be in Dingle on their honeymoon. Really nice folks--we had a great time over dinner, drinks, and of course, Irish music!
The music at Murphy House was more lively, but technically less adept than the previous night's music at John Benny Morrisey's. This time, it included singing. The highlight of the evening was the performers singing an involved song about Ally cheating on Paul with me while the crowd giggled. Awk-ward...
Stuffed and drunk, we reluctantly ended the night and crashed.
Breakfast at our B&B was extremely good. I've really grown to love whole-wheat Irish soda bread, fresh butter, and tea to start the day.
We fired up the Vomit Comet and headed out onto the Dingle Loop, a fantastic narrow road around the outer Dingle peninsula with amazing views and plenty of interesting stops along the way. Surprisingly, it wasn't raining--but we knew that wouldn't last. So far Ireland's weather is turning out to be Seattle, only without all the sunshine and 15 degrees colder.
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| I too expect random children's shoes in collections of prehistoric artifacts. |
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| It's about to slide right off the cliff. |
The rain held off through about noon, then started really letting us have it. Undaunted, we donned scuba gear and continued.
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| She's a feisty one. |
We continued up the road to a group of beehive huts, or clochans, while stopping at several viewing points for pictures--amazingly beautiful views despite the rain. The huts themselves are worth viewing, and in amazingly good shape.
Speaking of that, I wonder a bit about the appearance of several of these "ancient" ruins. While viewing the clochans, we saw two workers from an "Archeology crew" (according to the sign) disassembling other pieces of the fort (using pickaxes!) to rebuild a building within the walls. That's archeology? Really? Hmm.
Thanks to the rain, we continued through several pull off views (which now had very little visibility) until we reached Ionad An Blascaod Mór (Great Blasket Centre).
Here, we stopped. Until now, I had no idea about the Blasket islands or their role in the rediscovery of Irish culture. The islands (the westernmost point of Europe) were left behind by progress as the residents there spoke/wrote Gaelic daily as they struggled against the elements to survive. Greater Bhasket island was only abandoned in 1950 as the population declined. The islands are a ruin today, but their role in the documentation and rediscovery of Irish culture was absolutely vital. The center was absolutely worth the stop--we learned quite a bit about these amazing people.
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| The Gallarus Oratory |
We continued on with the intent to stop at Kilmalkedar (Cill Mhaoil-cheadair), but the tour buses were so dense by this time that combined with the rain we just viewed it from the roadside, and continued back into Dingle.
For dinner, we hit the Murphy House pub with Allie and Paul, two of Mary's good friends who also happened to be in Dingle on their honeymoon. Really nice folks--we had a great time over dinner, drinks, and of course, Irish music!
Stuffed and drunk, we reluctantly ended the night and crashed.
Day 7: Thursday (6/13/2013)
Today, we decided to explore as much of County Kerry as possible. So: up early, another delicious breakfast, and out the door.
The first stop of the day was Tralee, a small town to the north of the NE of Dingle. Our reason for being there: the Kerry County Museum.
This was a good stop. The museum does a great job cataloging the history (prehistoric to present) of Kerry County. The only drawback was that there was a parade of school buses coming through the museum, so quiet contemplation was at a premium.
After the museum, we headed north for County Clare. We drove through Ennis, a small working town called "the gateway" to County Clare. From there, we visited the Cliffs of Moher.
This was... breathtaking. Majestic vistas of 600 foot cliffs bordering the Atlantic. Wind is strong enough to smack you off your feet. I'm really not sure how to describe the Cliffs of Moher. This is a sight that no visitor to Ireland should miss. What an amazing and unforgettable sight.
(Nerd side-note: when I saw these, I immediately thought of all the convenient endless cliffs people get thrown or driven off of in the Indiana Jones movies. They're that tall.)
Reluctantly leaving the cliffs, we continued north to Kilfenora to enter The Burren. We stopped at Caherconnell Ring Fort, which was a fascinating working archaeological dig. Well worth the stop, although we didn't get to explore it fully--lashing rain soon drove us indoors and back to our car. I felt for the poor grad students stuck at the dig.
From there we wandered through the region. The Burren is like nothing I've ever seen before. It's like another planet--strange rocky ground with plants struggling to survive in the cracks between limestone. But for all that, the grass there is apparently very lush, and cattle do really well in the Burren (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Burren).
From the Burren we drove on to Kinvarra, a very cute seaside town nestled under the looming ruins of Dunguaire Castle. The latter was our true destination.
One of Mary's big asks for this trip was to have dinner in a real castle--something she's been dying to do ever since I took her to Medieval Times in Los Angeles. You can read all about this event here. Yes, it's cheesy--but enjoyable. See my review here.
We got ourselves mi'lord-ed out the door, hit the road, and finally made it into Galway at around 9pm. 13 hours of driving today.
Our lodgings in Galway were at the Petra House, a fantastic B&B outside of the town center. The proprietor, Frank, is just utterly fantastic. As an example, we were taken aback at how weak our shower was--it took a long time to shower in a trickle of water. When we asked Frank what we were doing wrong, he immediately showed us a bunch of extra rooms, had us try the showers, and select the one we wanted. The result? More work for Frank, but a much relieved Mary and Steve.
After checking in, we headed out to explore the town. Immediately, we found Galway to be a very lively place. It's an interesting-mix of medieval and college town, with all the pubs, screaming drunk kids, and street performers you'd expect. It reminds me of colder, wetter Florence, actually, with the walkable old town crammed with nightlife surrounded by a working city full of people that try very hard to avoid having to go through the center area.
With rain on the way and a long day behind us, we decided to head in and crash. Tomorrow: more road tripping!
The first stop of the day was Tralee, a small town to the north of the NE of Dingle. Our reason for being there: the Kerry County Museum.
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| Whaddup my medieval bro. |
After the museum, we headed north for County Clare. We drove through Ennis, a small working town called "the gateway" to County Clare. From there, we visited the Cliffs of Moher.
This was... breathtaking. Majestic vistas of 600 foot cliffs bordering the Atlantic. Wind is strong enough to smack you off your feet. I'm really not sure how to describe the Cliffs of Moher. This is a sight that no visitor to Ireland should miss. What an amazing and unforgettable sight.
Reluctantly leaving the cliffs, we continued north to Kilfenora to enter The Burren. We stopped at Caherconnell Ring Fort, which was a fascinating working archaeological dig. Well worth the stop, although we didn't get to explore it fully--lashing rain soon drove us indoors and back to our car. I felt for the poor grad students stuck at the dig.
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| Like another planet. |
From the Burren we drove on to Kinvarra, a very cute seaside town nestled under the looming ruins of Dunguaire Castle. The latter was our true destination.
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| Would mi'lord like some dinner? |
We got ourselves mi'lord-ed out the door, hit the road, and finally made it into Galway at around 9pm. 13 hours of driving today.
Our lodgings in Galway were at the Petra House, a fantastic B&B outside of the town center. The proprietor, Frank, is just utterly fantastic. As an example, we were taken aback at how weak our shower was--it took a long time to shower in a trickle of water. When we asked Frank what we were doing wrong, he immediately showed us a bunch of extra rooms, had us try the showers, and select the one we wanted. The result? More work for Frank, but a much relieved Mary and Steve.
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| Galway's main pedestrian drag. |
With rain on the way and a long day behind us, we decided to head in and crash. Tomorrow: more road tripping!
Day 8: Friday (6/14/2013)
Another day, another 24 hours of Irish sunshine. Otherwise known as torrential rain.
We got up early to start exploring. Frank served us a lovely breakfast, and we hit the road.
We started out going to Cong to see the Cong Abbey, a 12th century abbey now in very walkable ruins. Residents of Cong have buried their dead inside for centuries--the place is a cemetery now, bisected by the main town road.
I thought the Cong Abbey was another under-hyped site in tour books. I really enjoyed exploring it. The abbey is surrounded by a recreational forest and the Cong river, which is a salmon fishing destination. We saw multiple folks on shore and in boats reeling in fish all day. The monks themselves fished so much they built a stone hut to lower nets from. That's dedication.
From Cong we went northwest towards Connemara. Along the way, stopped at the Coffin Ship memorial. This monument is eerie as all hell, even in the rain. We also looked up at Craigh Patrick, but couldn't hike it due to the buckets of rain falling down.
From there, we entered the Connemara National Park, Ireland's monument to peat bogs. The rain and wind started coming down to the point where driving was extremely dangerous. Mary tried to take a picture during one of our stops and got blown sideways--she was shocked. Umbrellas were useless.
Despite the weather, I have to say I really liked the bleak, barren landscape of the peat bogs. The hills (I know, in Ireland they're called "mountains", but... really?) reminded me of the highlands of Scotland--very forbidding and interesting landscape. Quite a change from the Burren just a few hours south. The bogs aren't very useful for agriculture--lots of moss and sheep.
We eventually made it to the Connemarra Sheep and Wool Center in Leenaun, a kitschy--but very informative--little private museum on the Irish wool trade. The highlight for us was learning how to card and spin wool, and (more interesting for me) how to dye it from native plants in the area. This place isn't for everyone, but for folks like us who knew nothing about how wool yarn/cloth/etc used to be made, it was fascinating.
Our last stop of the day was the Connemarra National Park visitor center. This free little venue has lots of interesting exhibits that taught us how bogs were formed, and why they were important. It is safe to say we knew nothing about peat bogs until we visited this museum. Worth your time.
Finally, we did the long drive home in time to hit Galway in rush hour in the rain. Good times.
Dinner was at Aniar, a 1-Michelin star joint in Galway specializing in local Irish foods. This was ridiculously good. See my review here.
Drunk, full, and dry, we crashed hard.
We got up early to start exploring. Frank served us a lovely breakfast, and we hit the road.
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| Ye olde holy fishing hut. |
I thought the Cong Abbey was another under-hyped site in tour books. I really enjoyed exploring it. The abbey is surrounded by a recreational forest and the Cong river, which is a salmon fishing destination. We saw multiple folks on shore and in boats reeling in fish all day. The monks themselves fished so much they built a stone hut to lower nets from. That's dedication.
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| The Famine Ship memorial. |
From there, we entered the Connemara National Park, Ireland's monument to peat bogs. The rain and wind started coming down to the point where driving was extremely dangerous. Mary tried to take a picture during one of our stops and got blown sideways--she was shocked. Umbrellas were useless.
Despite the weather, I have to say I really liked the bleak, barren landscape of the peat bogs. The hills (I know, in Ireland they're called "mountains", but... really?) reminded me of the highlands of Scotland--very forbidding and interesting landscape. Quite a change from the Burren just a few hours south. The bogs aren't very useful for agriculture--lots of moss and sheep.
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| This was a fascinating demo. I had no idea how spinning wheels worked until now. |
Our last stop of the day was the Connemarra National Park visitor center. This free little venue has lots of interesting exhibits that taught us how bogs were formed, and why they were important. It is safe to say we knew nothing about peat bogs until we visited this museum. Worth your time.
Finally, we did the long drive home in time to hit Galway in rush hour in the rain. Good times.
Dinner was at Aniar, a 1-Michelin star joint in Galway specializing in local Irish foods. This was ridiculously good. See my review here.
Drunk, full, and dry, we crashed hard.
Day 9: Saturday (6/15/2013)
Today we were going to visit the Aran islands, but after a week of getting up early and rushing around, we decided to take an easy day and see Clonmacnoise instead.
We started out with our usual stellar breakfast from Frank. While eating, he mentioned to us that the Galway Market was going on near the church in the old town. This is a combination Farmers Market and craft fair, and happens once a week on Saturday morning. We decided to check it out.
The market was a lot of fun--lots of interesting local foods on sale, as well as some local crafts. Mary picked up some Irish honey (from the Burren, which we'd just seen a few days ago) while we bought ourselves a picnic lunch. Local cheese, local preserved meats, a small sampling of some fudge, and a round of nutty Irish soda bread. Good to go.
We headed out immediately afterward. Conmacnoise is an ideal day trip from Galway--it's about 1.5 hours into the interior, and its easy to find.
The reason I'd wanted to go to this site is because Brian Boru, the great high king of Ireland, attended school here. I'd enjoyed reading some of Brian's history, and was interested in learning more about what his life was like.
Clonmacnoise is gorgeous. The ruins of the abbey sit alongside a well-presented museum, all on the banks of the lazy Shannon river. The remains of the monastery sing in the ever-present wind. The grounds are a riot of well-tended green. And crazily enough, we got to explore it all in warm sunshine.
We wandered the site for quite a while before going through the museum and viewing the 20 minute film describing the history of Clonmacnoise. We ate a picnic lunch--for a wonder, it wasn't raining!--outside amongst a small grove of trees. It was a great afternoon. I'm really not sure Clonmacnoise isn't mentioned in more guide books, but I'm not complaining--this is probably what keeps it tour-bus free.
After lunch we headed back. We took advantage of the sunshine to go on a 3mi run around Galway, before having a cheap (and frankly, terrible) dinner at a nearby coffee house. I'm not going to bother to write more about that meal.
We started out with our usual stellar breakfast from Frank. While eating, he mentioned to us that the Galway Market was going on near the church in the old town. This is a combination Farmers Market and craft fair, and happens once a week on Saturday morning. We decided to check it out.
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| The farmer's market was worth checking out. |
We headed out immediately afterward. Conmacnoise is an ideal day trip from Galway--it's about 1.5 hours into the interior, and its easy to find.
The reason I'd wanted to go to this site is because Brian Boru, the great high king of Ireland, attended school here. I'd enjoyed reading some of Brian's history, and was interested in learning more about what his life was like.
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| Clonmacnoise. |
We wandered the site for quite a while before going through the museum and viewing the 20 minute film describing the history of Clonmacnoise. We ate a picnic lunch--for a wonder, it wasn't raining!--outside amongst a small grove of trees. It was a great afternoon. I'm really not sure Clonmacnoise isn't mentioned in more guide books, but I'm not complaining--this is probably what keeps it tour-bus free.
After lunch we headed back. We took advantage of the sunshine to go on a 3mi run around Galway, before having a cheap (and frankly, terrible) dinner at a nearby coffee house. I'm not going to bother to write more about that meal.
Day 10: Sunday (6/16/2013)
Today: into North Ireland!
Got up, said our goodbyes to Frank, and left Galway behind.
Our first stop in North Ireland: Derry. The main attraction for us there was the fantastic walk around the old city walls. A lot of history happened in and around Derry, both prior to the 20th century, and of course during some far more recent events. The city itself feels tense and unwelcoming--IRA slogans are still painted on the roofs of houses viewable from the walls.
For lunch, we decided to try the heavily-advertised Irish "Supermac" chain, with the "Mega mac" all-Irish-beef hamburger. It was, well, a burger. I will say that the patty was huge, and definitely a cut above what you'd normally get at a fast food restaurant. But other than that, there wasn't much to write home about.
From Derry, we did a loop around the northwest corner of Ireland, starting in Donegal. Our first stop was to tour a watermill and linen factory, the Newmills Corn and Flax mills. Note that corn actually means oats in Ireland, and what we call corn they call maize.
This place was fantastic, particularly if you're an engineer. It's a working watermill and exhibit that shows both how the mechanisms work--what folks did with just water power was amazingly ingenious--and how linen was made from flax. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the museum. This sight deserves a MUCH higher rating in travel books.
After the mills we went to Glenveagh National Park. After starting at the visitor's center, we opted not to visit the castle and went on a hike around the 2km nature trail to see the area. Great hike--fantastic views, and no people. This was my first time on a bog in sunshine--was able to smell it (yay!) and see for ourselves how spongy and elastic it is. Crazy stuff, that bog.
We finally headed up to Portrush for the night, checking in at the Adelphi hotel. Portrush is interesting--the place is basically a giant amusement park full of carnival rides, slot machines, and golf courses. it feels very faded, worn, and not very friendly. Our hotel is on the main drag, but doesn't have parking--we had to scrounge for street parking every night.
For dinner we ate the rest of our farmer's market food, and crashed.
Got up, said our goodbyes to Frank, and left Galway behind.
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| Derry hasn't forgotten. |
For lunch, we decided to try the heavily-advertised Irish "Supermac" chain, with the "Mega mac" all-Irish-beef hamburger. It was, well, a burger. I will say that the patty was huge, and definitely a cut above what you'd normally get at a fast food restaurant. But other than that, there wasn't much to write home about.
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| Absolutely amazing how much work flowing water can get done. |
This place was fantastic, particularly if you're an engineer. It's a working watermill and exhibit that shows both how the mechanisms work--what folks did with just water power was amazingly ingenious--and how linen was made from flax. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the museum. This sight deserves a MUCH higher rating in travel books.
We finally headed up to Portrush for the night, checking in at the Adelphi hotel. Portrush is interesting--the place is basically a giant amusement park full of carnival rides, slot machines, and golf courses. it feels very faded, worn, and not very friendly. Our hotel is on the main drag, but doesn't have parking--we had to scrounge for street parking every night.
For dinner we ate the rest of our farmer's market food, and crashed.
Day 11: Monday (6/17/2013)
Today we got up early, ate breakfast, and headed out.
Our first stop: the Giant's Causeway. This site gets a huge billing, and for the most part, it lives up to it. The causeway is made up of amazing basalt column formations at the ocean's edge that you can scramble over as much as you want. Definitely get here early, as this site is very tour bus-friendly and gets crammed to the gills very quickly.
After viewing the causeway, we went over to the old Bushmill's Distillary, the oldest distillery in Ireland. These guys got their charter in 1608--but have been distilling long before that.
This is a great tour, really fun--and hot! If you take this tour, dress in layers, as it's gotta be 90F in the still room. We ended our time at Bushmills with drinking--and buying--whiskey.
From there, we stopped by Dunlace Castle, but didn't feel like paying the price to wander the smallish ruins amidst the tour bus crowds. So, we took lots of pictures, and moved on.
At this point, we decided to take a break and have a quick nap, followed by a run. I ran along the north Irish coast in the same gear I wore running along the Caribbean coast. This planet is nuts.
Dinner was at our hotel's restaurant. Alephi gave us each one free 4-course dinner (app, main, desert, tea) with our stay, so we took them up on it. Not too bad, actually--read my review here.
Mary and I wandered the town afterward. This walk reinforced for me the tired feeling Portrush has. Have you ever walked a closed carnival ground in the winter when everything is overgrown, turned off, and unused? Portrush felt like that. The main street is lined with faded "Arcades" with slot machines for the elderly. There are small carnivals on both sides of the town near the water, but everything was off and stowed. Every other house on the primary residential street, Causeway, is boarded up or for sale.
Maybe in the past, Portrush was vibrant and alive... but now, it feels like its on life support, relying on a thin stream of tourists to keep its thready heartbeat going.
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| Watch out for giants! |
After viewing the causeway, we went over to the old Bushmill's Distillary, the oldest distillery in Ireland. These guys got their charter in 1608--but have been distilling long before that.
This is a great tour, really fun--and hot! If you take this tour, dress in layers, as it's gotta be 90F in the still room. We ended our time at Bushmills with drinking--and buying--whiskey.
From there, we stopped by Dunlace Castle, but didn't feel like paying the price to wander the smallish ruins amidst the tour bus crowds. So, we took lots of pictures, and moved on.
At this point, we decided to take a break and have a quick nap, followed by a run. I ran along the north Irish coast in the same gear I wore running along the Caribbean coast. This planet is nuts.
Dinner was at our hotel's restaurant. Alephi gave us each one free 4-course dinner (app, main, desert, tea) with our stay, so we took them up on it. Not too bad, actually--read my review here.
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| Portrush at sunset. |
Maybe in the past, Portrush was vibrant and alive... but now, it feels like its on life support, relying on a thin stream of tourists to keep its thready heartbeat going.
Day 12: Tuesday (6/18/2013)
Up early, breakfast, and off to our next adventure!
Today we drove all along the Antrim coast while taking the scenic route to Belfast. Amazing scenery that was almost completely devoid of tour buses and tourists. Valleys along the way gave glimpses of the various wooded glens running down towards the sea. This was one of my favorite drives yet.
We made a few stops to take pictures, but for the most part drove on straight to Belfast. On arriving, we successfully navigated this dense and entirely confusing city to find parking and our hotel for the night: the Malone Lodge Hotel. (More on that in a moment)
Our room wasn't ready, so we left the car and walked into the city central. The weather was absolutely amazing today--warm and sunny. For the first time, I wished I'd worn those shorts I packed!
Walking through Belfast was educational. Not as grim a city as Portrush, but very business-like. Lots of history here too--for example, the Titanic was built here, among other ships.
Our hotel was right next to Queen's College, which gave our area of South Belfast a nice vibe. We briefly checked it out as we walked downtown, and found the front area of the campus to be gorgeous.
We stopped our hike at City Hall, and caught a taxi over to the Titanic museum. This is a brand-new venue (open since 2012) that explains the Genesis of the Titanic extremely thoroughly. The displays and exhibits are very well one--the museum even has a ride inside! This museum alone is worth staying in Belfast for--without it, we would have giving this town a pass.
We took a taxi a far as my loose change could take us, and then walked the rest of the way back. Our room was ready, so we started unpacking. Neither of us was super impressed with our hotel. The Wifi doesn't work (they advertised it), we had no soap in the rooms (we had to ask for some), and the rate doesn't include breakfast. I don't think we'd stay here again.
We went to dinner at Villa Italia, a chintzy Italian joint off of University Road. This is the kind of place with plastic grape vines tacked up all over the place. The saving grace was our waitress, a college student at Queens. She was kind and fun to chat with. For a review of Villa Italia, see here.
After dinner, we walked unsteadily back, hung out in the lobby for a while, then crashed. Tomorrow: Dublin!
We made a few stops to take pictures, but for the most part drove on straight to Belfast. On arriving, we successfully navigated this dense and entirely confusing city to find parking and our hotel for the night: the Malone Lodge Hotel. (More on that in a moment)
Our room wasn't ready, so we left the car and walked into the city central. The weather was absolutely amazing today--warm and sunny. For the first time, I wished I'd worn those shorts I packed!
Walking through Belfast was educational. Not as grim a city as Portrush, but very business-like. Lots of history here too--for example, the Titanic was built here, among other ships.
Our hotel was right next to Queen's College, which gave our area of South Belfast a nice vibe. We briefly checked it out as we walked downtown, and found the front area of the campus to be gorgeous.
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| The drydock where the Titanic was built. |
We took a taxi a far as my loose change could take us, and then walked the rest of the way back. Our room was ready, so we started unpacking. Neither of us was super impressed with our hotel. The Wifi doesn't work (they advertised it), we had no soap in the rooms (we had to ask for some), and the rate doesn't include breakfast. I don't think we'd stay here again.
We went to dinner at Villa Italia, a chintzy Italian joint off of University Road. This is the kind of place with plastic grape vines tacked up all over the place. The saving grace was our waitress, a college student at Queens. She was kind and fun to chat with. For a review of Villa Italia, see here.
After dinner, we walked unsteadily back, hung out in the lobby for a while, then crashed. Tomorrow: Dublin!
Day 13: Wednesday (6/19/2013)
Got up super early, checked out, and started driving south. We wanted to get to Bru Na Boinne early to beat the tour bus onslaught. On the way out, we couldn't help but notice the rush-hour traffic into Belfast--crazy!
We got to Bru Na Boine around 9:15am, which meant that we were on the first tour bus to Howth at 9:45. While we waited, we had a great breakfast in their tea room.
Bru Na Boinne is essentially a visitor center (with great exhibits) combined with a bus hub for the two neolithic passage graves open for public viewing: Knowth and Newgrange. This is a must-see sight.
We toured Knowth first, followed by Newgrange. These sites are well documented, so I won't go into detail on whats there. What I will say, however, is that Knowth was by far the more interesting tour of the two. Newgrange gets all the love because you can actually go inside the tomb (at Knowth you can't), but Knowth has far more interesting neolithic art. The guide likely also had something to do with it--our guide in the morning at Knowth was fantastic. If you only have time to tour one tomb at Bru Na Boinne, I would recommend you go for Knowth.
One more note about Bru Na Boinne: you MUST get here early. Tours are first-come, first-serve, and there are a very limited number of them. If you want to see this site--and you should, it is amazing--plan ahead!
After Bru Na Boinne, I really wanted to see the Hill of Tara, and specifically, the Stone of Fal. This turned out to be a challenge--we got completely lost looking for the hill of Tara. After asking for directions twice (gas station, old man in a small town in the woods), we made it--and I finally got to touch the Stone of Fal.
From there, we backtracked and saw the site of the Battle of Boyne. This was definitely worth seeing. The visitor center alone is worth the trip--the battle is explained excellently (first time I've seen a laser show used effectively to explain battle maneuvers) and the grounds are immaculate. This is a perfect place for a picnic on a warm day. It's quite close to Bru Na Boinne, but we didn't see a single tour bus.
It was getting late, so we wrapped up our visit to the Boyne valley, and headed to the Dublin airport to drop our car, and caught a taxi to our hotel, the Morrison.
The Morrison is basically the Virgin America of hotels--it's a recently remodeled hotel that is trying very hard to be trendy. To this end the rooms are hip and done up in "modern" purple highlights.
A late dinner was at Musashi, a nearby Japanese place just outside of Temple Bar district. Pretty good--see my review here.
We were bushed from a long day, so after wandering through Temple Bar, we packed it in for the night.
We got to Bru Na Boine around 9:15am, which meant that we were on the first tour bus to Howth at 9:45. While we waited, we had a great breakfast in their tea room.
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| Satellite tombs at Knowth. |
We toured Knowth first, followed by Newgrange. These sites are well documented, so I won't go into detail on whats there. What I will say, however, is that Knowth was by far the more interesting tour of the two. Newgrange gets all the love because you can actually go inside the tomb (at Knowth you can't), but Knowth has far more interesting neolithic art. The guide likely also had something to do with it--our guide in the morning at Knowth was fantastic. If you only have time to tour one tomb at Bru Na Boinne, I would recommend you go for Knowth.
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| Newgrange. |
One more note about Bru Na Boinne: you MUST get here early. Tours are first-come, first-serve, and there are a very limited number of them. If you want to see this site--and you should, it is amazing--plan ahead!
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| The Stone of Fal. |
From there, we backtracked and saw the site of the Battle of Boyne. This was definitely worth seeing. The visitor center alone is worth the trip--the battle is explained excellently (first time I've seen a laser show used effectively to explain battle maneuvers) and the grounds are immaculate. This is a perfect place for a picnic on a warm day. It's quite close to Bru Na Boinne, but we didn't see a single tour bus.
It was getting late, so we wrapped up our visit to the Boyne valley, and headed to the Dublin airport to drop our car, and caught a taxi to our hotel, the Morrison.
The Morrison is basically the Virgin America of hotels--it's a recently remodeled hotel that is trying very hard to be trendy. To this end the rooms are hip and done up in "modern" purple highlights.
A late dinner was at Musashi, a nearby Japanese place just outside of Temple Bar district. Pretty good--see my review here.
We were bushed from a long day, so after wandering through Temple Bar, we packed it in for the night.
Day 14: Thursday (6/20/2013)
Today we slept in a bit before heading out into beautiful Irish sunshine!
We started by wandering through temple bar district to Trinity College. We didn't opt for the tour, but instead ambled through the grounds on our own. Very pretty, although I'm still partial to the U of WA being the prettiest college I've seen.
From there we did the stand-in-line thing to view the Book of Kells, and associated museum. The museum was pretty good--I learned a lot about medieval book making, and saw several less-famous manuscripts. Interesting in particular: how inks/vellum were manufatured, and what the monks did when they made mistakes (which they often did).
The Book of Kells itself, well, was a book. We only got to see 4 pages total. A bit anti-climactic, but I guess I can say I've seen it now.
From there we went upstairs into the Long Room--the library proper. This had several other artifacts of interest, including Ireland's oldest known harp (15th century). Apparently it had been preserved in a bog, and has been restored to playable condition.
After exiting the library exhibits, we moved on to walk down Grafton Street, the open-air pedestrian mall that spans down to St. Stephen's Green. This sort of promenade is common all over Europe, and as usual it was a lot of fun to walk down. Also as usual, Mary got herself some gelato.
We next wandered into St. Stephen's green. This is essentially Central Park for Dublin, and it is a very green and pretty area. Lots of young people out and about enjoying the sunlight. In general, Dublin seems younger than other cities I've been in--perhaps because of the college nearby?
From there, we decided to check out #29 Georgian House, a 18th century middle-class (or so they claim) house maintained as if it were being lived in during those times. Walking over there, we passed through yet another large, green park, Merrion Square.
The house itself was worth the trip. Free of charge, self-guided tour, interesting video to start explaining how the house and staff functioned. In short, I think I would have hated life back then--no showers, lots of stairs, and good-quality light being the mark of wealth.
From the house, we decided to see O'Connell bridge and street. We walked back up north, crossed the river, and started heading up the street. From there we hung a left and wandered down the Market promenade--very similar to Grafton street, right down to the chain stores on the avenue.
After that, we were bushed from walking non-stop since 9am. We headed back to the room to take a break before dinner.
Dinner and drinks with my buddy Jeff Caseldon at the Winding Stair (see my review here), followed by drinks over in Temple Bar. Great night.
We started by wandering through temple bar district to Trinity College. We didn't opt for the tour, but instead ambled through the grounds on our own. Very pretty, although I'm still partial to the U of WA being the prettiest college I've seen.
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| The Long Room at Trinity College. |
The Book of Kells itself, well, was a book. We only got to see 4 pages total. A bit anti-climactic, but I guess I can say I've seen it now.
From there we went upstairs into the Long Room--the library proper. This had several other artifacts of interest, including Ireland's oldest known harp (15th century). Apparently it had been preserved in a bog, and has been restored to playable condition.
After exiting the library exhibits, we moved on to walk down Grafton Street, the open-air pedestrian mall that spans down to St. Stephen's Green. This sort of promenade is common all over Europe, and as usual it was a lot of fun to walk down. Also as usual, Mary got herself some gelato.
From there, we decided to check out #29 Georgian House, a 18th century middle-class (or so they claim) house maintained as if it were being lived in during those times. Walking over there, we passed through yet another large, green park, Merrion Square.
The house itself was worth the trip. Free of charge, self-guided tour, interesting video to start explaining how the house and staff functioned. In short, I think I would have hated life back then--no showers, lots of stairs, and good-quality light being the mark of wealth.
After that, we were bushed from walking non-stop since 9am. We headed back to the room to take a break before dinner.
Dinner and drinks with my buddy Jeff Caseldon at the Winding Stair (see my review here), followed by drinks over in Temple Bar. Great night.
Day 15: Friday (6/21/2013)
We'd planned to do all the National museums today, but after 4 hours of history we were a bit tuckered out. So, we indulged Mary in one of her favorite things to do--have high tea. A short walk later we landed in the lobby of the Westbury Hotel, a luxury hotel right next to Grafton St. High tea was had, and demolished--delicious.
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| Hahaha! |
It was here, on Dawson St, that we visited the Celtic Whiskey Shop. God, what a great place. Spirits from all over the world (not just Europe)--and tastings to boot. We got to experience some very expensive (>$150) whiskeys, comparing two Irish, a Japanese, and scotch. The differences were pronounced. This was EXACTLY what I was looking for, since I'm a casual drinker who is relatively new to whiskey/scotch. If it wasn't for customs expenses, we both would have shown our appreciation by taking some home. Ah well.
The other shop of note was a small tea shop we found off Grafton with a wide variety of teas from all over the world. Here we partook heavily, getting some for ourselves, and gifts for others.
From there we continued to wander throughout the small galleries and shopping areas, until closing time (6pm on Fridays). We dropped our bags at our room, and went for dinner.
Dinner was at a hip local burrito joint called Boojum. Fast, simple, healthy--it was a killer place, as the line out the door attested. Worth it. There's not much here to write a review on--we both had chicken salads.
Relax, and sleep--tomorrow will be our last day in Ireland. For now.