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Goodbye Ireland – I’m Sure We’ll Meet Again
We had breakfast at the hotel in Galway. Then we went to check out and see about using their printer to print our boarding passes. The hotel didn’t have a printer, what an odd thing not to have. So we left it and hoped we could get the passes printed at the airport.
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Cliffs of Moher
We were up and in the car to head out to the Cliffs of Moher. This is one of the most known sights in Ireland. I couldn’t wait to get there. When you arrive there are shops and Guest Services you can stop at (built right into the hills) or pre-load the Cliffs of Moher app to by pass lines. You will notice quickly that there are many fences and signs warning you away from the edge of the cliffs. This is for your own safety. It’s a long way down. The day was windy and cloudy with a bit of rain but that didn’t take away from the experience…
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Ring of Kerry
After leaving Blarney (read about it here) our plan for the day was to drive up to Killerney on the highway and then go around the Ring of Kerry, stopping where ever tickled our fancy. The Ring of Kerry is a roughly 4 hour drive around a peninsula in south west Ireland. It’s full of breath-taking views along a mostly coastal road. We found beaches of pink rocks, so nice even the cloudy weather couldn’t bring us down. Along the way there were many tiny towns and stunning views. There were access tunnels hidden in hill sides. We didn’t enter but I imagine that there could be any number of…
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Blarney
Breakfast in the morning was included so we head to the restaurant to partake before we went to Blarney Castle. We had a long day of driving planned so we were sure to be at the castle when it opened. Then it is a bit of a walk through the grounds to get to the castle proper. The walk was a nice one and we were greatly entertained by the knitted sweaters some of the trees were wearing.
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Dublin to Blarney
We had a simple morning of waking up when we wanted and checking out of the hotel. Then the navigation game began as we got in the car and tried to figure out how to get to Blarney and it’s famous stone. We used a pre-loaded Google Map, as well as screen shots, just in case I closed the app. We were on vacation though, with no real timeline, just a destination to reach where the hotel was waiting. So along the way we stopped. One city we stopped in was Kilkenny. Kilkenny has an amazing castle the was completed in 1213.
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Dublin, Ireland
In looking for things to do in Dublin I found the Dublin Pass. This is a pass that you order online. It can be shipped to you, if your not travelling for awhile, or you can pick it up at a visitor’s centre in Dublin. With it you get free or discounted entries to many places, you get a free Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour, and you get fast tracks and other bonuses. We bought one for each of us to use. We had a few problems with getting the receipt printed but the hotel staff was able to help us with that. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel…
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Dublin – Guinness Brewery
On December 31st, 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per year for the unused St. James’s Gate Brewery. Ten years later, on 19 May 1769, Guinness first exported his ale: he shipped six-and-a-half barrels to Great Britain. You can walk around the brewery and see the steps the beer goes through before it’s ready to drink. Guinness has a long and strong history of advertising. You can see many of their print ads and slogans, as well as some commercials, and life size characters. My favourite was “A woman need a man like a fish need a bicycle“. You can see the original 9000 year lease…
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Northern Ireland
In the morning we were up early and checking out of the hotel to go and check into our flight to Belfast, Ireland. Once behind security there was time for a quick breakfast. Then hurry up and wait, as airports are so good at. The flight to Ireland and was quick little hop. We quickly went and picked up our rental car. Mom was driving. Poor her. We had to get a vehicle large enough to fit 5 adults. The driver is now on the opposite side of the car and the opposite side of the road, from North American cars. There are so many round-a-bouts, which confuse many North…
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