Miserable Weather, but “Hey, it’s Ireland!” Part 2

We both decided the wind won after a few hours into the Rock of Cashel visit, so we retreated to the car and headed to our last destination for the day - Bunratty (about an hour west). At Bunratty there was another castle and an interactive folk park. However, we arrived after everything was closed for the day. As we were driving around looking for a place to stay, we found something we were not planning on - one of the few wineries in Ireland, the Bunratty Winery (now Bunratty Mead & Liqueur Co. Ltd.). This just solidified our motto of “don’t plan everything,” because we lucked into being the only people there.

Scott and I like wine, and we like talking to people, so this side-trip meant talking to the guy at the front doing the tastings for over an hour. (Scott: Wine people can be hit-or-miss when it comes to “personality” and this is one reason why I tend to prefer beer people... but this guy was definitely fun.) Apparently there is a small market in Ireland for wine, so the winery was only producing two things during the off season:

1. honey mead (yum!) and 
2. Irish moonshine, called potcheen. 

 It's a shame we could only bring back 2 liters of alcohol on the plane...

My hubby and I also antique, (Scott: she antiques) and do you know what you get when you talk to a local wine connoisseur for an hour? A really cool discontinued mead jug for only 5 Euros that was not even for sale...ha! We also made sure to buy a liter of mead for ourselves that we were not planning on bringing home. Darn.

Bunratty revolves around the tourism of the castle and folk park, and we were able to stay at a cute B&B, the Courtyard, which was within walking distance of food and drinks (1 km max). We decided the closer we stayed to restaurants and pubs, the less driving we had to do within town, which was a positive thing for both driver and passenger. (Scott: Since Sam “doesn’t drive in Ireland” that left me with the choices of drinking, driving, or drinking/driving/getting arrested in Ireland. Not a big fan of getting arrested in foreign countries.) I do have to say though at this point of the Honeymoon the side-seat driving on my part was definitely improving and Scott’s ability to not scare the crap out of me while driving was also getting better.

Travel Tip #1: 

Communication with humor and a calm voice = good vibes in the car.

Our evening consisted of the following and we would recommend this itinerary to anyone:

• Walked 8 minutes from the B&B to dinner at The Creamery Bar where we had another amazing hake dish! 
• Walked dessert and drinks were down the road at J.P. Clarke's Country Pub. It was the perfect pub atmosphere - dark, real fire going, and the drinks were extremely reasonably priced! 

 Our walking map of Bunratty.

Travel Tip #2: 

Scott and I made a good move with lunches and dinners, we decided to only order a single dish and then split it. That way we (1) did not have to deal with leftovers or gorging ourselves and (2) always had room for drinks and dessert! If we could not decide on one dish together, he picked one meal and then I picked the next. (Out of the whole trip I think we had two sub-par meals and they were both bar food - the Irish really cannot fry food. Two bad meals over two-weeks was not too bad though.)

First Castle Experience and a Lesson About Small Town Ireland in the Off Season

In 2013 my husband and I went to Ireland on our Honeymoon and if you've been following our travels, you know we had a wonderful trip, but we definitely learned some lessons about off season logistics...

By day five of our twelve-day trip we were getting into the part of our vacation that was less planned. Because of that, we had to be more aware of:

1. how much time we wanted to spend at each place, 
2. how late in the day it was getting as we came to new places, 
3. and where we were planning on staying the night. 

We went in March and our original plan was to rely on hostels and bed and breakfasts, but what we did not realize was that during the off season this was not always such a good idea. (Scott: Note to anyone traveling in the off season: its the off season... which means not so good business for hostel/B&B owners and they often take months off. This was interesting to learn the hard way.)
We rented a car, so day #5 took us from Glendalough west to Kilkenny where I got to experience my first castle! Over eight centuries old, Kilkenny Castle started as a stronghold fort on the river, and then became a residence. In the mid-1900s the Office of Public Works took over the building and it has gone through a huge restoration project (part of which is still going on). I won’t lie when I say I was a little disappointed in this being my first “castle” because it was more like a mansion. I am a dork and really wanted to see things like a dungeon and not a gilded ceiling. I think Scott knew the type of castle I wanted to see, so we left Kilkenny and went a little off the route to the town of Cahir (pronounced “care”). (Scott: Note to husbands - if your baby wants a dungeon give her a dungeon. Once she has checked a few things off her list then you can negotiate from a much better position for random things like “the highest pub in Ireland” if that is not her thing. Which I would like to point out is my baby’s thing, so I double lucked out!)

 Kilkenny Castle

Sam's a sucker for a cool, old door.

Cahir was about an hour and a half from Kilkenny which put us in the town around 5:30pm. (Scott: We decided to take the detour so she could get her dungeon. This is another reason to plan a significant amount of wiggle room into your itinerary. DO NOT PLAN EVERY MINUTE. Your love life will thank you.) The castle was closed for the evening, so our first priority was to check into the hostel on the square to give us the rest of the evening to relax. The problem was, however, that we could not find the hostel, so after we walked around for about 30 minutes we ended up at a pub and started talking to people about where to stay. One guy suggested a bed and breakfast right down the street from the pub, so we left to check it out, (Scott: walking, mind you) just to find out that ALL the bed and breakfasts in town were closed for the season.

Cahir Castle Entrance

Back of Cahir Castle (it was a beautiful walk in general too)

By this point we had spent over an hour trying to find someplace to stay and both of us decided that this was not how we wanted to spend our evening. Instead, we sucked it up and stayed at the Cahir House Hotel in the middle of the square - it cost us more than we thought it should in the off season, but we were able to spend the evening relaxing at a pub instead of stressing over where to stay.  

So, just to make sure the lessons sink in here is our list so you do not make the same mistakes:

1. leave wiggle room in your travel plans
2. don’t stress the little things and be forgiving because mistakes happen, it's nobody's fault
3. March is off season in Ireland
4. check your definition of a castle
5. hostels and bed and breakfasts in smaller towns close during the off season
6. check and make sure hostels and bed and breakfasts actually exist first 
7. if you want to experience Sam's kind of castle (aka the type with a dungeon and built in the 12th century), she preferred Cahir Castle to Kilkenny Castle

More Ireland itineraries and tips coming soon...

Road Trip from Dublin to Glendalough: It Begins on the Wrong Side of the Road (God Help Us)

For our Honeymoon to Ireland we decided to bravely rent a car vs. taking the train. Even though this was our first experience as a couple driving on the "wrong" (left) side of the road, this was the best decision we made and we had so much flexibility.

Below is a run down of the first leg of our Ireland road trip from Dublin to Glendalough, about 70 km south or a little over an hour drive, and some things we learned along the way:  

• After a porridge breakfast (I decided to switch it up and have a non-meat based start to my day), we got on the road and headed south from Dublin toward our first “planned” destination - Glendalough (pronounced glen-da-lock). To give you an idea of our thought process, we basically Googled out a general route for our trip and for the first few days went ahead and got hotels until we were a bit more comfortable. (Scott: This seems pretty simple, but it was anything but and actually gives an interesting insight into marriage. My inclination was to plan nothing and hers to plan everything. After some “discussion” we figured out that she was not as comfortable given this was her first trip to Europe. Thus, we developed a compromise where we planned out the beginning “until we were comfortable” and then had some “wing it” worked into the end. I strongly suggest this process for others with similar dynamics.) 

• The drive to Glendalough was only an hour, but we took our time. (Scott: And by this she means drove VERY slowly through Dublin and freaked out with our first highway/120km/h experience!) We drove through the village of Roundwood and learned that the Monday after St. Patty’s Day is a holiday, so almost everything was closed. We were able, though, to discover the “highest pub in Ireland;” The Vartry House’s pub, Kavanaghs, at a staggering (sic) 800 ft. above sea level!  This is also where I discovered liquid crack and my drink of the trip - a Smithwick’s Shandy (or a “Smiddick’s” Shandy). This ambrosia consists of Smithwick’s beer and red lemonade - which is some red carbonated yummy-goodness - wow!  (Scott: She downplays the awesomeness that was this pub. Ok, maybe not awesome, but the bartender was tons of fun to talk to and they had a fire. That qualifies it for awesome right? She does not, however, downplay how much she enjoyed this new drink.) 

• The drive into Glendalough (County Wicklow) (Scott: Irish Counties = American States) was absolutely beautiful and I became quite obsessed with the number of sheep that are in Ireland. Glendalough is a glacial valley and right in the heart of the Wicklow “mountains” (Scott does not think anything smaller than the Rockies should be considered mountains). (Scott: Amen.) In addition to being an area of hiking trails and scenic routes, Glendalough is home to a 6th century monastic site founded by Saint Kevin. The hotel we stayed at, appropriately named the Glendalough Hotel, was right at the edge of the site. Side note on the hotel; it was a little expensive for the off-season (over 120 Euros a night), but the rooms were clean, breakfast was included, and it was within walking distance of the monastic site and hiking trails.

• The site itself was impressive, and no matter how many castles or ruins we visited, I continued to be amazed the whole trip at the history. I do not think Americans truly appreciate how much older the rest of the world is and how we have NOTHING like this. Being a bit of an art history nerd, I was in awe the whole trip. (Scott: She has gazillions of pictures to prove it.) Right off the hotel’s deck was the original arch and wall into the “monastic city,” which consisted of a completed and roofed stone cathedral, 30m (90ft) tall round tower, numerous other building ruins, and an extensive graveyard which is still in use by the local community. The ruins are right in the middle of the valley and you can see the lower and upper lake from the hotel. There was an easy trail from the site around both lakes which allowed you to just take in the solitude and beauty of the valley. The one thing we enjoyed the most was seeing all the different stone walls throughout the valley - they were everywhere! (Scott: and by “everywhere” she means that the Irish are basically obsessed with stacking rocks on top of each other, everywhere, through everything... seriously, we will cover this later but there were rock walls on barren rock hills... I guess to keep the rock from running away.) 

• After our hike, we went into the town of Laragh (la-rock) for dinner (about a 10 minute walk down the road from the hotel). We were not in town during the “busy season,” so the shops and Bed and Breakfasts were not open, but we really did not mind (Scott: Seriously, of all the places we went this ranks in the top two, especially if you like outdoorsy stuff.)

If Glendalough is in your plans please let us know if you need any help planning your trip or if you have any other suggestions for readers please comment below!

 The “highest pub in Ireland” where I was introduced to red lemonade, so good!

 The beautiful Glendalough Hotel situated right in the valley next to the monastic site. It was the perfect location for hiking as well.

The most well known landmark of the Glendalough Monastic City is the 33 meter tall Round Tower.

Me and my hubby taking one of many hikes around the site and through the valley.

Day #2: St. Paddy's Day in Dublin - to do or not to do?

When we found ourselves in Dublin during St. Patrick's Day there was no way we were leaving the city center, but after dealing with the tourists and crowds we think we'd prefer something a little more low-key next time. What's your opinion? 

Here are some of the main points (and lessons learned) from our experience:

• Book your hotel early! We had to stay about 20 minutes outside of Dublin at the Marine Hotel in Sutton. It was a great hotel though and was right across the road from the train station, so we did not mind. 

• Due to the crowds, the main station, Tara Station, was closed, and we had to get off at Pierce (and we did not figure this out until we were already on the train - oops). So, naturally, this meant we were turned around a little when we got off the train, but all we had to do was follow the crowd (Scott: like good little Irish sheep - we will cover that later) and we found ourselves right on the parade route south east of Temple Bar. 

• I think there were more tourists/foreigners in the city than locals, and the people-watching was FANTASTIC! (Scott: and by "FANTASTIC" we mean ABSOLUTELY AMAZING AND HILARIOUS!). 

• Scott and I definitely felt a little "under-dressed" in just our green hat and scarf, but we were at least warm. The costumes were impressive, so if you're the type of person who likes to dress up like a green leprechaun - have at it! 

• We set up on the parade route around 10am and the parade started around noon. The festivities started with just a lot of different groups walking past, then a few bands, and then finally some floats. Honestly, we were more entertained by the crowd than by the parade and at about 1:30pm we decided to make our way to Temple Bar for food and drinks. Did you note that we stood around waiting for the parade for more time than we actually watched the parade?

• Sooooo, getting off the parade route was easier said than done, and we got really close (Scott: think WABAM, mi-bubble-es-su-bubble close) to a lot of people pushing and prodding our way through the masses. It took us a good hour to go about 1/4 mile (Scott: and 15 minutes of which was about 20 ft, thank you stupid/majestic City Hall) and when we got to Temple Bar the lines were out the doors just to get into places. 

• We were surprised that there was not more to do out on the street. I guess part of me was expecting something like Mardi Gras in New Orleans where there are vendors everywhere and food/drink stations/trucks, so Scott and I just decided to go to the first restaurant or pub we found without a line - which happened to be the Hard Rock Cafe. There ended up being a 2+ hour wait for food, but we were able to get drinks at the bar, so it was not a complete waste! After drinks, we thought going off the main street would give us a better chance of finding food and not such a long wait and we ended up walking almost to the train station before we found something. For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the pub, but we found two openings at the bar and had our second bowl of Irish Stew - yummy!

• By this time, we needed to get away from the crowd and caught the 4:30pm train back to Sutton and the hotel. That night we went into the town of Howth (right down the road from the hotel) (Scott: pronounced like hoe-t, don't ask me where the w or h went) to enjoy a smaller, quieter atmosphere. 
• Howth was the perfect contrast to the morning/afternoon we had downtown and it was exactly what we were in the mood for. We went to The House for dinner and highly recommend it to anyone in that part of town. Howth is a fishing village, so we had to try their local fish, hake. Our dish was over fettuccine and water cress with a light, cream sauce, and it was delicious. The restaurant had maybe 15 tables with 3 staff members and 2 cooks total, so we stayed there for hours just talking and relaxing. (Scott: It took us a bit to realize but we definitely were used to American in-and-out style eating. I strongly suggest soaking in a bit of the European "chill" mentality. It takes a bit to get used to but it is really good for the marriage (assuming you like your significant other!).)

So, all in all, while the experience of St. Paddy's Day downtown in Dublin was fun, Scott and I decided that if we were to do it again, we would like to go to one of the parades in the smaller towns. I think it depends on what kind of atmosphere you enjoy, and we definitely prefer the smaller village feel.

Have you visited Dublin during St. Paddy's Day? What did you think?

Bravin' the St. Paddy's Day crowds on the parade route.

 

A parade is not complete without bagpipes!

 

Ireland Honeymoon: A Very Long Day 1 Continues

Because we took the red eye to Dublin, the first day of our Honeymoon was actually over 24 hours long. Couple Travel Tip: When the plane landed, the best thing we did was just reset our clocks to Ireland time and not even think about what time it was at home. That meant it was 6 am and we had the whole day to play in Dublin...but first, we had to get our rental car...

Let me preface this next part with how excited we were about the rental car situation when we were originally planning. As soon as we booked the airplane tickets, it took us right to a rental car site and would only cost us 35 Euros a day, so we booked it right away [Scott: Let's start by saying that what looks too good to be true, is just that. I was worried about the company's legitimacy, but we did research and it definitely checked-out, or so we thought...] . From previous family experience, [Scott: My dad, in short, took on a Swiss street train with a rental mini-van and he is proud to say that "at least we broke the train as well." No one was hurt, but the van looked like an opened sardine can. So, the lesson was ALWAYS get insurance in a foreign country.] we knew we needed to purchase insurance and assumed it would be equivalent to US car insurance on a rental (this is where we FAILED). When we finished all the paperwork with the rental car place it ended up costing us 2x what we were anticipating, so Couple Travel Tip #2: if you are planning on renting a car in Ireland...our advice is to call the rental car place and get the quotes directly from them; NOT from the online booking [Scott: If we had not over budgeted in general for this trip, this unforeseen cost would have brought on a very stressful start and probably would have come up again throughout the trip in the form of those fun little fights that ruin a day quickly.]

We took a shuttle to the car pick-up and, thanks to my wonderful husband (who knows how to drive a manual), I got to enjoy the navigator's seat the entire trip! [Scott: "Knows how to not kill himself in a manual" is not the same as "knows how to drive a manual."] The first experience, however, from the navigator's seat was not that fun though. I have never ridden in a car on the left side as a passenger; nor have I ever ridden in a car driving on the left hand side...on tiny roads. Even though the drive from the rental car company to our hotel was only about 15 minutes, Scott and I learned a lot about husband/wife tone; driving tone, navigating tone, "shit, you're on the wrong side on the road" tone, and "I think we're in the right place, but the hotel did not really have an address" tone. [Scott: She forgot my favorite - "You're stressing me out more than a stick shift, on the left hand side of the road, in a foreign country, with no meaningful lines on the road" tone.] Side note on Irish addresses and Couple Travel Tip #3 of this post: it does not seem to be required to assign street numbers, which makes plugging something into a GPS kind of hit or miss so be nice to your navigator.

Since we came into Dublin on St. Patty's Day weekend, we could not find a hotel anywhere near the city center for less than an arm and a leg, so we had to find something close to a train station (thanks again to Scott's experience living in Germany). We found good reviews for and ended up staying at the Marine Hotel at Sutton Cross. If you want some place nice and relaxing, right on the harbor, with simple and clean rooms, and an easy train ride into town, this was a great option! Our priorities at this point were to get to the train station to get downtown and find breakfast. Though it was too early to check-in at the hotel, we were able to leave our car in the parking lot. From the hotel it was an easy walk to the Sutton Station (once we walked the correct way), and even though it cost 10 Euros for a round-trip pass, there was no way we were driving into Dublin that first day. [Scott: I had already lost enough years of my life just getting to the hotel.]

Now comes the FUN PART...Temple Bar!

 Sutton Station was an easy walk from where we staying at the Marine Hotel in Sutton Cross. We were some of the only people on the train heading into Dublin that morning.

Practicing our Gaelic on day 1. It was a good thing that everything else was in English.