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Originally Posted by Violator
How was the trip?  |
Thanks for asking. I just signed on to give a trip report and I saw your question.
My wife and I just finished 8 days in Ireland. We rented a VW Passat with a diesel and a 5 speed manual. It was no BMW but it was perfect for the situation. Lot's of space and 50 miles to the gallon. I rented the manual for two reasons: 1) I miss driving stick and I wanted to get reaquainted and 2) I don't drive that much on the right hand side of road and having to shift manually was a constant reminder that everything is backwards. It really paid off. I'm really glad I made that decision. My wife was a bit freaked out on some of the narrow roads while sitting in the left seat. Each day was better for her and she only had a couple of Oh Jesus moments on the final days.
Overall, amazing country. Stunningly beautiful. Amazing food. Great people.
We tried to hit as many of the places that were recommended as possible and I think we did pretty good. We stayed in the Republic of Ireland. There was so much to see I didn't think trying to stretch the trip up to Northern Ireland would be a good idea.
As far as the route goes, we headed south from Dublin and stayed in Castlebridge, just north of Wexford for the first night. I went into my first Irish Pub, had a pint of Yellow Belly and some pub food. Everybody was so nice and friendly. We drove to the beach close by and then to the Irish National Heritage Park and then onto Waterford. My wife wanted to visit the mecca for shiny objects. Going in I asked her how many pieces of Waterford she has. She said 3. After taking the tour and going through the store, her memory got updated and she remembered and additional 9 pieces that she had. She told me she is a lucky girl. I agreed with her
We drove to Youghal from Waterford and spent the night. Next day we went through Cork, walked the grounds of Blarney Castle (no kissing the friggin' stone) and then onto Dingle where we spent the night. Great town. The next morning we drove Dingle Penninsula. Stunning.
Next night was Doolin. We went to see the Cliffs of Moher. Awesome.
Next stop was Galway but we decided not to stay the night and, intstead, drive up to Clifden. It turned out to be a great choice for us. We stayed two nights there and toured the area. Sky Loop, Kylemore Abbey, beaches, National Park.
And finally, we headed back to Dublin for the last couple of nights. Hop on Hop off bus, Guinness tour, jail tour, and a drive to Howth.
Altogether and amazing trip. But, that was just Round One of a 6 week trip. We are in Switzerland touring and visiting family, and then onto Austria, a 7 day Danube River cruise, and finally Prague. Sorry to rub it in
Thanks to all who gave me ideas on Ireland. What a great week!