October 2017: 7 days in Ireland
As a child, I had read about Ireland's gently rolling green meadows, cows grazing on the green grass in the meadows, rocky cliffs, its butter, potatoes, and whiskey. I wanted to visit the country and experience it all except for whiskey, which my taste buds cannot stand.
Day 5: We headed toward Blarney Castle. To me more than the castle, the gardens were impressive -fern garden, poison garden, etc. I wish I could have spent more time exploring the gardens. I did see the Blarney Stone. Kissing it was out of the question!
My husband and I had not taken a honeymoon trip after our marriage. For our 10th wedding anniversary, we decided to visit Ireland. We chose to take a 7-day guided tour through Costco/Trafalgar. We had never gone on a guided tour so we had no expectations, and therefore everything was a new and mostly pleasant experience. Apparently, the tour director had mailed the tour itinerary so that people could plan the free times allotted in the tour. However, we never received one but because I had taken some tour books, we were able to make good use of our time.
Day 1: We flew into Dublin around 12 noon, and headed to the Trafalgar tour meeting point in the airport. Soon, other tour participants arrived. The Trafalgar tour director, a very pleasant woman in late 50's, met us and directed us to the bus that ferried us to the Ballsbridge hotel. At the hotel, the tour director had already checked us in, so there was nothing for us to do but get our key. The hotel transported our luggage to our room. This was one of the best perks of the guided tour - we never had to worry about check in and check out, and taking our luggage to our rooms. Tips to the hotel staff were included in the package. Due to jet lag, we just went and slept in our room until our evening meeting with the tour.
At 6 PM, we met the group in the hotel lobby, and boarded the bus to tour Dublin city. The tour director pointed out the various Dublin's landmarks to us. I was under the impression that we would make stops at some of the landmarks. Apparently, in touring world, "view" means to drive by, while "visit" means that you get to enter the premises. We didn't know this, and so regretted not keeping sufficient time in our schedule to explore Dublin. Most people in the tour had either arrived a day or two early or were planning on staying after the tour to get a taste of Dublin.
The tour ended at a pub, where we had a wonderful dinner. The highlight for us was Guinness mixed with blackcurrant juice. Typically I abhor alcohol, but this sweetened, fruity beer tasted yummy. The pub owner came over to talk to us, and taught us the Irish drinking toast "Slainte" (pronounced slan-cha) that means "Health".
Day 2: We had to be up early to get breakfast by 7 AM, and board the bus by 8 AM. I abhor rising early in the morning, so this schedule was brutal. In addition, the effects of jet lag didn't help us. As soon as I boarded the bus, I was fast asleep.
The first stop was Galway, where it was drizzling. Packing a rain jacket is a must for Ireland! We disembarked at the Eyre square, and the tour director handed us a map to explore the Galway landmarks on our own for 2 hrs. We roamed the square, saw the Browne Doorway (nothing remarkable), and then walked to see the Galway Cathedral. Then we headed to Limerick. We ended our travel for the day at the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick.
Day 3: Once again an early morning start, and headed towards the Bunratty Castle in County Clare. Upon reaching Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, we welcomed the opportunity to stretch our legs. A charming green park dotted with recreated cottages and gardens showcasing Irish rural life, surround the Bunratty castle, a medieval fortress. Loved the store, the Shannon Irish Design store -bought an Avoca Mills wool throw. The wool colors are dazzling.
Next stop was Cliffs of Moher. Despite the windy, cold conditions, the spectacular view of the calm green land ending abruptly as rugged cliffs to stop the crashing waves of the dark blue Atlantic Ocean in its flow, was breathtakingly beautiful. The skies had cleared up to let us enjoy these gorgeous views of the rugged beauty of this land.
We took the ferry across the Shannon estuary to head toward Killarney. On the way, we stopped at Aghadoe Viewing Point to gaze at a picturesque, panoramic view of the glistening Killarney lakes and verdant mountains and valleys.
Killarney is a charming, quaint town with colorful displays of flowering plants. We checked into the Killarney International Hotel.
Then we took a horse carriage ride called "jaunting cars" through the Killarney National Park. In the park, thickets of Rhododendron ponticum grew abundantly, which the carriage driver referred to as "weeds". I wondered how beautiful it would look if all the rhododendron bushes were in bloom! Later, I learnt that hundreds of euros has been spent on eradicating this invasive plant. The carriage dropped us at the Muckross House, whose gardens were spectacular. I wish there some gardeners in the group, then I could have shared the appreciation of the manicured landscape that abounded with beautiful trees, shrubs, and other plants, many of which I could not identify, and there was no one to tell us. Once again, loved the store at Muckross house. Bought a wool hat for my hubby.
Day 4: We went for a drive around the Ring of Kerry. We stopped for a walk at the fishing village of Waterville. Then we stopped for lunch at the Scariff Inn, which afforded us a stunning, panoramic view of the green land sloping down gently into the ocean.
The food did not appeal to us, so we ate quickly a small unmemorable meal, and then went for a walk. Behind the Inn, ran a narrow fuchsia hedge lined lane winding down to the village by the oceanside. The fuschia hedges with its clusters of vibrant red and purple tear drop shaped buds and flowers enchanted us. The tour bus headed back to Killarney with some stops at viewpoints.
At 6 PM, we met the group in the hotel lobby, and boarded the bus to tour Dublin city. The tour director pointed out the various Dublin's landmarks to us. I was under the impression that we would make stops at some of the landmarks. Apparently, in touring world, "view" means to drive by, while "visit" means that you get to enter the premises. We didn't know this, and so regretted not keeping sufficient time in our schedule to explore Dublin. Most people in the tour had either arrived a day or two early or were planning on staying after the tour to get a taste of Dublin.
The tour ended at a pub, where we had a wonderful dinner. The highlight for us was Guinness mixed with blackcurrant juice. Typically I abhor alcohol, but this sweetened, fruity beer tasted yummy. The pub owner came over to talk to us, and taught us the Irish drinking toast "Slainte" (pronounced slan-cha) that means "Health".
Day 2: We had to be up early to get breakfast by 7 AM, and board the bus by 8 AM. I abhor rising early in the morning, so this schedule was brutal. In addition, the effects of jet lag didn't help us. As soon as I boarded the bus, I was fast asleep.
The first stop was Galway, where it was drizzling. Packing a rain jacket is a must for Ireland! We disembarked at the Eyre square, and the tour director handed us a map to explore the Galway landmarks on our own for 2 hrs. We roamed the square, saw the Browne Doorway (nothing remarkable), and then walked to see the Galway Cathedral. Then we headed to Limerick. We ended our travel for the day at the Greenhills Hotel in Limerick.
Day 3: Once again an early morning start, and headed towards the Bunratty Castle in County Clare. Upon reaching Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, we welcomed the opportunity to stretch our legs. A charming green park dotted with recreated cottages and gardens showcasing Irish rural life, surround the Bunratty castle, a medieval fortress. Loved the store, the Shannon Irish Design store -bought an Avoca Mills wool throw. The wool colors are dazzling.
Next stop was Cliffs of Moher. Despite the windy, cold conditions, the spectacular view of the calm green land ending abruptly as rugged cliffs to stop the crashing waves of the dark blue Atlantic Ocean in its flow, was breathtakingly beautiful. The skies had cleared up to let us enjoy these gorgeous views of the rugged beauty of this land.
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| Cliffs of Moher |
We took the ferry across the Shannon estuary to head toward Killarney. On the way, we stopped at Aghadoe Viewing Point to gaze at a picturesque, panoramic view of the glistening Killarney lakes and verdant mountains and valleys.
Killarney is a charming, quaint town with colorful displays of flowering plants. We checked into the Killarney International Hotel.
 |
| Kilarney International Hotel |
Then we took a horse carriage ride called "jaunting cars" through the Killarney National Park. In the park, thickets of Rhododendron ponticum grew abundantly, which the carriage driver referred to as "weeds". I wondered how beautiful it would look if all the rhododendron bushes were in bloom! Later, I learnt that hundreds of euros has been spent on eradicating this invasive plant. The carriage dropped us at the Muckross House, whose gardens were spectacular. I wish there some gardeners in the group, then I could have shared the appreciation of the manicured landscape that abounded with beautiful trees, shrubs, and other plants, many of which I could not identify, and there was no one to tell us. Once again, loved the store at Muckross house. Bought a wool hat for my hubby.
Day 4: We went for a drive around the Ring of Kerry. We stopped for a walk at the fishing village of Waterville. Then we stopped for lunch at the Scariff Inn, which afforded us a stunning, panoramic view of the green land sloping down gently into the ocean.
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| View of the landscape from the Inn |
The food did not appeal to us, so we ate quickly a small unmemorable meal, and then went for a walk. Behind the Inn, ran a narrow fuchsia hedge lined lane winding down to the village by the oceanside. The fuschia hedges with its clusters of vibrant red and purple tear drop shaped buds and flowers enchanted us. The tour bus headed back to Killarney with some stops at viewpoints.
Day 5: We headed toward Blarney Castle. To me more than the castle, the gardens were impressive -fern garden, poison garden, etc. I wish I could have spent more time exploring the gardens. I did see the Blarney Stone. Kissing it was out of the question!
Next stop was Youghal, a seaside town, where the tour let us explore on our own. We saw the Clock Gate Tower and then walked to the highest point of the town to get a view of the harbor.
The day's last stop was Waterford, where we stayed at the Fitzwilton Hotel. The tour had arranged dinner for us at the hotel. What I found ironic in Ireland was that the side dishes were potatoes in its various forms -fried, baked, mashed. While the Irish appreciated butter and salt, they seem to use very little spices in their cooking, so I had to add a lot of pepper or ketchup to make my food palatable. I should have packed a bottle of Sriracha or some hot sauce!
Day 6: This morning we visited the House of Waterford Crystal, where they demonstrated how the crystalware are made. Very skilled artisans. We saw how they were blowing the glass into a vase and hand carving the designs.
The next stop was the town of New Ross. On our drive, we were charmed by the sight of flowering agapanthus and hydrangeas in many gardens. Most houses seemed to have stone fences.
Day 6: This morning we visited the House of Waterford Crystal, where they demonstrated how the crystalware are made. Very skilled artisans. We saw how they were blowing the glass into a vase and hand carving the designs.
The next stop was the town of New Ross. On our drive, we were charmed by the sight of flowering agapanthus and hydrangeas in many gardens. Most houses seemed to have stone fences.
At New Ross, we saw the "eternal Flame" monument to John F. Kennedy, and then visited the Dunbrody ship museum to learn about the Irish famine and emigration. The deprivation experienced by the Irish people is the 1920s is tragic.
We then headed back toward Dublin. A special highlight was the delicious dinner at the Ballyknocken House & Cookery School run by Catherine Fulvio. I felt she was Ireland's version of Rachel Ray. She came out to greet us, and had a cheerful smile. I find the Irish accent very charming. We took a tour of her small herb garden and cookery school. One of my favorite items that she served was rosemary scone. I had never had a savory scone prior to this. I tried to recreate the scone at home but it was not as soft and fluffy as hers.
We ended our trip at the Calyton Hotel in Leopardstown, Dublin. It was drizzling but we decided to brave the weather and take the train from Leopardtown into Dublin, and walk a bit around the city.
We then headed back toward Dublin. A special highlight was the delicious dinner at the Ballyknocken House & Cookery School run by Catherine Fulvio. I felt she was Ireland's version of Rachel Ray. She came out to greet us, and had a cheerful smile. I find the Irish accent very charming. We took a tour of her small herb garden and cookery school. One of my favorite items that she served was rosemary scone. I had never had a savory scone prior to this. I tried to recreate the scone at home but it was not as soft and fluffy as hers.
We ended our trip at the Calyton Hotel in Leopardstown, Dublin. It was drizzling but we decided to brave the weather and take the train from Leopardtown into Dublin, and walk a bit around the city.
Day 7: We flew out of Dublin.
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