It’s the final stop on mine and Raechel’s England, Scotland, and Ireland adventure! This is only the third time I’ve taken a two-week vacation, and like the previous two, some days it felt like we’d be gone for months, and some days it felt like we just left.

So, it was kind of weird getting to the third country, and knowing we’d be heading home soon. I hadn’t really thawed out, my feet hurt, I missed my bed, and yet, I was excited to be there. Ireland had been on my “must see” list for many years, so I had high hopes.

And, well, I have to confess—and this is hard to admit—Ireland was disappointing. Actually, I don’t think it was entirely Ireland’s fault. It was sort of a series of unfortunate events, as it were. You’ll see below. Admittedly, we also had the least amount of time here, too, so Ireland also didn’t get the chance to make it up to us.

So, it’s not like I wouldn’t go back to Ireland given the opportunity, but it won’t be as high on my return list as England and Scotland.

If you haven’t been, keep reading to learn from our experience. If you have, let me know what I could do differently, and what sites I should hit next time.

 

ITINERARY:

DAY 1:

• We didn’t exactly get to sleep in, but at least it wasn’t too early of a flight out of Edinburgh and into Dublin. And it’s not a long flight either, which was nice. We mostly passed the time by re-watching Leap Year because, why not? Amy Adams is awesome. #romcom
• Once again, we were naive and thought that we’d have a good amount of time after arriving to begin our sight-seeing. Well, not so much. This is, after all, Ireland, and what would Dublin be without a protest? So, we arrived at our hotel a couple of hours later than planned. First, because the bus we were riding was late. Second, we found out why—there was a huge protest downtown, and traffic was held up everywhere. Third, due to rerouting traffic, we weren’t let off the bus close to our hotel, and ended up dragging our suitcases through huge crowds for over a mile. So, we were much later than planned and worn out by the time we got settled. And, wouldn’t you know, this day had the highest temps we’d seen the entire trip. So, it was about 50 degrees or so, and with all the walking and carrying of our stuff, I was also hot and sweaty by the time we got to the hotel. A waste of beautiful weather, and it didn’t last long.
• Because we didn’t have a lot of time left in the day, we just decided to grab dinner and do some shopping. I found good ratings for The Parnell Heritage Bar & Grill, so we walked there for some traditional Irish fare. We got the fish and chips and beef and Guinness stew, and they were just okay. Not a lot of flavor, despite supposedly being crowd favorites.
• Next, because we’d left such little time for shopping in England and Scotland, we decided to get this over with on the front end of Ireland rather than scrambling at the end. But by the time we wrapped up our meal, there wasn’t much open. (Are you noticing this theme between the three countries?) We did, however, find Carroll’s Irish Gifts. There are a ton of these around Dublin, and most of the stuff is kitschy and crappy, but there are actually some good finds too. And lots of food, if that’s what you’re after. I wound up buying a really beautiful knit scarf that I’ll be excited to wear this winter, and some gifts as well. And there may or may not have also been some Irish creme filled chocolates that made their way into my cart.
• Early to bed for another long day ahead.

DAY 2:

• Because our final day was going to be a tour, this was our only morning to have a nice, leisurely breakfast. However, it was also a Sunday. So, we got up early to adequately nourish ourselves, and found mostly disappointment. The restaurant we’d planned to go to, The Kingfisher, was closed—as was most everything else. Turns out, most of the city doesn’t open until church lets out. So, we ended up having to settle for something between a convenience store and a deli. It had seating, but the food was mostly coffee machines and breakfast sandwiches. Sigh.
• We then caught the bus and saw a few sites, including Christ Church Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I love seeing all the beautiful architecture in old cities like this, and listening to the history, so I enjoyed taking that in for a bit.
• Next, it was off to the Guinness Storehouse, where the original dark ale hails from. So, here’s the thing with the GS. Everyone told us to go, despite the fact that Raechel doesn’t drink beer and I don’t care for Guinness. But everyone said we should still go because it was very important to the history of the city and there is a rooftop bar with glass walls so you can get great views. And…while those things are true, it was still several hours and like $30 bucks per person down the drain. If you aren’t a Guinness fan, don’t bother. I will admit that the history is interesting, and Guinness is to Dublin what Disney is to Orlando, but it wasn’t worth our limited and valuable time, or our cash. And the rooftop bar was extremely crowded, even in the morning hours, and just like the rest of our trip, the weather was cold and overcast, so there really wasn’t much of a view. Take heed!
• After that, we rode the bus a little bit more, with the Irish Immigration Museum as our next, big destination. And this stop didn’t disappoint! Raechel and I were both interested in visiting the museum because we had Irish heritage, but I’d still recommend it to anyone interested in Ireland’s history and people in general. What we learned is that this small, but mighty country has a lot of influence all over the world because so many can trace their roots back here. (See the note about potatoes below.) It’s actually kind of crazy when you see it all laid out in black and white. EPIC, as it’s known, was a really fascinating place, and I’m so glad we had a good amount of time here. My only regret is going on a Sunday because the genealogy center was closed, which we didn’t realize until we got there. I would’ve love to sit down with a professional to trace my family history. But we both highly recommend this place if you’re in Dublin!
• It was still chilly, but not raining, so we set out on foot to admire a few other sites. Another pitstop on my list was the lovely Ha’Penny Bridge, the first pedestrian bridge for which the toll was a half penny (or ha’penny). And we also quickly trekked through the Temple Bar district, which is packed with people because of all the bars and restaurants, but super cute. There was some sort of big rugby match on, so there were plenty of fans and exhibitions in the street too.
• We also kept seeing donut places around the city, and weren’t sure if Dublin donuts were different or it was just some sort of local food trend. So, we found a place to try one, and I think it’s probably just the latter. It was a good donut, but nothing out of the ordinary. But that and a hot coffee made for a nice afternoon snack.
• For dinner, we were told to go to The Brazen Head, Ireland’s oldest pub, established in 1198. As with the other recommendations, it was just okay. I got the lamb stew, because I wanted to try another authentic Irish dish. Just not a lot of flavor there. But, let’s face it, Ireland isn’t really known for it’s food. It was also PACKED, and I assume that’s pretty standard. I wish we’d gone for lunch maybe, so we could’ve seen more of the restaurant since it was pretty cool looking. Just going for a drink could’ve been another option. It’s also, as far as I could tell, mostly open air, so it was kind of chilly for dinner.
• The next day would be our final in Ireland, so we headed to a deli to grab some breakfast for the morning, and then off to bed.

DAY 3:

• Our last full day of the trip was a day long excursion to the Cliffs of Moher. The Cliffs were something Raechel really wanted to see, and I just wanted to make sure we saw more of Ireland than Dublin. But this was a 13-hour journey, so it was going to take up our entire day. However, we would get to go all the way across Ireland, which was cool. And we’d be staring at the Atlantic upon arrival!
• I have to say, this excursion was part of what made Ireland so iffy for me, and I think Raechel too. Unlike our amazing Scotland excursion, this was a “large group experience,” meaning it wasn’t a small bus of 20 or so people. There were more like 50+ people. Just that fact definitely made the trip less enjoyable. Keeping up with that many people meant that we were on a less comfortable bus and everything was more crowded in restaurants, and frankly, was a hassle. Our guide wasn’t all that exciting or personable either.
• One of the selling points for this specific trip was that you get there before the crowds. And we definitely did, which was nice. However, it was also quite foggy. So, the amazing view we went to see…we didn’t get. I still don’t know if this is because we just got there on a bad weather day, or the mornings in general are usually like that. But, I will say that things cleared up as were leaving! The skies parted…as we got on our bus. #sheesh So, the promised bus loads that arrived as we were boarding likely got fantastic views.
• From there, we went to the “mini Cliffs” just a few miles away, which were very unique and cool. And then, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump away to the nearby village for lunch. I do not kid you when I say Raechel had THREE types of potatoes on her plate! Yes, it’s true, the Irish love their potatoes.  I don’t remember the name of the village, but it was a little strange in that it looked mostly very new and built for tourists. The food was really good, tough. But because of all the buses that stop there, we literally had about 10 or 15 minutes to eat by the time we got through the line and sat down with our food.
• We were also looking forward to our afternoon stop in Galway. We’d hoped to do some shopping and were anxious to see another cute and historic city, since we’d already seen so many adorable ones by now. Unfortunately, more disappointment. The driver let us off near a shopping mall, which was filled with modern chain and department stores. We looked around, but didn’t find anything we were looking for, and even missed a lot of the historic architecture. We managed to find some of it down a side street, but with such little time in Galway, we only managed to walk around this part for a few minutes before needing to head back to the bus.
• We arrived back in Dublin around 8:00 p.m., and wanted to hit a good place for dinner to end our day on a high note. We chose The Bank Bar & Restaurant, which was just what it sounds like. It was a gorgeous, old converted bank. I mean, super cool. The menu was modern, not traditional, but we didn’t really have a lot of things to check off on our food list for Ireland, so we chose the different atmosphere. But I really liked the food and cocktails, and it was a great way to finish off Ireland.
• Day trip link on Viator: Cliffs of Moher Day Trip from Dublin – For the reasons mentioned, I wouldn’t recommend this one. If you can find a small group tour, do that instead. And, despite the crowds, go to the Cliffs in the afternoon.

DAY 4:

• Time to head back to the States! It was an early flight out, and due to the time change, we arrived at JFK early afternoon, which was nice.
• We did have time to grab a decent breakfast in the Dublin airport, though,  also grabbed a scone for the road! Butter, jam, and a delicious scone was a good way to begin the journey home. I also had mine with a side of mimosa. 😉 But, man, I sure do miss that English clotted cream!
• By the time we got back to the US, we were sort of starved for vegetables and fresh foods, so seeking out a salad was our primary concern. But, of course, since we’d had mostly pub food for the previous two weeks, we also had all sorts of cravings. We settled on a slice of pizza and Caprese salad, which hit the spot on both counts.
• From here, we had several hours to kill so we just played on our devices, chatted, recounted trip highlights, and watched shows until it was time to depart back to Atlanta for me and Chicago for Raechel.

It was a great, but exhausting two weeks! Thanks for reading along!

You can check out all the trip photos here.

 

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC NOTES:

• We stayed at the Maldron Parnell Square Hotel. Because of the time and headache of getting there, at first it seemed like the location wasn’t going to be great. But once the crowds died down, and we got the lay of the land, the location wasn’t so bad.
• A number of things close early like restaurants and attractions, so double-check this stuff when planning. And make sure you don’t miss the note above the city not opening till late morning on Sundays!
• We ended up getting the DoDublin bus pass at the airport. It’s a 72-hour pass with hop on, hop off privileges at tourist stops, plus gets you to and from the airport. So, it was nice to have it all rolled into one and not have to figure out any other transportation options.
• We arrived on a Saturday, so if that’s your schedule, too, check online for any scheduled protests! It was INSANELY crowded in the city center on Saturday due to the protest, but the rest of the time, the crowds weren’t bad at all.
• Don’t plan to do much shopping at this airport. There aren’t many stores, especially after you get through to the gate areas.
• Gaelic is now only spoken by a very small percentage of the population, though a revival is underway. In places like Galway, all the signs are in both English and Gaelic, so it’s interesting to see how they are trying to preserve the culture. And in some more remote places, like the Aran Islands, it’s still the predominant language, though that is a rarity. We only heard it spoken a couple of times.

 

GENERAL TRIP NOTES AND ADVICE:

• It took me a long time to find this site (like a year and a half), but we booked our trip through TripMasters. This lovely site allows you to choose exactly how many nights you’d like in each country (worldwide), in what order, and your mode of transportation as well. It also gives you the opportunity to bundle your hotel and activities. You can go with the cheapest hotels or even upgrade to nicer ones. We got a great deal, and I definitely recommend using this site if you don’t want to book everything separately.
• These Clarks Cloudsteppers were my saving grace on this trip! I wore them most of the two weeks, and they made all the walking so much easier. I did end up with a couple of blisters, but they weren’t bad, and didn’t hurt while wearing these babies.
• I love using Viator for trip activities and excursions. The app also allows you to keep vouchers there rather than printing them.
• It depends how you like to travel, but we both liked being active and on the go. So, most lunches were just snacks we picked up or packed. Then we’d stop for nicer dinners.
• As you can already tell from this post, Raechel and I are planners. So, we had a Google Sheet set up with what were doing each day and time, along with links and reservation numbers, track expenses, etc. This helped us maximize our time really well, and was awesome since we were planning a lot over email and phone while living in different cities.
• Raechel had international data through her work phone, which served us VERY well. Otherwise, we were going to use AT&T’s international day pass, and just trade off days to split the costs.
• Unfortunately for me, most places didn’t take AMEX (which was all I carried), so Raechel paid for a lot of the little stuff like meals, and I bought the big, online things like tours with my card to balance us out.
• When we weren’t using the hop on, hop off bus or Underground (which was the vast majority of the time because Raechel is awesome at navigation), we used Uber. I would’ve definitely preferred Lyft, but it’s not in other countries yet. You can, of course, take the adorable taxis but I just love the ease of ride share apps, payments, tips, and splitting fares. (Use my link for an introductory discount.)
• I got a head cold at the end of the week, and wish I would’ve brought cold meds, aspirin, etc, with me. I found all those things there, of course, but most everything comes in packs of 16 tablets, and you can only get two packs at a time…so, I made multiple trips in all three countries.

 

MY TRAVEL NECESSITIES:

• We tried out these foot hammocks for the international flights. They may seem and look silly, and let’s face it, they are, but they made sleeping on the intercontinental flights a bit easier. We also had Delta Comfort seats, so we had more leg room. I was too tall to use them in the cheap seats, since my knees almost hit the seat in front of me, but Raechel is shorter, and used them in both spots successfully.
• I travel with a number of doTerra essential oils, but for active trips, I especially recommend the Deep Blue Samples. These little gems are like Icy Hot, but better, and are fantastic at the end of the day on your feet or back.
• I do not like hand sanitizer because it makes my hands feel sticky and gross. But I found these alcohol-free Babyganics wipes before my trip to India and now carry them with me everywhere. These make my hands feel clean and not sticky, and are great for travel and on the go—baby or not.
• One of my friends who is a travel writer gave me this tip, and it’s a good one. Whether it’s blistering hot (hello, India!) or a beautiful day (hello, LA!), carrying electrolyte tabs or powder is a great idea to keep you replenished.
• I don’t go anywhere without wrinkle release, because I hate ironing. And on international trips, I wasn’t sure what the iron situation would be anyway.
• Love my Envirosax! I keep several in my purse at all times, but I also take them when traveling because they always come in handy. I even use the pouch they come in on trips for cords and things.
• These Tide sink packets are great for short trip emergencies or long trips when you can’t access laundry facilities or don’t want to pay for them.
• This silicone flat iron pouch is good for when you have limited counter space and need to rest a flat iron or curling iron on the floor or another surface.
• We ended up buying a small bag of Epsom salt in England for our achy feet, but next time I’ll just take these travel packs.
• For adapters and travel cords, I’ve had great luck with these options: this Belkin block is good for home and travel, this little Monster stays in my laptop bag at all times, and this Maxah universal plug has gone with me to five countries so far.
• Sadly, my portable charger isn’t available any longer, but I prefer one like this that can charge different kinds of devices at once.
• I do a cleanse about three times per year or so, but especially after extensive travel or when food quality has been bad (hear: fried carbs). This is a good option for newbies and is more gentle on your system, but I’ve used many kinds by this brand.

 

BONUS:

Because our families are both originally from the UK and Ireland (way, way back), Raechel and I both asked for Ancestry DNA kits for Christmas so we could get our results before the trip. That made our time even more fun and interesting, and we were on the lookout for our family’s last names and traces every where we went.

For the record, I’m 44% British, 37% Ireland/Scotland/Wales, as well as a little of this and that. But, really, you could just look at me and figure that out. 😉

 

Previously: England and Scotland

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