Ireland: My Unexpected Love

This year has been one of the most turbulent years of my adult life. I’m in a completely different space than where I was on January 1st. And I don’t say that as a complaint. My mantra is peace and happiness and I had to really fight for that this year (is that an oximoron?). Without highlighting the negative, the year started out rough, but then I was immensely blessed with the captain of all stepfathers this year, and not only did my parents go on an amazing honeymoon, but I got to plan it AND I got to go! No, it wasn’t as weird as it sounds! In September we traveled to Ireland, England, France, and Italy (in that order). So in keeping with the order of the trip, let’s start with Ireland!

Ireland wasn’t a country I was all too excited to visit. I just never really looked into it too much. I was pushing for Switzerland over Ireland, but hey, it wasn’t my honeymoon! But I fell in love with the country the moment we touched down.

Days 1 & 2

I get so excited before I trip. The days can’t go by fast enough, and the night before the trip is always the longest! I just want to be at my destination already! Because of this, I usually book morning/early afternoon flights. Unfortunately for this trip, because of distance and crossing multiple time zones, I had a long wait before reaching Dublin. Out flight didn’t leave RSW until 5:00PM. We had a 3-hour flight to PHL with an hour and a half layover (just enough time to exchange currency and grab a bite from Smashburger [overpriced]). At 9:30PM we took off for Dublin. It was a 6-hour flight which made our arrival in Dublin at 8:30AM. I was pretty proud of the way I planned our flights so we wouldn’t have jet lag. Sleeping on the flight would give us almost a full night’s rest, and we’d arrive in the morning time, so I body will be all synced up. Right? No. Not at all. But we’ll get to that later.

After our arrival, we went through the long line of customs (although it got waaaay longer after we arrived) but the line went by quickly. We got our first passport stamp, collected our luggage, used the restrooms and proceeded to car rentals. We checked in with Enterprise and followed directions to get to our shuttle bus. The ride to the car lot was barely five minutes, but the driver was so kind as to give us tips on driving on the “wrong” side of the road. He answered as many questions as he could, but before you know it, you’re in your car. Now, I’m a really confident driver. And I only recommend confident driver’s take on this task. It’s not as hard as it seems, but getting the rental from the airport means my first experience driving was getting out of the airport and onto the expressway. The first obstacle was a roundabout (which goes clockwise instead of counterclockwise) and there were 4 entry points and traffic lines. AND, the roundabout was TWO LANES! Madness. BUT, doable.

Some GREAT advice I read online: Get the smallest car that can fit all your luggage.

Between my parents and I, we had 3 suitcases, 3 duffel bags, and 3 backpacks. This Toyota C-HR was described as being able to hold 3 suitcases. But I’m guessing they meant carry-on size. We were able to cram 2 out 3 suitcases, and one of the duffels in the trunk. It was a 5-seater, so there was plenty of space in the back seat for the rest of the bags…and my stepdad. You’d think, “Hmm, maybe I should get the next size up vehicle…” and I say NO. Anything bigger than this vehicle is going to be a challenge to maneuver. The roads are extremely narrow and parking would be impossible. I had trouble parking a few times in this vehicle. But aside from it being too big for the road (and almost too small for us), it was a great vehicle! Great handling, quick acceleration, good turn radius, and GREAT on gas. So great, we didn’t even have to fill up when we returned it after 5 days. Another piece of advice, unless you know how to drive a stick, make sure you specify you want an automatic. Because they’ll automatically place you in a stick. And even if you do know how to drive a manual, I still recommend requesting an automatic. It’s just one less thing you have to learn to do the “wrong” way.

Our hotel was an easy 20-minute drive from the airport. There are toll roads, so make sure you have your currency exchanged already. We stayed at the Intercontinental Dublin in the neighborhood of Ballsbridge. It’s a short 15-minute drive from the heart of downtown.

I’m just going to say it now, this was my favorite hotel out of the four we stayed in. I would definitely recommend it if it’s in your budget, and I would stay there again myself (if it’s in my budget). Very friendly staff, beautiful property. Great location (very close to downtown, but not in the heart of it). I just wish I got to enjoy it more (like taking a dip in the pool, or utilizing the sauna). We were either on the go or I was sleeping!

Our flight landing in the morning, so we arrived at the hotel way before standard check-in time. Fortunately, they did have our room ready…but only one. They assured us our second room would be ready soon. So they took all our bags to our available room (my parents’ room) and we waited it out there. About 2.5 hours later, I’m wiping the drool off my mouth seeming to have fallen asleep on the lounger. The lobby was calling to let us know my room was ready. I apparently wasn’t the only tired one, so my parents and I agreed to continue our nap for another two hours or so. The plan was to wake up around 5PM and go to the Wicklow Mountains (mountain chain an hour south of Dublin) and hike it and watch the sun set. That was the plan. That is not what took place. I wake up feeling quite refreshed. Noticed the sky isn’t as bright as it should be for 5 o’clock. I look at my phone to find out it was 7. I called my parents (who were also still sleeping) to make new plans. We decided to just go to dinner. We weren’t too hungry and we didn’t want to dress up, but we weren’t looking for a pub. The concierge made an excellent recommendation to a bistro called Roly’s. It was exactly what we were looking for.

They do have a more formal side, that requires a reservation, but they also have a cafe side and that’s just what we wanted. The food was just what my soul needed after a long commute. European service is much slower than what we’re accustomed to in the States. So be patient. Meal times are an “event”. It’s not just about scarfing down food and running on to your next task. It’s about enjoying that moment. With or without people. Definitely stop in!

After dinner, we drove around town a bit. It’s a beautiful city. Think “city” meets “small town”. There’s so much more to see and do than I originally thought and I cannot wait until I go back. I have so much more to see in Dublin and around the country as well. But after our drive, we retired to the hotel. I could not go to bed. What was worse was there was NOTHING on TV. It wasn’t until about 2AM that I fell asleep playing games on my phone. Sheesh!

Perhaps, it was my excitement that I was in DUBLIN!!

Day 3

Waking up was a lot easier than falling asleep. It was my first day exploring a European city! Today was our hop-on-hop-off bus tour of Dublin, with a company called DoDublin. There are several companies, but we enjoyed DoDublin. Plus, the giant green bus was easy to spot a mile away! The bus starts running at 9:00am, but we were on our own schedule, so we decided to start the tour around 10-11am. I got up at 7am, got dressed, and met my parents downstairs for breakfast. Advice: if staying at this hotel, I’d advise room service for breakfast or ordering straight from the menu. They have a buffet option (which we chose on this first day) which wasn’t all too pleasant. There were so many flies around the buffet. And even if you order from the menu, the flies still flock to your food. And I’m not even sure where they came from! I didn’t see and open doors or windows! So, I’d recommend either eating in your room, or on the road. Between taking forever to get dressed and lounging around at breakfast, we didn’t actually start the bus tour until around 11:30am. There weren’t any bus stops near our hotel, so we had to drive to one. The closest stop was at Merrion Square, a park about 10 minutes from the hotel. Our timing seemed to be perfect! As we pulled into a parking spot, a bus was pulling up to the stop. We hopped out of our car and onto the bus. Mmm. Nice and toasty. Oh, did I not mention it was cold? Yeah, it was cold. But take my words with a grain of salt. I’m from Miami. Heat is my friend. My best friend. I mean, it wasn’t snowing or anything (apparently, it rarely snows there). But without the sun, the wind is pretty chilling. And there’s rarely sun. So bring that jacket and scarf!

Our first sight to see was Trinity College. My parents had no knowledge of the place or its historical significance. And to be honest, I didn’t either. I’ve just seen pictures of the Trinity Library and figured it’d be a neat thing to see. But there are MANY “neat” things about Trinity College we learned that day. From their robes that signify their educational accomplishments to sacred academic meals, and bell tower superstitions. Not to mention the home of the misogynist professor who inadvertently became a symbol of feminism.

In all honesty, I only wanted to go to Trinity College to take pictures of the Long Room in the Library. But I was barely able to get a good shot with all the selfie sticks and long arms in the air. But no matter, I was able to take in the beauty with my own eyes instead of through a lens. And isn’t that the point? Even if you’re not a history buff (like myself), the stories told on the tour are most fascinating! Trinity College Library is home to the Book of Kells (not pictured because photography of it is not allowed). The Book of Kells is a gospel book containing the four Gospels of the New Testament in Latin. Being from the 9th century, the book is handwritten using inks that were created from materials from the four corners of the world. Two of the four books are kept on display behind glass. After being in awe of the historical artifact, take in the architectural beauty that is the Long Room. Two hundred-thirteen feet long, this room is filled with over 200,000 of the Library’s oldest books. Over 30 busts of famous (and some not-so-famous) writers and philosophers line either side of the Room. If you’re looking for things to do/see in Dublin, I definitely recommend a Trinity College tour. If you’re on a mission for some incredible Instagram shots, you’ll definitely find it here. If you’re looking for history, you’ll definitely find it here.

After the Trinity College tour, we were ready to get back on the bus and head off to our next stop. But as we were walking to the bus stop, we were just so enthralled with the city that we decided to walk around a bit and explore. Just past our bus stop was a street that led uphill on our left. It led to a beautiful church. As we got closer, I saw there was a statue of a very busty woman pushing a cart with baskets in it. I realized it is the ever-famous Molly Malone, the star of Dublin’s unofficial anthem. I never heard of her prior to arriving in Dublin, but you are guaranteed to hear someone whistle or sing the tune while walking the streets. As for me, our tour bus driver treated us to the song when we first got on the bus. He had a lovely voice, too.

We walked a little further up the street and then figured it was time to really get onto our next stop: The Guinness Storehouse. I was excited to go for obvious reasons: beer. But it was very interesting tour, and the interior was aesthetically pleasing! I learned a lot about the beer making process, learned how to properly pour AND drink a Guinness (there is a special technique and it makes a world of a difference), and took in 360° views of Dublin at the Gravity Bar. The view is breathtaking and well worth the crowd. Stroll your way up to the 7th floor, learning about each step of the beer-making process along the way. I took more videos than pictures (my apologies), so stay tuned for more videos!

Following the Storehouse tour, we ate at one of their four restaurants. We ate at 1837 Bar & Brasserie. I had the Guinness beef burger and it was big and delicious! And their fries are delicious too! Once we were stuffed, we headed outside. We were going to wait at the bus stop when we saw several horse-drawn carriages. They were so adorable! We decided to take a ride to Temple Bar instead of taking the bus. It was a lovely ten minute ride. I believe it was €30. We strolled around for another hour or so and made our way back to the bus stop by Trinity College. By this time, my parents were tired. Let’s face it, so was I. We decided we’d end the day here. We rode the bus all the way around until it took us back to Merrion Square. Which it was the stop just before Trinity College, so we were on the bus for more than an hour. But it was a great was to see the rest of the city and sights without walking (and to take a nap, which I did). Once we got back to our car, we had a very unpleasant surprise waiting for us: we got booted. In our haste to catch the bus as it pulled up, neither my parents nor I realized that we didn’t pay the parking meter. It was €80 (which, compared to other places, isn’t that bad), and they arrived within 5 minutes to remove the boot! So aside from wasting money due to our negligence, it didn’t taint an otherwise awesome day of being a tourist.

When we returned to the hotel, my parents and I went our separate ways and prepared for the next day. Unfortunately, my sleep schedule was still off and I couldn’t fall asleep until after midnight. I need to look into jet lag remedies.

Day 4

This is the day I looked forward to the most. We were going to the Cliffs of Moher! I love nature and all natural tourist attractions. Landscape photography is my favorite. But I promise you, all the pictures in the world could not do the Cliffs justice. You have to experience it yourself. If the Cliffs of Moher wasn’t on your bucket list before, it should be!

As much as I was looking forward to this day, things got started off on the wrong foot. To be honest, the morning was a bit of a blur. But in the end, we didn’t have breakfast, I couldn’t find parking, we almost missed the bus, and it was COLD! But, the bus was running late, it was nice and toasty on board, and it had free WiFi and charging ports! All the factors needed to sleep on our 3-hour bus ride. Yes. Three hours. But I was so comfortable, I fell asleep before we hit the freeway.

We did our tour with Paddywagon Tours. A great company with many touring options around all of Ireland. When I return, I intend to do another one of their tours. We did the Cliffs of Moher tour for €45. That is a great price for an AMAZING tour! Check out their site for their different packages. They have 3 conveniently located pick up spots throughout downtown Dublin. We chose the Paddy Palace pick up location. It was about 15 minutes (without traffic) from our hotel. Pick up time was at 7:30am, which meant I had to be up 5am. So I was tired. Tip: If you choose this pick up location, there isn’t a parking lot designated for the office. You may get lucky and find a parking spot on the street, but I’m just not comfortable doing that. There is a Park Rite parking deck directly across Paddy Palace. According to their website, for 12 hours, the fee would be €32. I don’t recall paying that much, but that is the most they charge for 24 hours. It’s a parking garage so your vehicle is more secure. Plus, the entrance is right where the bus parks for pick up! Convenient! After we boarded the bus (as the last ones), we were on our way. Like I said, I was asleep before long. When we were about half way there, we made a stop at a service station to stretch our legs, use the restrooms, and get coffee. Once we did, we got back on the bus and continued on.

The tour includes more than just visiting the Cliffs of Moher. Our first official stop was in the town of Kinvara (also spelled, Kinvarra). It’s a colorful fishing town on the western coast of Ireland. Street vendors and musicians line the main road, which was just one of three. There’s a pharmacy there that has an awesome nasal spray! Tip: If you noticed your allergies have been giving you a hard time, it’s not random. The famous greenery of Ireland is also rich with pollen. Stop in Kinvara’s pharmacy for an effective solution to your allergy problem, in my opinion.

After about 45 minutes in the town, we moved on to our next stop, The Burren. It was about an hour drive from Kinvara. I didn’t even know we had arrived at our destination, because we pulled over on the side of the road. Our bus driver did say we were going to the “Baby Cliffs”, but I didn’t know it was such an unofficial location. On the other side of the road (be careful crossing!), were cliffs! Not nearly as high as the CoM, but still quite fascinating. It was extremely windy, but a great location for photo ops. We didn’t spend too long here. Maybe 20-30 minutes. Once we herded back on the bus, we headed to Doolin, another small town where we ate lunch. We ate at Fitzgerald’s Bar and the food…was…AMAZING! It was so delicious and such a healthy portion! And with all the exercise you’ll get walking the Cliffs, you won’t have to feel guilty about pigging out! It can be a bit crowded in there, and there was a line, but the line moved quickly and we had no difficulty finding a table. We had a little over an hour to eat lunch, but that was plenty of time. After lunch was finally the Cliffs! It was about 20 minutes from the bar.

As soon as we got off of the bus, we were almost swept away by the wind. Make sure your hat, scarves, and all other loose items are secured. Because you can and will lose a hat or scarf over the ledge. I watched a girl’s coffee cup get ripped out of her hands and disappear over the cliff. It was kind of funny. Anyways, the Cliffs of Moher is such a beautiful place. As harsh as the wind is, it’s wonderful! The sea spray is carried up and over the cliff to cover your face. You’re mesmerized by the Atlantic Ocean in front of you, and the rolling grasslands behind you. There isn’t a whole lot to describe, because the COM is about the experience. On my next trip, I want to drive there in my own vehicle so I can spend more time than the allotted hour and a half that tour companies must adhere to. It was enough time to see the Cliffs from both trails, and I took lots of pictures, but I wanted to be there all day. In all honesty, it was my favorite sight throughout the whole European trip. But that’s my opinion. I want you to make that decision for yourself!

After battling the windy clifftop, we returned to our nice and toasty bus to make the return journey home. We drove a different route back home and saw more of the countryside. We stopped in Bunratty, a small town just outside of Limerick, and home to the Bunratty Castle. We parked at a small shopping complex across the street from the castle. Most of our group went to the castle, but some of us stayed behind in the shopping area. There was a two-story home goods store called Meadows & Bryne. It had great decor and lots of items that would make great gifts or souvenirs! They also have a cafe upstairs that sells ice cream! We didn’t spend long here. Maybe 30 minutes. Then it was back on the bus and on our way home.

I slept for the duration of the journey. But before I knew it, we were in Dublin. We were dropped off where we were picked up and made our short drive back to the hotel. Exhausted from a long day of exploring (12 hours of it), we retired to our rooms for the night. I ordered room service again, and stayed up until 3am because of my good ole friend, Jet Lag.

Days 5 & 6

By day 5, the jet lag hit hardest. In our defense, the day before was quite exhausting. I had room service breakfast and relaxed in bed all morning. By afternoon, I called my parents to see if they wanted to finally see the Wicklow Mountains, but they said they were still drowsy. Which, I was okay with. I took a two-hour nap and checked with my parents again. It became apparent that our last day in the country would be spent indoors. But I was able to convince them to go out for dinner. A friend I made recommended dinner at the Bull & Castle. It’s a pub that’s on the corner across from the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity. Great food! But call and make a reservation.

After eating at Bull & Castle, we returned to the hotel to pack our things and get ready for leaving the next day. The check out process was fast and easy. The airport was about 20 minutes away, and being 7am on a Sunday, there was no traffic. It took all of ten minutes to return the rental car and catch the shuttle to the airport. Checking our luggage was quick and easy and before long, we were in the security line. It was a little long, but we were done within 20 minutes. Make sure you follow the 3-1-1 rule when it comes to liquids in your carry-on. Dublin International Airport also has a lovely duty-free shopping section. Not a bad place to pick up gifts as well. We over-budgeted on time and had almost two hours to wait. We ate breakfast at the airport and then waited for our flight to London. I was disappointed to be leaving, but excited for London. The next stop on our European trip!

I wasn’t as prepared for Dublin as I thought I’d be. And that was part of the fun of experiencing the city. There is so much more to see in Ireland, but it requires time. My next visit may include more tours outside of the city. I felt completely safe at all times in the city. There were times that I walked around by myself. The people are all friendly and happy! There’s constant laughter and cheering. Two vendors I’d like to highlight are DoDublin bus tour and Paddywagon Tours. There are so many sights around Dublin, and I wish I could’ve seen more, but DoDublin was the perfect vessel to travel around the city. Had we budgeted our time better, we would’ve been able to see so much more. There are many packages and options that can fit your itinerary. Paddywagon Tours also has many tour packages to see more than just the Cliffs of Moher. They even have multi-day and private tours. Check out the vendors listed below for more information! (Disclaimer: None of the links in this article are affiliate links. I will not receive any payment for you usage of these links.)

InterContinental Dublin

I hope this post encouraged you to put Ireland on your list. The entire country was a pleasant surprise.