Ireland, September 2022
Day 9: Dublin, Ireland
I arrived in Dublin this morning, leaving Norway on a 6 am flight. It was a little rough as I didn’t get home from Jack’s Country Saloon until 1:30 and my car to the airport came at 3:30 I had a great jalapeño, chili Mac hamburger for dinner and well, just a few mango IPAs, courtesy of Jan, an oil rig worker.
The drive to the Bergen airport was 30 miles of tunnels, both in the mountains and in the water. The flight to Copenhagen was mostly uneventful, except for my carry-ons not really fitting in the overhead bins. Moment of panic! Fortunately my connecting flight to Dublin was a slightly bigger plane and my bags fit. Sigh of relief! After arriving in Dublin, I had to meet the group. This was more challenging especially since we came in through a different terminal. But thanks to a photo op, I found the group.
We headed to the hotel and after getting ready, what else were we to do but hit the town. Who cares that we only slept for a couple of hours. The night included making new friends, lots of laughs, and of course local beer!
Tomorrow: Blarney Castle and Cobh. And of course more pubs.
Day 10: Kinsale, Ireland
After a few hours of sleep, we got up and hit the ground running. On the agenda, the Blarney Castle and Cobh.
The Castle is on a beautiful, 60 acre property. We arrived perfect timing because by the time we left, the Castle was packed! On our way to taking tons of pictures, we walked up the very narrow passageway to get to the Blarney Stone (nope I was not brave enough to kiss it!), strolled through the Poison Garden (why was marijuana there?!?), went into a cave, and trespassed on the Blarney House property, well of course this rule follower didn’t!
After leaving the Blarney Castle, we drove an hour to Cobh, a cute seaside town where the Titanic stopped before hitting the iceberg and sinking. We bought tons of candy at Auntie Nelly’s Sweet Shop and hit up the local grocery store for roadies for tomorrow.
Tonight we are doing pub crawl. With this crowd. it deserves its own post
Day 11: Killarney, Ireland
We drove from Kinsale to Killarney via the Ring of Kerry. Well a modified version of it but still loads of beautiful scenery and a very rocky and often time terrifying road. We stopped at a very pretty city (name to be identified later)for lunch and browsing, continued on to Ladies View, Torc Waterfalls, and a castle on Ross Island.
We arrived in Killarney and exhausted from the pub crawl the day before, took an afternoon nap. Last night, stayed very low key and had a good-ish dinner, and called it a night early.
Today, I’m foregoing the bus tour to Dingle Peninsula in favor of a walking tour through Killarney National Park.
Pub Crawl Irish Style (Kinsale, Ireland)
Seven stops, old friends, new friends, loads of pictures, and countless laughs. Here is a sampling of the fun: Armada Bar, The White House Bar, Hamlet, Sam’s Bar, Daltons, The Gray Hound, Sidney Bar
Day 12: Killarney, Ireland
My feet are dead and my legs are like jello. Today the group went on a tour and I was sad to miss it but I opted for a walk around town and the National Park. Sadness was gone pretty quickly as I lounged in bed for a few hours longer and then got up and went out.
I started the morning with a triple latte and an apple cinnamon scone. So yummy. I then ventured out. Our tour driver said you can’t get lost. Well I have 16,000 steps to prove you can!
On my walk, I found the Killarney House and Gardens, walked through the woods and came close to red deer (didn’t go closer because I didn’t want to frighten them), found stunning views and relaxing water streams, visited the gorgeous St Mary’s Cathedral, and finished my afternoon off with a lovely hamburger with egg and local beer.
Tonight, possibly another pub crawl and pizza, and tomorrow to Galway. I can’t believe this trip is almost over
Day 13, Galway, Ireland
We left Killarney for Galway this morning. As we made our way northwest, we drove along the North Atlantic Sea, making stops in Clare County, Lisdoonvarna, and at the Cliffs of Mohr.
In Clare County, we were treated with sand and waves and at Lisdoonvarna, we came across a Matchmaking Bar - it’s too bad they couldn’t find me a cute Irish guy.
At Cliffs of Mohr, we were greeted with views to die for. Cliffs high above the sea and views for miles. I could have sat there for hours.
After finishing our ride, we arrived in Galway, Ireland, exhausted and ready for a quiet evening. Tomorrow, we have a driving pub crawl on our way to Dublin.
Day 14: Dublin, Ireland
We made it. Took us ten hours but we made it. We made a couple of stops on the way. Stopped at Cong and I bought a beautiful wool blanket. I would have bought a couple if I had room in my bags for it! We then stopped at Sean’s Bar, which is officially the oldest bar in Ireland - 1000 years old! After having roadies for the drive, we capped our evening off at the Temple Bar area. Reminded me of NOLA. Had another great day and evening of hanging with old friends and new ones too!
One day left before heading back home to reality
Day 15: Dublin, Ireland
We had a great night out last night. Unfortunately I paid for it this morning. Combined with the rain, I blew off walking through Dublin. A little mad at myself but I made up for it with a fun coffee date this afternoon. Now dinner and a beer in the bar. Tomorrow we go home