Adventures in the Emerald Isle (Ireland Trip)

During summer 2016 I took my first grown up trip abroad and I have to admit I caught the travel bug! In this post I’m going to go through some of my favorite sites and adventures with some tips along the way!

The Cliffs of Moher

Tips

• Power through jet lag the first day! You’ll thank yourself when you don’t lose a day of adventure.
• If your old school like me, you’ll like having physical pictures in your hands. For the best quality use an actual camera, not your phone.
• Get ice cream at the Cliffs. Thank me later.
• You will need at least an hour to explore. Take that into account if you book a bus tour.

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Blarney Castle

Tips

• Make sure you have chunk of time to spend there. I wish I did. Other than the castle there is the Blarney house, a few gardens,  trails and caves.
• This is not the place to wear heels. Especially if you’re planning to venture up those tiny wedge shaped steps.

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What’s up alley-cat?

Tips

• If you are looking for a cheap place to stay a night that’s not a hostel, try the pubs in Killarney. Most of them have B&B’s upstairs. You can book a room for about 30 euros/ individual with included breakfast. Personally, I think its genius to provide rooms in pubs. If you have a hard/fun night its great to have an easy option where you don’t have to worry about driving.
• If you do stay in Killarney do explore the streets at night. You can find live music at every corner even on a week night.

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Dingle

Probably my favorite town in Ireland. Its a little sea town with lots of shops, great seafood, and beautiful scenery. You walk through the winding streets, pass by tiny houses and tiny shops. As you look up into the distance you see a body of water with the back drop of tiny houses on rolling green hills. Did I not just describe a story book? Dingle is one of the towns on the Ring of Kerry. We took the Conor Pass to get there. That itself was an experience, but its not for the faint of heart. Imagine a tiny road (with two way traffic) on the edge of a mountain.  I personally enjoyed it, but I think that’s because I wasn’t driving. So head over the Dingle, have some fish n chips, take a boat ride and look for the famous dolphin “Fungie” and take the Conor Pass if you dare!

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Eat up!

I couldn’t end the post without dishing on the dishes! So Ireland is not exactly known for its cuisine, let’s be honest. However, I am a self-proclaimed foodie and I can find a “must try” food where ever I go. So here you are:

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• The Irish Breakfast. This consists of Irish sausage, Irish bacon (think Canadian bacon), fried tomato, hash, egg, white pudding, black pudding, beans and toast, and of course, a cup of tea! I love this breakfast. I don’t recommend eating it everyday unless the risk of heart disease doesn’t scare you. Black pudding may turn some off, but don’t knock it till you try it!
• A 99! Its vanilla ice cream with a Cadbury chocolate flake in it. Now, if you’ve never had Cadbury chocolate, you’re missing out. I grew up on this stuff and its even better in Ireland. Eat your heart out Hershey! Why is it called a 99? Because it used to cost 99 cents, too bad some things don’t keep up with tradition!
•  Fish n’ Chips! Again, heart disease–but tasty. However, its not so much the fish n’ chips that I want to rave about. In the picture above there’s a green condiment. See it? Yes, my friends, that is mushy peas. Sounds disgusting! Tastes DELICIOUS! probably way healthier than ketchup, guess that’s oily fried fish n’ chip’s saving grace.
• And of course, Guinness! But we have that America! Yes, but it’s a lot smoother in Ireland.

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There’s more I could add, but you’ll  just have to see it yourself! My final tip, if ye can (they “ye” in Ireland :P)  plan a good 10-14 days, especially if you’re using bus for travel like I did. I made the mistake of only booking a week. There’s too much to see and the bus rides can sometimes last hours! Needless to say, I’ll be seeing Ireland again.