Ireland: Day Eight

Wow, I have to be honest, I really wanted to sleep in today. We've had some very fun days, but they have been long days! Janet treated me to breakfast at La Coco Cafe this morning and I had a fabulous pot of tea and a crepe filled with bananas and nutella - highly recommend!
We made a quick stop at the ATM and then a taxi ride to the Kilkenny train station, and we were once again on the move. On the train back to Dublin, Janet proceeded to kick my butt in both Pigs and Phase 10.
This time around in Dublin, we did purchase our tram tickets and then grabbed a taxi to our last hotel in Ireland. Well, this is definitely the smallest room I've ever stayed in, including rooms in NYC! Once we checked in, we walked into the Grafton Street area, where Trinity College is located. Sadly, we both thought Grafton Street was quite commercialized and a little touristy - not really our cup of tea. :-( While in the area, we stopped at the Davy Bryne's bar, and were actually underwhelmed by the joint.

We also FINALLY found the Bad Ass Cafe, but were too late to go in. We also stopped at Porterhouse (recommendation from Bobby Flay) for some Oyster Stout - pretty fun place. Then we decided to end the evening at Brazen Head, the oldest pub in Dublin.

I had some great potato and leek soup with the brown soda bread, and a side of chips. Unfortunately, I didn't feel too well after our meal, so it was a rather long walk back to the hotel. Janet and I curled up into our closet of a room at about 7:30pm with hopes of a good night sleep before our journey back to the USA in the morning.
Thank you, Ireland, for a fabulous vacation!!

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Ireland: Day Seven

I'm really digging our room at the Butler House. It is so spacious and with a modern twist - very cool. Breakfast was served in a restaurant on the castle grounds, but unfortunately, was not impressive. In fact, in our walk around Kilkenny, I made Janet stop at a crepe shop for me to get more to eat.
We made our way up to St. Canice Cathedral. While we didn't go inside, it was a great place for photos and to learn about the history of the place.
We also walked around the gardens of The Butler House. Really stunning, especially with the leaves changing on the building. Again, some fun photos shot here!

And of course, we meandered around the castle grounds again.

Janet and I almost went on the Smithwick's Brewery tour, but it had set tour times, and we really weren't big on committing to have to be somewhere at a certain time on this trip. So we passed on the tour and just walked around the city some more.We ended up having a late lunch at Matt the Millers where I was persuaded to try the black pudding stuffed in chicken. Meh. It definitely helped to have a bite of chicken with the blood sausage, but I still wouldn't recommend it. I would have been happier with Janet's order of chips.
Janet and I found our way back to Tynan's and we met Liam, the manager. He was a hilarious storyteller and full of BS. We also met some nice guys from Dublin that were on a staycation, and there were lots of stories exchanged with them. Janet also arm wrestled one of them. Of course, they loved her!!

Janet and I finished the evening with dinner at Zun, a place that was highly recommended! We had a cheese plate to share (kind of a tradition for us), red wine and duck for me and tuna for Janet. We finished the evening with a Bailey's nightcap at The Blue Bar across the street from The Butler House. Fabulous day in Kilkenny!

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PS - Should I get back to Ireland again, I would definitely stay 2 days in Kilkenny. The city has a good vibe, some great history, and fun people!

Ireland: Day Six

This morning Janet and I had breakfast at the hotel again, and even though I stuck with my porridge again, it was a pretty good breakfast. We then grabbed a taxi to the bus station and went on the hunt for an ATM. We finally boarded our 007 bus to Kilkenny and while on the bus, I came to realize that our trek was going to be 1.5 hours longer than planned. Oops. Thank goodness I had packed some granola bars.
Our road trip from Cork to Kilkenny was beautiful and we commented that I'm sure the woods were full of fairies and leprechauns. I mean, I see where the stories come from! Another highlight from our road trip was driving past the Bulmer's factory in Tipperary. Would have loved to have stopped in for a tour!

We finally arrived in Kilkenny and at our hotel, The Butler House. We were a little nervous at first, because all of the pictures they have on their website are from the back of the grounds, and not their main entrance. But once inside, our fears were calmed and our host Freida was so hospitable and she recommended a number of good pubs for us to try during our stay.
We had lunch at Kyteler's Inn (check out the story). Once again, I was a little underwhelmed by the food, but Janet and I found out that there was a Bodhran session that night. Oh, game on!
It was a rainy day in Kilkenny (shocking), but we still ventured out onto the castle grounds, and took some great photos.

With the rainy weather, Janet and I decided that we had two options. 1) go back to the hotel and nap or 2) stay dry in the pubs. Can you guess which option we choose?

We stopped in at Tynan's - the oldest pub in Kilkenny and had a great chat with Kelly, our bartender. We crossed the bridge into the other side of town and found our way to another pub. However, we were the only patrons. The bartender told us that everyone had been out earlier in the week, celebrating the Kilkenny Hurling Championship, so everyone was at home now with no money. Seriously? So Janet and I broke out the playing cards and had a good old game of WAR.

We then walked back to Kyteler's Inn for our amazing Bodhran session with Helen McLoughlin, Master Bodhranist. We had a blast learning to play the celtic drum and egging on our fellow classmates. (Sisters Eileen from Vermont and Maureen from Colorado were a hoot!!!)

After our session, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that Helen had talked to Richie (the manager) and had reserved us a table to catch the trad session that night. YAY! While it was a little touristy, it was still a fun session of great music, and I even danced a little jig at the end of the night.

It was a very fun day in Kilkenny!!!
Thumbs down for empty glass and thumbs up for full glass!

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Ireland: Day Five

I woke up quite refreshed this morning. There is something to be said about a nice bed!! Janet and I grabbed breakfast in the hotel. I had porridge again, but sadly, it could not top Susan's porridge.
Afterwards, we hurried to the Cork Bus Station to grab a 10:30am bus to Kinsale, only to find out that there was no 10:30am bus. Oops! This was our only hiccup with using public transportation on this trip. So we meandered around Cork until the 11:45am bus that would take us to Kinsale.
But we finally made it to Kinsale, a beautiful little coastal town. We immediately went to the Fishy Fishy Cafe for lunch, as it came highly recommended. And boy, this place did not disappoint! It was a glass of prosecco for me, amazingly fresh oysters to start, and then a warm seafood salad. By far, the absolute best meal I had on the entire trip.
After lunch, Janet and I walked around this adorable town. There were so many colorful buildings, beautiful flowers, and small doorways. Really, Kinsale is just the cutest coastal town I've ever seen.

We found another souvenir shop and I bought my lifesavers - knee high Guinness socks. (Just wait for next St. Patrick's Day!!) This was my best purchase of the trip, as those socks kept me warm the rest of the day and the rest of the trip.
Janet and I found our way to the International Museum of Wine, and while it's nothing to write home about, we had some fun with the wax statues.

The museum is in Desmond Castle, which is of course, rich with history. Including the fact that during the Revolutionary War, American prisoners were chained to the outside of the castle to make examples of them. This was my interpretation of being locked up.

With another recommendation, we stopped into Jim Edwards (a pub). We had our customary Bulmer's Cider and I perused their dinner menu and vowed that we would be back so I could try their lobster risotto.

After walking around the town a bit more, Janet and I decided to walk out towards Charles Fort and stop into Bulman's for a pint. It downpoured during most of our walk, but we were prepared with our poncho and umbrella. And there were no sidewalks, so we were on car alert while walking. But we saw the most amazing views of the harbor and took many photos of the scenery.

So, take a look at Bulman's - orange and blue building (Auburn colors), and the women's bathroom door had the name 'Janet' on it. A sign? Yes, I think it was meant to be for us to spend some time here.

We had a pint and some chips and watched the Ireland-Russia soccer match. Meanwhile, the wind picked up by the time we made our way outside, and it made for an interesting walk back into Kinsale.

Of course, we had to stop at The Spainerd (CUTE pub) for a glass (aka half a pint), and while it was a great looking pub, the people were just not as friendly as we had met in other pubs.
Janet and I decided to head back to Jim Edwards for dinner. Janet had another pint of Guinness (yes, she became a Guinness drinker in Ireland), the soup of the day, and mussels stuffed with garlic breadcrumbs. Yum. Meanwhile, my wish was granted, and I had the lobster risotto with a glass of wine. O.M.G.
We both passed out on the bus ride back to Cork, and once we were back there, we stopped at Amicus for another glass of wine, and said hello to our friendly hotel bartenders for a nightcap. What a day!

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PS - Should I get back to Ireland again, I would spend 2 days in Kinsale. This was my #1 stop on our trip, primarily because it was the best food we had during the entire trip. I cannot say enough great things about this cute coastal town!

Ireland: Day Four

After a filling breakfast at Glenorma House, our sweet hostess, Mary, drove us to the bus station in Ennis. We then caught a bus to Cork. While it was rather a long trip, we were able to get in a few naps on the bus. Upon arriving in Cork, we took a cab to our 5 star hotel, Hayfield Manor. Amazing! After dropping of our luggage and taking in our beautiful room, we hit the streets of Cork and and did a lot of walking around.

The English Market was a great treat! Too bad we didn't have our own kitchenette to cook our own meals. I would have gone crazy in there!

For lunch we found Cavanaugh's pub. Not many people in there on a Monday afternoon and while the food was nothing to write home about, we do think the owner may have been part of the Irish mob. Sort of kidding, but he did have a couple of "meetings" while we were in there.

We found a great souvenir shop - spent some good money and swapped stories with the owner, Michael. Per his recommendation, we grabbed a glass of wine (nice little treat after all my Guinness) at Amicus and then dinner at Soho. I had the most amazing duck wraps at Soho - still salivating over them!
On our way back to the hotel, Janet and I grabbed this photo opp to show the small doorways we encountered on this trip.

We then finished the evening at the hotel bar where I polished off some hot chocolate and Bailey's along with some chips (aka french fries). I was feeling very spoiled as I faded off to sleep on such a comfy bed in our nice hotel room.

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Ireland: Day Three

Day Three in Ireland found us waking up to a rainy morning in Doolin. Our amazing hostess, Susan, prepared the best breakfast I had on the trip. It was fresh fruit and the most amazing scones ever. But the dish that put me over the edge was porridge...served with Bailey's. Um, why had I never thought of that?

With the weather being rainy and cold, Janet and I made the decision to take the morning bus to Ennis instead of staying in the area and touring the Cliffs of Moher, the Aran Islands and the Burren. Susan's husband drove us to the bus stop and we took the bus directly to Ennis. While en route, the sun broke through and we drove past the Cliffs of Moher. Shoot.
We arrived in Ennis and took a cab to our next B&B, the Glenorma House. They were not quite ready for us, but we were able to check in early and go out and explore the town. The weather this day was pretty typical in Ireland...it would rain for 5 minutes and then be clear for 5 minutes and then it would rain while the sun was out. It was during one of those rainy periods, that Janet and I popped into Paddy Quinn's. While they didn't serve food, it was a very cute pub.

We moved on to Brogan's (another pub) to grab some food and we had the best fried mushrooms ever. I also polished off a great seafood chowder. Yum! Afterward we continued walking around the town and getting rained on.

We stopped into another pub, Cruise's, and watched the All Ireland Hurling Championship. While the bartender taught Janet and I the rules of Hurling, we taught him about hot chocolate and Bailey's. (Yes, he was new to the job).
We walked around some more, got rained on some more. And we found ourselves at The Usual Place. Shocking, another pub. This pub was playing trad on a Sunday evening and it was the best we experienced the entire trip. We stayed for a few hours, enjoyed the music, and swapped stories with the locals.

We finished the evening with dinner at Old Ground Hotel, and they were excellent at customer service. I told our waitress that I was craving a cheese plate and as many raw vegetables as I could get. I asked, and they delivered. So nice.

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Ireland: Day Two

Day Two in Ireland is our travel day. Janet and I had a little too much fun relaxing during our breakfast, so we were dashing to the tram to get to the train station. We made it with 15 minutes to spare. Both of us were a little stressed, but happy that we made the train.
I have nothing but praise for the public transportation in Ireland - safe, clean, on time, and very reasonably priced!
We enjoyed our table on the train and while we took in the scenery, we had some tea (first time I tried it with milk) and I taught Janet how to play Phase 10.
Many of the signs in Ireland are in both English and Celtic. Admittedly, I was a little shocked to still see that language used so prominently.

Our first leg of our journey was a train trip from Dublin to Galway. In Galway, we had a little break to grab some lunch at Skeff Restaurant. That is where Janet and I found Bulmers Cider. Little note: Magner's Cider is the American version of Bulmers...but like Guinness, Bulmers definitely tastes better in Ireland. Another thing I learned, that Corned Beef and Cabbage is called Bacon and Cabbage in Ireland, and it is delicious!

The next leg of our journey took us along the curving and hilly west coast of Ireland. I was very thankful for the bus driver navigating the road!

And we finally arrived in Doolin and checked in to Daly's House - our B&B for the night. Here is a view from the backyard and the little 500 person town of Doolin. Susan was the most hospitable hostess and greeted us with hot chocolate and Bailey's. I sure appreciated that refreshment as we had hiked up the lane to their home. (OK, it really wasn't that bad...it was worse later that night when there were no streetlights and we had to look at the stars to get back home. Note for future travelers - bring a flashlight.)

While Doolin is a small town, they have 3 very fun pubs and Janet and I walked to all of them. Now, keep in mind there are no sidewalks, so we were sharing the road with cars...little tricky. It's a good thing we did the pub crawl in the daylight hours!

I'm sure this guy was thinking, "Freakin Tourist!"
McDermott's Pub was a nice little joint with many US police squad patches on their walls. (I guess that's the thing to do.) McGann's pub was a little intimidating, as we came across a bachelor party, or stag party, as they call them in Ireland. Way too much energy there. And we finally settled in at O'Connor's for a meal and some trad (traditional Irish music).

And Janet and I were deciding just which way we should go on our walk about town.

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PS - Should I go back to Ireland again, I would plan to stay 2 nights in Doolin to allow more time to visit Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands and The Burren.

Ireland: Day One

I can't even believe it! I'm in Ireland!! Janet and I arrived in Dublin at 8:30am today and we are so excited to be here. Luckily, the Morrison Hotel allowed us to check in early, so we were able to drop off our luggage and hit the streets of Dublin.

Because our hotel is so centrally located, we are a few blocks from the Temple Bar and that is the area we walked around first. While in search of the Bad Ass Cafe, where Sinead O'Conner once worked, we found...
While many of the pubs were just opening at noon, we decided to stop at Temple Bar and that is where I had my first Guinness in the motherland. Ah-mazing. :-) After getting some food in us, we decided to trek over to the Guinness Factory - to my Disneyland. We had fun walking through Dublin and walking down a street here or there when something interested us.

Oh my goodness, we're getting closer!!!
Yes, this is me hugging the gate into the brewery. I was a very happy girl.

Janet and I walked the brewery tour, but our main destination was the Gravity Bar to get a view of the city (no skyscrapers!!!) and have some Guinness. We enjoyed this pint very much!

After I checked off the Guinness Factory from my bucket list, Janet and I walked back to the heart of Dublin and decided to walk around some more. We made our way up to the Old Jameson Distillery. While we did not partake in the tour here, we did get some good photo ops and I did a shout out to the Newman's!

From there we stopped into a local pub and met a very chatty Irishman. George was a story teller (shocking) and informed us about craic. Pronounced "crack", but actually means a bit of fun in Ireland. So we knew when someone asked us if we were having a bit of craic, that it meant fun and not a drug deal. :-) Good information to know.

We ended our evening at O'Shea's Merchant for some food - a nice bowl of potato & leek soup with the delicious brown soda bread for me, and fish and chips for Janet. And of course a couple of pints were had as well.

We really tried to stay awake as long as we could, but we could hardly keep our eyes open after dinner, so we walked the few blocks back to our hotel. I was asleep at 7:06pm. Sad. I know.

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