Better late than never! My husband and I finally got to take our honeymoon (2 years after the wedding) to the beautiful, magical country of Ireland. It was incredible.
Thought I'd write a post on what we did and where we went, what we ate - I kept a travel journal while we were driving, so I'm going to type what I wrote, verbatim in italics, what I add now will be in regular font.
Don't know if anyone else will read it and it doesn't really matter, but I wanted to have an online copy of our trip. Our adventure... :-)
Then we drove over to where the DH (Dear Husband) works to leave the car in their parking lot (so much cheaper than leaving it at the airport). Then, we took a taxi to BWI.
I've never traveled internationally before so was quite nervous about the whole stamping of passports and security and all that - but it was fine! All went smoothly. DH even got me a cosmo in flight. :-) Only bad thing was smashing my thumb in the lavatory door on the plane...ouch!
My journaling starts during our layover in -
Thought I'd write a post on what we did and where we went, what we ate - I kept a travel journal while we were driving, so I'm going to type what I wrote, verbatim in italics, what I add now will be in regular font.
Don't know if anyone else will read it and it doesn't really matter, but I wanted to have an online copy of our trip. Our adventure... :-)
Day: 1
We started by dropping off our dog, Lucy (our Plottador = plott hound/labrador) at her new sitters house. I got slightly tearful, but that's normal! I was satisfied that my little girl would be okay.Then we drove over to where the DH (Dear Husband) works to leave the car in their parking lot (so much cheaper than leaving it at the airport). Then, we took a taxi to BWI.
I've never traveled internationally before so was quite nervous about the whole stamping of passports and security and all that - but it was fine! All went smoothly. DH even got me a cosmo in flight. :-) Only bad thing was smashing my thumb in the lavatory door on the plane...ouch!
My journaling starts during our layover in -
Frankfurt, Germany
Ate delicious frankfurters for breakfast - super good mustard. It was like dijon but it was regular mustard! Yum! Had my first European latte. Quite good! Very tall and delicious! Germany landscape looks like Wisconsin! Now I know why my ancestors chose Wisconsin when they came over from Germany! :-) I was so excited when we got through German security and I saw our Aer Lingus plane waiting to whisk us off to Ireland!After arriving in Germany we realized we had to go through their security to go check in and get our boarding passes for our last flight to get to Ireland, which wasn't even on the board yet so we didn't even know what gate to go to. It was a long, tiring layover in the wee hours of the morning (we DID however get to see the sunrise which was gorgeous). Since we had such a long layover we got a snack. Let me tell you - the closer you are to France, the better the pastries. Ooooh so good! While waiting, we discovered what an EXIT sign looks like in Eu
rope...it's a green sign with a man running towards a door...interesting. We finally saw the Aer Lingus employees open up their booth (at 8am, which was 2am Eastern Time...oyyy) and we checked in, got our boarding passes and waited some more. Checked out the Duty Free shop (DH got some chocolate) and then we decided to actually have 'breakfast'!
rope...it's a green sign with a man running towards a door...interesting. We finally saw the Aer Lingus employees open up their booth (at 8am, which was 2am Eastern Time...oyyy) and we checked in, got our boarding passes and waited some more. Checked out the Duty Free shop (DH got some chocolate) and then we decided to actually have 'breakfast'!Ireland: Day 1
Always remember your drivers license!!!! My DH left his at home...
After annoyance at the rental car counter and getting our car (a cute little silver Nissan), we drove on the LEFT side of the road up to the Donore/Newgrange/Bru na Boinne area. Stopped on the way to get a roadmap, since we had nothing! Got our first taste of Irish roads and the sign posts when we zipped right past our B&B and wound up in Duleek! Still don't know how those people drive so fast on such tiny battered roads! It's truly baffling... However through good spirits and laughing at ourselves, we finally found our first Bed & Breakfast (the only place we had reservations at during our entire trip). Lougher Farm. Then went to visit Newgrange, where we got a discount on admission for staying at Lougher Farm! Went on the tour - it was awesome! Tour guide put me in a Katie-sized hole inside the tomb! Very good vibes from Newgrange. Tour guide called me 'megalithic sized' hahaha! When he turned the lights off inside the tomb (to show us what it's like during the solstice), it was like the walls were hugging me. I'm sure it helped that I was inside the chink in the wall, but still...awesome. Extremely spiritual place. We walked around Newgrange
after the tour and DH took my picture showing my spiral of life tattoo next to the spirals on Newgrange.
Ate dinner at place in Donore called Daly's Inn. I had an excellent cajun chicken penne with a glass of sauvignon blanc from Chile. DH had the fish and chips with a shiraz. We were barely keeping our eyes open at this point. Almost fell asleep in our food. So tired from traveling.
After annoyance at the rental car counter and getting our car (a cute little silver Nissan), we drove on the LEFT side of the road up to the Donore/Newgrange/Bru na Boinne area. Stopped on the way to get a roadmap, since we had nothing! Got our first taste of Irish roads and the sign posts when we zipped right past our B&B and wound up in Duleek! Still don't know how those people drive so fast on such tiny battered roads! It's truly baffling... However through good spirits and laughing at ourselves, we finally found our first Bed & Breakfast (the only place we had reservations at during our entire trip). Lougher Farm. Then went to visit Newgrange, where we got a discount on admission for staying at Lougher Farm! Went on the tour - it was awesome! Tour guide put me in a Katie-sized hole inside the tomb! Very good vibes from Newgrange. Tour guide called me 'megalithic sized' hahaha! When he turned the lights off inside the tomb (to show us what it's like during the solstice), it was like the walls were hugging me. I'm sure it helped that I was inside the chink in the wall, but still...awesome. Extremely spiritual place. We walked around Newgrange
after the tour and DH took my picture showing my spiral of life tattoo next to the spirals on Newgrange.Ate dinner at place in Donore called Daly's Inn. I had an excellent cajun chicken penne with a glass of sauvignon blanc from Chile. DH had the fish and chips with a shiraz. We were barely keeping our eyes open at this point. Almost fell asleep in our food. So tired from traveling.
Ireland: Day 2
Had a full Irish breakfast at Lougher Farm B&B! It was delish! Met some Canadians & a German couple. It was the perfect atmosphere to start our Ireland trip - great people and a wonderful host.
Checked out and drove back down to Dublin. Parked in the Jameson Distillery parking lot. Realized we needed an ATM to get more money on the parking meter. Discovered Irish ATM's are sometimes in the wine section of grocery stores... Got money, then asked for directions to Abbey St. Awhile later, we finally found Abbey St (after walking quite a few blocks) & my tattoo shop - Snakebite Tattoo - went up and found my tattoo artist, Erin Kirk all ready to go!!! I was worried we'd have to wait since they don't take appointments on Saturdays, so we had really good timing! Got my Celtic Motherhood Knot. Probably the most painful ink I've ever gotten...but so totally worth it. It looks incredible. While I was getting inked, poor DH had to go alllll the way back to the car and back to plug the meter. After he came back, we left the shop with my neck all bandaged up and my aftercare instructions in hand.
Ate McD's for lunch...We were curious as to what it tasted like and if anything on the menu was different. Real soda! That's about the only good thing I can say about it...really good Coke. The burgers and fries made me miss our American grease. Plus, DH asked for tea (meaning cold sweet tea) and he got hot bagged tea. Which was lovely and delicious but just goes to show you what happens in different parts of the world! hahaha!
Went to the "mall" and purchased a GPS/SatNav and a cell phone. Plus my aftercare creme for my ink. Credit card machines are weird here. Apparently Americans are behind in the times as far as credit cards are concerned... All the Europeans have the cards with the chip so all they have to do is stick it in there and you're good to go. The place where we got the SatNav and cell phone wouldn't even take our 'old school' credit card! So DH had to go find another ATM...oyyy.
Went back to the car on the trolley/tram thing which was considerably faster than walking. Then went to do a tour of Jameson. My favorite whiskey. DH got to be a whiskey taster! Met some American blokes. Really nice guys! I had a Jameson/cranberry juice at the end of the tour. Very good!
Went back to the car, plugged in the GPS and started driving north out of Dublin. I couldn't wait to get out of the city! Saw our first Irish rainbow!!! It was huge! Stopped several times o
n the side of the road to take photos of the scenery. There was this awesome bridge and mill house in Slane - just a hulking structure. Really neat. The sun stayed up till about 9:30pm and it stayed bright till around 10. Reminded me of summertime up north in Wisconsin/the U.P. of Michigan. The sunset was stunning. We drove into Northern Ireland/the UK since we knew we wanted to see the Giant's Causeway the following day. Once the sun went down we tried stopping in a few towns for lodging. No dice. Started to wonder if flying-by-the-seat-of-our-pants and not making reservations was a bad idea. Especially because at this point, my neck was starting to ache pretty badly from my new ink! I needed to get it washed off and the nappy rash creme (suggested aftercare) put on. So we kept driving north...
Finally found a big hotel in Coleraine, Co. Ulster. Bushtown Hotel. We walked in and were immediately inside a big open area where there was a band and a guy singing George Strait songs (too funny). The girl at the desk gave us a discount for checking in so late and when asked where in town was still open to get some dinner she suggested McD's...*sigh*... Having no other choice, we went there again. It was quite the experience going through the drive-through on the opposite side of the car! That alone was worth eating there again. Lots of gangly spiders in our room at the hotel, but otherwise nice! Slept on and off due to tattoo tenderness.
Went to the Bushmills Distillery next. Took a tour and was reminded of the Leini's factory (Leinenkugel's in Chippewa Falls, WI). We actually almost went on a German-speaking tour! hahaha! We went in the front door and went right out the back door - kinda like one of those revolving doors - thinking we'd almost missed our tour! We just sort of followed this group of people outside asking them if it was the 2:15 tour but none of them spoke English! Halfway around the block I told DH we needed to go back...I was convinced that it wasn't our tour...especially because it was only 2:10. I was apparently right. hahaha! Our tour leader found us and the rest of our group and we had a lovely time seeing an actual working distillery! Then had a hot toddy! (1 pt whiskey, 2 pts water & some cinnamon). Yum! DH had the 12yr old select. Went up to the bar 
after and talked to Bob the bartender - he had us try Black Bush by itself, with water and with ice and ginger ale. My fave was the Bush with soda. Then we had a sandwich at the distillery kitchen, plus a maple pecan danish. Yum.
Went to Dunluce Castle next, just up the road and still in Bushmills. It is gorgeous. Mostly open air and beautiful. Felt a very strong connection to it. Makes me wonder if I was there in a past life. It's a very commanding old ruin of a castle. It seems to just cling to the edge of the cliffside. My favorite part was standing inside and looking out the old windows at the sea. DH's favorite part was the cave underneath Dunluce.
Drove out of Northern Ireland and back to the ROI (Republic of Ireland). I had a B&B on my list of possible B&B's in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal so we were going to drive as far as we felt like it and if we made it to Letterkenny, so be it! We kept driving and saw some incredible views and had to stop several times for pictures. DH got some thistle on his legs after getting a photo of some of the scenery. He says it was worth it though. :-)
Stayed at the Mountain View B&B in Letterkenny, which was lovely. Nice big bed, huge bathroom with awesome shower, lovely hosts once again. Had it all to ourselves. We were the only guests that night! Drove back into Letterkenny for dinner. Nothing seemed to be open! Or if they were open, they were just closing for the night! After talking to two older gentlemen (they were SO cute! Q
uintessential Irishmen.), and hearing their recommendations (JFK...)(one of the guys was trying to assimilate a restaurant to KFC but accidentally called it JFK...heeheehee...), we went to The Brewery. I had the traditional bangers and mash & a pint of Harp. DH had the fish & chips & a pint of Guinness. It was delicious! Seriously the best bangers and mash I've EVER had!!!
Checked out and drove back down to Dublin. Parked in the Jameson Distillery parking lot. Realized we needed an ATM to get more money on the parking meter. Discovered Irish ATM's are sometimes in the wine section of grocery stores... Got money, then asked for directions to Abbey St. Awhile later, we finally found Abbey St (after walking quite a few blocks) & my tattoo shop - Snakebite Tattoo - went up and found my tattoo artist, Erin Kirk all ready to go!!! I was worried we'd have to wait since they don't take appointments on Saturdays, so we had really good timing! Got my Celtic Motherhood Knot. Probably the most painful ink I've ever gotten...but so totally worth it. It looks incredible. While I was getting inked, poor DH had to go alllll the way back to the car and back to plug the meter. After he came back, we left the shop with my neck all bandaged up and my aftercare instructions in hand.
Ate McD's for lunch...We were curious as to what it tasted like and if anything on the menu was different. Real soda! That's about the only good thing I can say about it...really good Coke. The burgers and fries made me miss our American grease. Plus, DH asked for tea (meaning cold sweet tea) and he got hot bagged tea. Which was lovely and delicious but just goes to show you what happens in different parts of the world! hahaha!
Went to the "mall" and purchased a GPS/SatNav and a cell phone. Plus my aftercare creme for my ink. Credit card machines are weird here. Apparently Americans are behind in the times as far as credit cards are concerned... All the Europeans have the cards with the chip so all they have to do is stick it in there and you're good to go. The place where we got the SatNav and cell phone wouldn't even take our 'old school' credit card! So DH had to go find another ATM...oyyy.
Went back to the car on the trolley/tram thing which was considerably faster than walking. Then went to do a tour of Jameson. My favorite whiskey. DH got to be a whiskey taster! Met some American blokes. Really nice guys! I had a Jameson/cranberry juice at the end of the tour. Very good!
Went back to the car, plugged in the GPS and started driving north out of Dublin. I couldn't wait to get out of the city! Saw our first Irish rainbow!!! It was huge! Stopped several times o
n the side of the road to take photos of the scenery. There was this awesome bridge and mill house in Slane - just a hulking structure. Really neat. The sun stayed up till about 9:30pm and it stayed bright till around 10. Reminded me of summertime up north in Wisconsin/the U.P. of Michigan. The sunset was stunning. We drove into Northern Ireland/the UK since we knew we wanted to see the Giant's Causeway the following day. Once the sun went down we tried stopping in a few towns for lodging. No dice. Started to wonder if flying-by-the-seat-of-our-pants and not making reservations was a bad idea. Especially because at this point, my neck was starting to ache pretty badly from my new ink! I needed to get it washed off and the nappy rash creme (suggested aftercare) put on. So we kept driving north...Finally found a big hotel in Coleraine, Co. Ulster. Bushtown Hotel. We walked in and were immediately inside a big open area where there was a band and a guy singing George Strait songs (too funny). The girl at the desk gave us a discount for checking in so late and when asked where in town was still open to get some dinner she suggested McD's...*sigh*... Having no other choice, we went there again. It was quite the experience going through the drive-through on the opposite side of the car! That alone was worth eating there again. Lots of gangly spiders in our room at the hotel, but otherwise nice! Slept on and off due to tattoo tenderness.
Ireland: Day 3
Coleraine, Co. Ulster Northern Ireland/the UK
DH went to the lobby to get breakfast while I showered. Delicious Irish breakfast once again. Checked out, left & headed north to Bushmills, Co. Antrim. Beautiful day - sun shining and the grass as green as you can possibly imagine. Took a shuttle bus to the Giant's Causeway! SO cool! Happy I wore sneakers. Lots of rocks to climb on and over. Beautiful sunny day. The Giant's Causeway was insanely beautiful. If you're ever in Northern Ireland and don't go see it - shame on you!!! We hiked the whole walking trail - which was more like a goat-walk than anything. The views were amazing. I'm not sure how they got there, but we found snails way up on the trail with us! I guess they must've blown up there. Afterwards, we walked up by the visitors centre and I got to see some Irish sheep up close. The wind literally took our breath away.
DH went to the lobby to get breakfast while I showered. Delicious Irish breakfast once again. Checked out, left & headed north to Bushmills, Co. Antrim. Beautiful day - sun shining and the grass as green as you can possibly imagine. Took a shuttle bus to the Giant's Causeway! SO cool! Happy I wore sneakers. Lots of rocks to climb on and over. Beautiful sunny day. The Giant's Causeway was insanely beautiful. If you're ever in Northern Ireland and don't go see it - shame on you!!! We hiked the whole walking trail - which was more like a goat-walk than anything. The views were amazing. I'm not sure how they got there, but we found snails way up on the trail with us! I guess they must've blown up there. Afterwards, we walked up by the visitors centre and I got to see some Irish sheep up close. The wind literally took our breath away.
Went to the Bushmills Distillery next. Took a tour and was reminded of the Leini's factory (Leinenkugel's in Chippewa Falls, WI). We actually almost went on a German-speaking tour! hahaha! We went in the front door and went right out the back door - kinda like one of those revolving doors - thinking we'd almost missed our tour! We just sort of followed this group of people outside asking them if it was the 2:15 tour but none of them spoke English! Halfway around the block I told DH we needed to go back...I was convinced that it wasn't our tour...especially because it was only 2:10. I was apparently right. hahaha! Our tour leader found us and the rest of our group and we had a lovely time seeing an actual working distillery! Then had a hot toddy! (1 pt whiskey, 2 pts water & some cinnamon). Yum! DH had the 12yr old select. Went up to the bar 
after and talked to Bob the bartender - he had us try Black Bush by itself, with water and with ice and ginger ale. My fave was the Bush with soda. Then we had a sandwich at the distillery kitchen, plus a maple pecan danish. Yum.Went to Dunluce Castle next, just up the road and still in Bushmills. It is gorgeous. Mostly open air and beautiful. Felt a very strong connection to it. Makes me wonder if I was there in a past life. It's a very commanding old ruin of a castle. It seems to just cling to the edge of the cliffside. My favorite part was standing inside and looking out the old windows at the sea. DH's favorite part was the cave underneath Dunluce.
Drove out of Northern Ireland and back to the ROI (Republic of Ireland). I had a B&B on my list of possible B&B's in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal so we were going to drive as far as we felt like it and if we made it to Letterkenny, so be it! We kept driving and saw some incredible views and had to stop several times for pictures. DH got some thistle on his legs after getting a photo of some of the scenery. He says it was worth it though. :-)
Stayed at the Mountain View B&B in Letterkenny, which was lovely. Nice big bed, huge bathroom with awesome shower, lovely hosts once again. Had it all to ourselves. We were the only guests that night! Drove back into Letterkenny for dinner. Nothing seemed to be open! Or if they were open, they were just closing for the night! After talking to two older gentlemen (they were SO cute! Q
uintessential Irishmen.), and hearing their recommendations (JFK...)(one of the guys was trying to assimilate a restaurant to KFC but accidentally called it JFK...heeheehee...), we went to The Brewery. I had the traditional bangers and mash & a pint of Harp. DH had the fish & chips & a pint of Guinness. It was delicious! Seriously the best bangers and mash I've EVER had!!!
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