We are in The Netherlands after a flight from Dublin of about an hour and a half. We picked up our rental car (this time with automatic transmission and navigation, bliss!) and drove for an hour and fifteen minutes to get to our first destination – the town of Harlingen in Friesenland, right on the North Sea. Why Harlingen? We…
Month: August 2019
Northern Ireland: Giant’s Causeway and More
The Giant’s Causeway is another of Ireland’s most visited sites. We took a day from Belfast to head north to see that and Dunluce Castle (near Portrush) which is only ten minutes west. Our plan was to actually start at the Castle, then head to Giant’s Causeway, and, time permitting, make our way east and south along the coast back…
Northern Ireland: Belfast
Northern Ireland represents the one new country we will visit on this trip. There are several differences we experienced that we were not expecting. Distances are measured in miles and speed is gauged on miles/hour. We were stymied. We thought all of the U.K. was on kilometers. The cell phone network on my phone (from Three) did not get good…
South of Galway: The Cliffs of Moher and The Burrens
The Cliffs of Moher are arguably Ireland’s top tourist attraction and they are impressive. We were there eight years ago in February and were keen to see them again. We also wanted to spend more time exploring the Burrens as we had not had the time on our previous visit. Per usual, we did not get our day started until…
North of Galway: Connemara
Connemara is an area of rugged coastline, mountains, and few people (but lots of sheep). Our plan was to follow the Wild Atlantic Way west of Salthill and north all the way to Kylemore Abbey. The weather called for 100% chance of rain but we decided to take our chances. Good call! While we had sprinkles on and off much…
Galway: A Good Base For Exploring Ireland’s Western Wonders
We are spending five nights and four full days in Galway, giving us plenty of time to explore the city and the areas to the north (Connemara) and the south (the Burrens). If the weather is in our favor, we will try to go out to the Aran Islands as well. Our B&B is actually in Salthill, a suburban resort…
Beyond the Ring of Kerry
We are in Ireland! Already on day 5 of this epic six-week voyage and finally getting around to writing. I am currently sitting in Galway but want to tell you about our whirlwind of a time in County Kerry. Driving in Ireland You can’t fully appreciate the Irish experience without an understanding of the challenges of driving. In no particular…