On our first trip to Europe we landed in Dublin for a week of shenanigans in Ireland before heading on to Scotland and Paris. Driving in Ireland is FUN, but challenging at first!!! Ireland has very narrow roads and very little street signage to help with finding your way around. Head over to my Blog on Driving and Navigating in Ireland to read all about our first day in Dublin.
We spent our first night in Dublin, staying at the Paramount Hotel. Even though we were exhausted, we walked through the Temple Bar area downtown and ate dinner at O’Neils Pub. What an experience!!! After a little sight-seeing in Dublin in the morning, we set out for Wicklow County and the Wicklow Mountains. It was amazing how much easier the driving became as we left the city. The roads opened up and the driving actually became enjoyable. It took just over an hour to get to Wicklow County. We used my IPad for directions most of the time. It was easy to follow the little blue ball on the map to get where were needed to go, as long as we had cell reception…
First, we drove to The Glendalough Monastic Settlement. What a beautiful and peaceful place. It was a cloudy, rainy day typical for Ireland. But, that only added to the atmosphere of the land. We wandered around Glendalough for a while, taking pictures. After that we visited the little giftshop and then drove through the beautiful Wicklow Mountains where P.S. I Love You was filmed; stopping for pictures by the little waterfalls that dot the land.
Do you know what I love about Ireland? Random cool ruins just off the road. Check out Baltinglass Abbey that was literally across the street from a petrol station we stopped at for snacks.
We arrived in Kilkenny in the early afternoon for our second night’s stay in Ireland. The Kilkenny Ormonde was fabulous, clean, modern, and right in the middle of town. That night we hit the town for a little shopping and had dinner at The Field! This was a lovely Irish Pub only a block from our hotel. Dinner was great and the drinks were even better. We danced and sang the night away with The Whole Hog Band from Dublin!
In the morning, feeling a little worse for the wear, we visited the gorgeous Kilkenny Castle. Then, we headed to the Rock of Cashel and to Kiss the Stone of Blarney Castle!!! Stay tuned for further blogs on our trip to hear all about our next adventure!!
