Ireland 2013: Part 4

After a fun and relaxing day hanging out in Kinsale, it was time to continue our journey around Ireland. We started out our day by driving about 30 minutes from Kinsale to Old Head. Adam and his family love to play golf, so this golf course was on the "Must See" list for our trip.

Though we didn't have time for anyone to play, the folks at Old Head will happily let you drive in and tour the clubhouse...oh and buy something in their shop. And of course, we enthusiastically obliged.

View on the way to Old Head.

Beautiful view as you prepare to drive through the gate into Old Head. 

Welcome to Old Head of Kinsale!

Lighthouse on the tip of the golf course.

After touring Old Head, we continued our journey from Kinsale to the Muckross House and on to the Ring of Kerry. We had several beautiful views along the winding dirt roads as we made our way through the mud to the Muckross House.

*A tip to anyone traveling to Ireland...pack your wellies. Even if you don't use them...it's better to have them just in case!

A somewhat disheveled sheep we met on our way to the Muckross House.

When we arrived at the Muckross House, we signed up for a tour and decided to walk around the grounds and get some lunch while we waited for our tour time to arrive. The house itself is beautiful and was exactly what I picture when I think of when I imagine a 19th Century Victorian House in Ireland. It was cozy, and warmly furnished with antiques and beautiful artwork.

The stunning Muckross House.

Beautiful flowers at the Muckross House. 

Loved all of the different plants and trees at the Muckross House and Gardens. 

After leaving the Muckross House we started our journey around the Ring of Kerry. This drive is a tough one...so if you have a tendency to feel woozy on long, winding car rides...just be prepared. The views are stunning and the drive is worth it!

Love this guy!

Awkward family photo...another traveler on the road offered to take a picture of us...
unfortunately, he just forgot to tell us when he was going to take the photo
(hence my awkward hand...)

Finally on the coast with lots of sun...and wind!

Note: Sheehan's Point!

This gives you an idea about how the drive went!

We had a great day of sightseeing and driving before landing for the night in Portmagee. Stay tuned...more to come!

Ireland 2013: Part 3

After a great night's sleep at our first B&B, we continued on our way. Our first stop on Sunday morning, was  in Cobh (pronounced "Cove"). Cobh was a very small town on the coast made famous by the Titanic. As the Titanic was travelling along the coast before hitting the high seas to head to New York, it stopped along the way in Cobh to pick up a few more passengers.

On Sunday morning, Cobh was very quiet, and made a perfect first stop. We walked around the town, walked through the beautiful Cathedral, in between Masses, and decided to take in the Titanic Museum. Though the Museum was small, it had plenty of interesting information about the Titanic and travel at sea during that time period. We were all surprised by some of the interesting information we learned.

The exterior of the beautiful Cathedral in Cobh

The interior.

After our tour, we stopped for a snack and a coffee and then we were back on the road to Kinsale. We arrived in Kinsale a little after one o'clock. We went our separate ways for a bit and during that time, Adam and I had a nice lunch at the Fishy Fishy Cafe. We split a bowl of seafood chowder, and a huge bowl of mussels with a side of frites! It was delicious!

Cute little side street in Kinsale.

Excellent lunch, mussels and seafood chowder with a glass of crisp white wine. Perfection!

Fun sign on the way to the hotel!

When we all got back together, we checked into our bed and breakfast, Cloisters Kinsale. It was perfect! Clean, bright, quiet and very comfortable! Our lovely hostesses recommended a great walk to the Fort in Kinsale. It was about a 45 minute walk from the hotel to the fort. A beautiful path that followed the coast, our walk had outstanding views and a great breeze. Once at the fort, we toured and then headed to the nearest pub!

The walk to the fort included some beautiful views!

A view of the fort.

And another...

Once inside the fort, we could see the Irish coast and the stunning green green grass!

The Bulman was a great little pub and the perfect stop for a Murphy's !

We had a great day in Kinsale, exploring the town and seeing the many sights. Adam and I ended the day with another wonderful meal. Afterwards, we walked back to the bed and breakfast and went straight to sleep to rest up for another busy day!

Ireland 2013: Part 2

In my last post, I gave you a glance at Powerscourt. Let me tell you, that "glance" doesn't do those gardens justice! The Powerscourt Gardens are stunning Victorian gardens. You could meander through them all day long. They have a beautiful Italian Garden, a Japanese Garden, and even a pet cemetery for those of you who might want to add a spooky element to your tour. I'll be honest, we took the route AROUND the pet cemetery because I am not a fan!

But, everything is gorgeous. The flowers were in bloom and the grass was bright green, almost electric! This was the perfect way to start off our first day. After being on a plane for seven hours, we definitely needed a little fresh air! Here are a few scenes from our visit.

So excited to see my sister in-law! It had been almost a full year!!!

 

Beautiful view from Powerscourt.

After our morning at Powerscourt, we had a light brunch/lunch at the cafe at Powerscourt and then headed towards Cashel. Props to our two drivers, Adam and his dad. Not only were they having to adjust to driving on the wrong side of the road (and car) but we had a manual...so they had to shift gears with the wrong hand! Both did a great job!

Our drive to Cashel was eventful...in that we all took turns choosing music and new conversation topics to keep ourselves...and Adam (the driver) awake and feeling perky. This was not an easy task considering no one slept on the plane! But, we made it to Cashel in one piece.

When we arrived, we were able to check into our cozy little B&B and then tour the town. The major draw to Cashel is the Rock of Cashel. This is a large rock where the people of Cashel built a very large church and apparently Cashel was a sort of Irish hub town for awhile. We toured the Rock and tromped through a field (dodging cow pies all the way) to walk through the old abbey ruins. The air was nice and cool and very windy on top of the Rock.

A view of the exterior wall of the Rock of Cashel.

A View of the town of Cashel from the Rock.

At the Rock of Cashel...it was FREEEZZZINNGGG....

Abbey ruins in Cashel!

After our tour of Cashel, we, of course, needed a little pick me up! So, we stopped into the Cashel Palace Hotel for a snack and our first Guinness of the trip! After our afternoon "tea", we went back to the hotel to regroup...showers, naps, and then a light dinner and a long sleep!

Cashel Palace Hotel

First Guinness of the trip! Cheers!

Ireland 2013: Part 1

Adam and I decided from Day 1 of our marriage that we wanted to make sure that we did plenty of traveling before we decided to settle down and have little ones. So far, we have kept that promise to each other and this year was no exception.

In our first year of marriage, we were lucky enough to travel to Mexico and Colorado. Each trip was centered around a friend's wedding, but what a great excuse to get out and travel! We also went to Seattle to visit Adam's sister who moved their shortly after our wedding. These were all short and budget friendly trips, but fantastic all the same!

During our second year of marriage, we decided to go to Italy. It had been one of Adam's dreams to go to Rome and to explore the city, the Vatican, and enjoy the excellent food and wine. And I, having been before, was all the more excited to show him one of my favorite countries to visit!

This year we celebrated our THIRD anniversary, and to be honest, I can still hardly believe it's been three years! The time has flown by and we have had a blast! To celebrate and keep our tradition alive, we traveled to Ireland.

Our trip this year was great! Neither of us had ever been to Ireland, and we went with Adam's family. The Sheehans, as you might guess, are originally from Ireland, so for them, it was like travelling home.

We left on a Friday, flying out from Charlotte and straight into Dublin. Our flight cost was reasonable and the flight itself wasn't too long. We arrived on Saturday morning and immediately picked up our car, my sister in-law (who traveled to meet us from Jerusalem!) and headed to Powerscourt Estate and Gardens.

Stay tuned for details of Powerscourt and the rest of our trip!