Cliffs of Moher – Ireland

Well our journey through Ireland has come to an end.  Today is our last stop, but one of our absolute favorites!

The Cliffs of Moher sit south of Galway in County Clare along the Atlantic coast.   They reach 390 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and climb to 700 feet just north of O’Brien’s Tower.  “Stunning, breathtaking” … words you will use to describe them, but they won’t do it justice.  We found ourselves repeating the same adjectives because we just lacked the words to fully describe the impact of our surroundings.  

We enjoyed four hours here walking along the trails one way and then the other, so pack your hiking boots/ comfortable shoes and enjoy the scenery.   Hopefully you will be blessed with blue skies like we were.  Like all the most popular tourist stops, go early to beat the crowds.  Keep in mind one million visitors see the Cliffs each year. 

I recommend the audio tour.  There are various spots along the way that the audio  tour provides you with additional facts that you might not otherwise know as well as interesting tidbits like which movies were filmed here.  One of the few things we didn’t do was go up into O’Brien’s Tower.  It costs and the view was already spectacular without going up a few more feet.

 

Look and listen for the Puffin colony on Goat island.  We were too far away to see them very well but we could definitely hear them.

  

There’s so much more I could tell you about the Cliffs but I want you to go and experience them for yourself.

This concludes our Ireland trip.

We hope you have enjoyed our “play-by-play” and find it helpful if you are lucky enough to journey there.

Leprechauns, castles, good luck and laughter.
Lullabies, dreams and love ever after.
A thousand welcomes when anyone comes…
That’s the Irish for You!

(an Irish blessing)

 

 

Sites to see in southwest Ireland

Journeying to southwest Ireland took us on a scenic drive, a rustic hike through Ireland’s raw terrain, and many more beautiful stops.  Head southwest with us……….

First, we took a scenic drive along the Ring of Kerry. It is a lovely drive along the coast.  It is one of those touristy things you hear a lot about and it finds its way on your must-do.  From our experience, it is a nice drive, but there are far more beautiful sites found “off the beaten path” than what you might spot along this heavily driven road.  If you decide to take the drive, get out early.  If you wait, you will be driving with tons of tourism buses and not seeing much at all except exhaust.   The later in the day it got, the more buses we saw.  Also, if taking the drive, find a way to go through the mountains and get more inland.  Our B & B owners sent us through the mountains and we loved that route much more.  You just might spot animals grazing.

 

Another bit of advice for you…….when staying in the area we highly recommend staying in Kenmare over the highly commercial town of Killarney.  Killarney is laden with chain restaurants and modern-day hotels much as you would see in the states.  Kenmare has more Irish charm and fantastic double dip cones.

If you do venture into Killarney, which we did, because you should see what all the fuss is about, seek out the Killarney National Park and Torc Waterfall.  It is just off the road and easy walking.  Suddenly you find yourself under trees and hidden, just back a ways, is a stunning waterfall.

 

We also stopped and toured Derrynane House along the Kerry coast.  This was home to Daniel O’Connell “The Liberator”.  You can walk the property which ends at water’s edge.  It’s quite lovely and a very informative tour of his life.

While in the area, we drove out Gleninchaquin Park for a hike.  You may have never heard of Gleninchaquin Park.  It is definitely “off the beaten path”.  It is well worth the drive out to it.  Pull up, pay to park and hike, and go and enjoy the day.  My husband and I picked a route and set off.  

It led us through a pasture with grazing sheep,

up and over to a top of a mountain where we could see for miles, around bends where it would open up below you into a beautiful lake,

and across the top of a waterfall, and then down to the bottom.  

At the bottom, you could choose to walk through a wooden area back to the parking lot.  

It was just spectacular!  We highly recommend taking the hike and enjoying Ireland at its rawest form.

Next and last stop is the western coast of Ireland to see The Cliffs of Mohr.  They are worth a post all by themselves…… Just wait

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite town in Ireland: Kinsale

My favorite town while traveling in Ireland was Kinsale.  Kinsale is a quaint seaside town in County Cork.  It is a “Tidy Town” which means it strives to be a community that is well-kept, neat, and well…….tidy.

We spent most of our town strolling through the weave of shops.  The stores are painted wonderfully bright colors which adds to the charm of the place.  The streets curve this way and that with no real right angles anywhere.

My favorite meal was eaten in Kinsale at Jim Edwards.  I had hake; a white fish with this amazing citrus and basil sauce drizzled on top.

While in town we took an enjoyable Don and Barry tour where we learned the history of the town and that for a long time people thought this was “the end of the world”.  Don or Barry takes you on a stroll of the town walking along the streets stopping at different spots along the way to learn interesting facts about the area.

We walked along the seashore and up a hill that gives you an amazing view over the city and bay.

We spent 2 days here and loved every minute.  Do give Kinsale a visit any time you are in Ireland.  You’ll be pleased you did.

Next stop:  Kenmare, an amazing hike, and a few more stops as we travel along the western shore of Ireland.

Ireland trip – 2 castles for you; one is on every “must-see” list and one is not, but should be

Are you going to Ireland this summer or hope to be one day?  Check out our helpful posts on What to bring/How to prepare, Driving info, Dublin attractions, as well as our favorite stops just north and south of Dublin.

Today, we focus on two must-see castles.

The first is not mentioned in many tour guides, but we thoroughly enjoyed exploring it, so we’d like to share it with you.

Cahir Castle (it is part of the Heritage sites, so use that Heritage card I talked you into buying)

It is one of the most preserved and largest castles in Ireland.  Built in 1142, it sits on the River Suir in the center of the town of Cahir.   We arrived right as it opened one morning so our tour was a self guided tour but as we left we noticed them giving guided tours.  I bet either way would be great.  We enjoyed our self guided wonderings.  There are so many walls, stairs, rooms that remain in which you are able to see almost completely intact.  You can truly understand castle life since so much of the castle remains.  You can walk downstairs to see a dungeon, yep it’s creepy.  Then upstairs to see out windows to enjoy beautiful scenery all around you.  It was our first castle to see and remained our favorite of the trip.

Our second castle to see was most impressive set way up on a hill-top.  The Rock of Cashel dates from the 12th and 13th centuries.  It is also called St. Patrick’s Rock or Cashel of the Kings.

After you park your car, grab a jacket and make sure you are dressed warmly.  It is much cooler way up the hill than at the bottom by your car.  I was shivering most of our visit and I did have my jacket.  It can get very breezy up there as well.  Now that you’ve grabbed your jacket and dressed in long pants, head up the steep 100 yard walk.  You will be lead on a guided tour where you will see and learn about the Celtic art and medieval architecture.  The Queen of England visited the site in 2011 so yes, it is worth a visit.  And another place where you can use your Heritage Card.

Next stop:  My favorite town during our entire trip to Ireland…….stay tuned to find out what it is and why I loved it so

Ireland’s must-see sites – North and South of the Dublin area

Before I begin telling you about three of our very favorite sites, I’d like to share some money-saving advice to those of you seeing several of the historical sites in Ireland.  Newgrange/Knowth as well as Glendalough are both part of the Heritage Sites of Ireland and you can buy a member card at any of the sites.  Then you simply present them as you enter the rest of the heritage sites.  Our cards more than paid for themselves and we saved quite a lot of euros by purchasing these at our first heritage stop.  For a list of sites included in the cards, see their official website.  Click on the Heritage Card in the center of the page and follow the links.

Now, on to some of our favorite sites just north and/or south of Dublin.

North of Dublin we found and LOVED:

Newgrange and Knowth

Newgrange and Knowth are tombs.  5,000 year old tombs.  Still not impressed.  They were built before the pyramids.  Now, are you impressed?  I was.  Amazing to hear the history behind both of these ancient chambers.   These mounds are layered with dirt and rocks.  Some of the stones were not native to the area so imagining how the people of the time got them to the area over days, weeks, and months, and even years is phenomenal.  The mounds more than likely took more than a generation to construct.   Newgrange contains a tunnel that you can walk inside and back into the cross-shaped center chamber.  Be careful, while walking through, as the locals say, “mind your head” and the rest of your body as well as you almost slither through the very narrow passageway.  Don’t worry it opens up where you can stand erect when you reach the center.  When you exit the tunnel, you can walk around the exterior and take in the amazing views like this one.

South of Dublin we visited and LOVED:

Powerscourt Estate and Gardens

Speechless… Powerscourt Estate and Gardens are ranked #3 on National Geographic’s top 10 Best Gardens.   It is breathtaking.  The gardens began in the mid 1800’s.   You begin by walking through the Italian Gardens which has the Great Sugar Loaf Mountain in the background.  As you walk you see the Japanese Gardens, Dolphin Pond, Walled Gardens, and so many other exquisite areas.

Our favorite nook was the “Hobbit” walled area surrounding you in greenery.  This picture won’t even come close to the magical feeling you get but it gives you at least a peek.

Glendalough

Glendalough is a monastery settlement established by St. Kevin in the 6th century.  It is set in the Wicklow countryside which is just beautiful.  The valley has two lakes; a lower lake with most of the buildings that remain and the upper lake which you can reach through a scenic walking trail or drive a short ways if you don’t have much time.   The Upper Lake is such a serene area and we plan to next time have a picnic on the grass.  So many families enjoying a beautiful day.  If you have difficulties walking, we recommend the Boardwalk pathway to reach the Upper Lake.  It is just a bit longer but much easier.  We walked that route on the way to the Upper Lake and the other path back.  We felt for the women who were in “church heels” trying to hobble down this rocky path when they would have been so much more comfortable taking the Boardwalk path.

Travel with us to our next stop as we travel west:  our first castle and the Rock of Cashel

 

 

 

Happy 4th!

We pause our Ireland posts to honor America!

We hope you have a festive holiday with your friends and family today!

Here are our favorite 4th of July posts from the past:

Happy 4th, 2011

Includes our: Red, White, and Blue Neighborhood Hunt, easy fruit snack, as well as a few printables.

Fireworks! Art and Science Fun

Includes several experiments and is one of our most viewed posts.

Fruit Patterns

I challenged them to make patterns according to their levels.

Strawberry Yogurt Cake

How do you enjoy celebrating the 4th?

A new addition to our 4th this year was finding and enjoying the book, America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates.  Her great, great grandnephew illustrated this famous song and it is just beautiful.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!…

 

 

 

 

 

Dublin Attractions

There are amazing sites throughout all of Ireland, but today, we’ll just focus on attractions found in the city of Dublin.

These are the attractions we visited on foot, but there are so many more you could see.  If walking isn’t for you, they have city buses and tour buses as well as taxis that would take you to any of the attractions.

Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness Factory is a “7 story visitor experience” (as stated in their guide) with amazing graphics throughout telling you all about the process they go through to make their beer.  It’s quite impressive.  It feels very “Harry Potter” like with the pictures talking to you as you walk forward.  You can finish your tour in the Gravity Bar where they will pour you a complimentary (as long as you bought the ticket to get the tour) pint of the dark beer.  As you walk around the Gravity Bar, you can enjoy a 360 degree view of the city below.

Leinster House

Leinster House is where the National Parliament of Ireland meets.  They give free tours at specific times during the day.  For more information, see their website.   You are able to tour both chambers and hear a bit about their past leaders.  President Kennedy brought the Irish nation a flag that they proudly display that they will tell you more about on your tour as well.

National Museum of Ireland:  Archeology 

This museum is a massive building full of treasures found and preserved quite well in peat bogs and marshes  from the Vikings to the Modern Age.  You will see gold jewelry, 2,000 year old mummies, Viking swords, and tons of Irish history.  Oh, and it’s FREE to enter and browse at your leisure.

O’Connell Bridge and street

This bridge that spans the River Liffey is named for Daniel O’Connell.  O’Connell is known as “The Liberator” for founding the Catholic Association.  You will see a statue of him just down the way from the bridge.   We strolled up and down the street for a few minutes seeing some historical sites.  The General Post Office is also on this street which is where the Proclamation of Irish Independence was read in 1916 and began a five-day siege.

St. Stephen’s Green – Park

St. Stephens Green is a 22 acre grass park with beautiful flowers, sculptures, and benches along the way to provide a refuge to the busy city life around you.  On a sunny day you may find more Dubliners there than blades of grass.  (ok, a bit of an over exaggeration but the day we were there I was stunned by the amount of people milling, chatting, and sitting about.)

Trinity College

Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I.  It is the most prestigious college in Ireland.

When you enter Trinity College you pay for a tour of the campus and a tour of the Book of Kells.  A college student will lead you on your tour.  This was my favorite guided tour of our entire stay in Ireland.  The tours were all great but the wit of our college student and the added tidbits I found so very entertaining.  The guide will tell you about the architecture, past and present student life, as well as a few other historical tidbits.  At the end of your tour, the guide will take you to the Library where the Book of Kells is located.  The Book of Kells is 1,200 year old version of the gospels of the Bible written and illustrated by devoted monks.  After viewing the book, you walk into the Old Library.  The awe-inspiring library will make your mouth drop open if you are any kind of a lover of books.

Entertainment

An Evening of Food, Folklore, and Fairies at The Brazen Head

Food, Folklore, and Fairies is a 3 course meal which includes Irish folklore, why the Irish culture believes in fairies and leprechauns, as well as listening to some beautiful Irish music on the violin and guitar.  You are whisked away to life in the times of the Irish many years ago prior to the Potato Famine and then the years following.  To make reservations, visit their website.    A very entertaining evening that we both enjoyed.

Pubs

Grafton Street

A fun area to walk and shop.  You will see street performers as you stroll the street.  It is a lively pedestrian filled street.

Temple Bar

This is an area as well as a pub.  We strolled it at night which was very cool.  Full of fun, vibrant pubs.

These are the attractions we saw in Dublin on our visit.  Have you been?  What did you see?

Next up:  Attractions near Dublin both a bit north and south of the city

Driving in Ireland

Yesterday, my post contained lots of helpful tips for preparing for your trip to Ireland.

Today, it’s completely focused on driving in Ireland.

1.  Get GPS; you’ll thank me later

First and foremost, when renting a car in Ireland pay the extra to get GPS.  It is an absolute must.  The highways are clearly marked, but once you are in the towns themselves you will find it very difficult to spot street signs.  Locals don’t even give directions using street names.  In town the street names may be found on the side of buildings, if you find them at all.  Also, the GPS will alert you to the speed limit or speed traps.

2.  “The road”

The streets are narrow.  When I say narrow I mean one lane many times.  Driving from town to town  not using highways you will be amazed at how tiny the roads are.  We heard a saying that in Ireland the road is not mine or yours, it is just the road.  We all share it. Including the sheep. 🙂

3.  Look right, drive LEFT!

Drive on the left, drive on the left, drive on the left.  Just make it your mantra.  We did.

4.  Stick shift is a money saver

If you don’t mind driving a manual transmission, save a lot of money and get a rental that is manual.  Most cars in Ireland are manual so hunting down an automatic may take some doing.  My husband very much enjoys manual transmission so he was quite happy to be driving one.

5.  The more maps the merrier

Pick up maps when you are at your B&Bs.  You never know when one might come in handy.  The GPS helps a ton but there are times it doesn’t get you quite there or may not recognize the exact spot you’d like to reach.  There are very handy brown signs along the roadways for most of the attractions/historic sights you are trying to find but you have to first get yourself in the general area of the attraction so having a map as back up to your GPS is so very helpful.

6.  Around and around we go – Roundabouts

There are lots of roundabouts.  They actually work quite well and make driving very fluid.   There are very few traffic lights or stop signs.  You will see both in cities such as Dublin but not in the smaller communities.  You will only find roundabouts which means lots of yields.

7.  Lots of love from local drivers

The drivers we encountered were very courteous and polite.  We did not encounter any honking or road rage of any kind.  In those narrow country roads there are pull over areas where you can pull off to the side and allow the oncoming traffic to pass you.  Return the kindness of the locals and be aware of your surroundings.  There won’t be a shoulder coming up so pull over when you find a spot.

8.  Keep it compact

When you rent your car and you take a look at it and see that it redefines “compact”, keep it.  Don’t upgrade.  Refer back to the narrow roads.  You will be grateful you are sitting in a “pill-box”.  There are very few SUVs, minivans, or trucks on the roads.  The largest vehicles were the tour buses, which can be the double-decker variety.  We passed several tractors in the farming communities and some delivery trucks in Dublin.  Otherwise it is small compact cars everywhere you look.

9.  A rollercoaster of a ride

Lots of ups and downs and turning around bends as you drive through the country side.  Beautiful drives but be aware in case you get car sick.

10.  Relax and enjoy!

I know folks who absolutely stress out when they drive.  If you are going to do that, maybe renting a car isn’t for you.  Luckily, my husband is a great driver and very observant.  I was able to be his navigator and the photographer as well as the sandwich maker (which you’ll read about in a future post).  Also, you’ll make many U-turns.  It’s all good.  You also may never reach some of your destinations.  Stop and ask for directions and keep trying but know when to give it up and move along.  We had to do that in the lovely town of Waterford.  And don’t be in such a rush that you can’t enjoy the beautiful scenery that surrounds you.  Be willing to make quick pit stops because the scenery calls for it.

If you’ve driven in Ireland, are there any driving tips I forgot?  Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Next topic: Must see Attractions

Take a trip to Ireland!

My husband and I just returned from our first overseas trip.  We chose to explore Ireland for 9 days.  It was fantastic, breathtaking, and tons of fun!  I highly recommend adding it to your, “must do” list.

I wanted to share our trip with you for two reasons:  1.  as a way to journal it for my own memories and those of my family.  2.  to help out any one who would like to tour Ireland, too.

I will do several posts where I will share what to pack, what videos to watch prior to going, guide books to buy, what we explored in Ireland, and all the in-between.

Today, I will focus on PREPARING for your Summer trip to Ireland.

What to take:

• One carry-on luggage.  Yes, you can fit it all in 1 suitcase and you’ll be so glad you did.  We had several travelers pass us in the airport, stop us and ask, “Is that all you have?  How did you pack so light?”
• Summer temperatures in Ireland are mid 60s – low 70s.    So, some short sleeve and long sleeve shirts, pants or jeans, and shorts or skirts would all be appropriate.  Plan to mix and match shirts and jeans/pants/skirts in order to pack light.  Pack to wear each shirt at least 2 x’s and alternate your pants to wear at least 3 times.
• Dress in layers.
• Bring a light jacket every where.  I used mine often but discarded it midday.
• Sometimes when exploring places up on a hill, the wind can really kick up so taking a scarf or hat for added warmth is beneficial.
• A money belt  that will hold your passport, money, credit card, and drivers license
• Headphones – there are a few sites that have audio tours you can get an app for on your phone.  Also, international flights offer movies to watch.
• Travel toiletry items – remember all liquids must be 3 oz or less and all must fit in a quart size baggie.
• Socks and undergarments – these are easy to wash in the sink and let dry.  Use shampoo, laundry soap, or bar soap to wash them.
• Comfortable shoes (make sure water won’t ruin them) – at least 2 pairs
• Umbrella/poncho
• Camera, batteries, charger
• Medicines you take
• Laundry soap or bar soap for washing clothes in sink
• Plug converters – Ireland and England have the same outlets but the rest of the European union are different.
• Fabric refresher
• Hair dryer/straightener – make sure they are dual voltage
• Addresses for sending postcards home.  Allow a week for a postcard to reach home.  Some places were you buy your postcard will sell you a stamp and mail it for you as well.
• Eye glasses/contacts/contact solution
• Lotion
• Cash
• Small bag for daily use to carry water bottles/snacks/camera (backpack or small duffle bag or over the shoulder bag)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Lip balm

Legal matters:

Get a passport.  Allow at least 4 – 6 weeks for processing.  We got ours at the post office and some post offices require appointments.  We found that these appointments were weeks out so we found other post offices that it was just a “show up” kind of arrangement.

Research if any of your credit cards can be used overseas without incurring foreign charges.

Contact your credit card company that you will be traveling overseas.

Videos to watch

To insure tight packing, roll your clothes in a military roll.  Here is an example of a “how to” video.  There are lots and you may find another one that is more helpful to you.

This Rick Steves video is helpful as well.  It is quite lengthy but she has many tips that first time travelers may benefit from.

Guide book(s) to buy:

Rick Steves current Ireland trip.  This was invaluable to us on our trip.  What I liked about it was it is very detailed, contains more background information for you while you are on certain tours, has up close maps of various cities, provides research on restaurants, hotels, and attractions for the country.

If this guidebook isn’t for you, there are lots more.  I had a friend who used and recommended Ireland for Dummies.

Websites we found helpful:

Pinterest – This is my Pinterest board called, “Let’s take a trip”

Rick Steves

Trip Advisor – so many helpful reviews

Reservations:

We found our fantastic travel package at Great Value Vacations.

Included in our package was our roundtrip flights, lodging in a hotel in Dublin, rental car, and then a voucher for B&B Ireland to stay in B&Bs of our choice within this system.  We were very pleased with every aspect of this package.

B&B Ireland is a very easy to use site that contains pictures, reviews, a map to make sure the bed and breakfast will be near where you need to be, and online reservations.  We enjoyed our bed and breakfasts immensely.  We used our bed and breakfast for simply providing us with a bed to sleep at night and a good breakfast to begin our day.  We stayed one night in each and would continue our journey.  Only once did we stay two nights and that was because of our travel plans.  If you’d like to know the specific B&Bs we stayed in throughout our trip, just ask and I’d be glad to share them with you.  You may find that your first choice for a B&B is already booked so book them as early as possible but if you don’t get your first or second choice, I bet it will be just fine, too.  We weren’t able to book our first or second choices very often and were still very pleased with our experience.  We stayed in 3 and 4 starred B&Bs.

Dan Dooley Car Rental and found them just wonderful to work with.  They were so helpful and kind and efficient.   When we returned our car, the shuttle bus was waiting for us and the driver collected our luggage before my husband was finished paying or I was even finished making sure I had gotten everything out of the car.

 

**That’s all I can think of to help you prepare for your trip.  If I missed something, please leave me a comment.  If you have traveled to Ireland and have a “must know before you go” tip, please add it as well to the comments.

This post contains an Amazon Affiliate link.

Tomorrow’s post:  Driving in Ireland

 

Hands-on learning about BIG Blue Whales

Join us for lots of hands-on learning about Blue Whales………

Story time

First, we read Dear Mr. Blueberry.

A wonderfully sweet read about a little girl finding a blue whale in her pond.  It gives basic facts about whales and reasons why there can’t be a blue whale in her pond.  Mr. Blueberry can’t convince Emily, however, and she grows very attached to her big blue whale she names Arthur.

Real life Measurement

Then we went out front to our side-walk to show the actual size of a blue whale.  (original idea seen here)

We used blue streamers, a ruler, our Whales book, and tape

I put down the ruler and marked off 1.  Then 2 and on to 100.  I drew a line and then R3 and I taped the streamer to our starting point and then walked it down to 100 feet.  He went back and stood at 1 and I was at 100.

R3 walked from the start to finish.  Wow!  That’s 100 feet!  The same distance as the body of a blue whale.

Sounds and Videos

Then we came in and listened to sound clips at Whale Watch.  (Many of the following ideas for whales were from Carrots are Orange.)

We watched this Blue Whale video  and this National Geographic video of blue whales to see these amazing sea creatures in action.

Facts

Then we learned lots of incredible blue whale facts at Whale Facts.

Did you know their tongue is as big as an elephant?  OR

That a human can swim through their blood vessels because they are that large? 

How baleen whales eat Experiment

To better understand how baleen whales eat, we did our own experiment.

You need:

A comb, water, and grated cheese representing krill

How to:

Place your comb at the bottom of your water container.

Slowly raise up your comb capturing the “krill” (aka: cheese) and letting the water seep out.

Origami

We then made an origami whale using these instructions here.

Poetry

We read this “5 Big Whales” poem at Storytime Katie.

Reading color words

Completed two pages from Gift of Curiosity’s Ocean Do-a-Dot Printables.  We used the W for Whale and I wrote color words on each circle that he would have to read.  If it said “blue” he used his blue do-a-dot marker to make the circle blue.  He kept all the other circles blank.

We had a great morning learning about these massive sea creatures.  We hope you learned a bit, too!

Check out our Summertime Pinterest Board for more ideas on whales and other sea animals.

This post contains Amazon Affiliate links.