Unregistered User
(3/19/04 5:27 pm)

What a great trip!

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Well, we are back. Actually it has been since Sunday but I'm finally getting over being so tired that I had no ambition to write. There is so much to say about Ireland that I don't know where to begin.
The plane ride wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be, seeing that I have never flown before. Flying into Shannon at 6a.m. was weird since we could see very little coming into the country. we waited a bit after landing before picking up the rental car since driving on the other side was going to be bad enough, never mind in the dark! We picked up our Nissan Primera (like an Altima or Maxima) at Hertz to begin our journey. The car was a little bigger that I would have liked to have seeing that the roads were so tiny but it worked. The first 1/2 hour of driving was nerve racking, but once I got used to it, I loved it. We drove a little over an hour west to Spanish Point and headed to our hotel. The people at Burke's Armada Hotel were nice enough to let us check in early at 9:30. We had a beautiful room that over looked the beach. We fell asleep listening to the waves crash from about 10:00 to 3:00, woke up, took showers, and headed out. We actually made it to then Cliffs that afternoon before it closed and it was beautiful, although very windy. But luckily, out first 3 days there had no rain and all sunshine. We headed back to the hotel just before dark and went downstairs for diner. We actaually ate at the bar and stayed there talking to the bar keep who actually was one of the head managers. What awesome food and conversation, even though it was slow that night. Our first day introduced us to people that were nicer than one could imagine and all were very welcoming.
After eating breakfast the next day, we got into the rental and headed up the coast towards Galway. We went through the Burren which was cool, and the twisty roads were scary but fun. We stayed the next 2 nights at the Galway Bay Hotel in Oranmore which was another absolutely beautiful hotel situated right on a golf course. Luckily for us, the hotel was only a 10 minute ride from Galway city center so the next two days were spent exploring Galway, eating, shopping, and of course hitting some local pubs.
After filling up on the very expensive fuel, we made our way towards Dublin. Although the raods were much easier to drive on since they were almost normal size, they still were not as fun as the rural ones that had scared me so much at first. It took us about 3 hours 15 minutes to reach Dublin airport where we dropped off the car. Since I didn't find a gas station close to the airport, I got stuck paying 39 euro at Hertz for a little over 1/4 tank used. Oh well, easier than trying to find one I guess. We then took a 30 euro taxi ride through Dublin to our next hotel in which we stayed the remaining 3 days of our trip.
We stayed in the Ballsbridge district at the all new McEniff Grand Canal Hotel. It had only been open for about a month so everything smelled new. You needed a hotel card to access any lifts or stairways, but it was gorgeous. Below the hotel was Kitty O' Sheas Pub, which proved to be a good time any night and good food too. Dublin had so much to see that we only did half of what we planned. But my girlfriend got plenty of shopping in on Grafton Street. I had my very first guiness at Guiness and it made me love it. I see what they eman when they say that the beer is much better over there since I was drinking beers over there that I despise over here. And the Guiness beef stew there was great! We took the hop on/ hop off bus to most of the sites including the Dublin Zoo which was pretty cool. Lots of sightseeing and eating filled our days there in Dublin. What a busy town! I thought Boston was bad but it made me think differently. We met up with my little cousin who moved there this past fall with her boyfriend who is from Ireland, and had a great time in the pubs over there at night. They pack so many people in those pubs and it seems as though every pub has there own brew which was neat. Our last night there was neat since it was 7up's Skyfest which is Europe's biggest fieworks festivals. A carnival was even going to kick off St. Paddy's week. What a going away present!
All in all, it was a great trip! And like I've read many others post, I can't wait to go back! Hopefully next time I can get a couple more people to go with some more notice next time. Maybe next year? You never know. Thanks to all who helped me decide on taking the trip and all your suggestions were so helpful. Take care.

Michele Erdvig
ezOP
Posts: 2323
(3/21/04 1:46 am)

Welcome Home!

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Hi hondasport,

Welcome back from Ireland. Thanks for taking the time to post a trip report. I'm so glad you had some good weather...and Guinness. Your stay at the Armada Hotel sounds like a great beginning to a great trip. And then to top it all off with fireworks! I'm happy to hear you are contemplating another trip to the Emerald Isle. We were all delighted to be of help.

Michele