stannseniors
Registered User
Posts: 27
(9/12/03 5:18 pm)

few more questions

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Thank you all so much for the answers to the last questions - I'm keeping a list of them as theypop into my head - here's the next batch:

What’s the food really like – compared to American food?
What are the vegetarian meals like when there is a choice?

I know jeans are okay – what about at the barn party and the medieval banquet?
Water proof running shoes okay? Do you get very muddy?
In October is a hat necessary? gloves?
Do gas stations take credit cards?
I know the water is okay to drink but does it taste bad? Is bottled water available?
How are the bathrooms there?
Fanad house is right near the castle – is it better to stay that close or just outside a city?

I know, rooky kinds of questions.... I hope I'll wind up as informed about Ireland as some of you.

cjmford
Unregistered User
(9/12/03 8:44 pm)

a few questions

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Check out my email in the other section of this forum titled "just got back from August trip" for some ideas on the food, especially for fussy eaters. We didn't have vegetarians on our trip, but I did here locals ordering "salad sandwiches", which seemed to be lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, sprouts (this seems to be the Irish parsley - it garnishes many dishes), maybe a few other items (no avocado or anything exotic, as I recall). Also all of the soups we had were creamed, but mostly vegetarian - vegetable, carrot, parsnip, potato and leek. They use lots of cream, butter, whole foods - didn't see much in the way of "light". Although we had many things that were good, not much tasted "American", but then again, we weren't in America, so why should it! Frankly, it was better than expected, albeit limited in variety.

We wore tennis shoes and never ran into anything too muddy, but we had a pretty dry 2 weeks in August.

Gas stations did take credit cards.

I thought the water was ok. We drank it in the B & B's, restaurants. Didn't have any intestinal problems. We also drank bottled water. (Again, see tip in my other return trip message)

Chris

DebbieK
Registered User
Posts: 104
(9/13/03 12:40 am)

Re: a few questions

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What’s the food really like – compared to American food? DEBBIE:
I find Irish food to be mostly like "good old meat & potatoes" with fabulous soups and wonderful Salmon to top it off. The soups there are called "cream" soups , but they don't have much real cream in them. They get there creamy-ness by pureeing (sp?) more of the vegetables from the soup. If you like salmon , you will be in heaven. I was

I know jeans are okay – what about at the barn party and the medieval banquet?
DEBBIE: Jeans / chino twills are fine for almost everything , except maybe a fancy dinner at one of the really posh castles (Dromoland, Ashford). We wore jeans to the banquet, and were definitely in the majority of fashion.

Water proof running shoes okay? Do you get very muddy?
DEBBIE:  Depends on when you are going - it gets a bit more rainy in November, but unless you are planning on traipsing through fields, you won't get very muddy

In October is a hat necessary? gloves? DEBBIE: I would definitely take hat & gloves in October. especially for a trip to the Cliffs of Moher. You may not need them, but a hat / gloves does not take up too much space. ( OR - you can buy them there, you will probably pay more for them, but they will be a nice / useful souvenier.

Do gas stations take credit cards? DEBBIE: Usually - but I would be sure to have enough cash on hand just in case. We did run into 1 or 2 gas stations that did not take credit

Fanad house is right near the castle – is it better to stay that close or just outside a city? DEBBIE: What town is this? It will be nice being that close - you won't need to move the car - you can walk right over to the castle

Debbie


MaryZ
Unregistered User
(9/13/03 12:41 pm)

A few questions

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We traveled this summer with our vegetarian son and he was delighted with the choices he had. Lots of seafood, of course, but also pasta dishes, gourmet pizza, and good soup with a vegetable base.

stannseniors
Registered User
Posts: 28
(9/15/03 11:24 am)

few more questions

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I'm really not vegetarian but am okay with alot of vegetarian meals. I like cooked salmon but not raw (like lox) I just thought too it may be like the airplane when you ask for the Kosher meal you always seem to get better food. lol
Anybody have any trouble with the bathrooms? I bought toilet seat covers and tissue just in case.

I'm getting so excited about this---will we know how to get to Bunratty from the airport??

Allison
Unregistered User
(9/15/03 11:58 am)
 
some answers...

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The bathrooms in your B&Bs and hotels will be pretty clean. If you are doing a lot of traveling, you will end up using toilets in public places, including pubs, which may not be so clean. I found that I had good luck in most of the supermarkets, where the facilities were kept in good order. (A small market in Westport had really good tp - I started paying attention to this after Sir Bill's postings!)

I too had some excellent (cooked) salmon. Many pubs have carvery lunches where a variety of food is served. If you see a bunch of well-dressed folks going to pubs around lunchtime, that would be a good bet for good food. (Beef is usually cooked to extremes, so we learned to avoid hamburgers.) When in doubt, you can always order a toasted sandwich!

We drove to the airport from Bunratty and found it quite easily, so I would imagine the reverse is very well marked.

Allison