Holy Days Batman!!!!

When I began this blog there were over 100 days until our trip. Now there are just 51 left until we depart. Not much has needed to be done in terms of reservations, rentals, or anything but there is still a lot of planning.

As I research areas, I still continue to come across places I want to add to the itinerary. Even with the length of the trip as it is, there will not be enough time to see it all. And many of the places are very different than what I would have visited before. For example, the Cork English Market is such an amazing place. I guess you could compare it to Pike's Place in Seattle. Can't wait to be taking some pictures there and try some of the local cheeses and chocolates.
http://www.corkenglishmarket.ie/

Two very different locations have a very similar product - smoked salmon. One is just to the north of Dublin in Howth Harbour called Wright's of Howth, and the other is in Lisdoonvarna called The Burren Smokehouse. Obviously, we'll have to sample both and compare!

http://www.wrightsofhowth.com/

http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/

I'm going to need an instruction guide as to how to bet at the races in Ireland. We've planned a day at Dundalk Stadium to see some horse races. I've bet at horse races in the US for a win, place or show, but I'm not seeing place or show when I research betting in Ireland. I may just have to bet to win! Not that there would be any sense in a place or show bet. Now there's a real course of study before we get there. I hear if I set up an account beforehand I can phone in my bets! I'm sure they take credit cards! LOL

We would have loved to catch a High Kings show while we were in Ireland as their tours have not come to the west coast of the US, but unfortunately we'll be in the North when they play in Killarney. If they do add some more shows we'll try to get there. We've already booked a concert in Derry. Missed it last time I was in Ireland.

As I finish planning docs I decided to load them onto the "cloud" so I have access to them while we travel. Trying not to have to print everything and I'm not taking a big laptop with me. I've finished the document with the list of 28 days of B&Bs, hotels, and inns. Need to work on that as the pictures with maps did not transfer. Always something with technology!

As the days tick down, it gets more exciting. Until next post! Slan :)

So many places, so few days

Now that flights, car, and B&B have all been confirmed and we have set our itinerary - not in stone - but a general plan is in place, I've been searching out roadways and directions since I'll be doing the driving. I did all the driving on my last trip, so I don't mind. I do realize that the driver sees the roadside sights much differently than the passengers. The only way to help with that is to constantly pull off to the side of the road so the driver can take a gander at the wonderful sites being viewed by the passenger. And that is what sightseeing is all about.

As I've checked out roads and directions I've come across more sites to check out. And when I came across this site, things got even more complicated.
http://www.irelands-hidden-gems.com/index.html

I was so glad to discover that I had previously seen some of these "hidden gems" and that we have already scheduled to see many more. But in amongst the ones I've seen and the ones we plan to see were a few extra suggestions that I wanted to try and fit in.

I do have to say that after 3 previous trips most people would think I've seen pretty much all there is to see, but while Ireland might be small in size, it packs a punch when it comes to sightseeing. It was not until my third trip that I saw Kilmainham Goal in Dublin, or the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. With this trip lasting just under 4 weeks, there is that extra time, so we will adjust as needed, where we can, and I hope we have the time.

I want to pass on another website that is a great reference. Wish I had found it earlier for some additional references for B&Bs, but will mostly be using it for restaurant and pub references.

http://www.goodfoodireland.ie/

I love that Ireland is working on becoming a foodie destination. My last time in Dublin I was pleasantly pleased to find some very delicious tapas, and a surprisingly scrumptious vegan place for lunch. There will always still be the lamb and potato places with traditional Irish food, but they are now taking the traditions and turning them into a delicious and unique dining experiences. I'm looking to visit some of those places and see for myself. But don't forget, I am taking a cooking class in traditional Irish cooking! :)

So the list of places to see keeps growing. I'm sure we will have to weed through and eliminate a few, but we'll see. We've tried to leave enough time in each day so we are not too rushed. Hopefully that will help.

More to come now that we are under 60 days to departure.

Moving Along With the Agenda

As we move along with plans we've made our reservations at B&Bs along the way. It took an entire weekend just to get the majority of emails and enquiries sent off to approximately 17 locations for our 4 week trip.

This week I finally heard back from the last of the B&Bs with confirmations. I did find out that often the responses came back to me in my junk mail, so was checking there daily. And those online enquiries that are part of the B&B network don't always work. After not hearing from a few B&Bs, I searched for direct emails and received responses within 24 hours.

So at this point we have plane reservations and reservations at B&Bs, and a car reservation. I'd say we're pretty much ready. We did end up changing the tour plan for our last 4 days on the road to include a visit to the horse races. Something new for me during a vacation to Ireland. Now we are down to finding some additional unique places to make sure we have a chance to visit.

I'm very excited that when we are in Dublin a friend and her husband from London are flying over to spend our last weekend with us touring this wonderful city. They have never been to Ireland before, even though they have lived in London for a year. Have to admit, with everything there is to see in England, I might be in the same boat if I was there.

As a reference, I'll be listing the B&Bs in the various locations as we travel, so that if anyone is looking for a B&B in a town they might want to use the same one we stay in, or not, depending on our experience. For the most part, after having stayed at B&Bs my last trip, I really haven't found one that was unacceptable. It's really important to understand that some are newer and "purpose built" - built as a B&B, and some are older and converted to B&Bs. Most are ensuite, meaning each room has it's own bathroom and shower, but on occasion, they are not. For the most part a "double" room means a room for 2 with a double bed, no queen-sized, or king-sized. They are not really what you would consider luxury accommodations, but very comfortable and homey.

Outside of a hotel or a self-catering cottage, a B&B gives you a better chance to meet people. Both the people from Ireland and others traveling to visit Ireland. Some B&B proprietors are very business like and only tend to the business at hand, others are much friendlier and spend some time getting to know their guests and chatting with them. Back in 2009, at a B&B in Dublin, Mary our hostess sat down in the evening and had a nip of whiskey with us while she shared about her life. It was great.

In all these plans we did make reservations at hotels in and around Dublin when we first arrive and the last 4 days before we leave. It was important to be closer to the center of things where walking would be our means of transportation. If you are staying in Dublin City Center you are within walking distance of most locations. It's not really a city I'd want to do much driving in.

As we approach our departure time in close to 80 days, we'll make a few more online reservations where we can save a little with online reservations, like the ferry to the Aran Islands, or a hop-on-hop-off tour of Dublin.

I wanted to post this little picture of one of those "out of the ordinary" sites. I hope we get a chance to go and see this little church.