Getting down to one Week

So it's been a few days again since I've blogged. We had an amazing visit to Clonmacnoise, the monastery site for St.Kieran. The high crosses there are some of the most incredible in all of Ireland. And the site itself is just so calming and serene, even with all the tour buses arriving. We left the monastery and headed to both the Tullamore and Kilbeggan distilleries to check out their wares. As usual our day ran much later than we planned and dinner was somewhere around 9:00.

We've been staying at a wonderful B&B called Novara House in Mullingar. Margaret is a very friendly host and I couldn't think of a better place to stay.

From Mullingar we headed to Dundalk for the pony races. I should have been as lucky as the gentleman sitting next to me. The best I could do was break even. I should be happy for that. After the races we headed for Rostrevor on Carlinford Lough. Loved going to sleep and waking up to see the blue waters of the lough outside out windows. Majella was another great host and shared her recipe for the warm bread she served in the morning.

Today was a beautiful driving day. We headed into the Mountains of Mourne for more amazing scenery. Lots of stops for pictures. After that we headed from Kilkeel toward Belfast with a stop at Dundrum. We decided to follow a sign that said "Dundrum Castle". We had heard nothing about it before and were treated with the ruins of a 12th century castle that is the centerpiece of a picnic and park area at the top of a hill overlooking Dundrum Bay. What a treat.

Lots of stress driving through Belfast to get to Carrickfergus. The castle here is very restored and not as old as many we have seen. We settled into out room for the the night and I'm finishing this up with a few comments on some of the food we have had here in Ireland.

Ireland has definitely moved beyond the meat and potatoes country that many think it is. You can still find lots of potatoes on plates, but the main courses can be very sophisticated at times. Our favorite meals have been the fresh mussels when they are cooked just right. Grilled salmon, hake, and plaice are also excellent choices other than fish and chips. If you ever order bangers and mash plan to share it with a friend. The Irish seem to think they have to feed us giant portions at each meal. At this point of the trip we are only ordering starter as our dinners as they are more than enough to have. There are only a few miscues on the food we've had. As I am able to download pictures, I will share some of the delicious meals we've had around the island.

One last comment tonight. I am always very aware of the fact that when I am traveling in Northern Ireland that I have a car with a license from the Republic. While we've had no problems, it's just something that I am aware of. I try very hard not to make any other drivers upset with my driving style. A little tough driving through Belfast at rush hour today, but I did survive!

Heading south to Malahide and Howth Head tomorrow for our last day our with the car. Then on to Dublin for the weekend. Looking forward to that and meeting friends from London who will be joining us. :)

Last week is here!

Small steps

While there is still plenty of time, I'm thinking our airline reservations will be firmed up this weekend. We needed to purchase some extra miles so we could extend our trip over one more weekend. This will be my longest stay in Ireland and I can't be more pleased.

I ordered some electrical adapters - I never did find the ones I had from before - and received them this week. I ordered through Rick Steves site. It was the best price and now that I have them I understand why. If you are doing this check to make sure the adapters have the ability to connect with US 3 pronged electrics. Fortunately, all the electrics I'm taking have only 2 US prongs. If I was taking a larger computer with me (I have a netbook that I travel with) I would need the 3 pronged adapter. These were quite cheap - $2 each, but the shipping was $6. In the long run, it was still a deal.

Also, still waiting for some lightweight luggage I ordered and a better small carry-on for the plane. It's not pretty, but it will do the job. Over the last couple of trips I have never taken more than a 26 inch suitcase. We'll stop to do laundry, so I should be fine. I don't like to have to drag heavy suitcases up flights of stairs in B&Bs, so I try to stay on the light side with luggage.

It's time for some spring cleaning in the house and I'll be going through closets and looking at clothes I want to take with me. I shouldn't need to purchase much except for basics like socks, but a nice new lightweight sweater that can be layered would be nice. It's always a little cooler along the Irish coasts like Galway Bay, and the Antrim Coast. Malin Head will probably be cooler and very windy from what I hear. I don't think I've ever been really cold in Ireland.

For some reason I've never made it to Belfast. That will be remedied this trip. A Hop-on-Hop-off tour and maybe a Black Cab ride for starters. And I definitely want to get to the famous Crown Liquor Saloon. Some places just can't be passed up.

Hopefully firmed up reservations will be done in the next two weeks. Now that we have extended the trip, we may have to change a few things around. Just have to be patient and wait for confirmed plane reservations. :)