Hot Chocolate and Grilled Cheese-Ireland April 2016

Oh my goodness, Ireland! This was one of my absolute favorite places in the entire world, which must be why I am choosing to write about it so soon in my blogging endeavor even though the trip was so long ago! A little before my oldest daughter, Isabelle, turned 10, I decided I wanted to take each of my children on a 10th birthday trip that they could help plan and get excited about, as we learned about the chosen country together leading up to departure. It became a wonderful way to get quality time individually with each of them, and we were able to learn together about a new place with different cultures, people, food and history. Isabelle was born on St. Patrick's day and has always believed she had a little piece of Irish within her, so when she chose Ireland for her destination I was not surprised in the least. This is going to be a long one, so get comfortable!

I decided to hire a driver to explore Ireland because I was nervous thinking about driving on the opposite side of the street on old, narrow country roads, while my 10 year old attempted to play navigator. It was a good choice. We used a fantastic travel company based in Ireland called Go Irish Tours, goirishtours.com and they worked with us to plan an epic trip within a budget I was comfortable with. Our driver's name was Dave and he became our travel guide, photographer, translator and friend. He was amazing. He met us at the airport in Dublin when our plane arrived at 10am Ireland time, gave us time to freshen up, and then immediately took us sightseeing through Dublin.

First stop was Guinness Brewery for a tour, tasting and learning to pour the perfect pint. Isabelle was offered a coke and even at her age thought the tour was awesome. The top floor of the building overlooked Dublin, giving visitors a pretty great view of the entire city. Next we headed over to St Patricks Cathedral, which was impressive with its age and architecture. The choir was practicing while we were there so it was more crowded than usual, I was told. The old flags and wall hangings made the cathedral look ghostly and old, and Izzy described it as "creepy". We stopped in Dublin Castle next for a tour and to admire the beautiful chandeliers and fancy interior designs and details. We decided it was time to check into Brooks Hotel, our accommodations for the night in Dublin and took a quick power nap to get us through the rest of the day. When we woke up three hours later, we walked to the Hairy Lemon Pub for dinner, and then Murphey's for some delicious ice cream. We browsed the shops along Grafton St. before heading back to the hotel for an early bedtime. Day one was exhausting as we were jet lagged and struggling to stay awake, but were able to cram in a few things that had been on our list.

We woke up the next morning excited and ready to make our way to Cork to see Blarney Castle. We had a tasty breakfast at the hotel which included some gourmet hot chocolate, which we would find would become a daily occurrence through the rest of the trip. On the way down to Cork, we stopped at the The National Stud and Japanese Gardens where a number of famous Irish race horses have been born and raised. We were lucky enough to be able to see three newly born foals, just hours old, and we explored the Japanese Gardens on our own, which were tranquil and beautifully cared for. The weather was warm and sunny, perfect for outdoor exploring. We stopped next at the Rock of Cashel, the capitol of the High Kings a thousand years ago, which was interesting and beautiful and old. The views from the top of the hill and down to the Abby were stunning. Continuing on our way, we stopped at Cahir Castle to do an unguided tour. Being able to run around and explore on our own was even more fun for Isabelle than following a guide. We made it to Blarney with plenty of time to explore Blarney Castle and explore the lovely, well manicured grounds.

Neither of us kissed the famous Blarney stone, but we did climb to the top and loved every second of discovering each nook and cranny we were allowed to enter within the castle. It was almost empty of other visitors, and it made it feel like it was our castle alone to tour. Right down the street was Blarney Chocolate Factory where we picked up some fudge for dessert to enjoy later that night. For dinner, our driver met us at Muskerry's Pub where we had a pint of Guinness and and some Irish food. Isabelle drank some 7-Up and had a grilled cheese sandwich, not loving the Irish menu choices. That night we stayed at the Blarney Castle Hotel which was built over an old pub. The next morning we met Dave at the car and headed to Killarney National Park, where we got to explore the Gap of Dunloe via a jaunty cart pulled by a horse. Highly recommend this! This fun excursion gets you away from the main roads and takes you into the beautiful countryside, offering incredible views in every direction, many of which included sheep-dotted green fields. It was fast and bumpy, and at times a bit scary, but totally worth it. The pictures do not do the landscape any justice. The jaunty ended with us safe and sound back where we started and there was a cute little cafe where we grabbed a coffee and 7-up before heading off to find Ballycarbery Castle.

I had heard about Ballycarbery from Tripadvisor when researching for our trip, but Dave had never been there before, so it ended up being a bit of an adventure trying to find it while driving on narrow, back country roads. So worth the drive though! The castle is not patrolled at all so we could explore at-will and at our own risk. Crumbling staircases and missing floors did make it slightly dangerous, but so much fun! The drive was also along the coast so the water views were amazing as well. The sky in Ireland is so blue, and the grass so green. We got extremely lucky with the weather during our stay.

Next up for the day was Ross Castle and Muchross Abbey. The Abbey was one of Isabelle's favorite stops throughout the entire trip and was right across the street from our hotel that night, which made it an easy walk. The Abbey was one of the few that still had its second floor, with intact stairs allowing us to access it. Muckross Park Hotel is surrounded by hiking trails and just down the road from a pub which offered live music and dancing. The fun and lively atmosphere made it one of my all time favorite pubs. Izzy again only ordered a grilled cheese sandwich, not impressed with the food options in Ireland, but she too loved the restaurant. I mean, who doesn't enjoy Irish music and dancing??? The sun was still up after dinner so we took a short hike through the trails that were part of Killarney National Park.

Our drive the following morning took us to King John's castle in Limerick and then to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. This is a must-do for families traveling with kids! The castle was furnished as it would have been when it was lived in, hundreds of years ago, and the grounds had farm animals to feed and pet....sheep, cows, donkeys and ponies. The donkeys loved to eat the dandelions, and there were baby sheep that were just the cutest!

Our final stop on day 4 was Quin Abbey, but we ended up arriving after it had closed for the day. We walked around the exterior and looked through the windows, but we were obviously disappointed to miss the chance to tour inside. With no other plans for the day, we headed to Drumoland Castle, drumoland.ie for our first real castle hotel stay. We were both really excited about this stop and we were not disappointed. The history, the grand staircase, the decor, wallpaper and chandeliers, the restaurants and library and bar, the grandeur of our room and the comfiness of the beds...it was breathtaking inside and out.

Then there is the property, which was expansive, with many activities available to partake in throughout the stay. Clay shooting, falconry, fishing, archery, go-carts and bike riding were just a few! We joined a falconry tour when we arrived because it was too early to check in, and it was so fun getting to hold and pet various types of birds and seeing where they live and how they are cared for. We also enjoyed the go-carts for quite awhile and borrowed a golf cart to explore the numerous trails throughout the estate. The food was amazing and Isabelle got one of the most beautiful hot chocolates of the trip that night by the fire while I enjoyed some local Irish whiskey. I desperately want to go back to this castle.

The next morning we had plans for a three hour horse back riding excursion at the Mountain View Riding Centre. The weather was passable, not our nicest day, but at least it wasn't raining. The views over the water were unbelievable, and the ride was a great time, but a little longer than we needed. Both of us were sore and tired afterward, and smelled like horses the rest of the day we were out.

Although exhausted from our long ride, we had more on our list of things to see that day! We couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Cliffs of Moher, and on such a clear day we were able to see for miles over the water. Extremely windy, but so pretty. On our way back to Drumoland Castle, we made a quick detour to Lahinch Beach so we could touch the water on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Ennis Friary was up next for a tour of the ruins before finally arriving back at the hotel, exhausted and ready to relax for a bit.

In the morning, it was time to pack up and move on to our next destination, Clifden. We toured the picturesque Dunguaire Castle along the way, and then spent some time at Kylemore Abbey which was located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by, again, incredible landscapes. It was the first day of the trip that was cold and wet, and the wind was strong while we were exploring the grounds of Kylemore. On our walk back from the Gothic Chapel on the estate, it began to rain, and then hail on us. We decided we did not need to see the gardens there that day and instead ran to the souvenir shop for a quick browse. We got a tasty lunch, Izzy with another grilled cheese, and then moved on with our day.

Driving along the sky road in Clifden is an absolute must if you are in this part of Ireland. The blue of the sea and the green of the grass are unmatched. Izzy and I had found Clifden Castle on Tripadvisor before we left and knew we wanted to see it, but it was another site that Dave was not familiar with. We had to park and walk off the main road before we finally found the gate to the entrance. We passed cows and sheep along our walk on the Sky Road and found it just where Tripadvisor had said it would be. It is exactly where I would have built a castle if it was ever an option for me!

After a full day of driving and touring, we were able to check into our hotel, Abbeyglen Castle, for the night. We met Dave for dinner out in Clifden Centre at Guy's Bar and Snug. After dinner, Isabelle and I walked back to the hotel where we listened to some music at the bar. Izzy enjoyed another delicious hot chocolate, while I had another pint of Guinness. We left the next morning and drove toward Ashford Castle. Isabelle had done a paper for school about Ashford Castle so when it became an option for a hotel stay, we couldn't pass it up. We did a much shorter horse ride around the Ashford estate as soon as we arrived, which ended up being a fun way to explore the expansive property. It was too early to check in, so we headed out to check a few more things to see off our list.

Dave took us to another great Tripadvisor find, Ross Errily Friary. Fans of the CW TV show, Reign, may recognize it from some of the first scenes of the show. The entire interior was open for unguided touring, and was one of my favorite structures on the trip to explore. After Ross Errily, we drove over to Galway and had lunch at the King's Head, the oldest pub in Galway, established in 1649.

It started raining heavily after lunch and so we didn't get to walk around Galway as much as we would have liked in our limited time there. We drove back to Ashford Castle where we asked for a map of the grounds and went out to explore in the improving weather, with the goal of finding Guinness Tower hidden in the woods. We found it, after getting lost, and climbed the 87 steps to the top where we found there was not much of a view, due to the surrounding trees being taller than the tower itself. The remainder of the day was spent wandering the fabulous gardens of the castle and admiring the views of the water until we could check in and make ourselves at home. Ashford was the location of Isabelle's favorite hot chocolate of the whole trip!

The following morning we began our final full day in Ireland with a long drive from Ashford Castle heading back toward Dublin. We stopped to see Trim Castle, where scenes from Braveheart were filmed, and were sad to see we would have our first truly awful weather day. It was rainy, and cold and windy. Not far from Trim Castle, we visited Swords Castle, which was in the process of being remodeled and so had limited areas for touring. I expect now eight years later, the construction is most likely completed! Even with areas not open to tourists, it was worth the stop.

Malahide Castle and gardens was up next before getting back to Dublin. It was hailing now so we ended up only touring the interior. The tour was great, including more information and story telling about its history than any other place we visited. However, it was more crowded too, and for the first time throughout the whole trip it felt like there were other tourists in Ireland with us.

The final night was spent at Clontarf Castle Hotel, where we loved the interior design and furnishings. We got a ride into the city for dinner with a Celtic Night theme of music and dancing at the Arlington Hotel. We walked around the city, crossed the ha'penny bridge, got a ride back to Clontarf for the night and crashed into bed. We woke up bright and early in the morning for our transfer to the airport in Dublin and headed home.

I have so much to say about Ireland and can't wait to return. I highly recommend getting a driver if its doable. It was much better to be able to focus on the landscapes and scenery around me, instead of on the scary narrow roads and oncoming cars. Isabelle lived off of hot chocolate and grilled cheese because she didn't love the Irish food choices, but the rest of the trip was just as magical for her as it was for me. Almost 8 years later and she stills talks about her experience in Ireland.