We were invited to Ireland for a wedding. None of us had been there before, so we decided to expand the trip and stay for a week. The country was a great surprise to us. The nature was absolutely beautiful and the people were very nice, though a bit difficult to understand at times.
We flew to Dublin and rented a car. I had lived in Australia and was used to driving on the left hand side, but this was a new experience for my boy. A few interesting experiences occurred, but luckily none of them were life threatening, and the thing I remember the most of the trip was the huge amount of sheep wandering around all over!
The inland area wasn´t always the most exciting, but when we got over to the north side, along the coast, the scenery was beautiful. Green and gorgeous, and there were several unique landmarks along the road, definitely worth a visit.
The wedding took place in Bundoran at a big hotel with a fantastic ocean view. The church ceremony made a huge impression on me, because it was very personal and filled with emotions, but the one thing I´ll never forget about this wedding, was the small girls performing river dance for us. This is a must see.
About the food in Ireland, I wasn´t too impressed along the road, but when we came in to the bigger cities, in particular Dublin, there was a lot of good places to choose from. And Dublin became a favorite in several ways. We stayed at the Dylan Hotel in the Tempel Bar area, which is located in town center. The Dylan hotel is a small but great looking design hotel, which I absolutely recommend. Tempel Bar represents the cultural center of Dublin, and the hotel is also close to Grafton Street, which is the main shopping area. Here you´ll find plenty of shops in all kinds of sizes with all kinds of stuff, and I was really happy when I found an Urban Outfitter shop, which used to be one of my favorites in the US.
But the best part of Ireland is still all the different pubs where you´ll always find company and a great atmosphere. Good tasting beer served with local snack and a football match on the TV, makes the experience complete. Other attractions close to the are are the Ha´Penny Bridge, Trinity College, Christchurch, Guinness Storehouse, Dublina and Dublin Castle.
Safe journey!