We got up early and checked out of our hotel by 6:45. Then we were off to the metro and then the Opera-Roissy bus to CDG. We got a little lost looking for the bus, and happened past the Apple store. There was a huge crowd and media crews outside for the iPhone 5 release. It was chaos! Luckily, we soon found our bus and were off to CDG. It was about a 45 minute ride.
We arrived a bit before 9 for our 10:25 flight to Dublin. At our gate, we relaxed with a café for Adam and a giant coffee macaron for moi. Yum! Boarding our flight through Aer Lingus was especially odd. We had to go down stairs and then board a bus which took us out to the middle of the runway where our plane was parked. Super weird. It was an Irish airline, and we were especially glad to hear English being spoken again! Not understanding anything wears on you after a while!
After a short flight (about 1.5 hrs), we arrived in Ireland a little after 11. There we picked up our rental car. Adam was thrilled. Not! I had booked an economy size, but they didn't have any left that size with automatic. So they upgraded us to a full-size, which is not what you want for the narrow Irish roads - probably the only time it's not fun to get upgraded! Lucky for us, this model had a built in GPS which was a lifesaver. Though they were only too happy to offer us another GPS unit for €15 a day before telling us there was one built in. Nice.
Once Adam got acquainted to sitting on the right (passenger) side to drive, we were off. Adam did really well with driving on the left side of the road! I had more of a problem with it then he did - I went to get in on the driver's side a few times. Instinct!
Note Adam's look of apprehension!
Our first stop was a slight detour to go to Glendalough. We took the "scenic" aka scary route through Sally Gap on R115 through the Wicklow Mountains. The roads were mostly dirt and quite winding and narrow. But the scenery was lovely!
There's our lovely rental car!
We had to stop a few times for random sheep crossing/blocking off the road.
Words can't really describe what it's like to drive in Ireland. The motorways are fine, but all the regular streets and highways are freakishly narrow, as in 3/4 off a normal lane in the U.S. with NO shoulder. And most of the sights to see are not on the motorway. And there's usually a stone wall or tall hedge right next to the road. Luckily, our side view mirror was already damaged on the passenger side (can't imagine why...). Poor Adam. It was quite stressful for him!
Once we arrived at Glendalough, we got out and explored the lower area. Glendalough is an early monastic settlement that was founded by St. Kevin in the 6th Century. It's been a ruin since 1398 when it was destroyed by English soldiers.
The Gateway
The Round Tower
Built for bells and also used as a storehouse and safe haven during attacks.
The Cathedral
Saint Kevin's Church
I loved all the cool stone crosses,
and these adorable little ferns that were growing in the stone wall cracks. I love this photo.
It started to rain, so we drove up to the Upper Lake and glacial valley. Adam liked this part the best.
On our way back to the car, we stopped by this really cool old tree.
We were getting hungry, so we split a delicious order of garlic fries at a little food stand. It was so rich but so yummy. It was chilly so I also had a hot chocolate!
Around 3:30, we left via the Wicklow Gap to the motorway. The roads were extra scary through here with high speed limits and lots of blind turns.
We arrived at the Cliffs of Moher right at sunset (7 pm?). Lucky for us the Visitor's Center was closed for the day so we didn't have to pay to park or get in. It was really awesome to finally see the Cliffs! This was basically the whole reason I wanted to go to Ireland and why we rented a car. I was really paranoid we'd get there and the Cliffs would be fogged in, but we were lucky.
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| photo by Adam (I think) |
After admiring the Cliffs, it was a short (but scary) 10 minute drive to our hotel in Doolin. From our room, we had a lovely view of the ocean and some cliffs.
We briefly settled in, and then headed down to the pub at 8. There we split some delicious fish & chips and had a few pints. We also enjoyed some traditional Irish music! We didn't stay late though because we were pretty exhausted. I think all the travel was finally catching up with us! Even though Ireland is a small country, the country roads made for a long day of driving!
Highlights of the day:
Stef - Glendalough, especially the monastic ruins- Cliffs at sunset
- Driving through the Irish countryside and mountains
Adam - Being back in an English speaking country
- Glendalough, especially the Upper Lake area
- Cliffs at sunset
Nice write up, I plan on going to Dublin and renting a car as well to drive to the Wicklow Mountains area. Which did you like more the wicklow mountains or the cliffs of moher? I only have time for one or the other.
ReplyDeleteI have never drove on the left side so I am nervous about that!
Both are pretty amazing, but I would say the Cliffs of Moher. It's one of the top places I wanted to see in my lifetime, and it didn't disappoint. It's a beautiful area!
ReplyDelete