Travel Guide: Ireland in a week

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Travel Guides

Ireland

Due to the recent $379 Fare to Ireland (dates still available for Jan & Feb), it is only fitting that TWiBT help you make the most of your trip.  The way I routed my flight was to go in to Dublin and out of London, so I'll be visiting both countries.  First, we'll talk about a few basics of Ireland, then I'll hit you with a pretty solid itinerary to consider.

The Basics
Ireland is a small country, roughly the size of Indiana (but vastly more interesting).  English is the main language, but you may be able to encounter people speaking Irish Gaelic along the western coast of the country.  It sounds pretty different from English, so don't expect them to understand you, although most people there are bilingual.  Learn a few words, impress someone, maybe even yourself.  Their currency is the Euro.  Throughout history Ireland was a relatively poor country until recently.  Their economy boomed in recent years and crashed hard during this past recession.

The Itinerary
Ireland is not just Dublin and Dublin is hardly representative of Ireland.  Seeing just the capital city may work in some places (such as Indiana), but not in Ireland.  In fact, much of what you think of as true Ireland is most likely outside of Dublin.  I'll be in Ireland for a week and then London for a few days, but here's my tentative itinerary for Ireland.  You'll need to bring a Dublin street map, Ireland Road Map, both of which will be in any good Ireland Travel Guide.  I like Fodor's, Frommer's, and sometimes Lonely Planet guides.

Day 1 - The Must See's
Start out relatively early, but be rested.  Start walking and hit these sites, you may want to highlight them on a walking route with your Dublin street map.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Dublin Castle"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="St. Patrick's Cathedral"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Trinity College"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="National Museum of Ireland - Free Admission too!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Stop off at St Patrick's Green with some food for a picnic lunch!"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="After having your rest, check out Grafton Street."][/caption]

 

Day 2 - Dublin Night life
Free during the day.  Find something that interests you, I'll likely be renting a bike and exploring the rest of the city on two wheels.  Pack a lunch and take a nap in the late afternoon.  Then...Pub Crawl!  Whether you're a heavy drinker or not, it might be a fun experience to visit some of Ireland's most lively pubs.  Don't be afraid to make a friend on CouchSurfing or another cultural exchange site and have them join you.  If not, routing out on your Dublin Street map the following pubs:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Temple Bar area is a good place to start."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="O'Donoghue's - Be sure to stay for some live Irish music"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="375" caption="Ryan's Pub"][/caption]

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Brazen Head - Dublin's Oldest Pub since 1198"][/caption]

Day 3 - Hit the road
You'll find a car rental on Kayak.com from Dublin VERY cheap!  If you're travelling with more than one person, this might be a better option than the bus or rail system if you are limited on time also.  This is where you're Irish road map comes into use, or just rent a GPS too.  Keep in mind, your car will likely be a manual transmission, so you might want to become comfortable driving one before leaving home.  Besides, you may not even be able to reach all these places without a car.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Powerscourt Estate"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Kilkenny Castle"][/caption]

Bed down anywhere in Kilkenny after that and enjoy your first Irish village on foot.  Again, don't be afraid to interact with the locals.  Try making some friends with some people or bloggers before you set out there.

Day 4 - Southern Coast
A lot of people would say to hit Waterford, but personally I'd say skip it for anything more than just a lunch.  Chances are by this time you'll need some more variety than just castles and villages and that is why you're driving to Ardmore.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Spend the first half of the day in the beach town of Ardmore."][/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="To provide a nice contrast to all these small towns, spend the second half of the day and the night in Cork."][/caption]

Day 5 - Free Day & Get Lost!
Instead of hitting the tourist trail, you might want to either consider spending the day in Cork (possibly taking a cooking class) or just start driving off to your next destination and stop along the way at whatever looks interesting.  Part of the appeal of an Irish vacation is getting lost.  Your next destination is the Cliffs of Moher, so try driving in that direction and make a few wrong turns intentionally!  Sleep somewhere along the way or arrive in either Limerick or Shannon.

Day 6 - The Edge of Ireland
After having breakfast in wherever it is you ended up, head over to see the Cliffs of Moher.  The visitor's center is actually built into the cliffs, so keep an eye out for it.  Consider taking a ferry ride to see these cliffs from sea level.  After having your fill of the cliffs, head on up to Galway

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Cliffs of Moher"][/caption]

Spend the evening in Galway.  Treat yourself to a nice dinner and/or a show such as Trad on the Prom before you head back to Dublin in the morning.  If you have extra time, consider visiting the Aran Islands.

Day 7 - Back to Dublin
There will be many small towns on the drive from Galway to Dublin, so be sure to leave enough time to stop into some for lunch.

 

So there you have it, one week in Ireland and getting in a lot of sites without overdoing it.  Sure, I could've squeezed in Belfast, but that would've been way too much for one week.  When it comes to finding places to sleep, be sure to read these two articles to save money, whatever your style:
-Hotels
-Alternative Accommodations

Enjoy your trip!

-Jason of TWiBT

 

Epcot Food & Wine Festival – Is it too much?

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Travel Review

Epcot Food & Wine Festival – Is it too much?

Roller coasters make me sick, so therefore it probably comes as no surprise that despite living in Florida my whole life, I’ve never ventured outside of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and Epcot.  Epcot is an awesome place to visit.  When I was a kid, it was the closest I could get to actually traveling the world.  I’d do anything I could to visit there, so I could see their exhibits of countries in the World Showcase section of the park.  The World Showcase section of the park doesn’t open until 11am, so I’m  usually killing time in the main section of the park until it opens.

When I heard about the Food & Wine festival, I had to go check it out!  Aside from the usual countries exhibited in the World Showcase, Epcot brings in samplings of food and wine from a variety of cuisines and cultures from around the world!  What’s not to love!?  Here’s my take on it.

The Food
The food ranges from good to amazing.  There was nothing I had at the festival that I didn’t like very much.  The problem is how it is served.  There are small little food stands (kinda like the ones you’d expect to get an ice cream at), but everyone has a massive line of people waiting to order.  I knew the food wasn’t going to be cheap.  I paid about $5 two inches of sausage and a tablespoon of sauerkraut on it.  I also paid about $8 for piece of manicotti about half the size you’d see in a small frozen dinner.  It tasted good yes, but was it worth paying that much for such a small piece and having to wait in line for a while….questionable.

The Wine
Similar issue.  Small portions, long wait, expensive.

The Festival
Going to the food and wine festival in Epcot and expecting to fill up on the samples of food alone will easily cost you a ton of money.  We got so tired of trying to get in at each of these tiny carts which were squeezed into the most random parts of the world showcase.  I remember one food stand was shoved in between a bathroom and Japan.  Another seemed almost in the middle of the sidewalk with the lines causing a human traffic jam.

After a couple hours of this, we decided to simply just go eat at one of the restaurants in the World Showcase.  My fiancé chose Morocco, and for $16 each we had a delicious, 3 course meal, in a nice restaurant with air conditioning, and it was not crowded at all.  As I was paying the bill, I was thinking how Epcot is nice enough on its own, and that it doesn’t need the food and wine festival.  I feel that the festival and Epcot are actually doing a disservice to each other.
My Two Cents
The festival would be much better if it were done at a separate location.  Food vendors could spread out, people wouldn’t be sitting on curbs, railings, and trash cans eating their tiny food samples.  There would be room for tables.  Vendors could sell gifts and have bigger displays representing their cultures, rather than trying to portion them out through an ice cream stand.  Besides, Epcot doesn’t really need the festival.  It has enough to offer on its own.   My advice to Disney, keep the festival, but don’t try to shove it into the already crowded area of the World Showcase.  My advice to TWiBT readers, skip the festival, but definitely visit Epcot.  It really is an awesome place!  Where else can you see 11 countries for under $100?  Also, the Orlando area is an extremely over saturated hotel market, so you should have no difficulty getting an amazing hotel deal.

-Jason of TWiBT

5 Awesome Cultural Festivals in the USA & Canada

Think twice about crossing an ocean next time you want to experience some culture!  While not in any order, these festivals will provide you with an authentic cultural experience close to home.  In my personal experience, the best festivals I've been to were in Montreal.  This is the rundown of TWiBT's Top Festivals in North America!

1.)  Mardi Gras - New Orleans, Louisiana



Celebrated as early as 1699 in New Orleans, the festival is held annually in February.  The original purpose was for Catholics to have a last bit of festivities before they'd begin their fasting for Lent.  It is debatable whether that is still what the festival is about, but you can be assured you'll see some interesting things.

2.)  Burning Man - Black Rock Desert, Nevada



This festival in the middle of a Northern Nevada desert is most known for the burning of the 40 foot tall wooden man.  The true purpose of the festival is to promote self-reliance & self-expression through art or just the opportunity to simply be yourself.  Participants are discouraged from using cash at the festival and should participate in giving gifts instead.  Expect to see the other side of people, and expect to be HOT (it is the desert!)

3.)  Just For Laughs Festival - Montreal, Quebec



My personal favorite festival, which I actually discovered by accident when I was in Montreal.  We arrived late in the afternoon and after taking a short nap, I took a walk to try and find a grocery store.  After turning a corner, I stumbled upon this massive street festival.  This festival features 11 days worth of comedy-related performances in both English & French.  Definitely a must see!

4.)  Calle Ocho - Miami, FL



Miami has the largest Cuban population outside of Cuba.  Miami is a good town for parties.  Cubans like to party.  Enough said?  Cuban food is AMAZING too!

5.)  Puerto Rican Day Parade - New York, NY



Celebrating Puerto Rican culture in America. Takes place along 5th Avenue in New York City.

There ya go! 5 unique cultural experiences in the United States & Canada celebrating culture and arts. While this was not meant to rate any one culture against another, feel free to leave comments about any cool North American festivals you've been to!

-Jason of TWiBT

Travel to Iceland (and how NOT to die there!)

Travel to Iceland (and how NOT to die there!)

Up until recently, Iceland has been off the map for many tourists. Even still today to some degree, it is pushed into the shadows of tourism by many Americans in favor of nearby Europe. You may not realize how relatively close it is, just over 5 hours flight time from New York.  You can fly IcelandAir, but Delta also now has nonstop flights from New York.  While not exactly a weekend trip, it does provide an international experience if you are somewhat limited on travel time. Iceland has a natural beauty like few other places in the world. It kind of looks like a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie in some places. While that movie was not filmed in Iceland, you’ll get that impression from Iceland’s beautiful landscapes.

Costs in Reykjavik
The capital city of Reykjavik is where you will most likely fly into. It is a modern European city, while somewhat expensive you can certainly do it smart. There are plenty of hotels, hostels, B&Bs, and CouchSurfing members in and around the city so finding accommodation in your price range should not be too much of a challenge. Peak season is summer, so try to avoid that if you want the best price. As with most place in Europe, try to cook your own food as restaurants are not cheap! If you are on a budget and must eat out, go ethnic. If you are a drinker, BYOB! Not exactly sure why, but alcohol is super expensive in Reykjavik.  Mostly this applies to bars, so if you must get drunk, down a couple 40s with some friends in your hostel before going out.  Otherwise you’ll seriously eat into your budget. Also, avoid taxis as they are extremely expensive. When you fly into Reykjavik, expect a taxi to your city hotel to be over $100. Just take the bus.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="412" caption="Traditional Icelandic Refrigerator"][/caption]

What to do
Iceland is not a huge country, roughly the size of Ohio and much of it is desolate. It is not unrealistic to stay in Reykjavik the entire time and take day tours to the surrounding area. While you won’t need a tour to see Reykjavik, it is most economical to get on a day tour to the surrounding areas instead of renting a car. Here are some popular destinations that you may want to consider.

1.) Hallgrímskirkja Church

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="455" caption="Kinda looks like a spaceship."][/caption]

Largest church in Iceland, restored in 2009. Located within Reykjavik, so its easy to get to no matter where in the city you are staying.

2.) Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="428" caption="Either kids have a separate pool, or that's a lot of chlorine."][/caption]

Natural pool of geothermal mineral-rich water. Perfect to relax in and take care of your skin, ya know, spa stuff? Located just outside Reykjavik, but you can take a bus there from downtown Reykjavik. You might also get a better value if you ride netbus http://www.bustravel.is/en/bus-tours which will also include your entrance fee to the Blue Lagoon.

3.) South Shore Tours

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491" caption="Nature showing off."][/caption]

Outside of the capital city of Reykjavik, Iceland’s charm is in her natural beauty. Any tour along this route should include some amazing waterfalls, small villages, black sand beaches, and possibly some glaciers. Be sure your tour stops at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall.

4.) Golden Circle Tour

If you didn’t get enough mystical nature pictures on the South Shore tour (or you’re trying to make a Lord of the Rings fan film), check out a Golden Circle tour. This takes you into central Iceland where you’ll get to see the Gullfoss waterfall, Strokkur geyser, volcano craters, as well as some small villages.  Be careful to not get too close to the geysers or you'll end up like this guy who got sucked into a blowhole in Hawaii.  TWiBT readers, respect the geysers.


5.) Reykjavik Nightlife
Reykjavik has a thriving nightlife scene. Whether you are there to go bar-hopping or to go dancing, there are many impressive options you’ll encounter along the way. Don’t expect the club scene to really take off until midnight, as Reykjavik nightclubs are real after hours kinda places. The most popular clubs in Reykjavik are probably NASA and Club Sólon (which is also a tapas bar). You'll also have plenty of options of amazing restaurants. Take it from Chef Siggi Hall in this video "Iceland has always produce a great good foods".  What more do you want!?


Be sure to consider Iceland for your next trip, you’ll find it is easier to explore than many countries in Europe and you can have a great trip even if you are limited on time.  Due to its small size, you don't need a ton of time to experience the country.  Whether you are there to admire the architecture, the geology, the nightlife, or just to escape the heat, it has something for everyone. Even Lord of the Rings fans.

-Jason of TWiBT