Ireland - Day by Day

Holy cow I can't believe our trip has come and gone.  I didn't want to leave.  I want to go back.  Ireland is everything I wanted it to be and more.  When I was in college, I was lucky enough to do a semester abroad in Austria.  Greatest experience of my life, I've been all over Europe.  The only place I didn't visit was Ireland, so this was my chance and I'm pretty confident we did it right.

Day 1 - Dublin
I had been told by many people not to waste my time in Dublin but I couldn't go to Ireland and NOT go to Dublin so this was our first stop.  And ya know what, I have no complaints.  Yes, it's a typical big city.  Yes, it's touristy.  But the people are amazing, the food was the best in Ireland and we had our favorite Irish coffee's at Mercantile (we had an Irish coffee every single day, in the AM and then the PM, we had a lot of time to determine a favorite).

There's a lot going on in Dublin - Temple Bar, Guinness Factory, Old Jameson Distillery, St. Patrick's Cathedral, etc.  The only way we guarenteed to see everything was to hop on a bus.  We rode around town, saw the sights and got off/on when we wanted - I highly recommend.

Before we left USA we watched The Layover - Dublin by Anthony Bourdain.  Thank goodness.  WIth his recommendation we had dinner at The Chop House.  BEST FOOD IN IRELAND!  We met a great couple from Ireland and talked with them for hours.  It was a great way to start our trip.

Day 2 - Portmarnock and Howth
PT really wanted to golf in Ireland.  I couldn't have cared less but since I love my man, we golfed.  God must've known I wasn't happy about it because we were blessed with the most gorgeous weather the whole trip.  It was sunny and warm and we actually had a great time.

At dinner the night before, our new friends recommended this town, Howth.  It happened to be about 10 minutes from where we golfed, so we stopped by.  Howth is tiny but adorable.  We had the best Fish and Chips at O'Connell's.  Walked around the town, out onto the board and even got to see the local's feed some seals.  If you have the time, I would definitely suggest Howth.