Best ways to spend great time in Ireland!

Ireland is one of the most beautiful country I have visited not just in terms of landscape and natural beauty but also the people there are just one of a kind, the most friendliest and happiest people I have met. When I went to Ireland for two weeks in the beginning of October, I did not really research a lot and just asked the locals around for recommendations. Everyone was so nice and helpful, it felt amazing to be on my own for the first time travelling solo. I thought it would be nice to share my experiences and recommendations for anyone who is visiting Ireland. Depending on how many days you have in Ireland you can plan a trip around it. Here are a few things I loved the most during my trip!

Walk till you drop in Dublin

Dublin is a super busy city , mostly can be explored by walking around the city. It does have lots of touristy things to do just like any other city. My favorite things to do while I was there was enjoying Butler’s Hot Choclate, watching scenic sunsets by the leafy river, relishing the healthy vegetarian meals at Tang, exploring Phoenix park with the beautiful deer and the lush green St Stephen’s park where I would sit for hours together. At night I loved hanging at bars with live music such as the Brazen Head and Church bar. The city seems overwhelming and bustling with tourists but once you start getting the hang of it, its enjoyable and all worth it.

Experience Irish countryside at Wicklow National Park

They say the real beauty of Ireland lies in the countryside. The best part is its accessible from Dublin by tour buses that take you out to the countryside if you don’t have a car there. I used the services from the Wild Rover tour and they were very entertaining. The bus travels to the small city of Killkenny which is a small cobbled stone town and then takes you all the way to Glendalough in Wicklow mountains which is landmark to early monastic settlement remains naturally preserved in a valley.

Priest’s home

Graveyard

Monastic Ruins

Glendelough Lake

Church ruins

 

Visit a sheep farm at Glendalough

The last part of the wild rover tour was something I was most excited about.  It was the visit to the sheep farm and interaction with the shepherd about the sheep dog demonstration.  It was amazing to see the dog follow the whistles of the shepherd , run and herd the sheep. I also got a chance to get so close to the sheep and pet them. My day exploring the countryside left me wonder struck that Ireland is so beautiful.

Sheep hug

Sheep Dog Demontration

All kinds of sheep

Relish the live music and great food at Galway

The Hueston train station was the hub to hop on the train and travel to the different little cities. One of the weekends I traveled to Galway, which is the cultural heart of Ireland. It is in slow paced cities such as Galway, you experience the real Irish culture. Bustling with tourists, Galway was a hub for great food and music. The Kitchen, Pasta Factory and Dough Pizza were some of my favorite spots in the city for food. The street music was very lively and enjoyable too.

River Corrib

Latin Quarter

Visit the local coastal towns of Mahalide, Howth, Dun Laire and Bray

Just about less than an hour away by train, Dublin is sorrounded by various beautiful coastal towns. I visited Mahalide and Dun Laire, both pretty towns surrounded by the ocean. Moderately cold fall weather and the leaves changing colors made it even more beautiful.

Explore the Killarney National Park

My favorite out of everything that I explored during my two weeks in Ireland was exploring the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney. Everything was just so magical about this place including castles, horse carraige rides, colorful sheeps and just the most stunning landscape ever. It was two trains away from Dublin and took about 3 hours to reach there but was a totally worth it visit and my absolute favorite part of the trip.

I also have individual posts on each of the above places if you are specifically interested in any one of them .Please share if there was a part of Ireland I missed! I would love to read.

A Classic Fairy Tale City, Old Quebec!

Old Quebec is a classic fairy tale city surrounded by citadels and forts at every corner. The moment we entered the city through giant dome shaped gateways, I was already in the awe of the city. Every little street we crossed to reach our hotel had horse buggies running along the pavements bustling with tourists. Every nook and corner of the city was filled with street musicians playing guitar, piano, saxophone and all kinds of instruments. The music being soft and mellow was very soothing to hear.

 

Our first day at Old Quebec, we checked into the Fairmont Le Chateau that is a palace like looking hotel in the heart of the city. Located right by the Lawrence River, the Le Chateau looks no less than a historic mansion. As we walked out of our hotel, we started to make our way to the lower town down the stairs to the Champlain district which is also known as the shopping district of old Quebec. The shopping district was filled with little art and souvenir shops. As we walked, we enjoyed listening to the street musicians and stopped for a little bit to relax by the saxophone musician who had adorable dogs sleeping peacefully by him.

 

Exploring further we reached the square for lunch. The European style roofs of the square reminded me of Bruges in Belgium which I visited a few years ago. We also did take the funicular uphill to get panoramic views of the city surrounded by the Lawrence River. As we settled down with the day, the beautiful fairy tale night in the city had begun. Old couples dancing out to the musicians by the streets by the Italian restaurant which I still vividly remember. The caricature and art shops had begun to close but the hustle and bustle of the tourists in romantic restaurants was still a sight to remember.

 

I was very excited to see the horse buggies right in front of our hotel and really wanted to do the city tour in the carriage. Our carriage tour guide not only educated us about the history of the city but also added his own local entertaining stories which made us laugh all the way through the end of the tour. He did teach us a few French phrases and we loved making conversations with him. Our horse Bob was very friendly and did make multiple stops to drink water at the fountains around the city.

 

As our trip was coming to an end, we started to gather souvenirs such as maple syrup, fridge magnets and handmade soaps before we flew back home. As we stepped out of the dreamy land, the real life started to kick in and it was time to go back home 🙂

Napa and Sonoma Wine County in Spring!

After reading from several resources about Napa and Sonoma being the most beautiful in the month of April, I so wanted to visit the wine country in the spring. With purple wisteria in bloom across the Sonoma streets and the lush green vineyards all across the valley, spring turned out to be just perfect time to visit the wine country with friends. The highlight of our trip was the super fresh food served in the farm to table style restaurants. Everything including salads, juices and soups were freshly made from the vegetables and fruits harvested from their own farms. My two recommendation of these kind of restaurants would be Farmstead and Harvest Table. The dishes served were very flavorful and very well blended together with impeccable service. All we did was eat, eat and eat!

My most awaited part of the trip was the Tuscan style castle and winery Castello Di Amorosa. The winery was built in the 13^th century and is located on a hill surrounded by valleys covered with grape vines. The inside of the castle is beautiful and there are dark cave like entrances with wine tastings in every corner of the castle. We really enjoyed the different kinds of wine tasting. My personal favorites were the smooth sweet wines Sympatica and Moscato. The other winery that we really enjoyed was the Mumm Napa which had a beautiful patio serving wine with snacks overlooking the huge vineyards.

Both Sonoma and Napa downtown seemed to be laid back and relaxing with soft country side music that fabulously complimented the wine. We spend our evenings strolling by the outdoor bars and restaurants and would sit down to hear the music which was absolutely soothing for the mind. It helped us unwind from the day to day hustle and bustle of the city. The other restaurants that I really enjoyed was the rustic bistro “Girl and the Fig” as well as the Spanish eatery “Bravas Bar de Tapas”. Our hotel Double Tree By Hilton near the Sonoma valley also offered a free wine and cheese hour every evening accompanied with live piano music in the background. It was a great way to sit back and relax after a day of exploring the valley. I also enjoyed driving along the rolling meadows and hills covered with roses and grape vines and it was difficult to leave such a beautiful place, but our next destination Sausalito was waiting for us 🙂