Saturday – 08/29/2015
We took advantage of the fact that Celo's mother was with us in Dublin and we rented a car to travel around the country. We put together the following itinerary for the weekend with the help of a friend who traveled for 10 days around the country and we thought it turned out pretty cool, even though we arrived late in Cashel to visit the castle:
Dublin – Brú na Bóinne (Newgrange) – Galway – Cliffs of Moher – Cashel – Dublin
Newgrange
The first stop was in Brown in the Woods, which is an hour from Dublin, and It is the largest and one of the most important megalithic sites in Europe, being older than the pyramids of Egypt and Stonehenge. It is believed that the burial passages and sacred enclosures that are there were built in 3200 BC, that is, more than 5 thousand years ago!!! There are 3 Neolithic burial passages – Newgrange, Dowth and Knowth -, the main one being Newgrange. To visit them, you need to buy a ticket at the visitor center and if it is high season, they recommend that you arrive early, as there is a limit on visits per day.
We arrived at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Center It was just before 2pm, but the next available tour to Newgrange was only at 3:30pm. We paid 6 euros each and during the almost two-hour wait, we took advantage of the opportunity to have lunch at the restaurant in the center and visit the exhibition with all the details of the discoveries in the region. When it was close to our time, we walked to the bus stop to catch the transport to the site. They are very punctual!
When we were outside the Newgrange, our guide explained that when it was excavated in the 1960s, archaeologists discovered that on the winter solstice (December 21), sunlight enters the tomb and illuminates the burial chamber. Since the passage is very short and narrow, our group was divided into two so that we wouldn't feel too claustrophobic inside. I thought the engineering of the place was incredible, with so many well-fitted stones, especially on the ceiling (you can't take pictures inside, so you have to go and see it). The guide simulated the sun entering on December 21 and it's really incredible how the light enters the chamber perfectly. It's a must see in Ireland!
Our Bed and Breakfast
We arrived in Galway around 8pm and went straight to our B&B, the Oceanvilla, which has a rating of 9.4 on Booking. The house is super cozy, the owners are very friendly and the breakfast is delicious (we noticed the following day!). We recommend it!
We asked for recommendations for a seafood restaurant (it's the region's strong point) to go to for dinner and ended up going to O'Grady's on the Pier (4.5 rating on TripAdvisor). Absolutely everything was wonderful, but I absolutely loved the crab starter! We recommend it too!
Sunday – 08/30/2015
We take the traditional Irish Breakfast prepared with great care by the family, we made the check out (they only accept cash) and we drove to the center of Galway.
Galway
We parked the car in a parking lot that we found very close to the Spanish Arch and we started the tour right there, following our guide's tips.
We walked through the High, Shop & William Streets, which are pedestrian only and we love their atmosphere. Lots of street artists, for a change, lots of pubs, little shops and even a fair in front of the St Nicholas' Collegiate Church.
We entered the church and the faithful who had just attended mass were drinking coffee and snacking on pastries while chatting among themselves. There was a lovely community atmosphere there. 🙂
We continued walking to the city's main square, Eyre Square, which also had several artists playing music. This is very typical of Ireland! <3
Cliffs of Moher
We walked a little more through the streets and decided to go to the Cliffs of Moher, which are the famous cliffs of Ireland. As I had already visited the place in March with my brother, I knew of a beautiful and very narrow road that goes along the coast and there we went. The path is quite stressful, because it is really very narrow, but the view is very interesting.
We paid 6 euros each to park our car and enter the Cliffs, but no one asked for our tickets when we walked into the tourist center. When I asked a saleswoman about showing someone your tickets, she said there are inspectors stationed around who can ask for them at any time.
We started the tour by taking the trail that led us to the right. We took advantage of the good visibility (not necessarily a beautiful day) and walked to the end. Then we went back to the beginning of the two trails and took the other one, but since we were already tired and it was a little late, we didn't go all the way to the end. I personally think the trail on the right has more beautiful views, but try to do both and judge later. You can also climb the little castle, but I thought it was a big mistake when I went up...lol.
Cashel
We left the Cliffs and drove to Cashel, which is located in the county of Tipperary. We wanted to stop there anyway to take a picture with a sign Tipperary (a long story) and who knows, maybe visit the Rock of Cashel, but because of the time, the castle was already closed. Next time!
We arrived in Dublin safe and sound. 🙂
