ireland | The Opinionated Woman's Musings

Since it’s been a while since I have traveled internationally, I have been looking at my pictures of vacations from past years.

In 2017, I told hubs that we were taking an international trip to a new location. I wanted a new stamp in my passport.

He got to pick the country. He chose Ireland.

Not knowing much about the country, I began reading tourist blogs and watching YouTube channels dedicated what to do when visiting the country.

As I reminisce about that trip, here are my top 5 travel tips

-Do go to The Church and sit in the bar area (their food was phenomenal and they used to have live music and Irish dancers Monday-Wednesday). They take pub food to another level. If you get the roast chicken, it is big enough to share. Add on a dessert for a discounted price.

-Do book a bus tour to Cliffs of Moher (it’s a long day but totally worth it). It’s a win-win because you get to see the countryside, relax while someone else drives, and see breathtaking natural beauty.

-Do check buying your tour tickets online for best value (we saved 40% with Darby tours by booking online)

-Do go to Pennys for cute fashion at a value price. They have something for everyone. I bought some comfy pajamas.

Do a hop on-hop off city bus tour to get the layout and history of the whole city (we chose Do Dublin and added the Guinness brewery tour). You can hop off and visit the sites and then hop back in the bus to travel around the rest of the city.

Here are my top three DONT’S in the city

-Don’t be intimidated by riding the Luas aka “the tram” (its easy to navigate and people are generally helpful)

-Don’t believe it when the locals say “tram travel time is about 15 minutes” (whatever travel time estimate they give, you probably better triple that)

-Don’t forget that they drive on the left (be careful when crossing the street or only use crosswalks)

Final thoughts: Ireland is a BEAUTIFUL country and I think everyone should visit at least once.

I can’t wait to return!

I cannot believe that November is over already!!!

The theme for November photo blog and challenge hosted by http://hoohaa.com was BLUE. I love the color blue and was excited to see what I would take pictures of to fit in with the theme.

Photo 1

I realized this month, a lot of my blue pictures were of the sky. We took a trip to Ireland this month and arrived about 8:00 in the morning. I love the morning sky. Looking at it is so relaxing. At the same time, I was beginning to hyperventilate because I was in Ireland!!!!!! Months of waiting were leading up to this trip.

Photo 2

We went to the Guinness storehouse and brewery for a tour. This is a picture of a light installation representing the Nitrogen air bubbles in a glass of Guinness. I told the Hubs that I want him to make me some lights like this for the house. He responded, “Take a picture and we will see.”

Photo 3

I would have thought that all the street signs in Ireland would have been green. I thought that was the national color 🙂 I guess they put some blue in there for variety. There was so much to do in Ireland, we need another trip to do it all. So many museums, so little time.

Photo 4

Of course, going to the Cliff of Moher was at the VERY top of my list of things to do in Ireland. It is a breathtaking as I imagined. I like visiting places like this because it impresses upon me the power found in nature. Beautiful. With the mist and fog, there was a slightly ominous quality as well.

Photo 5

Because I did not spend the entire month in Ireland, for my last picture, I chose a selfie I took at a wedding. I like how the blue lights reflected off of the building wall. I was part of the sparkler send off to the bride and groom. It was a beautiful end to a wonderful wedding. I wish the bride and groom much love and happiness ❤