Ireland Rocks!

The title is actually a phrase you find on a lot of tee-shirts for sale in souvenir shops because Ireland has a lot of rocks.

Our journey is over. John and I went to the Guinness Storehouse on Sunday as our last touristy thing. It is a tall, multi-story building giving Guinness's history, production, advertisement, and memorabilia. We ended up on the top floor, which has a "gravity bar" where you get a complimentary pint of the brew and look out windows at the whole of Dublin. There are lines about different spots in Dublin from Joyce's works painted on the glass window at strategic places.

Now that the journey is over, and I am almost over my jet lag, I'll point out the highlights and what I learned about traveling in Ireland:

Highlights: If I had to recommend stuff to see, here's what I'd recommend:

Galway is my favorite place. It's a city, but it's not too busy, and it's got the seaside feel that I really love. Plus, it is close enough to major tourist attractions, like the Aran Islands, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren to get to those places on day trips. It's pricey to get to those places, but that would be the case regardless, unless you rented a car.

Dublin is a wonderful place, but it's a very busy city, and there are so many sites to see it feels overwhelming. However, the archeology museum is great, and it and the other national museums in Dublin are free. I also have to say that the Dublin Writer's Museum is awesome, even if it does cost money. The Temple Bar area is really cool--it's just this area where there are a lot of shops and restaurants. Of course, the Guinness Storehouse is also very cool.

I give thumbs up to Blarney Castle and Blarney House (only about 8 miles from Cork). The House is especially cool because it's still a residence. Cork is a good city for staying in if you want to go to Blarney Castle. The downtown area is really nice (neat places to eat, et cetera).
Thumbs up also go to Muckross House and Traditional Farms (in Killarney). The gardens are so beautiful at Muckross House.

Kilkenny was a neat place. It has interesting historical sites--Kilkenny Castle and Rothe House--and it also has a wonderful craft center where you get to observe artisans at work (and you get to spend lots of money on pottery, fabrics, jewelry, or glass). Plus, it has that great pub that was originally owned by a "witch" in the 1700s.

What did I learn?

The open-road pass is a good idea because Bus Eirann goes to all the major cities. However, it might have also been a good idea to look into car rental for part of the time, especially for driving to the Ring of Kerry, Cliffs of Moher, and the Burren (which we didn't get to see). We had to cancel our reservation near Donegal b/c Bus Eirann didn't go there; also, Bus Eirann doesn't go places in Northern Ireland, so Belfast was out of the question for us on this trip. The bus system is great, but it doesn't get you everywhere.

Street names aren't always posted. This can be confusing when you get off a bus and try to figure out where your hostel is.

Even though street names aren't always posted, even big cities like Dublin, Cork, and Galway are pretty easy to navigate.

If you want to visit smaller towns, it may be better to rent a car than to rely only on the bus.

I think that's it. Ireland really does rock! It's such a beautiful place, and the cities are rich in history. For those of us literature nerds, it's a great place to go to pay homage to some really important writers--Yeats, Swift, Joyce, Wilde, et cetera. And for those of us history buffs, it's a great place to go if you want to visit sites where you can step back a few centuries. And for those of us who just like a good view, the countryside is green, lush, full of trees and flowers (and rocks). Yeah, I recommend going.