One perfect week in Ireland...Day 1

For me, there truly is no more magical a place than Ireland. It feels more alive than perhaps any country I've ever been to. So, naturally, my first blog had to be about Ireland.

So, here is day 1 of my idea of a perfect week in Ireland!

Day 1: Dublin

If possible, I always take an overnight flight just so I can maximize my vacation days. I know this doesn't work for everyone, but for us - so far so good! Sleep is for the weak amirite?

Both times we've been in Dublin, we've stayed at the same B&B, The Kilronan House. Here's why: centrally located, free parking, reasonably priced, wonderful staff and customer service, great breakfast and super comfortable beds. As a caveat, the rooms are tiny and you may have to go up and down some stairs so it might be difficult if you have mobility issues. The first time we went to Ireland, I had no clue how we were supposed to manage parking. I think we illegally parked the car somewhere on the side of the road, tossed our keys at the front desk staff and asked them to deal with it...and they did. We truthfully weren't trying to be rude Americans but in retrospect I see how they might have felt some kind of way about that.

Now I know what you are supposed to do. If you get in before your room is ready you can park your car at the front of the hotel and ask them to help you park it.  Then, you can drop your bags off and head into the city center. The 15 minute walk from the Kilronan House will take you through St. Stephen's Green. I know everyone waxes poetic about St. Stephen's Green, and yes its nice, but I have places to go and Book of Kells to see.

At this point, I make a beeline for Trinity College. There is nothing like its library and my fingers literally itch when I see my precious, the Book of Kells. The visiting hours are only until 5 PM Mon- Sat (430 on Sundays), so I would head here first to make sure you have enough time.

After Trinity, you could make your way to Dublin Castle and if nothing else, I would go ahead and buy a heritage card. This gives you free admission to all fee paying State managed OPW Heritage Sites throughout the country for one year from the date of issue.  Here I am going to hit you with some sad truth: we've never walked inside Dublin Castle. Usually we spend so much time just walking around Dublin that we don't make it to the castle in time.

The upside to that is it's beautiful in the evening.

At this point, we usually head back to our hotel, get settled in and nap for a few hours.  Once you feel revived, make your way back out to the Temple Bar District and just wander.  The city has a different feel at night and you can stop at whatever bar/restaurant strikes your fancy. At some point I also usually accidentally find myself outside of Murphy's Ice Cream. FYI: they close at 10 pm. FYI: the brown bread ice cream is to die for. FYI: you're not really going to find it once you leave Dublin so maybe you want to go here more than once.

Follow along for Day 2!