Luggage Tag...

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Ireland Road Trip: County Kilkenny

Trip date: September 2019

I was back in Ireland, after a quick side trip to the North, and at the Dublin airport picking up my car rental. I've driven on the "wrong" side of the road before (and without incident!) but it's still a bit nerve wracking. So I set off slow and made my way south on the M9. It was day one of a 14-day road trip (the longest I've ever done) around most of Ireland. And the first 12-days were all on my own!

My first destination, Jerpoint Abbey, was 1 ½ hours away according to the map. But narrow country roads and a brief rain squall made it closer to 2 hours. I paid my €5 and set off to explore the medieval abbey once run by the Order of Cistercians.

Built in 1180 the abbey is known for its gorgeous stone carvings. As there were only two other people wandering the grounds, my visit felt very special. A great first stop on my epic road trip!

The monks of the abbey were very strict and devout followers Christianity. They upheld their beliefs, and for 350 years strongly encouraged others to join them. It wasn't until the creation of the Church of England that the land the monastery is on was awarded to the king and the buildings were made inhabitable.

Just 10-minutes down the road I arrived at my next stop, Kells Priory. This is the largest enclosed monastic set of structures in Ireland. The buildings cover about 3 acres and is free to wander through. There are a couple of different entrances, I first stopped at the main parking lot just south of the ruins.

If you then drive north, across a quintessential Irish stone bridge, you can find your way to an abandoned mill. The walk from here is gorgeous, past the old water wheel, and again there were only a few other people wandering about.

Founded in 1193, the priory and its seven towers were of the Augustinian monk order. There are ruins of the church, cellars, graveyard, etc. There are also a lot of sheep! It's a beautiful and peaceful area to explore but I was very happy to be wearing my Hunters through the fields. Highly recommend these boots for this type of trip!

I spent about 40 minutes here before returning to my car and heading to my evening destination of Kilkenny.

My plan had been to arrive in time to tour the castle that sits majestically in the town. Small country roads and driving on the left had me driving slower than norm though. By the time I arrived in town it was last entry at the castle but I couldn't find parking as the main lot was already closed. I decided to call it a day and headed to my hotel The Pembroke to check in.

The hotel is in a great location for walking and my room was large with a view of the back of the castle. I changed and headed out to explore the very pretty town that back in the 1640s was the capital of Ireland. Also George Clooney's family hails from here!

Kilkenny is also home to Smithwick's brewery, and although I didn't go in for a tour, I did stop in at Bollard's Pub for a pint, or two. It was such a different feeling already, being in a small country town as opposed to the cities of Dublin and Belfast. I was relaxing into this slower pace and it felt great.

I had made dinner reservations at Butcher (thanks for the recs Natalie and Clio!) and it was a good thing I had as it was packed! OMG the food here was soooo delicious. The steak was one of my top 5 favorite meals in Ireland! That was also the last good martini I would have for a while!

After dinner I made my way to the Kytelers Inn for some music. The bar had been recommended to me by the concierge at the hotel as a good local spot for music. Well pretty much every person in town was here (Saturday night) as well as a few hen and stag party goers from Dublin. It was packed and the music was really good!

I would absolutely recommend all 3 of my Kilkenny stops, it was such a fun night!

I had breakfast in the hotel, a good buffet included in my room rate, before checking out and loading up my car. The Pembroke also has free onsite parking which really came in handy as the town was quite busy and also it was raining as I left.

I was back on country roads, driving through beautiful green pastures, on my way to the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary. It took me about an hour and I arrived with a little time to explore on my own before the 45 minute tour started. The tours run twice an hour and are included in the €8 ticket price.

This site is absolutely gorgeous, and the guide really helps to make sense of the medieval ruins. This was the seat of kings dating back to 300 AD and the site where St. Patrick baptized King Aengus. Impressive!

The small Cormac's Chapel, Ireland's first church and named after then King in 1134 when it was built, is available by tour only and only a few times a day, so I broke off from the main tour when they announced it was starting.

The tiny chapel is lovely to explore with its funny stone faces peering at you from where the alter once was. But it's real treasure is the barely-still-there frescoed ceiling. Having been painted over by Protestants literally whitewashing the Catholic imagery, it was found during recent restorations!

I spent a bit more time here than I had planned, about 1 ½ hours. So much history along with stunning views of the Plain of Tipperary. Plus I had partly blue skies!

But I had an appointment with some whiskey in County Cork, so I made my way back down the Rock to the parking lot, reminded myself to stay to the left, and hit the road!

**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**

All photos from County Kilkenny (and Tipperary) here.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

24 Hours in Belfast

Trip date: September 2019

I left Dublin on a 9:30am train to Belfast; my hotel had arranged a taxi to pick me up and drop me at Connolly Station. As I had made my reservation online in advance it was quick and easy to print my ticket at the station when I arrived. The trip was just over 2 hours and cost €19.

At the Belfast station I took some cash out of the ATM (Belfast is in the UK and the UK is on British Pound vs the Euro in Ireland) and grabbed a taxi to the waterfront AC Marriott. It was too early to check in but they kindly stored my luggage and I set off to get some lunch.

Fish and chips were on my mind so I headed to Fish City in city center. It was a gorgeous sunny fall afternoon and it was nice to be able to walk around since I only had 1 day in town. My fish was delicious!

Afterwards I wandered along the banks of the River Lagan as I made my way back to the hotel. I was picked up in a traditional black London-style taxi for the 1½ hour Paddy Campbell’s Famous Black Cab Tours I had booked.

My driver Charlie, born and bred in Belfast, set about explaining the circumstances around "The Troubles" as we drove to the area of Shankill Road.

I knew very little about the two sides of this political conflict so it was surprising to see first hand the absolute division, still to this day, of the Loyalist (Ulster) and the Irish Republic.

We started in the Loyalist neighborhood, the area that is fiercely sided with the UK and is mainly Protestant. Union Jack flags waved from every building and were painted on road curbs. The infamous murals, painted on the ends of row house buildings, are still there to commemorate people they consider heros and to spread their political views. They are frightening! Can you imagine seeing this everyday outside your house?

Some of the murals have been replaced with more peaceful messaging, like this one. The original has been photographed and placed in a frame next to the wall.

We drove through the gates, there are still gates which get locked each night, into the Irish Republic neighborhood of Falls Road. The massive wall that divides the two areas is ironically called the Peace Wall. You can look up and see the multiple additions to create a taller and taller barricade. As someone who honestly thought this was all rectified in the past I was a bit shocked!

I had been taught that the divisions were based solely on religious differences but learned there was so much more to it than that. There was so much violence here between British Troops and the IRA, most notably during the August riots in 1969. We visited Bombay Street, an area that had been completely burned down before the peace wall was built, and the memorial to those who were killed.

Still to this day bonfires are lit on the evening of July 11th in the loyalist neighborhoods to commemorate the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in 1690. And yearly, starting in April and going thru August, members of The Orange Order march through towns to proudly show their loyalist support. These bonfires and parades continue to cause violence. A lot has been settled but there is still so much division. An extremely complicated situation.

One of our last stops was Northumberland Street which runs perpendicular between Shankill and Falls Roads. Charlie let me out of the taxi so that I could walk along what is now referred to as the Solidarity or International Wall. The murals here reflect people from different cultures and nations and their hopes for peace. It was a good note to end on.

My tour cost £35 and was worth every sterling (cash only). I learned more in 90 minutes about The Troubles than I had in my entire time in school. I also found Charlie to be completely unbiased when explaining the situations and differing viewpoints to me. Highly recommend. For an extra £5 I had Charlie drop me off at my next destination, the Titanic Museum.

The taxi tour was obviously a bit heavy so I took a little time inside the museum snack bar with a pint to relax before starting my self-guided tour of the museum.

The museum is located in the actual spot where the ship was constructed. It starts with some history of the relationship between Ireland and the UK; there are lots of great photographs from the early 1900's. It then moves into the design and building of the Titanic by Harland and Wolff, the 128 year old company which is still around today.

At one point you take an elevator up to the same height of the ship and then board a 6-seat car which flies you through and around a simulated shipyard. It's a bit Disney-esque but also very fun and a cool immersion experience.

The timeline continues with stories of the launch party of the ship from the very spot you are standing. And then there are galleries that are filled with recreated staterooms, dishware, furnishings, photos, and even CGI of the interior spaces.

There are stories of the people who were on board, and of course the many who were lost when the ship sunk. And at the end there is an awesome video projecting under a glass floor camera footage of the wreckage when it was found. I loved this!

I thought the museum was fantastic! I was also ready for a bit of a lie down so I headed back to my hotel to rest and get changed for dinner.

My hotel choice was based on me needing a stay so that my Marriott points wouldn't expire. The hotel and my room were basic but I had a waterfront view of the Titanic Museum which I loved.

Soon it was time for a cocktail! My destination was the well-known and historic Merchant Hotel and their Cocktail Bar.

The building dates from the mid 1800's and was originally built as the HQ of Ulster Bank. The "red hand of Ulster" can still be found in the wrought iron. Now as the only 5-star hotel in Belfast it is an ornate posh locale for some of the best cocktails in town.

I had time for 2 rounds before leaving to walk to Ox, the 1-Star Michelin restaurant I had chosen for dinner. On my way I passed a lot of street parties as an event called Culture Night was happening around the city.

Ox is right on the River Lagan and has an uber-seasonally driven tasting menu. There is a choice between a "regular" or vegetable tasting menu, I chose the regular for £60, I also had a choice between a regular or Premium wine pairing, which I chose the regular for £35. Both exceptional prices! The actual dishes weren't revealed but there was a list of all the ingredients they might be using for the evening which I thought was clever (also giving diners an opportunity to call out anything they are allergic to.)

From my first bite (of peas, foie gras, verbena and a gougere filled with local cheddar and beer) I absolutely loved the style of the food.

The service unfortunately was bad, on the verge of being annoying in not knowing much about the ingredients or the wine they were pouring.

Hopefully it was just an off night for the staff because really the food is delicious! The space is very simple and felt almost Scandinavian, there was a hygge feel to it. Dinner was excellent and an excellent value.

It was a lovely walk home with the moon rising over the Titanic Museum and the water.

The next morning I had breakfast in the hotel and then took a taxi to the bus station. This taxi only took cash and I didn't have much left so unfortunately he ended up getting shorted a bit. There wasn't anything I could do about it as he wasn't interested in my Euro but something to keep in mind if you are traveling there.

There was a small queue on the sidewalk as the bus hadn't arrived yet. But it was just a quick wait and then the driver pulled up, checked everyone in (I had bought my £10 ticket online in advance), loaded the luggage, and away we went. It was a 2-hour ride to the Dublin airport where I would be picking up my rental car to start my drive around the country.

24 hours isn't much, but I feel like I made the most of my time in Belfast. It's a lovely city, especially when the sun is shining, and I'd absolutely return given the opportunity!

**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**

All photos from Belfast here.

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Michelin Stars and Cocktail Bars in Dublin, Ireland

Trip date: September 2019

There is a lot to see and do in Dublin, but there are also a lot of top-notch eating and drinking experiences. On my first full day I kicked it off properly with an over-the-top lunch at Michelin 2-star Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud which is housed in a beautiful brick townhouse between St Stephen's Green and Merrion Square.

I was welcomed inside and led into a very bright and modern sitting room. I was surprised by the decor as it was very different than many high-end restaurants. A champagne trolly arrived, which is really the best way to start anything, and I browsed the various menus for lunch.

I was then ushered into the main dining room which couldn't have looked more different. The entire room was done in shades of beige and white. The tables were set with gorgeous porcelain and heavy silver. In the center of the ceiling was a large mobile that resembled a Calder. Each table was far enough away from the rest so that diners had privacy. It was beautiful and relaxing.

Ravioli of Blue Lobster, Lobster Coconut Cream, Toasted Almond, Split Curry Dressing

I decided on the 3-course lunch menu. I asked the somm to feel free to pair wines which he thought would go best with the dishes as I wasn't privy to the courses being served.

As with most Michelin starred meals, on top of the number of courses that I ordered I was also presented with an amuse, a palate cleanser, and petit fours. So really it was 7-courses. And every dish was lovely.

Butter Roast Veal Sweetbreads, Coffee, Parsnip, Mimolette and Girolles

I thought it very sweet of one of my servers, to bring me the coffee table book about the restaurant to page through during my lunch. I also was a bit tickled when Mr Guilbaud himself stopped by my table to inquire about my lunch. And I enjoyed moving outside to their covered patio to enjoy my petit fours with a cup of coffee.

My lunch was €65 + wine + champagne, extremely reasonable, some might say a steal for this level of meal. I'd absolutely recommend dining at Patrick Guilbaud, reservations are essentional!

That evening I did a little cocktail crawl before having a late dinner. I started at Bow Lane Social Club which isn't a club at all (thankfully!) but there is popular music and dancing later. The bar feels a little divey, but the cocktails are interesting. I did notice that all of them, when I was there, were on the rocks. The bartender was super friendly and went out of his way to find me a charger when I realized I'd left mine at the hotel. He also gave me a few other bar recommendations. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here, but if you are in the area, they are open early and my drink was solid.

My next stop was just two blocks away. The Lucky Duck is a traditional pub on the ground floor while the next two floors play host to separate cozy cocktail spaces. My drink in The Digges Room was delicious and the surroundings were super cute. They have a nice menu of small plates here too. Highly recommend.

I had about a 15 minute walk to my dinner destination. Bastible is a tad out of the way but that should not deter you from making a reservation here. And since the restaurant is on the small side reservations are recommended.

I had requested to sit at the counter which gave me a full view of the kitchen (and the handsome chef Cúán Greene!) But he's not just a pretty face, the food is absolutely delicious! And fun!

I was still feeling a bit full from my decadent lunch so I ordered the 2-course option for €40. The kitchen then sent out 2 amuse bouches, a gorgeous salad, and bread with butter before my braised lamb dish which came with flatbread and various condiments!

I chose cheese in place of dessert and had 3 lovely Irish cheeses to finish. Then they sent out a little sweet also. This is such an excellent casual restaurant, I'd tell everyone to go here!

Lunch the next day was pretty much the exact opposite atmosphere of my Michelin-star restaurant from the day before. Klaw is a tiny hole in the wall near Temple Bar with barely 3 tables. They only serve sustainable fresh seafood from reliable fisherman around Ireland.

I was excited to try a few of the Irish oysters, so I got 2 each of the Waterford and the Flaggy Shore. Delicious. I also had a lobster roll that came with homemade yuzu mayo, chervil, chive, and a "secret ingredient". Everything was really flavorful and I'd absolutely go back!

My last night in Dublin I started with a martini at the historic No.27 Shelbourne Bar at the hotel of the same name. The space was busy with locals and out of towners enjoying drinks and conversation; I was lucky to get a seat at the bar. This was a lovely stop if you (like me) enjoy a great hotel bar.

It was a quick walk to The Greenhouse for my 8pm dinner reservation. The decor is very simple and modern, spotlighting the absolutely beautiful food.

I chose 4 courses for €110 and added wine pairings (there was also an option for 6). This was a great choice for me as dinner started with four separate amuse bites before the main menu set in.

Everything was absolutely delicious, and the service could not have been better. My main of Roast Yorkshire Grouse, Beetroot & Blackberry, Coffee, and Sauce Grand Veneur was truly spectacular. Even with beets in the sauce!

Dining at The Greenhouse was one of my favorite meals in Ireland. The restaurant had 1-Michelin star when I visited and it is no surprise to me that they have been awarded their second now.

Obviously there were a few other cocktail bar visits, as well as a nightly night cap in my hotel bar.

Ireland isn't all chippy's and pubs (not that I wasn't excited to hit those up too!). I was very impressed with the fine dining and top-notch cocktails in Dublin!

**As I visited all of these places before the COVID-19 pandemic, please double check on opening hours. And fingers crossed these businesses all stay in business!**

All photos from Dublin here.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Ireland Road Trip: County Kilkenny

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

24 Hours in Belfast

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Michelin Stars and Cocktail Bars in Dublin, Ireland

Eat, Drink, See: Buenos Aires