Dublin to USA Final Thoughts 17

Ireland 2019 was a smashing success!  Touring a country for 17 days sure gives you a little glimpse of what it has to offer.  The Irish were extremely nice and accommodating.  Our travel group of Margaux, Andrew, Katherine, and myself worked together nearly flawlessly and smooth.  Sometimes decisions are difficult to make in a group, but we had patience and had a common goal; FUN!

Check out the Google Map below of our route.

IMPORTANT G MAN THOUGHTS

• TRASH - Ireland is a super clean country.  I noticed very little litter anywhere. Graffiti was seen around the cities of Dublin and Galway, but that was expected.  The little villages were impeccable.

• OLD PEOPLE - Many places, we saw older people walking, gardening, driving, and moving about.  Not only tourists, but the local population seemed to be quite old.  From the demographic stats I read, it doesn't seem that there are more old people in the country, but we just happened to see more of them.  Maybe just a coincidence?

• NEW CARS - Everywhere we looked were new cars.  Most cars were 3 years old or newer.  I am not sure how this could be, but everything was shiny and new. 

• ROCK FENCES - This is one of the many beauties throughout the country.  Keep them!

• LEPRECHAUNS AND FAIRIES - We didn't see them, but knew they were there.  Another trip might pay off in the future to witness them first hand.

• NEWGRANGE - This place was really cool.  Andrew gave us the idea to go see the site.  This is a must.

• MUSSELS - This is a real treat.  Try them!

NEXT TIME

(We will be back, and when we go, these are some things I would like to do that maybe we missed.)

• GOLF - There are too many beautiful courses not to try. 

• HIKE MORE - The surrounding mountains are big and beautiful.  Getting to the top of some will take planning.

• MORE MUSIC - We only heard a few groups play, but I think with more planning, you could see a live group every night, or every other night.

• DUBLIN HISTORY MUSEUM - After seeing so much of the country and hearing about the artifacts found, I would really like to see them up close in the museum in Dublin.

• SPEAK MORE IRISH - The Gaelic language is beautiful and I think time spent learning how to say a few things would be beneficial and well worth the effort.

• HIT THE NORTH - I know we only scratched the surface of the south, but getting up higher in latitude would be a real treat. 

• TAX RECEIPTS - The Irish have a cool way to get your VAT back when you depart the country.  You get a little card that you register online with your own credit card.  When you buy something, the shop adds the VAT tax info to the card, and when you are at the airport, you just run the card and it puts the money back on your credit card.  If you plan on getting lots of items, it's a must.

WHAT WE WOULD HAVE CHANGED

• Review our packing list.  We had laundry facilities and could have brought even less.

• Stayed a day longer in places like Killarney and Galway

• Brought binoculars

• Come to Ireland many years ago.  We can't wait to get back!