 | ATMs are plentiful and nearly everybody takes Mastercard
and Visa. There are money exchange desks at the airports for converting cash
back to USD when you are ready to leave. |
| The Irish people were very warm, friendly and went out of
their way to be helpful. The tourist season usually ends at the end of
September. Many B&Bs close down about 15 Oct. for renovation, repair
and/or just because the owners go on holiday. |
| Be prepared for wet weather. It showered every day we were
in Ireland. The locals told us the rains normally start in September, but
this year they started in August. The Irish countryside is rolling,
unbelievably green and beautiful. |
| If you are interested in genealogy, you will be interested
to know that almost every town has a heritage center. If you stop at the
Tourist Center (located on the main road as you enter the town) they can
tell you how to get to the heritage center. |
| Most B&Bs do not provide washcloths. Pack your own and
bring a plastic bag to store it in. They do however provide hair dryers, and
facilities to make tea and coffee in your room. All of them invite you to
use the parlor. |
| Always drive the Ring of Kerry counterclockwise. That puts
you away from the steep drop offs. |
| We found renting a car was pretty stressful because:
 | You are driving on the left side of the road. |
| The steering wheel is on the right side of the car. |
| You are shifting gears with your left hand. |
| The average road is about one and one half lanes wide,
and supports two way traffic. |
| The roads are not clearly marked. |
| All of the above provided us with many hilarious near
death experiences. |
|
| A better idea is to sign up for a cross country bus tour
and leave the driving to the pros. They hit all the
spots of interest and provide an on-board guide who gives a running
commentary of history and points of interest. You will be sitting up high,
relaxed and can enjoy the countryside. Not spending your day concentrating
on the road and not enjoying the ride. |
| One day to see the sights in Dublin is probably plenty.
It's much like any other international city. Start with a bus tour. It takes
about 1½ hours. Then you can go back and see any point of particular
interest. |
| Eat at the pubs, they have the best food. Children are
welcome in the pubs. We were warned about lots of cigarette smoke in pubs,
but did not see many people smoking at all. We were not bothered on that
score at all. |
| B&Bs are plentiful. Seemed like every other home was a
B&B. Accommodations do vary from one B&B to another. All were
comfortable. The Irish breakfast includes juice, cereal (hot or cold), eggs
(prepared any way you prefer), sausage, bacon (Ham), tomatoes, and
mushrooms, coffee or tea. The bread is outstanding. |
