DRIVING IN IRELAND

I've got the vacation itch again. But it hasn't been long since I took one. Just 4 months ago, my sister and I took an "adventurous" trip to Ireland.


When I made my reservations for a car in Ireland, I specifically asked Budget whether the Irish drive on the left side of the road. The agent assured me that it was the same as the US – right side of the road. WRONG! I did some research the day before my flight out and panicked to find that I would be driving on the left side of the road. The Frommers book we had recommended a small car, so I downgraded from a Toyota Corolla to a Toyota Yaris and took the FULL coverage insurance. Terrible car. Good decision. While driving 100km per hour on a narrow 2-way highway around the Ring of Kerry, a “stone hit the windscreen” – Irish translation for a rock hitting the windshield.

Driving in Ireland was an adventure, for sure. 100km speed limit on narrow windy roads without street lights? Not safe! No wonder they have morbid signs all around Ireland that say things like “165 people died on Limerick roads this year.” My sister and I would celebrate when we would see signs that said “Two carriage-way ahead.” That’s a rare occurrence – when you have more than one lane in your direction. The map we had made all the roads seem MUCH more major than they really were. Each *major* road goes through the cities – not around. By the end of the week, I dared “overtaking” where there were no “No overtaking” signs and a slowpoke truck would be in front of me. I learned how to go around roundabouts, make sharp left turns, and make 20-point k-turns in the dirt roads when we’d get lost.

I give our Frommer’s guide a 3/5. It overestimates what you can do in one day. Even if we overslept every day of our trip, it was impossible to accomplish even half of what the book said you could do in a day.

Our Budget map gets more like a 2/5. I think the scale is totally off. Everything took longer to get to.

WHAT’S NICE ABOUT IRELAND


It seems like I complain too much in my blogposts, so I thought I would write something nice about my trip.
• People are totally casual. You hardly see people dressed up. And they’re really chill.
• They have a beautiful countryside (sheep & cattle) – why do the sheep have red and blue markings?
• Dublin is super international
• Queen of Tarts is a great stop for a non-Irish breakfast in Dublin: Moist & delicious apple and raisin scones & buttered brown bread – YUMMY!
• Trim Castle – WOW
• The US does not know how to bake REALLY good bread. Every European country bakes delicious bread – available even in the little convenience stores.
• The Irish Burger - For egg-lovers, that fried egg, chopped onions and extra mayo atop your burger is so good. Plenty of chips and mushy peas on the side.
• Every major city is on a river. You have pedestrian bridges over the rivers which adds a nice touch.
• My favorite cities were the small, colorful ones like Kilkenny and Kinsale.
• A Guinness tastes better in Ireland.