A moment of enchantment in Northern Ireland after crossing the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge in Ballycastle.

Passport cheers! We're at SeaTac Airport and ready to fly!

We are Neil and Kristi, hailing from Seattle, Washington and we love to travel! This is Kristi's third Rick Steves Tour and Neil's second. 

Welcome to our
Rick Steves Best of Ireland in 14 Days Travel Scrapbook
​in which we . . .

Celebrate our 25th Anniversary
Mark Neil's 50th Birthday
Enjoy our first vacation together without our two children in . . . we can't remember,  has this ever happened before!?
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Come along as we explore the breathtaking beauty, the mystery and the magic of Ireland. Join us! We invite you to take a spin through our travelogue-scrapbook. We take issue with the notion that half the pleasure of traveling is the anticipation (and oh, anticipation IS wonderful). But surely, recollecting, sorting and savoring afterwards is equally as rewarding!

Indeed, the ability to travel abroad is a privilege we don't take for granted. It has been a joy recounting our two-weeks in the Emerald Isle with Rick Steves Best of Ireland in 14 Days. Sifting and recording each experience has been a delight all its own. Yes, this trip is over. But it keeps on giving in the sweetness that lingers on and in the memories we'll treasure and savor for a lifetime.

In addition to our favorite Tour moments, our travelog-scrapbook comes complete with. . .​

• Collected Recipes for an Irish Themed Dinner Party
• A spirited Limerick Contest | lim·er·ick /ˈlim(ə)rik/ noun: humorous, frequently bawdy, verse of three long and two short lines rhyming aabba, popularized by Edward Lear.
• Ireland Highlights and Number One Best Travel Tips from many of our fellow tour members. We've also tossed in a few of our own Pro Travel Tips for your consideration.
• Irish Phrase of the Day, brought to you by Joe Darcy, our brilliant Tour Guide.
• We've included handy links whenever possible. Please click through for further exploration!

Whether you simply take a quick skim of the pictures or read every word, we welcome you to our Rick Steves Ireland adventure and hope it will inspire your own future travels. Let's crack on!

"It is so hard to believe that after all of the anticipation and planning we are finally here . . . on an Iceland Air flight winging our way toward Europe. The bliss of the prospect of another (another!) trip to Europe!

I am ready to step out of the race and step into the world. My soul is aching to drink deeply of the beauty of the earth. To inhale. To learn. To expand.

And now, another "grace trip". The long-awaited, much-anticipated moment! We are ready to embrace the adventure. To broaden our capacity for joy, to delight in this beautiful world and to get to do it together."

Beginning lines of Kristi's Travel Journal, penned on the first leg to Dublin from SeaTac to Keflavic, Iceland.

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"There are no strangers in Ireland.
​Just friends you haven't met yet."

As noted by Stephen McPhilemy, Rick Steves Tour Guide in the Rick Steves Test Drive a Tour Guide Webcast

Our "Merry Band of Travelers" (to quote our Rick Steves welcome letter) pose with a glorious Dingle Peninsula backdrop. Folks hailed from all parts: Washington, Michigan, California, Ohio, Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma, New York, Iowa, Oregon, Florida, London! Young and Old, Families, Siblings, Friends, Couples, Singles, Grandparents and Grandkids: what we all have in common is a desire to explore the world, meet new people, have new experiences and learn about other cultures.

​MEET THE GANG!
​
We invited our Rick Steves Tour group to share their own stories, travel wisdom and Ireland highlights in pictures.

​From seasoned Rick Steves travelers to Tour Newbies, this outstanding group of interesting folks will share in their own words their Favorite part of Rick Steves’ Ireland Tour and their #1 Best Travel Tip.

Some fun along the way!

On display at Fishy, Fishy in "foodie" Kinsale.

AN IRISH DINNER PARTY
with *recipes inspired by this trip
​
TO BEGIN
Crab and Brie Wontons
Cheese Board featuring Kerry Gold Dubliner
Assorted Irish Lagers and Stouts
​Dingle Gin & Tonics

MAINS
​*Guinness Braised Beef Short-Ribs
Roasted Carrots
Tossed Greens with Simple Viniagrette
Mashed Yukon Golds
*Irish Soda Bread
Kerry Gold Butter

TO FINISH
*Brian's Bread and Butter Pudding
Irish Coffee with Bushmills Whiskey​
Irish Chocolates (from tour guide Joe)
Impromptu Liqueur Tasting:
Bailey's Irish Cream & Cool Swaine Liqueur 

MAY THE ROAD RISE UP TO MEET YOU . . . 
​is a beautiful Irish Blessing given to those leaving on a journey. In this section, we pay homage to our Irish adventure with quick references to where we stopped, what we ate and the activities we relished. We hope these will inform your own travels and that the road rises up to meet you!

KNACKERED OUT | If you say that you are "knackered", you are emphasizing that you are extremely tired. Here we share the inns and hotels where we stayed.

• Travel Pro-Tip: Watch TV. At least once, listen to the news, take a spin through the programming and even watch a commercial or two! It's fun to note the differences from home.

TUCK IN | As in to "tuck-in" to a meal; to eat, especially heartily. These are the pubs and restaurants we particularly enjoyed.

​CRACK ON | If you "crack on" with something, you continue doing it, especially with more effort than before, or as quickly as possible. In any given expedition there is always more to see and do than you'll ever have time for. Rick Steves' mantra is: "assume you will return." Even so, the journey requires sifting through lots of exciting options and determining which piques the must-do meter. Perhaps our choices will help you curate your own must-sees! Handy links (in lime green) are provided whenever possible.
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• Travel Pro-Tip: Go grocery shopping! Gets you one step closer to the locals. Seeing how other people shop, what products are available, prices, how they are displayed and paid for is really interesting. Grocery stores also provide a great opportunity to snag inexpensive gifts (think candy bars and sweets) for folks back home.

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• And, Shopping Pro-Tip #2 Don't forget to tuck your collapsable shopping bag in your day pack. Makes it easy to tote your shopping items, picnic supplies, etc.

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A Wee Bit of Travel Advice:
​Get yourself on a Rick Steves Tour!

• Skip all of the lines. One thing we love about Rick Steves Tours is whipping into a parking lot, stepping off the bus, being handed a ticket (and in the case of Cliffs of Moher, a packed lunch too), pointed in the direction of the least-used restrooms and then set free to explore a site. It's a beautiful thing. You get to spend your energy on drinking in the experience and learning - not the logistics getting from point A to point B. And that, my friends, is worth the price of admission all by itself!

• Choose your own adventure! No two Rick Steves Tours are ever alike. Not every minute of a Rick Steves Tour is scheduled, which we love! It means you get to zero in on your own must-see, do and experience list (in addition, of course, to hitting all the highlights of a country). Super active and want to hike or hoof-it? Do it! Are you a museum lover who would be happy to read every sign and placard? Go for it! Perhaps its the food and drink that whets your appetite? Then by all means, find your next delight and tuck in! ​

 

• Take a Vacation from your Vacation. On longer Rick Steves Tours there is generally a whole day on your own in some grand location! (In Switzerland, it was the Alps! In Ireland it was Dingle!). This pause is an opportunity to go completely at your own pace and focus on what makes your heart and soul sing. (Travel Pro-Tip: It's also the perfect day to have the hotel do your laundry, which sets you up nicely for the rest of your trip.)


• Buddies got your Back! We've said it before, and we'll say it again: we love the inherent dignity of being treated like adults (and not herded like sheep behind an impersonal guide holding a fluffy flower on a stick). On a Rick Steves Tour you don't wear name tags, you get a buddy. No one has to endure tedious roll call 17 times a day, instead, a quick "buddy-check" prior to each departure ensures all are present and accounted for. And who doesn't like knowing someone's got your back?

 

• Become an instant local! Not only is your Rick Steves guide a local who will get you in the back-door, they know the community and will broker connections to people who love to share their culture. We regularly thought, "We'd never have known to do THIS if we were here on our own!" It makes for extra-special travel moments that become treasured memories. Another bonus is the bevy of instant friends you'll make: it is really fun to be traipsing around town and spot other tour members - be sure to glean nuggets from their own explorations.

 

• Spare yourself the marriage counseling! Even in the best circumstances, travel can have its stressful moments. We are 100% positive that many (MANY!) marital "discussions" have been deftly averted by letting a seasoned guide do the heavy lifting on navigation and logistics for the major sites. We were glad that we could BOTH fully engage the experience (like looking out the window) and that one of us wasn't having to navigate while the other drove.

 

• Travel Pro-Tip: Plan a few days on the front-end of the tour to mitigate jet lag. And, if you have the luxury, give yourself at least two extra nights after the tour. We only booked one extra night, and sincerely wished for just one more!

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​MEET JOE DARCY
At 70, Joe has more energy than most people we know. Born in Dublin, being a Ship's Captain was his first career. His love of a good story, an Irish song (or dance) and deep knowledge of Ireland made him a captivating and fun Tour Guide. Joe has been leading Rick Steves Tours for six years.

Known to spontaneously break out in song . . . with a quick wit, a ready laugh and full of Irish charm, Joe Darcy, a native Dubliner is an incredible wealth of knowledge about his country! It was a pleasure getting to know and learn from him.

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CRACK ON TO DUBLIN