Day 1 - Departure Day

This is the morning of our departure and so far everything is going according to plan. We are both packed and both suitcases are under the 50 lb. limit, but not by much. It's very handy to have a hand scale so we know exactly where we stand weight-wise. We are each taking one mid-size suitcase and one carry-on. Jeanne has a small duffle bag and I have my laptop bag so we are trying to travel light. What helps is that we plan to wash clothes in the middle of the trip so that cuts down the weight by quite a bit. We are staying at AirB&Bs most nights and they have washer and dryers.

The weather forecast for Ireland has improved immensely in the past week. Originally rainy every day, right now the rain is forecast to hold off until July 9 which is just past the midpoint of the trip. It should be partly cloudy with highs in the mid-60s and lows in the mid-50s for the first part. After that it looks like the rain sets in for a while, but that is what you expect from Ireland and we are prepared for rain and cold, at least clothes-wise.

Our flight on United is from Newark, NJ, at 7:25 pm with an early morning arrival in Dublin. We fly from Newark quite a bit, maybe 3 or 4 times a year, so we are very familiar with the routine.

Ten Days To Go

We are just 10 days away from starting our trip to Ireland with our friends, Linda and Alan, and I thought I would start by listing our general plans. We leave for Dublin from Newark on June 30. We are staying 3 nights in Dublin and then renting a car for the rest of the trip. We'll spend 2 nights in Kilkenny (near Waterford on the map), 2 nights in Killarney, 2 nights in Dingle, 2 nights in Galway, 1 night in Portrush at the northern tip of Northern Ireland and 1 night in Belfast before heading back to Dublin to catch our flight home. Basically we're making a big clockwise trip around the entire island.

Things that I'm personally looking forward to are:
- Guinness Tour in Dublin
- Touring the Butter Museum in Cork
- Kissing the Blarney Stone
- Driving the Ring of Kerry
- Driving the Dingle Loop
- Day trip by ferry to the Aran Islands
- Visiting the Royal Portrush Golf Course (site of the British Open shortly after we are there)
- The Titanic Museum in Belfast

Last but certainly not least is just experiencing Ireland - the food, the beer, the pubs and the people.