We've started a bit of a trend on our anniversary trips that we pick something where there's a lot of opportunity for exploring outdoors. We don't do anniversary trips every year, but we did Iceland for 10 years and Alaska for 15 years. For 20 years, we decided on Ireland and Scotland. Here we go...
We originally booked a departure from Halifax, but a few weeks before our departure I came to my senses and remembered that we both hate driving to/from airports any further than we have to and I switched them to Fredericton. Much better. We got into town a little early (even for us early airporters), so we stopped for a beer at Maybee Brewing. Flight to Toronto was uneventful. We didn't have a long connection in Toronto (for once) so we grabbed something to eat and drink and then it was off to Dublin. Flight to Dublin was mostly uneventful (except that the Irish dude beside me was drunk, a lady passed out on the floor in front of our seats, and Greg's seat sucked). Watched movies, as per usual.
I always find Dublin immigration quick and painless and it was again for this trip. Luggage arrived, found the driver, and off to the city center we went. Every time I'm in Dublin, I try a different hotel and this time we stayed at The Green. With good travel karma on our side, there was a room available when we arrived and we were able to check in right away (around 10am). Hotel was great, nice room, decent size, nice bathroom, a kettle for Greg and his tea - everything you need really. Location was perfect for everything we were doing.
Whenever we to go to Europe, to make sure we stay awake and get on that time zone pretty much right away, I always make real plans for the day one. We booked a food tour with Flavour Trails. We had received an email the day before that they needed four to go ahead on the tour and it was only us, so they were wondering if we could switch to another day. Unfortunately, we already had plans for our other days in Dublin. Gráinne, the owner, made it happen all the same and got a nice couple from the US to switch into our tour (as they were having the same problem with theirs for the next day). With only four of us, it was a nice chance to all just sit and chat while we tried delicious eats at a few stops - Farrier & Draper, The Oak, and Ciss Maddens Public House. Gráinne gave us lots of tips and suggestions for other places to visit. After our tour, we did some general walking around just to stretch our legs some more and to stay up a bit later, before chilling back at the hotel.
Day 2 - We feasted on the amazing selection for breakfast at the hotel to start the day. Then it was time to spend a bit of time outside of the city with a day tour out to the Wicklow Mountains with Hilltoptreks. Our driver Kevin was pretty funny and we had perfect weather. First stop of the day, Powerscourt Gardens with plenty of time to walk around. The gardens are beautiful! From there, we did a couple of photo stops en route to Enniskerry (at filming locations for P.S. I Love You and Vikings), where we had lunch at Poppie's and did a quick walk around. After that, we were off to Glendalough, where we had time to visit the monastic ruins and do a nice walk around the lake. Back to Dublin after that, found some Thai food for dinner, and called it a night.
Day 3 - More walking around (I love walking around!), a coffee and tea break at Beanhive (highly recommend - it's my fave in Dublin), and then I had to find a sweatshirt because I forgot to pack one in the chaos of dealing with some travel stuff the day we left. Greg had to handle a few things, so I did some more exploring (and by that I mean I went and found a shop with delicious desserts and got us some lunch, which we ate in the St Stephen's Green). After that, time for another tour - this time Pints, Pubs, & History with Walks/Devour. Again, a small tour - just three of us and our amazing guide Gabrielle. We visited O'Donoghue's, Doheny & Nesbitt, Lincoln's Inn, and 37 Dawson Street. What I loved about this tour is seeing and hearing some of the history of the spots we visited, chatting with locals, and that I never would have gone into 37 Dawson Street ever. I walk by it when I'm in Dublin because Beanhive is just up the road, but it looks ridiculous from the outside. There's a giant gold gorilla in the front window and the decor inside is nuts - until you get through to the back and there's a cool spot with a speak-easy vibe where we had some great whiskey and cocktails. Found some supper to soak up our booze and then we called it a night (we're not night people - we watched reruns of British game shows mostly).
Day 4 - With perfect weather yet again, we spent the the morning walking around parts of Dublin we haven't visited in a while (and now all my gray sky pictures have been replaced with blue sky alternatives). The Green graciously let us check out a bit late, so that worked out perfectly as we were being picked up at 12:30 to head out to Dun Laoghaire to meet up with our ship. With only a few hundred passengers boarding our ship - Windstar Star Legend - check-in was a fairly casual affair. There's not much there for infrastructure, so it was actually set up in a shipping container. Once onboard, we were routed to the lounge to check in and get our keys. After that, someone escorted us to our cabin.
Star Legend is a fairly old ship, but it has gone through some renos (essentially they cut it in half and added some more rooms and public spaces). Our room was a bit dated and showing signs of wear, but there was plenty of space to move around and it was especially nice to have a sitting area and not just a bed. We had a huge window, which was fantastic for sunset viewing (there's not a lot of balconies on the ship). Bathroom was a great size for the ship (those have all been renovated) and there was a small walk-in closet. After dropping off our backpacks, we went off to explore (you can read this as we went to find coffee and beer). My suitcase was delivered quickly, they misplaced Greg's and our steward went and found it for him. We're not very demanding, but he was excellent. We had a muster drill as required and then we set sail around 6pm. We had reservations for the spanish restaurant Cuadro 44, so that was our dinner option. Some hits and some misses on the menu for us, but we did like that it opened at 6:00.
Day 5 - Welcome to the Douglas, Isle of Mann. The cruise and ferry terminal here is a fantastic one with a huge Costa coffee, so we had a little coffee break before meeting Nigel from Albany tours. We lucked out with another perfect weather day. We did a smaller, independent tour with about a dozen people. A nice touch was that Nigel had a little treat of candy, a little cooler bag, a bottle of water, and a pen for each of us. First stop of the day, Castletown to visit Castle Rushen. Pretty much always, you've won me over with a castle. We had plenty of time to explore the whole grounds before we moved on to the next stop, the crofter village at Cregneash. Photographically, fantastic stop - loved the little cottages and lots of nice views. Historically, not really my jam honestly. I hate when they try and reset things to a sample of how they used to be with 'fake people' - it doesn't keep my attention for long (and I find it kind of creepy). I still think it's worth a short visit though. From there, it was on to the Sound. Amazing views and even some seals swimming around. To round off the day, we visited the town of Peel where we had some free time to explore around a bit. We had some time left in our port visit when we arrived back in Douglas, so we decided to walk around a bit. But first, I had to stop and play videographer for a large group of Power Rangers jumping out of a van for a stag do - it was pretty hilarious. We found Greg a beer at Grain and Vine, had a quick visit with the Bee Gees, and then it was back to the ship. We had supper at their steakhouse (obviously not steak for me), which is also the area they use for the buffet in the morning (since the ship is so small, they make it work). Watched the sail-away, nice sunset, and that this is the last time our ship docks until Edinburgh.
Day 6 - Portrush, Northern Ireland. I think our ship was one of very few that would be calling there this year and it's a fantastic stop. For those who wanted to explore, it's the gateway to attractions like the Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Distillery, as well as Belfast and Londonderry. For us, it was a free day to do whatever we felt like doing and it was fantastic. We tendered to shore from the ship - easy peasy - and wandered off to find a nice cafe (the coffee on Windstar is dire, but I'm a total coffee snob and fully admit to it). We turned a corner and randomly found 55 Degrees North - fantastic views, treats, and lattes! From there, we wandered over to West Strand, one of the most perfect walking beaches I have ever seen. We walked from one end of the other and back (about 8km we think) and enjoyed some more perfect weather. We could even see Dunluce Castle up on the hill from the end. We had a tasty lunch with a great view at Shanty, walked along Ramore Head, and called it an awesome day in Portrush. Every day before supper, they had some music trivia in the lounge, so we went and had a drink and listened to that. Had some dinner, likely watched a movie in our room, and another fantastic sunset to wrap up the day.
Day 7 - Another lovely weather day waited for us at Tobermory, Scotland on the Isle of Mull. We did a small group tour here with Wildlife on Mull. Our guide Andrew was fantastic, stopping all over the island at places where we might have a chance to see some of the locals. He had binoculars for everyone, as well as a couple of telescopes. We saw seals, otters, golden eagles, deer, plenty of birds, and oh so many sheep. Back in town after the tour, we found some lunch and walked around exploring some of the shops. On the ship, there was a big buffet set up in the lower galley so you could tour your way through it and grab some eats at the same time. Yet another beautiful sunset to round out the day (we were sooooo LUCKY with the weather on this trip.
Day 8 - Next up, Portree on the Isle of Skye. We did another ship tour here and given all the beauty Skye has to offer, it wasn't the best honestly. We drove past the Old Man of Storr (so now I've seen it, but I think I need to go back and hike it) and on to Kilt Rock for a short photo stop. From there, on to the Skye Museum of Island Life. We had way too much time here, so I was very thankful for a highland cow and some fun sheep to hang out with and a cafe with fabulous coffee and treats! The weather was fantastic again and we enjoyed being outside, but this tour was a bit on the lame side - and now we know. We explored Portree a bit, found some ice cream (delicious vegan ice cream I might add), and back to the ship. We didn't feel like waiting around for dinner at 7 today so we just ordered some room service and watched a movie.
Day 9 - Kirkwall, Orkney Islands. Today it finally rained on us. There wasn't much rain as we walked through Skara Brae (an excavated section of a 5000 year old village) and Skaill House. It poured while we visited the Ring of Brodgar, but it was still awesome. It barely rained while we visited the remains of the Earl's and Bishop's palaces back in Kirkwall. We also found a little craft show, some lunch at an Italian place, St Magnus Cathedral, and a brewery.
Day 10 - Here Nessie Nessie! With our short stop in Invergordon, we headed off to Inverness and took a boat tour on Loch Ness over to Urquhart Castle. Ruined castles are my fave! We had plenty of time to explore the grounds before heading back to the ship. We had a chill afternoon hanging out around the ship, another room service supper, a movie, and packing.
Day 11 - On smaller ships, the process of disembarking is a much more chill process. We had some breakfast, walked off, grabbed our bags, met our driver, and were off to our Edinburgh hotel. We stayed at the Brewdog Dogpound - essentially hotel rooms over Brewdog bar. Our room wasn't ready yet, so we left our bags and spent the day walking around. First, coffee! Then we walked down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace and since it wasn't very busy, we decided to go in. More walking, stopped for a beverage, more walking, found Cold Town brewery and had another beverage, and then we met our food tour. Our tour was with EatWalk and our guide was Fran (she's fantastic!). We had a fairly large group for a food tour - more than a dozen - but it was a great group. You will not leave hungry (or thirsty) from this tour. First stop, Under the Stairs. Second stop, Maison Bleue. Third stop, the Outsider. All three were fantastic. Back to the hotel after the tour, greeted by some craft beers at check-in, and our room was ready to rock with our luggage waiting. The room is really fun, lots of nods to beer culture, as well as a cooler of beer in the shower and two well stocked bar fridges. More British game show re-runs and that's a night.
Day 12 - Time to head out of the city one last time. We had a great breakfast at the hotel and then headed off to the bus station to meet Rabbies for our tour to the Kelpies, Loch Lomond, and Stirling Castle. The last time we were in Scotland, we kept passing the Kelpies (giant horse sculptures) from the highway and I wanted to see them up closer. From there, we had a quick stop at Loch Lomond before going on to finish the day at Stirling Castle. We had a couple of hours here, which was plenty of time to see the grounds. Back in Edinburgh, we had supper at the hotel and called it a night.
Day 13 - Our last day in Edinburgh had terrific weather again, we made the most of it. Delish hotel breakfast and then we were off to explore. We climbed up Calton Hill to admire the view (and Greg climbed up the tower), walked over to Dean Village, had some lunch at The Festival, explored a church, went through the Greyfriars graveyard, visited Greyfriars Bobby, had some supper at 3 Blind Mice, walked around some more, and called it an adventure.
Day 14 - Uneventful flight from Edinburgh to Toronto (I never put my seat back, so I sat in front of Greg) and we both lucked out with no one in the seat beside us. Uneventful layover in Toronto. Flight back to Fredericton wasn't terribly delayed. Luggage arrived. Calling it a win.
All in all, this was an absolutely fantastic way to celebrate our anniversary. We had fantastic weather nearly every day and we had a great time exploring all these places. It was nice to get a chance to try Windstar. We loved that it could get into these smaller ports and the staff was absolutely fantastic. It was especially nice to be 'off' most of these two weeks.
I guess I'll have to think of something awesome again for number 25.
Ange out.
Comments