Day 4: Last day in Galway
After a restful night’s sleep in Galway, we woke up and checked out of our rooms. We planned to spend the majority of our day in Galway before catching a bus in the early evening to head back east to Dublin. Our first stop was to get some breakfast. We went to an adorable place called The Jungle Cafe and ordered our typical pastry/latte combo. The difference, however, is Jungle Cafe is mostly an outdoor space. It was still chilly that morning, but they have blankets available on their patio. It was so cute! We drank our hot drinks and kept warm with blankets.
After breakfast, we took a stroll along the riverwalk. It was a misty day, but it added ambiance to this quaint fishing town. Below is their iconic row of colorful houses jetting out into the bay.
We passed tiny cottages and shops. Galway definitely has a small-town feel to it. On the main street in Galway we saw people stopping and saying hi to people they knew as they went about their day.
After some souvenir shopping, we stopped for lunch at an Italian cafe. We had a window seat looking out to their main street. The food was delicious as usual and we had a long relaxing lunch. After lunch, we headed for an afternoon coffee before picking up our bags and heading to Dublin via bus.
Back in Dublin, we grabbed a quick dinner and then I met up with my friend who lives in Dublin for a night out. We first went to a place called Malahide. They had a heated outdoor area in addition to a really old bus parked in the back of the bar. In the bus they served pizza and hookah. There was a top section with tables and knick-knacks, where you could go up and eat your food or smoke hookah. It was so cute! I had never seen anything like that.
Afterwards, we went to a silent disco at a live music venue called Whelan’s where we met up with another friend of hers. We listened to the music through headphones, snapped some pics in the photobooth and chatted up some of the locals. It was a very hipster part of the neighborhood, so it was good to go out somewhere that I never would have if I didn’t know a local.
Day 5: Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough
We finally awoke to our last day in Dublin. We were excited for the last day’s activities, but sad to see our vacation come to a close soon. We grabbed a quick breakfast in the hotel lounge before catching a bus to head into the Wicklow Mountains and the region of Glendalough.
Our first stop was a coffeebreak at a beautiful cottage out in expansive grounds filled with gardens and trees.
There was a real tree growing in the middle of this restaurant/cottage. It was a brief stop, about 25 minutes, but it was a perfect pick me up after about an hour on the bus.
The ride out into the countryside was stunning. Unfortunately, it was very misty and foggy that day, so it was a little hard to take good pictures.
Our tour guide was named John, and he is the friendliest, happiest person I have ever met. He was hysterical, drove us through places we weren’t allowed, gave us lots additional information, and wanted to get to know every passenger on the bus. We stopped off to see a waterfall and he jumped into a picture with me and my mom. He made this day probably my most favorite day of the whole trip!
Our next stop was to an old monk monastery that was absolutely stunning. Nestled in the Wicklow Mountains, covered in a fog–it all looked very mysterious.
We took a walk along the base of the mountains through a lush, beautiful, green woods to head towards two lakes. The Upper and Lower Lakes of Glendalough.
After visiting the lake awhile, we drove off and headed to a nearby pub for a lunch stop. We had about an hour and a half in this beautiful old pub in the mountains. I ordered one of their most popular dishes, Beef Guinness Stew, and really enjoyed it. They had a fire going and it was nice to warm up and fill our tummies with pub food.
We took about a 30 minute ride further into the mountains, passed Guinness Lake, and the famous grounds where Braveheart was filmed. Our final stop was the bridge where the movie P.S. I Love You was shot. It is the road where Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank met for the first time.
We headed back into Dublin, ate dinner, packed and went to sleep. The next morning, we ate a fancy breakfast in the hotel restaurant and headed to the airport.
This entire trip was a dream and I am so grateful I had the chance to go. I will always have a special place for Ireland in my heart <3