IRELAND (2009, 2016): Spectacular scenery, friendly people, and good Guinness.
Dublin– Very cosmopolitan city. More pubs and taxis than anywhere on the planet. Local pubs are the thing to do here. Try the Musical Pub Crawl which provided a wonderful introduction to REAL Irish traditional music. Famous Temple Bar has a lot of energy, just not Irish energy.
Howth– Little maritime village outside of Dublin. Take the Cliff Walk which provides very dramatic scenery as cliffs dive into the sea. There is a nice little Lighthouse Walk too. Easy to get to from Dublin. This town was a pleasant surprise.
Glendalough– South of Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains. An ancient monastic site is well preserved here, including the ruins of a church, and a beautiful stone tower. Very mystical.
Boyne Valley– Not so much a town as a magical area of Ireland. The Hill of Tara is the ancient capital site of Ireland. Beautiful countryside, that may one day be invaded by a highway. Newgrange is one of the wonders of the world- a 5,000 year old tomb complex. During the Winter Solstice a light enters the dark stone tomb. The most amazing part is that visitors are actually allowed to enter this tomb! No replications here. A light is used to mimic the solstice, but apparently there is a lottery for a few lucky people to actually experience this ancient ritual. I can go on and on about this place!
Galway– Vibrant town in western Ireland that has a lovely medieval town center and a beautiful stone cathedral. Makes a great gateway to the west’s spectacular natural sights, such as the Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, the Connemara, and the Aran Islands. Also a nice place to get introduced to traditional Irish culture.
Doolin– A little tourist town near the awesome Cliffs of Moher. Good place to eat.
Inishmore– The largest of the windswept Aran Islands. Very dramatic and stark landscape. Stone fences, stone forts, stone everything here. Irish is the first language. The BBC show 3 Men & a Boat was being filmed the day I was there.
Blackrock– Lovely scenic suburb of Dublin, right on the bay across from Howth. Made me feel like I’d come full circle literally and figuratively.
Cork– Second city of the Republic and a good base to explore the south. Different mentality than the rest of Ireland. Refreshingly quirky and feels like a town. Home to a huge Jazz Festival which lends a Mardi Gras vibe.
Cobh– Historic harbor town outside of Cork. Memorials to the victims of both the Titanic & Lusitania are here. Pleasant town to stroll around and explore.
Midleton– Nice enough town, but you really come hear to taste and learn and taste again Jameson Irish Whiskey. Slainte!
Killarney– Attractive but very touristy town. A hub for exploring the spectacular Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula, the majestic Killarney National Park, etc.
UNITED KINGDOM (2010): Must return for Wales and more of England
England:
Manchester– A vibrant city with a mix of 19th Century industrial buildings and 21st Century glass towers. Sometimes you feel like you might bump into Oliver Twist, other times it feels like 21st Century Asia.
Scotland:
Edinburgh– Brilliant medieval and Georgian city, set in a stunning landscape of extinct volcanoes. Very eerie and romantic. The old town and new town compliment each other wonderfully. One of my favorite cities.
Bathgate– Town where singer Susan Boyle lived. A local showed me around his hometown. Pretty typical suburban town.
Inverness– Darling city in the north of the country. Great gateway to the Highlands and Loch Ness. Worth a day exploring, but the real beauty lies outside the city in the lochs and mountains.
ICELAND (2011, 2023): Dramatic landscapes felt like another planet.
Reykjavik– Didn’t feel so much like a European capital as a provincial town. Good base to explore southeast Iceland. Nice setting, great local food (try the horse), & wild nightlife on weekends lives up to the hype. Expensive!
Akureyri– The “Capital of the North” is the only sizable town in the north and so functions like a big city. Very friendly and likeable place. Great base for northern sights. The seafood here was AMAZING!
Sandvik–Â Village on Grimsey Island on the Arctic Circle. Accessible by bumpy boat ride from Davlik. Small town feels like a frontier. Sheep and Arctic terns everywhere. Good place to eat puffin.
Vik- Very small town, home to many tour buses, but also the surreal setting of Vik Black Sand Beach. Large dangerous waves that end their long journey from Antarctica. Beautiful basalt cliffs, and large rock formations just off the coast. Only in Iceland.