Flying International in a Pandemic
October is always our time to jet-set and celebrate our September anniversary. It's fall in the northern hemisphere, and spring in the southern, making it the shoulder season pretty much around the globe.
In May, we blocked a Wednesday - Monday off in October, and I looked for nonstop flights out of Chicago. After a year off due to COVID restrictions and making the leap to go to Costa Rica, I was finally feeling comfortable with a trans-Atlantic flight. Ireland had always been at the top of our list, and I knew that Chicago had nonstop flights on Aer Lingus and American Airlines. I found $488 nonstop, roundtrip flights on American and knew I had to book, the only problem was that Ireland was not open to Americans without a 2-week quarantine yet.
Outside of the flights, which I assumed I could push back with no fees (few COVID perks), I was too nervous to book anything yet. The whole trip seemed up in the air for most of the summer, but finally in July, Ireland announced their ease on restrictions for vaccinated Americans. We still had a few months to go, and during COVID, shut downs seemed possible at the drop of a hat. But we finally felt OK to start booking.
Requirements
I was still a nervous wreck as we neared our trip. COVID guidelines seem very vague on testing, vaccines, online paperwork, etc. As far as I could tell, a negative COVID test was not required to enter Ireland. I'm usually an over-preparer, so I had us get a test anyway, just in case. 24 hours before the flight, we did some pre-flight paperwork on an app declaring our vaccination status. Off we went!!
After a 7-hour, main cabin extra (thank you AA), empty row, red-eye flight to Dublin, we finally landed and breezed through customs. Masks and COVID vaccines, or "certs" as the Irish called them, are required everywhere. Besides that, life was opening back up in Dublin and we snuck right in to see it.
Cross-Country Train to Cork
After a long flight, I wasn't thrilled about a 2.5 hour train ride, but I was pretty excited to see the Irish countryside through the lens of a local and make our way to our first stop in Cork. It was pretty packed and not the most comfortable European train (Italy, I'm looking at you and your gorgeous trains), but I love public transportation, and it couldn't have been easier to get down to the coast.
2 nights in Cork was a perfect amount of time to see the "true" Irish capital, as claimed by the locals. Bars filled with Irish bands, and a mix of modern and old-school restaurants were all within a walk from our hotel.
Coastal Private Car Tour
Probably the best thing we did on our entire trip, that we hadn't done since our honeymoon in South Africa, was splurging on a private car and driver. We found Maurice on Viator for $530 for an 8 hour private tour around the south coast. Though we wouldn't have typically spent that much, we knew our time was limited and we wanted to squeeze in as much as possible... we are so glad we did.
Blarney Stone
Maurice showed up and was your classic Irish man, warm, funny and extremely easy to talk to. He was up for taking us anywhere all day long, without any real time constraint.
Our first stop was coffee on the way to the Blarney Stone. Turns out, October is a great time to visit it, as the line was completely empty to tour the castle and climb up to the stone. Maurice gave fascinating background on the entire place, and several staff helped us to kiss the (sanitized!) lucky stone. Would it be worth it to see during peak season? Probably not, but it was perfect during shoulder season.
Jameson Distillery
Of course we couldn't be in Ireland without a detour to the most famous Irish Whiskey Distillery. Jameson Distillery has two locations, one in Dublin and one in Midleton, outside of Cork, which we stopped at on our way to Kinsale. To say John was in his happy place is an understatement.
Cliffs of Kinsale
After touring the famous last stop of the Titanic, a tiny coast town called Cobh, we headed to our final destination, the Cliffs of Kinsale. Many people think of the Cliffs of Moher when they think of Ireland, but those are on the far left shores south of Galway. Maurice told us they were usually either super windy or super busy. So, we were happy to settle for these slightly smaller, equally beautiful, cliffs for a quick photo op. Perfect end to a perfect day before a snooze in the car ride back.
Back in Dulbin
Lots of FOOD
After another cross country train ride back to the capital, we checked into our urban hotel, the Brooks Hotel. The rooms were way smaller than our boutique hotel in Cork, but we were right in the middle of all the action.
Now Cork was known for some amazing, local food, but Dublin is crawling with 5-star restaurants. We ate top tier fish and chips at some local bars and the best pot pie I've ever had at Spitafield's, Ireland's version of a "Michelin Star" restaurant.
Trinity College Library
In the heart of Dublin lies the prestigious Trinity College. Known for the Book of Kells, one of the oldest manuscripts of parts of the Gospel, Trinity attracts hundreds of visitors a day. While this high-security book is pretty miraculous, we hadn't planned on visiting it in advance. We aren't huge museum people, but many locals suggested the Trinity College Library connected to the book of Kells, as a must-see destination. And I just couldn't pass up a really old, really cool looking library.
Guinness Storehouse
Now a museum for beer? That was something we could get on board with. The Guinness Storeroom is an extensive, interactive, six floor, museum showing the origins of Irish beer. On the final seventh floor, you can enjoy a free beer with a fantastic view of Dublin, that was definitely worth the wait.
American Comedy & a British Movie
It really wouldn't be an international trip for us if we didn't get sick of all the touristy things and search for a little piece of home. On our second to last night, we looked up comedy shows in town and found Iliza Shlesinger tickets (American Netflix special queen) and couldn't resist a late night show.
On our last day, John realized that the newest James Bond movie was out (he's obsessed with JB movies). Something just felt right about seeing a British movie while in Europe. And I will never say no to movie theater popcorn. Literally never.
It was the best anniversary trip during a perfect lull in the pandemic. 10/10 recommend this amazing country. We can't wait to go back and explore Galway and Northern Ireland someday. Cheers!!
xo, Anna
