10 Things We Learned in Ireland

Our trip to Ireland is coming to a close. Bummer! I could soooooo easily continue traveling. (I’m one of those people who gets excited about the idea of living out of a suitcase – or rather a travel backpack – for months on end.)

Today we head out for one last day in Dublin, then it’s off to the airport for our long flight home (Dublin-Amsterdam-Atlanta-Raleigh)…and our 17 hour layover in Atlanta…on New Year’s Eve. Most likely we’ll ring in the new year from our hotel room, probably while passed out from jet lag (yes, I’m that boring).

Anyway…travel always reminds me how little I know. One of the reasons I love to travel is because I learn new things every time. Here are 10 things Aaron and I have learned in Ireland:

  1. Santa hears kids’ Christmas wish list in his private “Santa’s Grotto.”
  2. It takes just about 4 hours to do 1 small load of laundry in our flat’s washer/dryer combo machine.
  3. It’s true: Guinness tastes SO much better in Ireland than it does outside Ireland. (I’m still not a big Guinness fan, though. Sorry, Ireland.)
  4. Stay in the right lane when taking the last Roundabout exit.
  5. B & B breakfasts are huge and will keep you full ‘til dinner.
  6. Irish fruit scones are absolutely delicious, especially with butter and black currant jam.
  7. Ireland is working towards tripling the number of Irish Gaelic speakers in the next 20 years.
  8. Nobody’s a stranger in an Irish pub.
  9. Getting a private tour of Kilkenny Castle is one of the awesome perks of off-season travel.
  10. Ireland is a GREAT place to visit in December. We’re so glad we came!

What’s something you’ve learned while traveling?