the turquoise trail

Red trail represents path taken, blue markers represent towns where we stayed.  {budget} My goal for this trip was $2000; knowing that was on the low side, we tried our best to be conscious of what we were spending while still enjoying the trip and seeing everything we wanted to see.  We stayed in a variety of hotels, hostels, B&B's and airbnb homes along our trip, and travelled over 2100kms.  Ireland uses Euros and Northern Ireland uses British Pounds, so to make it easier to follow I've converted everything to Canadian Dollars.    Flight: $813ea. Accommodations: $742.96 ($371.48ea) Car Rental: $727.75 ($363.88ea) Transportation (Gas, Ferry, Bus): $278.32 ($139.16ea) Attractions: $354.98 ($177.49ea) Food: $338.68 ($169.34ea) Other (Shopping): $287.20 ($143.60ea) All in all, the 11 day/9 night trip, including all spending money, cost each of us $2178.   {nutrition} The food we had in Ireland was delicious.  There are ...

{Thursday October 9th} Burren Perfumery We got up around 7:30a this morning to get ready to head out for the day. We left the hostel at 8:30a and headed towards the Burren. We had yogurt, apples and granola bars with us, so we had that en route for breakfast. Sheep by the roadside We got to the Burren Perfumery shortly before 10a, so we had to wait a few minutes before they opened.  Galway When they opened, they showed us a short video featuring some of the different flora that they use from around the Burren. They have several lotions, balms, essential oils and perfumes that they make onsite.  From there, it was a quick 45 minute drive into Galway. We started with a walk along the sea-side promenade. From there, we intended to go to Sheridan Cheesemongers, but it was closed so we walked around the corner to a pedestrian street and found a little sidewalk cafe serving delicious savoury crepes. After lunch, we walked down the quaint pedestrian ...