IRELAND & NORTHERN IRELAND

We were planning to take time off in the last week of August and we weren't sure what our destination should be. We did have a few constraints, like we wanted to able to drive, health care should be easily available and weather shouldn't be too cold or hot. When we generally browsed on google flights, we figured we had a direct flight from San Francisco to Dublin, Ireland and they were offering lower prices to promote the airlines and its new routes in the US. That is how we ended up in Ireland.

Also, while watching Sherlock, I had noticed beautiful location of Cliffs of Moher and of course the Game of Thrones castles were located in Northern Island. So, Ireland, here we are!

We did a road trip around the island in 7 days:

Day 0: Arrive in Dublin. Drive to Kilkenny.
Day 1: Kilkenny -> Cork -> Killarney
Day 2: Day in Killarney
Day 3: Killarney -> Limerick -> Cliffs of Moher -> Galway
Day 4: Galway -> Londonderry
Day 5: Londonderry -> Giant's Causeway -> Belfast
Day 6: Belfast -> Dublin
Day 7: Day in Dublin
Day 8: Fly out

Day 0: Arrival in Dublin. Drive to Kilkenny.

We arrived in Dublin around afternoon. Once we got our luggage and our rental car, we drove straight to a restaurant for lunch. We found a good good Indian restaurant on the outskirts of Dublin and ordered thali. yum yum. When we got back to our car, we realized there was an issue wit the car and the check engine light was on. We called the rental center that was 40 minutes away and they asked us to come back and exchange the car. Oh boy, what a waste of time. We drove all the way back, got another car and then drove to Kilkenny. The weather was so cloudy as if it was almost about to rain. But we got to Kilkenny at night and we were already so full that we didn't want to have dinner and went straight to bed. We didn't get to explore the town as we had wasted a couple of hours doing back and forth with the rental center. Looking forward to the next day to start our vacation!

Kilkenny Castle

Day 1: Kilkenny -> Cork -> Killarney

We were staying at Kilkenny Ormonde Hotel. It was an excellent hotel and the location was right in the middle of the old town. Felt like a perfect weekend getaway town for Dublin residents. We found a cute little cafe in the morning to get breakfast. This small city is very picturesque with an old town charm and 100% walkable.

We walked to Kilkenny castle in the morning after breakfast. We bought entry tickets for the castle and took our own sweet time to tour the castle and take some lovely pictures inside and outside the castle. There are vast green rolling hills right behind the castle which make for a wonderful area for kids to run and play. From here we made our way through the Kilkenny shops down to their Cathedral. The cathedral is located on the other end of the town and it makes for a very nice walk through cute little shops. There are two cathedrals that we visited, St Mary's Cathedral and Canice Cathedral. There is more stuff to do here if you have time but we decided to skip all of it. See Smithwick.

After spending about half a day in Kilkenny we headed to Cork. The weather was a bit rainy but the drive was beautiful. We'd gotten hungry by now so we navigated straight to an
Indian restaurant for lunch, Desi Bites. After our lunch we drove to the city center and parked our car at a car park garage. We explored the English Market. It was raining so we decided to take a stop at the cafeteria and grab some coffee. It is quite a big city. We decided to continue our drive to our destination for the night, Killarney. After checking into our hotel, we walked down to Piccolo for dinner. This seems like a cute little town and we were happy we were spending a full day here.

Day 2: Day in Killarney

Muckross House

Killarney is a very walkable town. it's a small little town and very popular with tourists. Our first order of business this day was to take a carriage ride, because when our daughter saw a carriage the previous day, we had to convince her to wait until the next day to take a ride. The ride starts from the town center and goes all the way around the castle. There are different routes that you could take depending upon how much time you're willing to spend. We decided to just take the shortest round around the castle with the lake view. 

After the ride, we headed to the lake. You could take a boat ride or just spend some time walking around. We skipped the boat ride drove to the Abbey next, which can be easily missed when you are driving to the abbey. So be vigilant of the turn. Next, we went to the Muckross House, and this was one of the most picturesque places in the town. It is located next to a lake and has beautiful green lawns all around. You could also take a carriage ride here. We spent quite sometime here as our daughter was busy running around and enjoying her time in these lawns.

Ladies' View

Next, we drove to Torc waterfall. We were now officially in Killarney National Park. It is a short hike to the viewpoint and it is a pretty little waterfall. then we drove to the Ladies View. you could keep going to drive around the peninsula, but we were done for the day and decided to head back to the city center for dinner. We wanted to have Indian food so we went to Bombay palace. The city center itself is very pretty and makes for great pictures. This is a beautiful town and one could spend days here.

If you do plan to spend more time, go around the Killarney peninsula. You could also drive to Dingle for a day and come back. 

Latin Quarter, Galway

Day 3: Killarney -> Limerick -> Cliffs of Moher -> Galway

The next day we grabbed breakfast at Manna, and headed to Limerick. Limerick is another big city, we decided to grab lunch and not spend much time here. we had pizza for lunch at Milano, which was right next to the river in the city. After lunch, we went for a short walk along the river and then we were headed straight to our biggest attraction of the trip, Cliffs of Moher.

It's a long drive to get to the cliffs but the drive becomes prettier as you get closer. There was plenty of parking and enough guidance for tourists on what to do. We walked along the Cliffs and got some really breathtaking views. We were here during the sunset hours, so that added to our experience. One way to explore these cliffs would be to take a cruise from Galway, which would take half a day or a full day. We decided to continue to our stopover for the night in Galway. It got a little windy and we experienced bursts of rain. However, by the time we had dinner at Spice India, the rain had settled down and we walked around Latin Quarter, which was a very lively neighborhood and seemed like the hangout place for experiencing nightlife. 

Day 4: Galway -> Londonderry

Though our plan was to visit Kylemore Abbey, we felt lazy and instead wanted to spend some time in the city. So we grabbed breakfast at Mr. Waffle and went to the Galway Cathedral. Then we spent time in the playground next to the cathedral and just strolling.

Mullaghmore Castle

From here, we headed towards Londonderry. We took a break at this cute little town, Silgo. Had lunch at Poppadam and walked around the town, shopping and following a marked Silgo tourist trail on their streets. It led us to an Abbey which was closed by the time we reached, but it was a fun day.

We could head to Mount Bilburn and hike there, but we decided to keep driving to Londonderry. On our drive, I spotted a castle that just looked very picturesque. So, I looked up on google maps and we just took a detour to Mullaghmore . We spent time watching the sunset over the ocean with views of the castle. It was so beautiful, picturesque and just a perfect end to our relaxed day. Best part was, it wasn't crowded at all. Next up was a long drive to Londonderry. Once we reached our hotel, we just crashed for the night.

Day 5: Londonderry -> Giant's Causeway -> Belfast

Mussenden Temple

Our first goal of the day was to drive to the Mussenden Temple. It was a bit tricky to locate, but uff, the view from the beach is beautiful and does remind you of Game of Thrones. We then drove to the top and parked our car to walk to the Temple to get a view of the beach from there. The temple makes for a very good location to take pictures.

It was almost lunch time now. So we navigated to a lunch place which ended up being a cute little town, and again we ended up shopping post lunch!

Next up were Giant’s Causeway. This also a well established tourist spot, so all parking directions and trails are clearly marked. We walked downhill to get to the basalt columns and on our way back, we took the bus. There are plenty of tails and you could easily spend the entire day here.

Giant's Causeway

From here, we went to the Dunluce Castle, which was closed to visitors by the time reached, but we got our views from the highway while driving towards the castle. As
there is plenty of daylight, and this day was mostly about Game of Throne locations, we drove to the ‘dark hedges’. You have to park across the road near a hotel parking and then walk to this road where the trees form a canopy. 

We were done with our day and just navigated to a restaurant for dinner, Nu Delhi, which btw, turned out to be quite popular, so be ready to wait or make a reservation. 

Titanic Museum

Day 6: Belfast -> Dublin

We were finally in Belfast and super excited to go see the Titanic Museum. Before we headed out to the museum, we grabbed breakfast at Harlem, which was a super fancy brunch place. We walked around the city hall area and it was a busy city!

Next up, the Titanic Museum. I didn’t expect, but our daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. She enjoyed their little treasure hunt and finding the hidden objects, the story about the ship and also a mini gondola ride. Now we were finally headed to Dublin. Once we settled in to our hotel, we went to Dosa Dosa food truck for amazing dosa and even more amazing chai! 

Day 7: A Day in Dublin

Trinity College

We had a full day to explore Dublin! First we headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Magnificent, beautiful and crowded. There are many tourist spots in this area, so once you find parking, be ready to walk. 

Next we walked to the castle, and the Book of Kells. From here we walked to the Parliament and spent time walking around the Trinity College. This is a very picturesque location and makes for great family pictures. The Marsh library was unfortunately closed (it was Monday!)

The highlight of our day was the Guinness Storehouse. What a wonderful attraction. It is a multi storied attraction and you go through various sections learning about different parts of the beer making process. It is a must do.
We skipped the Zoo and the Ghoul had a minimum age requirement. 

Day 8: Fly out

Packed our bags and ready to go back home! Ireland, you were so beautiful <3 ! 

Helpful notes and Tips:

• Guinness Storehouse

  If you were limited on time, prefer staying near the Killarney area,. You can spend a few days here, driving/hiking around the peninsula. Can also take a day trip to Dingle and other coastal towns
  

• If you are Game of Thrones fan, you can book specific tours focus on GoT fans and visiting those specific locations. There is also a studio tour and also Winterfell Castle that we skipped.

• If you have time, you could take a cruise from Galway to visit Cliffs of Moher. They are majestic and I am sure the views from the seas would be breathtaking.
  

• We skipped going to the Kylemore Abbey as it was quite a detour and we planned to chill that day. It seems beautiful in pictures.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

St. Patrick's Cathedral

• Other picturesque area near Dublin are the Wicklow Mountains. Our daughter isn't ready for long hikes yet, so we skipped this.

• There is lots to do in Dublin, but we had restrictions and had to skip them. 

• Jameson Distillery is open only for 18+

• Guinness Storehouse is open for all ages.
  

• You could do pub crawl at night.

• The goal/ghoul is also open only for 12+ or 18+

• The immigration for US happened at the Dublin airport, so we skipped that when we landed and it felt such a time saver.

MEXICO (MEXICO CITY, TEOTIHUACAN)

An impromptu birthday trip to Mexico City was the best celebration I could ask for. One of my favorite people, Alka, readily agreed to accompany me on this adventure when I realized that Sumit won't be able to take any time off. And here we were, in the heart of Mexico city.

Here is our rough itinerary for four days in Mexico City -

Day 0: Arrive. Settle in.
Day 1: Chapultepec Castle, Pujol lunch, Artesano Market
Day 2: Day trip to Teotihuacan, Spa day, Tacos!
Day 3: Tour Frida Kahlo house, Coyocan, Xochimilco, Palace of Fine Arts
Day 4: Museum of Anthropology, Metropolitan Cathedral, National Palace Square, Condesa stroll

Day 5: Fly out

I 💖 Mexico City!

Mexico City has my heart. It has everything one could ask for. Chaos, Culture and Cuisine. It reminded me of Delhi in so many ways. The city is densely populated and the best way for us to get around was Uber. We didn't dare to take public transport. It has a lot of cute cafes, taquerias, restaurants, food stalls and Michelin star restaurants. Bon Appetite! People are polite and courteous. We chose to stay in central area near Chapultepec Castle in the Juarez area. Stay in a lively and upscale area. Just strolling on Avenue de la Reforma in the evening was so relaxing. Beautiful sculptures at every 'roundabout'. Before you go, just plan for some time to walk around and relax along with the things to see. And if you are interested in some Michelin star restaurants, then make sure you make reservations well in advance. 

Day 1

Chapultepec Castle

The weather was lovely! We stepped out to get breakfast at cute little cafe a couple of blocks from our hotel. Then we walked all the way to the Chapultepec Castle. It is a bit of a hike to get up there. Lovely castle, beautiful interiors and perfect views of the city. There are few great brunch places around the area, but they need reservations a few days in advance, so make sure to make those.
After our hike, we were headed to the Michelin star restaurant, Pujol, for my birthday dinner! We got so lucky that we got an afternoon reservation just a couple of days in advance. Our reservation was from 2-5pm and I wondered what would we do for 3 hours. But my oh my, three hours for a six(or was it seven?) course meal was fantastic. I never imagined that we could finish our meals and thoroughly enjoy them. Everything was flavorful, colorful and worth ever penny. We walked out at about 5:30 pm and the next meal we had was our breakfast the next day. 

Pujol

We walked down to very fancy perfume/fragrance shop close to Pujol. Xino. We had to pick up for a friend, and it was very interesting shop. The welcome area had a lots of lamps and no human. You just keep walking and take the dark stairway up three floors to get to the shop. Its all black walls and ceiling and the fragrance shop has two rooms with their few products laid out for you. It was an experience in itself and I am glad we went there.

Next up, we took an Uber to the Artisan Market. It reminded me of Palika Bazar in New Delhi. It shuts down at 6 pm or so, so check the hours before you go. We took a quick stroll through the shops and picked up some souvenirs. It is a good place to get your local shopping done if you want to. By now we were tired and headed back to the hotel, there was no way we were going to have dinner after our sumptuous meal at Pujol.

Day 2

We had an early morning full-day tour booked for Teotihuacan. If you plan to visit this site, I highly recommend booking a tour and getting their early in the morning. We got to learn the history and archaeological findings as well. The guide however repeated everything he spoke in English in Spanish for the tourists. That was very confusing; to tune in and tune out got exhausting. So much so, that I tuned all of it out. Might as well book an English only tour. Would be a better experience.

On our drive to the pyramids, we passed through the outskirts of Mexico city, which is densely populated and their is a network of gondola to take them around as the terrian is that of rolling hills. Pretty innovative I'd say. We got to the site early in the morning before other tourists had started pouring in. Hence, got a chance to take pictures without crowded people in the background. It was a lot of walking. We even got to climb one of the pyramids. 

Teotihuacan

Best Tacos Ever!

On our way out we stopped at this Mexican restaurant and a gift shop right outside the pyramids. Did some expensive shopping their for the Obsidian jewelry and tasted Mezcal. We got home early evening. Now was time for our massage appointment. There are quite a few and we booked one closer to our hotel and it was a perfect after so much walking all day. Now that we were rejuvenated, we were ready to walk down for some TACOS! 

We headed to Tacos Ornico. Their logo is so funny. An upside down cow inside a taco shell. They had a long queue of customers but it was fast moving. They had a vegetarian option which was quite good. I understand why the tacos were worth the long queue. After dinner, we headed straight to Panderia Rosetta. Their guava roll is quite popular we learnt that it is usually gone my early afternoon! So we settled for a slice of another cake and coffee. More than the coffee or the cake, it was ambience that was so chic. The neighborhood is very upscale too. Hash! Now we were ready to retire for the night!

Day 3

Frida Kahlo Museum

We had another tour booked for this day. It was to get to Coyocan and Frida Kahlo museum combined with Xochimilco. First we had an obligatory stop at a silver shop. Apparently they made the famous Heart of Ocean Necklace for Spielberg for his movie, Titanic. The famous Kate Winslet necklace. Sigh! Once we got this out of the way, we were headed to Coyocan. Here we roamed around the neighborhood, visited an old cathedral, had crepes, went to small marketplace to do some more shopping and then headed to the Frida Kahlo museum. In hindsight, we could have simply Uber'd here. And walked around the neighborhood, plaza, etc. Then walked to the Frida Kahlo House. Frida Kahlo house/museum was very intriguing. Se became more real to me. And I learnt more about her life and her struggles. Definitely worth a visit. 

Next was a quick stop at the University (of Mexico?) to see some murals and a stadium on our way to Xochimilco. The highlight was Xochimilco. This place with water canals and floating gardens was the most fun place on this day. The boats were beautifully decorated. Some were selling stuff and and some had Mariachi bands that would hop on to your boat and sing songs for your boat. It was party time! This was a lot of fun and I am glad we went with a group. Just the two of us wouldn't have had as much fun. Highly recommend doing this with a group. This is wear we purchased our Friday Kahlo headbands. We got back to our hotel around 6 pm from our tour.

Xochimilco

After a couple of hours, we decided to head out for dinner. Now I wanted some Indian food, so we headed to an Indian restaurant near Chinatown, Swagat. We roamed around Chinatown and headed to the plaza next to the Palace of Fine Arts. The place is beautifully lit and so happening. There was lively music, hawkers, families, kids, couples, Salsa circle going on. We walked around a bit and it reminded us of what happens at India Gate in the evenings. There is a very popular Churros place in this area as well. I forget the name, but just google it if you like Churros. And with Churros, we called it a night.

Day 4

Metropolitan Cathedral

Today was a free day, so we booked an impromptu tour of Anthropology Museum. But first, we had to head to Panderia Rosetta to make sure we got our Guava rolls! Then we were headed to the Museum. The museum itself is a beautiful set of building around an open space and a fountain. The tour started off great, and the first 20 minutes were so interesting that we were thoroughly engaged to our own surprise, but as the tour went on, it became unbearable with each passing minute. Plus, the hunger got to us and the Guava rolls weren't enough and we were slowly getting hangry. We decided to ditch the tour after an hour or so and headed to Zanaya for a soul filling brunch. Burp.

Next we Uber'd to the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace Square. It was a weekend and there was so much going on all over the plaza. We walked around a bit and then headed to the Condesa area. We walked around aimlessly and when we were near Parque de Mexico, it started to rain. Like pour. We quickly called an Uber and headed to Maestro Taqueria. Unfortunately they didn't have anything vegetarian, but their Beef Tacos were great is what I hear. 

We had wonderful four days and I think we checked off everything on our list. Yay! I am definitely coming back if my daughter learns to talk in Spanish, because then it'll be so much more fun! 

Tips:

• If you intend to go to Frida Kahlo museum by yourself, make sure to get the tickets in advance. They get sold out pretty quickly.
• You could google for "Taco Trail" and try the taco shops on the trail.
• Make reservations for high end and popular restaurants in time. 

Jaipur, India

 

We were on our way to a wedding in Pushkar, a few hours away from India. The nearest airport was Jaipur, so we took the opportunity to spend two days in Jaipur before heading out to the wedding.

What we planned?

Here is the itinerary we had planned for our two days in Jaipur with a kids. Keep in mind, we were short on time and wanted to keep it easy. Details below in 'What to See?'

Day1: Arrive in the afternoon. Jantar Mantar, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Bapu Bazaar for shopping

Day2: Amber Fort, Jal Mahal, Birla Temple, Meet Friends

What we skipped?

As we were short on time, we skipped the following from our planning, but would have added if we had more time:

Ranthambore/Sariska Tiger Reserve - This requires a full day or two and needs to be reserved in advance. 

Elephant Sanctuary - Feedback from friends was that it is unnecessarily expensive and not as much fun for kids. 

Jaigarh Fort, Nalagarh Fort - We had planned to see only one fort, so we skipped the other two. However, we were told that Nalagrah Fort was solely for the queens and is quite pretty and well maintained. 

Patrika Gate - Supposed to be a very picturesque place, close to the airports. It is supposed to the most 'Instagrammable' spot. 

Panna Meena ka Kund - Just something I wanted to visit looking at the pictures. I hear there are many more 'step wells' in Rajasthan. Geometric staircases make for very good pictures!

When to go?

Umaid Bhawan

Weather will be critical. Jaipur is extremely hot in summers. Winters are cool and pleasant. We were there in February end, which is beginning of summer season and it was just bearable. In fact we preferred spending our afternoons in the hotel to beat the heat! Start early morning for good weather and to avoid crowds. 

Where to Stay?

We stayed at Umaid Bhawan. And that was the highlight of our trip. I cannot recommend it more! It is a beautiful boutique hotel with beautiful rooms. The roof is also hand painted. It is exquisite! The staff couldn't be nicer. This is by far the best hotel I have stayed in. They have a terrace where they serve lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served in another lounge and it is so pretty. There is a swimming pool too. Room service, of course. So, I totally enjoyed drinking my tea in the balcony of my beautiful room. 

They even had folk dance every evening for entertainment while you had dinner. Great service, great facilities. Neat and clean. Centrally located. 

How to Get Around?

Well, Uber can be tricky. It is a hit or a miss. Sometimes, the traffic is so much that they just cancel your request. So if you are on a schedule, it may make sense to just hire a taxi for the day. There are good, air conditioned taxis available with knowledgeable and courteous guides. Your hotels can help you get one. Just plan your itinerary looking at the map and being mindful of the rush hour traffic, which is most likely all-hour traffic.  We also Uber'd autorickshaw a couple of times as our daughter was super excited to sit in one. 

Amber Palace

What to see?

Amber Palace - You got to see a palace!duh! We chose the Amber Fort as it was the most popular one. Once we reached the Fort, we simply asked our driver to park in the parking area. It was too crowded and finding parking looked like a nightmare. To go up the hill from the parking lot to the Palace, you can either hike, or get an elephant ride, or take the EV vehicle. We decided to take the EV, it was a very nominal fare for the ride. Once we were at the entrance, we just hired a guide. He bought the tickets for us and we skipped the queue. The ones who are approved, usually wear a badge. We told him our time constraints and our interests. He took us around the palace in about an hour. Took our pictures too.

While going uphill in the EV, my phone fell from my lap on to the road. And there was an elephant going uphill as well, the driver managed to get down and grab the phone before the elephant stomped on my phone and precious pictures!

Sheesh Mahal is absolutely beautiful. The best part of the tour. There are roadside vendors sitting at the exit where you buy souvenirs. There is a government approved showroom behind the palace for Jaipur style textiles, jewelry and souvenirs, which we chose to skip.  

Jal Mahal

Jal Mahal - Half submerged palace. It makes for beautiful pictures and is indeed very pretty. I found it very serene to look at. There isn't much to do. No tours or anything. So it is just a stop over on your way to or from Amber Palace.

Jantar Mantar- We found this absolutely fascinating. I had no idea that it was an astronomical structure(s). I was very pleasantly surprised to learn more about it. The angles  are based on various constellations and shadows of the sun. There is a 15 minute documentary that talks in detail about these structures with visuals and full explanation that runs continuously in a room at the far end of the complex. It is worthwhile watching that and understanding the structures you are looking at. 

I got in the queue of International Tourists for tickets in all my honesty, and not because the queue was short. But the clerk insisted that I buy Indian National tickets and despite me asking him to give me International Tourist tickets, gave me local national tickets! 🙈

Hawa Mahal - It is beautiful and I just kept taking pictures and editing them to remove the vehicles, wires, people, etc. There are a few spots/ cafeteria, which are right across Hawa Mahal and make for good pictures. Just stepping into those cafeterias is paid as they are now very popular spots for pictures. Shopping here by roadside would be cheap and need a lot of haggling if you are up for it. 

Jantar Mantar

City Palace - It is right next to Hawa Mahal and Jantar Mantar. It is currently in use and only a part of it is open for public. We skipped it as we were done for the day, the heat got to us and just wanted to get to our lovely hotel.

Shopping - Roadside, by Hawa Mahal is the best place to shop as it is right there. But if you are looking for something particular, like clothes, or Jewelry, then it makes sense to google, or ask your concierge for the best places to shop for them. Otherwise, Bapu Bazaar and Johri Bazaar are your best bets for shopping. We didn't intend to shop this time so we skipped these, but I have been to these area on our previous trips with family. The pink shops with uniform headers painted across them are what give Jaipur the name of  'Pink City'

Birla Temple - Its a beautiful marble temple created by the Birla family. They have very strict hours, so make sure you check them before you go. This temple is on the outskirts of the city, or well, not in city center. So if you are planning to go here, make sure you make note of the times. For us, when we had planned to go, we realized it was closed and hence had to divert to go back to our hotel. 

Other tips and tricks:

Amber Palace

• Hire a cab. Autos in the heat are a no-no
• Go early, beat the crowds. Split your day into two. Tour early morning. And take rest in the afternoon. And get our early evening again.
• Hire a guide!
• Be vary of monkeys. They are trained well to snatch everything and anything
• Pay for parking if you have to.
• Buy tickets from the International Tourists line. They are short.
• You will spend a lot of time in traffic. So plan well.
• Restaurants take time to get your food.