We've bought plane tickets, and we have lodging for our first three nights in Dublin. Other than that, we're keeping it loose. We have a general idea of what we'd like to do, but we don't have a tight schedule, so we'll be flexible to stay somewhere a bit longer or move on more quickly - whatever floats our boat!
So, we'll spend the first few days in Dublin, doing everything we can - Trinity College, the Book of Kells, the Gaol, the Post Office, the parks, Guinness, etc. Then, we'll move out to Tullamore to the west, because there's a horse trials going on that first weekend we're there, and I'd just like to say I've seen an Irish horse show (since I drool over Irish horses in general). Then, we may tool around Kilkenny and the Wicklow Mountain area before heading north towards Northern Ireland, stopping at Drogheda and the Hill of Tara along the way. We'll spend some time in Belfast, seeing where the Titanic was built, going to the Giant's Causeway, and taking the Black Taxi tour that discusses The Troubles. Then, we'll catch a ferry over to Scotland!
A rough approximation of our time in Ireland
In Scotland, we'll dock near Troon, which is near an area where some of Jim's ancestors are from - which we will, of course, explore. Then, we'll drive across Scotland's narrow little waist (such a girlish figure!) to stay in Sterling - we'll do the William Wallace stuff and day-trip into Edinburgh.
Our plans for Scotland
We'll head back over to Ireland and down to Dublin, where we will catch a plane back to the USA. A little over two weeks traipsing about across the pond is how we're spending our tenth anniversary!
So, the countdown is on. We're getting clothes (easy, packable, light, made for walkin'), gear (rain! wind!), and our travel guides together (thanks, Lonely Planet!).
I wish we were leaving tomorrow.
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