The Heart of Ireland
Fáilte, Welcome!
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We are Rachel and Jacob from California. Welcome to our Rick Steves' Heart of Ireland Tour scrapbook.
Although perhaps not a stated objective of the trip, I believe we inherently longed to travel to Ireland to escape California's dry, golden hills and the Central Valley's sweltering summer heat (yes, we have it rough). We longed to see Ireland's lush green landscapes for ourselves, and get drenched in pouring rain—which we did several times! Above and beyond our longing to see any (really, any) green in the landscape, and don our rain boots and mittens in September, both of us have Irish heritage, and desired to journey to the Emerald Isle to see where our ancestors came to the United States from, as well as learn about Ireland's history and culture. With high hopes, we kissed our pets goodbye and set off for an adventure of a lifetime.
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On our seven-day journey across this beautiful country, spanning from charming Ennis to the West, to bustling Dublin to the East, our guide was exceptional in using the travel time to share engaging facts and stories about all things Ireland. The tour's itinerary packed more activities and sights into each day than we would have been able to plan for ourselves had we traveled without a tour. We were enriched by new experiences, made memories that will last a lifetime, and left with the tune of Wild Mountain Thyme playing on in our hearts (Heart of Ireland, indeed).
Our scrapbook is organized by day and location; each page includes where we went, what we learned, and our commentary. At the end of the scrapbook, you will find an extra page of bonus content courtesy of our airline (which shall not be named), that had another plan for where we would spend the first night of our trip. Use the menu at the top of the page or the next arrows at the bottom to navigate the stops of our trip. We hope you enjoy the journey through our scrapbook as much as we enjoyed creating it!​​
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Sláinte, Rachel & Jake
Trip Map
We both dreamed of traveling to Ireland, the top destination on our travel bucket lists. However, we were hesitant to drive on the opposite side of the road. That’s when we discovered Rick Steves' Heart of Ireland Tour! As two PBS-raised kids who had relied on Rick Steves' Great Britain guidebook during our previous travels in England and Scotland, we knew this tour would suit our needs and travel style.​
Check out our interactive trip map to see the stops along the tour!