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July 12, 2017May 9, 2018

Video: Exploring Dingle with a Local Craftsman

Seán Daly, the best crystal cutter in Dingle, took me on a walk through his town. (Our Best of Ireland in 14 Days tour group visited him this morning at his crystal workshop, and this afternoon, he grabbed a couple of hours to explore with me.) There’s something charming about small-town Ireland — where the people’s connection to their culture and to their town is so vivid. And get this: When you say Seán’s name, Seán Daly, you’re saying “chandelier” in French!

Our tour group at Seán’s workshop this morning.

This is Day 71 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

July 11, 2017

Video: Blitzing Dingle’s Best Pubs — and Best Urinals

You gotta love keg urinals. Dingle’s Courthouse Pub is where the musicians go when their gigs are over. And Tommy O’Sullivan, the owner, innovated some interesting urinals I just had to share with you. From keg to keg…the cycle of life in Ireland.

Dingle is my favorite town in Ireland — and one of my favorite towns in all of Europe. It was pretty late. I was blitzing the best traditional music pubs in Dingle before heading back to our B&B. Walking around the block, I popped in on six pubs like this, each with a different personality and each with live music playing to an enthusiastic and fun-loving crowd. In the next edition of our Ireland guidebook, the character of each of these pubs will be clear to our travelers so they can settle in on just the right scene. That was my agenda…fun work.

This is Day 70 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

July 10, 2017

Video: Alone with the Past at St. Brendan’s Oratory

(Warning: There’s an amazing leprechaun scene in this clip.)

I’ve been visiting the Dingle Peninsula for more than 30 years. With a new guide (Colm of Dingle Slea Head Tours), I learned of a new sight: St. Brendan’s Oratory. Dingle Peninsula is like an open-air archaeological museum. Imagine monks here, deep in the Dark Ages — over a thousand years ago — stacking these stones.

Anyone can be alone with wonders of the past…but you’ve got to get out and make it happen.

This is Day 69 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

July 9, 2017May 9, 2018

The Dramatic and Beautiful Slea Head Drive

Driving around Slea Head on the westernmost tip of Ireland, I’m enjoying the travelers’ hat trick: Venturing along a tiny road, being out in the early evening when things are quiet and the light is nice, and having the company of a good local guide (to do the driving so I can enjoy the view). Without a local guide like Colm (of Dingle Slea Head Tours), you could drive right by the ruined famine cottages and the corduroy fields without knowing that those faint ridges are the furrows planted in 1848, then never harvested and never touched since. (As the population is less than half of what it was pre-famine, that land was no longer worth working.)

We took our Best of Ireland in 14 Days group on the Dingle Peninsula loop earlier. They’re in town enjoying some great seafood, but I just had to make the loop again — so peaceful and so quiet.

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This is Day 68 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

July 8, 2017May 9, 2018

Video: Fresh Fishy Fishy in South Ireland

I’m having a lot of fun traveling across Ireland on a Rick Steves Best of Ireland in 14 Days Tour. And I’ve been multitasking, using the tour as an efficient vehicle for updating our Rick Steves Ireland guidebook. With every free hour, I’m running around to check out the details.

One of the biggest challenges is sorting through the best restaurants in each town. In this clip, I’m enthusing about the legendary “Fishy Fishy Café” in Kinsale. You have to love a seafood restaurant that puts photos of the men who catch its fish on the wall. (I noticed three generations of Hurleys: Christy, Dave, and Desmond.) This meal is not cheap (about $25), but it’s really good. And biting into a slice of cake-like soda bread, I had one of those déjà-vu-of-the-tongue experiences — reminding me it’s great to be back in Ireland.

This is Day 67 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences across Europe. Still to come: England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.