Ireland: Day 2 - Drive from Dublin to Galway

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 2.

20/9 Day 2: Collect rental car. Left Dublin 9.45am. Arrived in Galway 3.15pm. Stopped at Trim Castle and Clonmocnaise for breaks. At Galway, took the local bus to town center. 

Costs
(1) Rented car, 6 days (20 - 25 Sept) - EUR191,41. 

Paid to DiscoverCars (third operator that we rented the car from): Full coverage insurance EUR78,50, Prepayment EUR12,62; 

Paid to Sixt (car rental company): Additional driver EUR68,99, cost of rental EUR151,66, prepaid fuel EUR71,04  

(2) Toll from Dublin to Galway - Dublin Port Tunnel EUR3,50; Eurolina Motorway EUR1,80

(3) 1 local bus ticket from accommodation (Parkmore stop) to Eyre Square, Galway - EUR1,90

(4) Seasick pills from pharmacy in Galway - EUR7,95

Accommodation
(1) Airbnb at Galway, 2 nights - Small accommodation - a room with own toilet and kitchen EUR168,24 for 2 persons, EUR84,12 per person

Food
(1) Coffee at Stonewall cafe (opposite Trim Castle) - Cappucino EUR4,10

(2) Guiness at Tig Neachtains pub - EUR6,40 (cheaper than the one we had in Madigans O'Connell Street pub in Dublin yesterday)

(3) Dinner at The Quay - Fish and chips EUR20,90, red ale beer EUR7,20

(4) Irish coffee at Garavan pub - EUR8,90

The Story

20092026: Today, we leave Dublin and will drive to Galway. First, we have breakfast provided by the hotel. One of the benefits of staying in a hotel is that breakfast is provided. Well, most hotels anyway. We had Irish breakfast which is sort of a Western breakfast - sausage, egg, bacon, yoghurt with muesli, bread, cheese, and coffee. Something unique is black pudding which we had in Scotland too.

After breakfast, we took a walk around the area as it was still early to collect the car. I selected 9.30am. We went to Lidl to buy water, nuts, sweets and bananas for the road trip. This is the hotel from the exterior.

The Dublin sign lights up at night.

No shops are opened yet. I was surprised to see a very long pole in town. I just researched and this is the Spire of Dublin build to replace Nelson's Pillar that was bombed down in 1966.

Postboxes in Ireland are green in colour!

Finally, time to collect our car. One of the reasons we chose the hotel is because it is less than 5 minutes walk to Sixt car rental located in The Spire Car Park. 

The office is inside the carpark and the rented cars are on the 5th floor, the rooftop floor. The staff offered insurance from Sixt but we declined it as we had already purchased a full coverage insurance from DiscoverCars, the operator that we liaised with for the car rental. It was cheaper to go with a third party rather than directly with the rental operator. I wrote a wall of text in my first post on the car rental. As a result of declining Sixt insurance, we had to leave a deposit of EUR2000 so that Sixt can deduct the cost for any damages to the car. If we took Sixt insurance, we did not need to leave the deposit. I was very surprised by this large amount of deposit when I booked the car. 

Our hybrid car!

I drove out the car as I am familiar on driving on the left side. My boyfriend took over after our first stop as he has gotten used to the left side. He is generally an excellent driver, so driving on either sides is not a problem for him. The drive from Dublin to Galway without any break takes 2.5 hours but we are definitely stopping along the way to see other attractions. Plus, it is boring to just be on the motorway. 

We drove out on the motorway and our first stop is Trim Castle. That took us 1 hour 10 minutes.

Trim Castle - the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland. Of course, I had to google what Anglo-Norman is. This castle is the symbol of Norman power in Ireland and de Lacy (the person who built it) status. The castle is designed to command River Boyne and the surrounding countryside.

The Anglo-Normans were the medieval ruling class in the Kingdom of England following the Norman Conquest. They were primarily a multiethnic combination of Normans, Bretons, Frenchmen, Flemings, Anglo-Saxons and Celtic Britons. Source from Wikipedia.

Since it was a Sunday, we did not need to purchase any parking ticket. The parking spaces were limited but we were lucky to get a spot. We walked on the castle grounds and did not go inside the castle. So lucky to have a sunny weather. 

Ireland: Day 1 - Arrival in Dublin

During my birthday week, I made a trip to Ireland! I have never had Ireland in the list of places that I want to visit but my boyfriend would like to visit the country and I just wanted to be in a new place so I agreed to it and did the research. It was relatively easier to research on the country as everything is in English and I don't have to change language or use Google Translate because the website only has information in the local language. We were away for 9 days and since this is my first time, I visited the must-see or recommended tourist attractions. We rented a car too because there are no trains between towns. Not sure about buses though. It was easier with a car as we could drive to the attractions. 

I rented a small automatic car from a third party operator, DiscoverCars, which turned out to be very helpful. The customer service was very attentive and real! Not an AI agent. The operator has a website that lists down all cars based on preferences and the prices were cheaper than renting directly from the operator. Small car because we were unsure about the width of the roads in small towns. Good thing we chose small car because during those drives in the small towns or on the way to an attraction in a small town, we had to drive very close to the hedges or even over the road's border to give way to buses, vans and bigger cars. I purchased a full-insurance too from DiscoverCars and we did not need to get the full insurace from the car rental company, which in this case is Sixt, who of course, recommended to get their insurance but we declined it. The downside is in the event of any damages, we have to pay Sixt first and make the claims to DiscoverCars. And another downside is that we have to pay a deposit EUR2000 via credit card. Neither of us has a credit card so my boyfriend had to apply for a credit card just for this purpose. If there were any damages, Sixt will deduct the cost of the damages from the deposit. Thankfully, we did not have any damages to the car. Phew. We did a mistake though by purchasing prepaid fuel from Sixt as the staff told us that it will save us the trouble from finding a petrol station and can return the car at any level in the petrol tank. My boyfriend agreed to it, and during our trip, I told him that it is more expensive with that purchase as we had a hybrid car which means that the car charges the battery and the battery is used during drives in small town so we did not need to pump the car so often. So, my boyfriend did an estimated calculation at which level in the petrol tank we should return the car so that it is worth the money spent. He did quite a good job at that and we returned the car with 30km left which is sufficient for the staff to find a petrol station.

When I was asked the places that I was visiting, I explained that we start from Dublin and then drive westwards to Galway and then southwards to Killarney but not a straight south. Less than 90 degrees and back to Dublin so it is a sort of upside-down triangle. Do you get what I am trying to explain? 

Dublin (1 night) -- collect car in Dublin -- drive to Galway (2 nights) -- drive to Portmagee (2 nights) -- drive to Killarney (1 night) -- drive to Dublin (2 nights) 

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 1.

19/9 Day 1: Flight from Stockholm (1730 hours) to Dublin (1915 hours). 2 hours and 45 minutes flight. Dublin is one hour earlier than Stockholm. Bus and walk to hotel. Had fish and chips for dinner.

Costs

(1) Flight return ticket Stockholm to Dublin - SAS Airline SEK2588. 

(2) Dublin Express airport bus return ticket (Dublin airport to town) - EUR24 (EUR12 per way)

Accommodation

(1) Academy Plaza Hotel, 1 night (booked from Trip.com) - Shared room EUR230,73 for 2 persons, EUR115,36 per person

Food

(1) Dinner at Madigans O'Connell Street pub - Fish and chips EUR23, Guiness EUR8

The Story

19092026: Flight departed and arrived without any delays. We landed at Dublin airport, collected our luggage and waited in line for the Dublin Express airport bus. I selected 784 when I bought the bus ticket but we boarded the 783 bus instead. The bus stop on the 783 route was not very far from the hotel so it was fine for us. In the Dublin Express bus website, the bus ticket is valid within 12 hours from the selected time. 12 hours before and 12 hours after. Basically, a 24 hour ticket. Also, bus ticket for route 782, 783 and 784 can be used interchangeably and one can alight at any station despite the selected station on the ticket. Dublin town is not big so everything is a relative walking distance. 

The next bus that will arrive is 783 hence the reason the staff directed us to wait in line for the 783 bus. I asked the staff on which stop to get down but I did not understand what she said. Yes, the first experience of speaking to an Irish. And not the last time I do not understand them. We checked Google Map and we got off at Anton Quay stop. If we took 784, we would have alighted at Eden Quay. 

The bus ride took 15 minutes. Here, at Anton Quay stop. I was welcomed by very loud people. It is a Saturday so the streets were very lively. I noticed too that there are many pubs in Dublin. So, it could be one of the reasons of the lively people around me. I felt uncomfortable initially because I am not used to large crowds anymore. I held tightly to my belongings. 

It is a short walk to our hotel. 10 minutes maybe. We checked in. I had booked an Airbnb in the beginning but a month before our trip, our host contacted me and told me that he is renovating his apartment and unsure of its availability in September. So, I cancelled the accommodation and got refunded. We took a hotel as we were staying for 1 night only. All hotels in Dublin are very expensive. They are double the prices of Airbnb. We booked the hotel for the first time from Trip.com which has the lowest price in comparison to other hotel websites.

Then, we visited the nearest pub with good ratings - Madigans. Here, I was greeted by even livelier crowd and also live music. You cannot talk at all or maybe talk directly to the ears. Then, a random person came to our table and spoke to us. Wow. Irish people are so friendly. It felt very nice and actually, welcoming. 

Of course, the first meal had to be fish and chips. And the first drink had to be a Guiness. Ireland - the origins of Guiness.

They have malt vinegar to be poured on to the fish. 

Now, we have tasted a bit of Irish culture!

Slovakia, Austria: Day 18 (last day) - Flight from Vienna to Stockholm

Here is a summary of what is spent on Day 18 - the last day of the trip.

15/8 Day 18: Flight from Vienna 1705 hours to Stockholm 1915 hours. 

Cost
(1) Flight ticket Vienna to Stockholm - Austrian Airline EUR141,47. 

(2) 1 train ticket from Pilgramkasse station to Flughafen EUR5,30

Food
(1) Breakfast at Das Funfte Cafe - Avocado and fried egg sandwich EUR13 (includes coffee with milk)
(2) Ice-cream at Burger King - Chocolate sundae EUR3,20

(3) Lunch at Bierometer - Boiled sausages with horseradish + 1 bread roll EUR9,50, salad EUR4,80, Radler 500ml EUR5,70

The Story

15082026: Today, we leave Vienna. Time to get back to reality and routine. I was happy to leave Vienna too as it is very hot and I cannot enjoy the place. We had breakfast at a nearby cafe. Not many places were opened today, not even the large grocery store as today is a public holiday - Assumption of Mary. 

Breakfast - avocado and fried egg sandwich and includes a cup of coffee. We took cappucino.

As not many grocery stores were opened, we walked around looking for one to look for wafer biscuits. But we found none, unfortunately. I bought sundae chocolate from Burger King. It looks kind of small compared to the one I had at McDonalds at Liptovsky Mikulas. 

We checked out and had lunch at Bierometer. I wanted something light as I did not have much appetite due to the heat, just sausages and salad but the sausages came with a bread. The waiter did not understand my request. Oh well. 

We took the train from Pilgramkasse station to Flughafen Wien. The ticket costs extra as we were travelling outside the city center towards the airport. A ticket usually costs EUR3, at least the ones we paid for yesterday when we took the train to Alte Donau.

I was tired after this trip. I think it took me about two weeks for my tired legs to recover. I did not realise that hiking for four days in a row (Day 5 to 8) could be so tiring for me. I did not even hike a full whole day. Then, continued hiking activity on Day 10. It was relatively easier but my legs were not looking forward to it. Well, I overestimated myself. Then, I was ambitious to hike in the Lower Tatras (Day 13) and we ended up taking the cable car instead. Now, I know myself better and should not insert too much hiking activities. I am glad that I could hike while I still can, though.  

I am happy with the itinerary. I got to see the best of Slovakia - its mountains and the convenience of its public transport. When I took the train from Bratislava, Slovakia into Vienna, Austria, I thought that this was so great for the locals. If I live here, I would be taking weekend trips or any public holidays to hike in Tatras and visit its neighbouring countries as there are long-distance train to connect them plus also cycling trips (the Danube cycle path from Vienna to Bratislava and Budapest in Hungary).  

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Here are the list of places I went. You can click on the link and be directed to the posts immediately. 

Day 1 - Flight from Stockholm to Kosice

Day 2 - Walk around Kosice town

Day 3 - Botanical garden

Day 4 - Train from Kosice to Poprad. Walk around Poprad.

Day 5 - Hike from Stary Smokovec (1010m) to Zamkovskeho chata (1475m)

Day 6 - Day hike to Skalnate pleso (1751m)

Day 7 - Day hike to Teryho chata (2015m)

Day 8 - Hike from Zamkovskeho chata (1475m) to Hotel Sliezsky Dom (1670m)

Day 9 - Short walk around Hotel Sliezsky Dom.

Day 10 - Half day hike to Dlhe Pleso (1939m)

Day 11 - From Tatranska Polianka to Liptovsky Mikulas. Visit Lake Hladiny Liptovskej Mary.

Day 12 - Visit Demanovska Jaskyna Slobody (Cave of Liberty).

Day 13 - Cable car to Chopok (2024m) in the Low Tatras.

Day 14 - Train from Liptovsky Mikulas to Bratislava. Walk around Bratislava town.

Day 15 - Walking tour in Bratislava, dip in Lake Zlate Piesky

Day 16 - November 1989, Slavin monument, tried local wine, tasted Rubia Gallega

Day 17 - Train from Bratislava to Vienna, dip in Alte Donau river

Day 18 - Flight back to Stockholm (this post)

For total and different category of expenses, I will sum it here.  

1) Flight - SEK2675,02
2) Accommodation (Airbnb and Hotel) - EUR705,26

3) Food - EUR763,15

4) Activities (entrance fees to church, garden and outdoor pool, cave, cable car, tips) - EUR82,50

5) Transport (bus and tram tickets, parking fees) - EUR82,18

Exchange rate EUR1 = SEK11. 

Total Cost for the trip is about SEK18.150 for 18 days.