Alk's European Vacation (advice needed)

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Roberto71 said:
I shall start off by saying I am truly disgusted that you have no plans to visit our lovely little island here.

So, I'm leaving this thread. Sorry.
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Hey, remember this post? Well, we just booked our flights. We're coming to visit in July!! 😂
 
Alk said:
Hey, remember this post? Well, we just booked our flights. We're coming to visit in July!! 😂
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It will be the best trip of your lives! Well, I wouldn’t spend a day in Dublin I would get out into the country. Killarney, Kilkenny, Galway and a half a dozen more I can’t remember in my single malt state as I speak this to text, the the people are the best!

All of my comments are based on my honeymoon in 1995, but I can’t imagine it’s much different now. After all, it birthed our friend Roberto!
 
Aloyouis said:
It will be the best trip of your lives! Well, I wouldn’t spend a day in Dublin I would get out into the country. Killarney, Kilkenny, Galway and a half a dozen more I can’t remember in my single malt state as I speak this to text, the the people are the best!

All of my comments are based on my honeymoon in 1995, but I can’t imagine it’s much different now. After all, it birthed our friend Roberto!
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Thanks for all the tips. We're also going to Scotland. Any advice there? I really feel like I should try to play golf while I'm over there but I'm just too self conscious about my game and don't want to be an inconvenience to any of the more serious local golfers.
 
Alk said:
Thanks for all the tips. We're also going to Scotland. Any advice there? I really feel like I should try to play golf while I'm over there but I'm just too self conscious about my game and don't want to be an inconvenience to any of the more serious local golfers.
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You have to play. Don’t worry about your level of play. Nobody will give a shit on the courses here or Scotland. There will be no judgement.
 
Alk said:
Hey, remember this post? Well, we just booked our flights. We're coming to visit in July!! 😂
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We did the west coast, and it was an amazing trip. Strongly recommend doing the Gap of Dunlow. We ranged from Killarney and Dingle to Galway and all the way up to Sligo/Tuam.

Killarney and the Dingle coast are a must if you're able.
 
Roberto71 said:
You have to play. Don’t worry about your level of play. Nobody will give a shit on the courses here or Scotland. There will be no judgement.
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Any suggestions on courses? I'm assuming St Andrews is going to be a no go for me. Also, are clubs readily available to rent over there (I'm a lefty)?
 
Alk said:
Thanks for all the tips. We're also going to Scotland. Any advice there? I really feel like I should try to play golf while I'm over there but I'm just too self conscious about my game and don't want to be an inconvenience to any of the more serious local golfers.
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Where will you be in Scotland? I visited Glasgow this summer and had previously been to Edinburgh. I can't say enough about either but they are different experiences. Glasgow is more metropolitan and has more of a "big city" feel of the two. We stayed in a castle outside Edinburgh and that was a cool experience. If you were only going to spend a day in Edinburgh, you could plan it around the Royal Mile and leave satisfied with what you saw.

I don't golf so I'll leave the recommendations up to others but a close friend did play St Andrew's last year and gushed over it.

I also went back to Ireland with primary stops in Dublin, Cork, Cobh (great little port town) and Belfast (which was my first time and I liked very much). Agree that you don't need to spend more than a day in Dublin but that doesn't mean you shouldn't. In a previous trip, I started in Dublin and made my way south and down around to the ring of Kerry. I would recommend trying to move around to different places as it's the quaint little towns and villages that really made Ireland special for me (Mallow, Killarney, Waterford, and the like). I don't think that Blarney castle is a must-do (but I feel like most people do try to experience it, regardless) but I was very fond of the Blarney area, in general.

I still haven't been to out to Galway but plan to get there on my next venture across the pond.

Hope you have a great time!
 
Advice for Scotland? Wear an England Football shirt everywhere with "Fuck the Jocks" written on the front.

Also, the temperature will be in the high 90s constantly, so don't bother with layers of clothes, or anything to keep out the wet.

Finally, remember to tell everyone (loudly) how much better everything is back home and how "we saved your limey asses from the Germans".
 
One of my sisters wanted the gang of siblings to visit Scotland, so my knowledge base is from a limited review. Trip suspended due to health issues.
What I remember;
You can obtain a travel guide for any day trip. How comfortable are you with driving on the wrong side? Time required to travel from point a to b is misleading on Google. Americans can not match the quoted time from Google. Double or triple the time.
You can see fantastic scenery from almost anywhere, like from the train.
Personally I am more interested in being out in the country side. Was interested in the Roman wall south of Scotland, but that's me.
(Apparently when the Romans met up with the Scots, that was enough. )

Have fun.
 
sg14 said:
One of my sisters wanted the gang of siblings to visit Scotland, so my knowledge base is from a limited review. Trip suspended due to health issues.
What I remember;
You can obtain a travel guide for any day trip. How comfortable are you with driving on the wrong side? Time required to travel from point a to b is misleading on Google. Americans can not match the quoted time from Google. Double or triple the time.
You can see fantastic scenery from almost anywhere, like from the train.
Personally I am more interested in being out in the country side. Was interested in the Roman wall south of Scotland, but that's me.
(Apparently when the Romans met up with the Scots, that was enough. )

Have fun.
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Totally agree about Google Maps times. They're wildly optimistic for public transport, and assume that connections are optimal. They seem to assume that your train arrives at exactly the right time, the connecting bus is waiting for you and the roads are completely clear. Good luck with that!
 
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gomezcat said:
Advice for Scotland? Wear an England Football shirt everywhere with "Fuck the Jocks" written on the front.

Also, the temperature will be in the high 90s constantly, so don't bother with layers of clothes, or anything to keep out the wet.

Finally, remember to tell everyone (loudly) how much better everything is back home and how "we saved your limey asses from the Germans".
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Well, it’s all true!
 
sg14 said:
One of my sisters wanted the gang of siblings to visit Scotland, so my knowledge base is from a limited review. Trip suspended due to health issues.
What I remember;
You can obtain a travel guide for any day trip. How comfortable are you with driving on the wrong side? Time required to travel from point a to b is misleading on Google. Americans can not match the quoted time from Google. Double or triple the time.
You can see fantastic scenery from almost anywhere, like from the train.
Personally I am more interested in being out in the country side. Was interested in the Roman wall south of Scotland, but that's me.
(Apparently when the Romans met up with the Scots, that was enough. )

Have fun.
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Good point on the driving. If you drive even an hour or two, it’s exhausting on the driver. The roads are narrow and every so often you will come up behind a tractor or hay baler and have to make a tough pass. By the time you get to your destination, you’re a bit stressed an gassed.
The train in both of these countries is your best bet if it fits your itinerary. ChatGPT can help you refine the perfect itinerary.
 
All joking aside, the scenery in Scotland is amazing and well-worth just viewing. I'd take care if planning to hill-walk as the paths are treacherous at times, but then that's no different to various US hill/mountain ranges.

I don't drive, but have spent enough time outside the UK (including quite a few weeks in the US) to advise against it here. As 3 Point Stan said, the country roads are much narrower than you will be used to, and you'll have to deal with everything being on the "wrong side".

Edinburgh is well worth a visit. I have friends there and really like it. The pubs are great and varied. I can't comment on the other cities, really, but I've heard good things about Glasgow.

The weather in Scotland (like most of the UK) can change quickly. You won't need to dress like you're going to the Arctic, but do pack a decent rain-resistant coat.

Most of the UK (almost all) takes contactless payment if you use Visa/MasterCard. I almost never carry cash. Wi-Fi is extremely common (usual caveats around using a good VPN for public Wi-Fi) and you'll have OK mobile phone reception in most towns/cities.

I'd recommend using Reddit or similar to find the locals' places for eating.
 
Glasgow is great, but it's a tough city. One English guy said he was in a pub there once and asked for a lager shandy (a pint of beer with a splash of lemonade), and the barman told him in his gruff Scottish accent, "Sorry, we don't do cocktails." :rofl:
 
Roberto71 said:
Glasgow is great, but it's a tough city. One English guy said he was in a pub there once and asked for a lager shandy (a pint of beer with a splash of lemonade), and the barman told him in his gruff Scottish accent, "Sorry, we don't do cocktails." :rofl:
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Haha, that type of exchange is common in the states, too.

There’s a place in Glasgow that we stopped in that went out of their way to make us Americans feel welcomed and it’s called the Rhoderick Dhu:

It’s centrally located within the city so they likely get a ton of foreigners. The manager’s name was James Brown (no, not THAT James Brown… no, not that OTHER James Brown, either) and he was awesome.

Is it the most authentic bar in Glasgow? How the hell should I know? But it looked authentic enough, was clean, had decent food, and James Brown knows his whiskey. Check it out if you’re there.
 
Holy cow. I'm overwhelmed with all of the suggestions. We do plan on using public transportation as much as possible. We're going with a couple friends and plan on using Air BNBs instead of hotels if we can find them.
 
Alk said:
Holy cow. I'm overwhelmed with all of the suggestions. We do plan on using public transportation as much as possible. We're going with a couple friends and plan on using Air BNBs instead of hotels if we can find them.
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And for god sake, in Glasgow, DON'T walk into a Glasgow Celtic bar and ask how Rangers are doing.....you won't come out alive.
 
Alk said:
Any suggestions on courses? I'm assuming St Andrews is going to be a no go for me. Also, are clubs readily available to rent over there (I'm a lefty)?
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Old Head in Kinsale Ireland never played in Scotland hubby has. But Old Head is absolutely gorgeous don’t know about renting… we brought our clubs. I’m a lefty also lol but I’m sure they can accommodate you at any course.

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~Dee~
 
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