Friendliness: Everyone (everyone!) is friendly and helpful and delightful. When we were momentarily confused finding our B&B the first day, a woman noticed, asked if we needed help, and insisted on walking with us to figure things out. Asking help from locals as we walked around was likewise met with an eagerness to assist. Restaurant and bar servers were efficient and kind. It seemed a level of civility that has slipped in the U.S.
Food: My memory of past visits to Ireland is that the food was ho-hum. Heavy on root vegetables – not just potatoes, but beets and rutabagas too – and light on lettuce; nobody offered salads. This time was different! Every meal we had in Ireland was delicious with plentiful salad greens and imaginative starters. Breakfast offerings always include the meat-intense Irish Fry, but also lighter options such as egg+smoked salmon. They’re not much on espresso drinks, but the strong French-press type coffee was excellent.
Toilets: None of that 1.2 gallon B.S. around here.Whoosh!
Driving on the left: It wasn’t hard to get used to on the bikes (although I kept expecting oncoming cars in my lane even though we were biking with traffic). While walking around, we were especially cautious, looking back and forth repeatedly, before stepping off the curb despite painted instructions on the street (look ß this way).
Signs:
Sounds wonderful!
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