June 16 - 30

15 Day New Ulm Travel Fun Vacation

Monday, June 16
Departure
Today we board our flight in Minneapolis/St. Paul for our transatlantic journey to Dublin, enjoying superior in flight meal service and entertainment en route.

Tuesday, June 17
Dublin, Ireland
Upon arrival in Dublin, our European guide meets us and takes us to our hotel. The beautiful city is situated around Dublin Bay and sheltered by the Wick Low Mountains, as we will see when we embark on a sightseeing tour including Trinity College, Guinness Brewery and the impressive Christchurch Cathedral.
Dinner is included.

Wednesday, June 18
Dublin, Ireland
This morning we travel to the southeast portion of Ireland, an area of gentle rolling hills, lush farmland and imposing castles, an area blessed with the warmest climate of Ireland. We travel through the Wick Low Mountains to the Glendalough Valley which is the setting for the ancient lakeside Glendalough monastery founded by St. Kevin in the sixth century. It features the Round Tower which rises 110 feet in height. Travel on to the hamlet of Avoca Village, home of the hand weavers which produce colorful tweeds in the oldest hand weaving mill in Ireland. Passing through Laragh, Ireland’s smallest village, we return to Dublin for an evening at leisure.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Thursday, June 19
Cork, Ireland
Today we drive through Counties Kildare and Carlow, home of the renowned Waterford Crystal Factory. See how sand, potash and lead are transformed into sparkling lead crystal. Continuing on through the historic walled town and fishing port of Youghal, we soon arrive in Cork. This fascinating city was built on marshland with the heart of the city on an island in the River Lee. The bridges remain, leaving hints of former streets of water, as we will learn on a sightseeing tour of the city.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Friday, June 20
Cork, Ireland
Today we visit the Blarney Castle. Kiss the Blarney stone and receive the “gift of eloquence.” We’ll also visit the Blarney Woolen Mills and the Midleton Whiskey Distillery for a little history and a taste of Irish whiskey. Before returning to Cork we will stop in Cobh, pronounced “cove” a thriving seaside village.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Saturday, June 21
Killarney, Ireland
Driving west we stop to visit the imposing Victorian mansion and gardens of Muck Ross House which overlooks the Lakes of Killarney. There’s time to stroll through the gardens and rooms before we make our way to Killarney, a cheerful, bustling little town filled with shops and restaurants.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Sunday, June 22
Killarney, Ireland
The spectacular Ring of Kerry fills our day with sights. Tour through a world of magical seascapes, majestic cliffs, and lush lake lands dotted with slate-roofed fishing villages.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Monday, June 23
Galway, Ireland
Our northbound travels take us through the prettiest village in Ireland, Adare, with its beautiful stonework and thatched roofed homes and buildings. Our first stop today is Bunratty Castle. Built in the 15th century and abandoned in the last century, it was purchased in the 1950’s and completely restored to its original state. Our next stop is Folk Park, a re-creation of rural life at the turn of the century. Actors in authentic costume demonstrate traditional crafts from weaving to butter making. Our journey continues through Ennis, Clare’s County Town and out to the Cliffs of Moher which rise 650 feet out of the water and stretch five miles. We soon reach Galway, our home for the next two nights. Galway is a fast growing university town, with medieval streets and snug pubs and is located in Ireland’s western province. The evening is at leisure to sample the pubs and restaurants of this vibrant city.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Tuesday, June 24
Galway, Ireland
Today we enjoy a tour through wildly rugged Connemara with its lovely lakes, majestic mountains and swiftly flowing river to the village of Clifden, a 19th century market town. Surrounded by the “Twelve Bens” mountain range, the city’s striking skyline is dominated by two church spires. We soon arrive at Kylemore Abbey, a lakeside castle built by Mitchell Henry as a gift to his wife. It became an abbey in 1920 and currently houses an international girls school.
Breakfast and dinner are included.


Wednesday, June 25
Donegal, Ireland
We make our way to Donegal today and visit the village, Knock, where 15 people saw an Apparition of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and St. John the Baptist. This was validated by the Catholic Church and visited by Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa along with millions of others. Our sights will also include Ben Bulben Mountain, which rises abruptly out of the plain known as Yeat’s Country. W.B. Yeats was Ireland’s most famous poet and one of three Irish Nobel Prize winners. We soon arrive in Donegal which means “Fort of the Foreigners” after the Vikings built a garrison at that location.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Thursday, June 26
Donegal, Ireland
Northwest Ireland has little in common with the rest of Ireland. Being one of the most remote parts of Ireland, the area boasts the country’s largest number of Gaelic speakers. Towering cliffs, golden beaches and rocky headlands are physical characteristics which we will discover on a full day of sightseeing. We’ll travel through the Blue Stack Mountains to Letter Kenny making our way to the Rosses, a rocky area dotted with more than 100 lakes making it one of the most picturesque of the Northwest. We return to Donegal through Ardara, the weaving capital of Donegal with numerous shops selling locally made tweeds and hand-knitted sweaters.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Friday, June 27
Belfast, Ireland
Our travels take us into Northern Ireland with our first stop being Belleek. The little boarder village is home of the world famous Belleek Pottery, known as Parian ware which resembles the famous Parian marble of ancient Greece. It is now best known for its ornamental pieces of fragile lattice work especially popular in the US. We continue to Ulster American Folk Park, an open air museum which examines why 2 million people emigrated to America in the 18th and 19th centuries. We continue to Belfast, a grand capital with Victorian buildings, our home for the next two nights.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Saturday, June 28
Belfast, Ireland
Today we travel to one of the world’s most unusual and magical sights, Giant’s Causeway. Approximately 37,000 Basalt columns of polygonal shapes were created by a series of volcanic eruptions and cooling over 60 million years ago. The area, along the northern coast, has been the subject of the giant Finn Mac Cool, who laid a pathway for his lady who lived in Scotland. Before returning to Belfast, you may test your courage at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which hangs 80 feet over the sea and is used by fishermen to cross from the mainland to a salmon fishery on the tiny island, Glens of Antrim.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Sunday, June 29
Dublin, Ireland
Making our way to Dublin we stop at Down Patrick to visit St. Patrick’s grave, the patron saint of Ireland. We continue through the picturesque Mountains of Mourne finally reaching Dublin in time to catch some last minute shopping. We’ll enjoy our final night with dinner, music and dance at an ‘Irish Hooley Night’ in a traditional Irish Pub.
Breakfast and dinner are included.

Monday, June 30
Home
Following breakfast we make our way to the Dublin airport where we board our transatlantic flight homeward. We hope this vacation has filled you with memories of a delightful and lovely Emerald Island with hospitable Irish people.
Breakfast is included.