I was the lucky consultant to participate in an extravagant Travelscene American Express tour of Ireland hosted by Qantas and The Irish Tourism board.
 My journey started with flying Qantas to London on their fantastic "Sky Bed" Business class flight. Wow, what a difference it makes to lie flat in a bed all the way on a 24-hour flight. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride! After watching a few new release movies, sipping on some champagne and enjoying the exquisite cuisine, I decided to recline the seat to my cozy little flat bed and slept all the way. Before I knew it we arrived at Heathrow Airport. The service with Qantas was exceptional and the staff really treated you as someone special. Food on board the flight was brilliant and there was plenty of choice, it felt like I was dining at a 5 star restaurant. I totally overate and consumed way too much fine wines, Cognac and Baileys - Aggggh no wonder I slept well! The attention to detail was excellent and if I got hungry or thirsty throughout the flight I had the choice of eating at the open bar and galley full of nibblies and an array of drinks to choose from. I know its taken Qantas a while to get sleeper beds on their flights but I must say they are supreme. My only criticism was the configuration that was two/three/two. If you are short like myself you certainly do not want to be stuck in the middle seat because it's awfully difficult to climb over your companion whilst they are sleeping in their flat bed. Ask for a window or aisle seat for sure!
One thing I can definitely stress is to allow for plenty of connection time at Heathrow Airport because the terminals are so far away and it gets very stressful. I would allow at least 3 hours to be comfortable and make sure you check your baggage through to your final destination because if you don't you are sure to miss your connecting flights- I really stress this.
After leaving sunny Melbourne - yes, it was actually sunny, I arrived in Cork and trust me it was mighty chilly!
Ireland's biggest county, County Cork has everything that makes Ireland so attractive.
Cork City is still relatively small and free of hustle and bustle. I really thought it was extremely pretty because all the streets are cobble stoned and all the shops are quite bright in colour. Like Venice the city is built upon the water, and the Cork centre is built on an island in the River Lee, just upstream of Cork Harbour. It almost reminded me of Amsterdam, it had a very European feel. Cork is a city of remarkable charm and you cannot fail to be captivated by its hilly streets, bumpy bridges, peaceful backwaters and cozy pubs. The tiny city really comes alive at night and all The Irish people hit the pubs for a warm cozy atmosphere. I had so much fun drinking with the locals, sharing a few laughs and stories and sitting down to a good hearty pub dinner. In one street there were nearly 8 pubs and every one of them were full with atmosphere. If you're a single girl, go to Cork as every pub you walk into is 70 percent men and 30 percent women……….Also, who can knock back an Irish accent ………..J
After a busy first day walking through the streets or Cork and sampling some delicious Irish stew and of course a few beers and Guinness at the pub, I retired to my hotel to prepare myself for a big day ahead. The hotel I stayed at, Jury's Hotel is right in the heart of Cork's fabulous shopping district and restaurants. I can thoroughly recommend a stay at this hotel.
The next day was a day on the bus exploring the different regions of Cork. Just outside of Cork I visited the Cobh Heritage Centre which was opened in 1993 and depicts the varied history of emigration from Ireland and many Europeans countries . Cobh was the last port of call for many of the liners that carried emigrants to the New World. I found this centre extremely interesting and really worthwhile a visit. I also visited the Titanic Bar and Restaurant for lunch, which was the terminal building for White Star liners and the last port of call of the ill-fated Titanic ship before it sailed the Atlantic. This bar is styled on the second-class smoking room aboard the ill-fated liner. This is such a great restaurant to view the harbour and the food is exquisite.
 The streets of Cobh are absolutely beautiful and picturesque, Cobh itself is on a great island that fills much of Cork Harbour and is joined into the mainland by a causeway. On a huge platform above the town I would recommend a visit to St Colemans Cathedral, I could have spent hours here. The cathedral is French Gothic style and is absolutely beautiful. The cathedral is noted for its 47-bell carillon, one of the largest in Ireland. Along the streets of Cobh we were treated with a surprise as a group of Elephants walked along the street for no reason at all- It was hilarious- all the locals came racing out of their shops and pubs to witness the scene. I truly loved Cobh, if you don't care for big towns this is the place to stay as the B&B's and restaurants in the area were absolutely gorgeous.
Next visit was The Old Midelton distillery. Midelton is 20 kilometres east of Cork. Whiskey has been distilled here since the early 19th century; 24 million bottles of whiskey are produced here every year. The tour through the distillery lasted for 45 minutes, to be honest I was really bored but I'm sure there are people that would find this very interesting. You basically get to see how the whiskey is made and stored. At the end of the show two "Lucky" people get chosen to sample the difference of Bourbon, assorted Irish Whiskeys and Scotch. Yes one of those lucky persons was me and I wasn't too well after the samples.
 The next day I travelled to Kinsale the historical and fashionable town of West Cork, it lays 29 kilometres south of Cork city. I loved this place, you could visit as a day trip from Cork but I would thoroughly recommend a few nights stay in one of the gorgeous quaint bed and breakfasts. Features of the town are the wonderful taverns and brew houses, plenty of seafood restaurants and many eateries. This would definitely be the gourmet capital of Ireland. Most of the hotels and restaurants ring the harbour - it is truly spectacular. The town has a really warm feel to it; the locals are just gorgeous and so friendly. In Kinsale I visited the Kinsale brewery and my initial thought was, oh no way how boring! However, I thoroughly enjoyed this tour because it gave a great insight into how the tradition that had been lost to the town for over 100 years had been revived with this brewery. The beer here was fantastic too- the wheat beer is truly delicious and I recommend you sample it. We stayed overnight at Killarney Great Southern Hotel.
 Travelling from Kinsale to Killarney we passed the most spectacular scenery. Everywhere you look was beautiful coastline of Cork it is simply pretty. We passed some really beautiful towns such as Timoleague and Rosscarbery and continued along the coast through Scibberreen and Bantry. The scenery was so spectacular; we then crossed the Caha Mountains and Kenmare before arriving to Killarney. Killarney is a town rich in strong religious and educational history. You will explore colorful laneways, a fine cathedral…. historic buildings dating back to the days of the landlord. Here you get to experience the ambience of the busy streets in the town centre and once again get to enjoy the bustling nightlife at all those wonderful Irish pubs. Killarney is quite a lively hub of activity with many hotels, restaurants, pubs, nightclubs along with outlets for renting bikes and the famous jaunting cars. I found it to be an ideal base for visiting the Ring of Kerry, Dingle and Tralee. The jaunting cars are a great way to see the town. We were collected from our hotel and taken by horse drawn jaunting car with gorgeous driver, Jarvey who proceeded to entertain us with his Irish humour. We were taken to The Killarney National Park which is so green and spectacular, you will see deer and an array of wildlife and there was no better way than seeing it on our horse drawn carriage- perfect for photos. This park is a wonderful walking and biking attraction. You also get to see the restored Ross Castle which dates back to the 14th century- it is so beautiful and worth many photo opportunities.
The next day we visited the Cliffs of Moher situated in County Clare and bordering the Burren Area, The Cliffs of Moher are one of Ireland's most spectacular sights.
These majestic walls of rock these cliffs rise from the Atlantic Ocean to a height of nearly 200m and extend for a distance of 8km. We walked along the Cliffs and the scenery is absolutely breath- taking. Very rugged and exceptionally spectacular, I would strongly recommend you visit The Cliffs of Moher.
Next visit was to Bunratty Castle and Bunratty Folk Park. My honest opinion is to DETOUR!!!!!! I found this place so boring and typically touristy.
Bunratty Folk Park recreates rural and urban life in the 19th century Victorian Ireland. The Park is a living museum, Animals are tended, bread is baked milk is churned, walls are whitewashed and roofs are thatched. It cost about 25 Euro to visit this folk park and I really promise you- Don't go!! The day got worse as we were to attend an evening of fun and feasting at Bunratty Castle. Oh, I felt like I was at Kryal Castle, I can't stand these themed dinners they are so rank and this was very rank. The medieval banquet is served in the Great Hall of the 15th century castle during which the lords and the ladies of the castle transport you in spirit to the Middle Ages with their songs and stories. The food was absolutely disgusting, the songs and stories were really bad - I really recommend you avoid this place. We stayed overnight at Bunratty Castle Hotel.
 Next day was spent all day on the bus………..we drove through Ennis and Gort and along the shores of pretty Galway Bay to Spiddal. It took basically all day to travel from Bunratty to Galway by this stage I had had enough of the bus and wanted to get out and walk somewhere regardless of the cold climate. That I got to do when we arrived in Galway City - which is extremely pretty.
Galway is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe. It began as a small fishing village and now with a population of 65,000 people it has become the third largest city in The Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork.
Galway city, on the west coast of Ireland, sits on the river Corrib, it is such a young and vibrant place yet still very ancient and historic. Walking through the city you get to see many buskers and musicians and they are generally on every street corner. All I could hear and see were people congregating around these buskers and listening to harp, fiddle, guitar or accordion, it was really quite exciting. My description of Galway is a Bohemian city with music is lifeblood. This city is very popular with The Arts. I loved all the tiny narrow streets, old stone and lovely wooden shop fronts. The restaurants were excellent and pubs bustling both day and night! I really enjoyed Galway; It was a lot of fun. We stayed at the Galway Harbour Hotel.
 The next day we travelled all day on the bus from Galway heading for Dublin, we passed rich farmlands that depict Ireland very well. Again, I was excited to arrive into Dublin; bus travel is certainly not for me. By 1300 hours we all arrived in Dublin and I was extremely excited. We were staying at The Fitzwilliam Hotel, which is a funky and trendy hotel right in the heart of Dublin. This hotel had the best bar ever, buzzing every night. I thoroughly recommend a stay at this hotel as the service and rooms were fantastic.
Dublin I truly loved…Ireland's capital and largest most cosmopolitan city. The city's history seems to bump against you at every corner and the pubs are always full of life. It was fantastic to walk through this city at night and be entertained by the many talented buskers down Grafton Street and people are everywhere. It certainly is a lively city no matter what day of the week. The shopping is fantastic, food is fantastic, and pubs are lively and great. There is so much to do and see in Dublin, definitely worth a visit to the Guinness factory.
Temple bar was my favourite area of Dublin; Temple Bar is not only Dublin's Cultural Quarter, but a lively, bustling and cosmopolitan area in the heart of Dublin City. This small area boasts a dazzling choice of restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and shops to suit all tastes and pockets, all within easy walking distance of Temple Bar's many cultural centres and galleries. Its narrow cobbled "pedestrian only" streets are ideally suited to a leisurely stroll through the quarter. There are Area Maps located on every street in Temple Bar to assist you in locating the many places of interest.
There is so much to see and do in Dublin, I thought the hop on and off bus was an excellent way to see the city and the driver gave a very good description of the history and culture of the Irish people, it was fun. Whether you want to go shopping, visit museums, galleries, breweries, visit Trinity College, castles, churches, historic sights, parks, gardens, The Dublin Zoo, Guinness factory then I suggest you buy yourself a Hop on and off Bus ticket and an entertainment pass as there is so much to see and this pass offers excellent value. I truly loved Dublin and its hustle and bustle of activity and I thought the nightlife was fantastic. The beautiful narrow cobble stoned streets and Georgian influence makes this a truly pretty city and as for the Irish people, they are gorgeous.
A visit to Ireland is a must see, if you like rolling plains, very friendly people, late nights drinking with the locals in the warm cozy pubs and great scenery, Ireland is your destination.
Tania Verscharen
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CLIFFS OF MOHER