Butlers Chocolate Experience, Coolock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Butlers Chocolate Experience

If you are planning a trip to the chocolate factory, book the tickets for the morning tour between Monday - Friday. If you are considering touring the facility on a weekend, save your self some money and skip it. During my planning, the first thing I did was to buy Butler Chocolate Experience tickets. Being a chocolate enthusiast, and traveling with young kids, this was my first choice of things to do in Dublin. As I was trying to squeeze in a lot of activities, I had to schedule the tour on a weekend and it was a disappointment. Tour started right on time. All the guests were supplied with a white coat and hairnet. On weekends, tours would be along with a bunch of kids celebrating birthday parties. 

Decorated Elephants

The tour started with a short introduction video to chocolate. Kids enjoyed the samples before and after the video. The tour group was divided into half. One half visited the factory while the other half spent time in the museum. Museum had information about chocolate, and Butler's history and some fun things for kids. The major disappointment was the factory tour itself. There was absolutely no production on weekends. So you won't find even a single person on the factory floor and all the machinery was completely shut off. All you can see is videos of chocolate manufacturing on an average-sized TV screen. When our tour guide, who was otherwise amazing, asked us to use our imagination and understand how the factory works, I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry! Maybe that is why it is called Butlers Chocolate Experience instead of Butlers Chocolate Factory Tour.

Chocolate Samples From The Tour

Our tour ended with decorating hollow elephant-shaped chocolate. Guide gave a brief demonstration of how it was made. All guests, get to decorate their hollow elephant (Easter bunny, Santa for Christmas, bear, etc based on the time you visit). Nice packaging was provided along with the chocolate. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. However, It would have been ideal to visit the factory while it was operational. If you like to buy more chocolate, the ćafe has an exceptional collection.

Chocolate History

Mizen Head and Barleycove Beach, Goleen, Cork Co., Ireland

Welcome to the Wild Atlantic Way where the rugged beauty of Ireland lies. Mizen head is considered the South - Western tip of Ireland and is part of Cork County.  A trip to Cork Co. is never complete without visiting Mizen head. It is best viewed on a clear summer day. It takes around 2hrs to drive from Cork city center to the Mizen head. The drive can be hectic if you are a novice driver in Ireland.

Mizen Head in 15 Seconds - Derrick Path

Plenty of free parking spots are available right in front of the visitor center. The visitor center houses a small cafe and gift shop. Adult entry is around €7.50 and not too bad for such an amazing place. The main walkway is paved and is stroller accessible for the most part. There are several trails branched out from the main walkway leading to multiple vista points. Many of these branching paths have steep climb or stairs. Take time to visit all the vista points. They are well worth the climb.

The Wild Atlantic Way

Even though it is beautiful, Mizen head didn't look like a typical tourist destination. It might be the weather, inaccessibility, or sheer lack of marketing. This place does not draw as many tourists as it should. In a way, it could be a good thing. As I took my time to soak up the views.

Coast Line Cliffs

The visit takes around 2-3 hrs. But, take your own time to watch the ocean waves crash on the moss-covered rugged stone cliffs. Pink, white and yellow wildflowers add a tender touch to the rugged coastal line. No picture can ever do justice to this place. You need to be there to see it.

Mizen Head Trails - Bridge View Path

The main walkway has beautiful coastal cliff views. Cross the iconic Mizen bridge and at the end of the path is the signal station. Look out for seals swimming in the turquoise water underneath the bridge. On the way back, make a brief stop at the keeper's quarters, bird mural room.

Beauty and The Beast

Mizen Head - Sea Arch Path

On the way, make a stop at Barleycove Beach. This is a piece of heaven in Cork Co. with crystal clear waters, less crowd, and unspoiled beach. Destination I want to get lost in, just to find myself again.

Barleycove Beach

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Ballycotton Cliff Walk, Ballycotton, Cork Co., Ireland

I am unable to comprehend how TripAdvisor has 500 reviews on the Ballycotton cliff walk and 5000 reviews on Blarney Castle. The walkway has breathtakingly beautiful views and is a hidden gem in Cork Co. If I had one only a day in Cork, I would choose to spend it here. The true reason for a trip to the Emerald Isle lies in the beautiful rugged coastlines and never-ending green pastures. 

Ballycotton is a small fishing town an hour away from Cork city center. Bus Éireann has limited service 240 to Ballycotton. The best way to reach the cliffs is to drive. Parking is available on site and is free. A narrow walkway runs across the coastline for around 5 miles and takes around 4 hrs to complete the walk. The path is fairly easy to walk but stop and make way for people coming in the opposite direction.

Definitely choose a bright sunny day for the walk. When we reached the cliffs, thick floating clouds covered the coastlines like a veil covered the beautiful bride. With visibility around 10ft, I was quite disappointed. Luckily, it cleared up shortly revealing stunning coastlines. Navigating the path with young kids can be challenging.  The path is not wheelchair/ stroller friendly as there are many styles to cross. At the beginning of the path, there is a small park with benches. A good place to set up a picnic and spend a couple of hours listing to the sea. 

The cute little town of Ballycotton has numerous bars and restaurants. Consider touring the Ballycotton lighthouse on the island if you have time and blessing from the weather gods.  Tour starts from the Ballycotton pier from 10 AM onwards and lasts around 90 min. The pure joy of traveling to places like this reminds me of why I love2travel. 

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What To See Along M8 In Ireland

M8 is a part of the major motorway running from Cork to Dublin. It runs mainly through Cork Co and Tipperary Co but touches a part of Limerick Co and joins M7 in Laois Co. The drive on M8 was effortless. A lovely landscape of yellow-flowered Furze bushes on either side of the motorway with a green backdrop made the drive pleasant. We were able to cover these places in a day along M8.

• Rock of Cashel, Tipperary Co.
• Cahir Castle, Tipperary Co.
• Swiss Cottage, Tipperary Co.
• Mitchelstown Caves, Tipperary Co.
• Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork Co.

Rock of Cashel: In the 5th century, Rock of Cashel was a seat for High Kings of Munster. Later, it was donated to Church. All the current building ruins are from the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. Adjacent to the church ruins in a graveyard. Rock of Cashel has a prominent place in history and it is quite interesting how this place held up over centuries of invasions, abuse, harsh weather, and black death. Take a guided tour of the remains.

Cahir Castle: On the banks of river Suir, stands one of the best-preserved castles of Ireland, Castle Cahir. Even though it was built in the 12th century, the castle was well maintained, restored, and still holds its original defensive structure. Guided tours of the castle are available daily. Take time to climb all the stairs and visit a vast variety of rooms in the castle.

Swiss Cottage: Around 2 km walk from Cahir Castle, is a charming 19th-century ornamental cottage surrounded by lush fields and flowing river. Away from the hustle-bustle of the town, this cottage is a place for nature lovers. The cottage is a small house with a tea room and a family room on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the first floor. The architecture is impressive but most of the cottage had been restored. The original cottage took a lot of beating over time and was vandalized.  Guided tours are the only way to see the cottage and no photography is allowed as most of the furniture is on loan from the national museum.

Mitchelstown cave: Like many others, these caves were discovered by accident. If this is your first time visiting a cave, you will definitely enjoy watching the formations. Having visited many of the best caves and caverns previously, it was a pretty quick stop for us. Good spot to get off the road and stretch your legs for a bit.

Blackrock Castle

Blackrock Castle Observatory: Visiting Blackrock Observatory is a great way to end your day. This is an old castle turned into an observatory with a functioning telescope. There is a separate castle tour and an observatory tour. The castle tour is very short and takes visitors to the top of the castle. You can get a look at the functioning telescope at the top and fantastic views of the River Lee. However, this telescope can be used only by Cork University students. The observatory is mostly self-guided and has a short guided tour in an inflated planetarium. 

Beautiful View of River Lee

Waterford House of Crystal, Waterford Co., Ireland

Waterford crystal is well known around the world for its quality and sparkle. Welcome to the birthplace of Waterford crystal. Photography is allowed both in the retail store and on the factory tour. I have toured many factories across countries throughout the years and photography is generally not allowed inside the factory tour.

If you have a deep appreciation for the crystal-like I do, take time to tour this facility. Waterford retail store is located in the visitor center and displays a huge collection of Waterford crystal from sports trophies to ring holders.

Take your time to see these exquisite pieces in display and appreciate the craftsmanship, even if you do not intend to make a purchase. A guided tour will start every half hour. In winter and early spring, crowds are thin.

Factory tours are guided and last roughly for an hour. Tour starts with a small video of the origins and the process of crystal making and how Waterford became a center of this craft.

The tour guide will walk you through the process of glass blowing, quality control, marking, cutting, and finishing. It is amazing to see the craftsman skillfully shape a hot molten blob into an elegant piece of crystal. The crystal has to pass stringent standards to go to the next stage. Else, they are rejected and smashed.

Cutting, the most complicated stage of all and a unique selling proposition of Waterford crystal. Watch the craftsman up close as they make complicated cuts on crystal and add finishing touches. The last part of the tour has more display pieces and the tour ends back in the retail store.

Visiting The Blarney Castle, Blarney, Cork Co., Ireland

Just 10 km away from Cork city center, Blarney Castle is one of the popular tourist destinations of Ireland. Some people love it and some people are repelled by the thought of kissing a stone. Needless to say, the same rock was kissed by thousands of people already. Blarney Castle is more of ruins of the castle than the castle itself. 

The village of Blarney is accessible by car or bus. Numerous travel agencies offer day tours to Blarney Castle from major cities like Cork/ Dublin/ Waterford. There is much more to Blarney Castle than meets the eye. The castle is surrounded by luscious green grounds and a variety of gardens. Still, the admission price is quite steep @ €18  per person for what it has to offer.  The sight of a flowing river, River Martin, through the castle grounds makes it picturesque. Castle and gardens are open throughout the year, but Blarney house is open seasonally. 

There is plenty to explore on the castle grounds. However, it is always better to start the tour of the castle. Depending on the weather, wait times can be very long. Blarney Stone is on the top of the castle. The only way to reach the top is to climb never-ending spiral stone stairs. Each floor has a little something to explore. After reaching the top, get ready to kiss the stone. Don't worry, you will have a lot of help to reach the stone. Don't forget to smile for the camera. You can take your own picture at the stone or purchase your picture at the end of the tour. Thankfully climbing down the stairs was easy.

Beneath the castle, is a dungeon that is mostly inaccessible and to the left of the castle, is a badger cave. We went inside the cave but there is nothing to explore. Duh! it is just a cave with a muddy floor. 

All the walking and climbing made us tired and hungry so we headed right to the café. Stable Yard Café has a nice collection of coffee, tea, ice cream, scones, pizza, and a lot more. With the lovely ambiance and delicious food, the café was a refreshing stop. 

Off we went on our way to explore the castle gardens. There are various gardens around the castle grounds. It can take a whole day to explore this vast area. The poison garden was interesting. However, Rock close is my personal favorite. The rocks and trees are covered with moss and have a fairytale charm to it. 

We dragged a stroller and two kids through the rugged paths and stairs to explore these gardens. Well, they were worth the effort.

Outside the castle is a small shop 'Blarney Chocolate Factory'. As a chocolate lover, I cannot skip any shop that has 'chocolate' in its name. They have quite a good collection of chocolate and fudge at a reasonable price. Dark Orange Bar is the best.

Shandon Bells at St. Anne's Church and Butter Museum, Cork City, Ireland

How many times do you get to ring the bells of the 16th-century church? Not a lot of times to never, right? St Annes's church of Shandon in Cork allows just that. For a nominal fee of 5€ ( 12 € for a family), visitors can ring church bells at any time. Great opportunity for visitors but not so much for the neighbors. At times these bells can be deafening hence all visitors are supplied with a pair of ear protectors.

The church is on the ground floor. But, to ring the infamous bells and to see the beautiful city of Cork, take those narrow, rugged stone stairs. If traveling with kids, note that there is no buggy/wheelchair access, no lift, and no bathrooms on the premises. Unlike the Blarney castle or the English market, this place does not have a lot of tourist footprint. For the most part, we were the only crowd there. 

The first flight of stairs, which are rather easy to climb, opens to a grand hall. Follow the detailed instructions and pull the number chords to ring the bells. As you pull the numbered chords, bells sing a dainty song. Kids will immensely enjoy the experience of ringing bells.

Another flight of stairs leads to another hall with urns on display. Bob and Joan's statues are on display too. Climb another flight of narrow, steep, uneven stone stairs to see the bells and internal mechanism. The last flight of stairs, the most challenging of all, starts with a ladder followed by stone stairs. They can be scary for first-time visitors. Do not turn back yet! Climb the ladder and the stairs as beautiful views of the city awaits.

On a clear day, you can capture magnificent views of this beautiful city from all directions. On your way out, visit the Church. It is no basilica but a quiet place of worship. It has a wide display of old manuscripts and bibles. If time permits, visit the butter museum nearby.  

Butter Museum is just a short walk from St Anne's Church. A small two-storied building houses the museum and wouldn't take more than an hour to visit. The entry fee is around €12 per family of 4.

Tour started with a detailed video about Cork Butter History. The lower level has a wide display of artifacts. How butter was made in the olden days. The upper level has a couple of rooms with more history on Cork's butter trade. It was an ok museum. If you are in a time crunch, by all means, skip this place.