The Honeymoon Plan

A number of people have asked what are plans are for our upcoming honeymoon so I thought I would take the opportunity to let everyone know our itinerary!

Toronto

Our first destination is Toronto! We leave Regina later in the morning (not our usually 5:30am flight thankfully) and arrive in TO around 4pm.

When we first started planning we chose our dates with two wedding dates in mind, one at the beginning of the trip in Toronto and one at the conclusion in Sydney, Nova Scotia. I lived in Southern Ontario for about 5 years when graduated university (the first time) and Joel (Hubby) is from Ottawa so we always like to visit Toronto to catch up with friends. Three of our friends have had babies since we saw them at our wedding in October, so I am beyond excited to meet their new additions!

My friend Kristen is getting married and I am so happy that we are able to be there for their special day. I wasn't sure at first if we would be able to make her wedding, my brothers wedding and a Honeymoon to Ireland within the same month work, but by some miracle the flights worked out and the multi-city trip fell right within our budget!

Sunday will be a day to catch up with people we maybe didn't get a chance to see at the wedding and taking in some of my favourite spots in Toronto. This is always a major dilemma for me, when it comes to food there are so many places in Toronto that I still want to check out but at the same time it is hard not to visit some of my favourite spots! One place I need to go to while in TO is Khao San Road, where the Massaman curry is to die for!

Dublin

We arrive in Dublin 7:32 AM. First day in Ireland! We arrive early in the morning after flying over night so our first day is going to be about staying awake for the day and getting used to the time zone change. On the agenda in Dublin: St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Kilmainham Gaol, Guinness Storehouse, Old Library, Trinity College, Ha'Penny Bridge, Temple Bar, St Stephen's Green, St Anne's Church.

Belfast

After a couple of days we rent our car and head out of Dublin. I think this is what I am most nervous about. Can I drive on the "wrong" side of the car and the street? Fingers crossed. On the way to Belfast our plan is to stop at Monasterboice High Crosses, take the Scenic Carlingford Ferry, and stop in the city of Downpatrick (maybe for some fish and chips?) Belfast is a special destination for us as Joel's Mom was born in Belfast. To explore the city we have booked a Black Taxi Tour, and plan to check out Saint George's Market, and the Titanic Museum.

Derry/Londonderry

From Belfast we leave to explore Northern Ireland. On the way to Derry we are stopping at The Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, Giant's Causeway, and the Old Bushmills Distillery. The next morning we are planning to spend the morning exploring Derry, we have booked a Bloody Sunday & Bogside Murals Tour to learn more about the city and the history. We then take our longest journey to Galway, about 3.5 hours of driving.

Galway

We still have a bit more planning to do to finalize our activities in Galway! On the way from Galway to Killarney we are spending the day at the Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs run for about 14 km and reach a height of 214 m (702 ft)! The cliffs are featured in many movies including Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Killarney

With all of our travelling around, we spend three nights in Killarney which is the longest in one city. For our first day in the area we are venturing out to discover the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is 179 km of scenic road along the Iveragh Peninsula, filled with many sites. Day two in Killarney we plan to walk the Gap of Dunloe. It is 11 km, and suggested it would take 2-2.5 hours. The journey start with a boar ride and a visit to Ross Castle. When we asked Joel's cousin her favourite part of her trip to Ireland she spoke very highly of the Gap of Dunloe, so we of course had to add it to our itinerary!

Cork

On the way to Cork we are going to stop at the Blarney Castle and maybe kiss the Blarney Stone! While in Cork we are going to check out the Blackrock Castle Observatory, the English Market, Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral, and the Shandon Bells.

Waterford

From Cork to Waterford we are stopping at the Jameson Distillery in Middleton (we decided to do this one rather than the one in Dublin). Waterford is known for their crystal, so we are planning to check out the House of Waterford Crystal for a tour. Other things on our agenda is the Viking Triangle and the Waterford Greenway.

Kilkenny

Our final destination before we head back to Dublin is Kilkenny. Here we plan to visit the Kilkenny Castle and the Smithwick's Brewery.

Dublin

Back to Dublin for the night to fly out in the morning! Here's hoping we still have some energy and are still a happily married couple ;)

Halifax

We fly into Halifax in the morning and hope to check out the city for a few hours (neither one has been here before)! It is my birthday this day, so maybe we will go out for a nice dinner to try to make up for having to take an over seas flight on my bday! The next day we are leaving Halifax on our way to Sydney on Cape Breton Island

Sydney

We are headed to Sydney for my little Brother's wedding. He and his future wife currently live in Regina, but she is originally from Sydney so they have chose to get married there! We are in the area for a few days, so we are hoping to take in some of the sights on top of the wedding activities. Can't wait to be a part of my Brother's special day and celebrate with him and Kate!

Home!!!

After 25 days we are finally heading home! It will have been an incredible three weeks but I am sure we will be ready to relax at home and see our fur baby Maurice.

I plan to be sharing our trip through social media as I can so keep your eye out in the coming weeks! I cannot wait to experience and capture the beauty of Ireland to share with you. One thing I am really terrible at is getting in the photos when I am travelling, so that is one thing I am really going to work on this trip.