Wexford & Waterford, Ireland

We arrived to Rosslare, Ireland by ferry from Cherbourg, France. The overnight crossing landed us at 8:15 in the morning. After our passports were checked, we noticed the large and helpful signs while exiting the ferry terminal, "Drive on the left! Drive on the left!" We stayed the first couple of days nearby in the small town of Wexford. I could not get over the idea of hedges of fuschias!

We took a small group walking tour of the Selskar Abbey and church ruins in Wexford and learned about medieval Ireland. Even on the road, haircuts are needed occasionally. Brian enjoyed chatting with the barber here while I roamed around the shops. Ireland has many small, charming book shops with friendly staff.

Roughly following a clockwise direction around the island of Ireland, our next stop - Waterford of the Waterford Crystal fame. It is also an ancient city with plenty of Viking history. You can learn about the Vikings in the Viking Triangle, which was once surrounded by walls. Waterford is the oldest town in Ireland, and the old town is easily accessible on foot.

One of the sights within the Viking Triangle is Greyfriar's Abbey. Because we traveled in Ireland in the fall, some sights were closed for the season. But we could still walk around and get a feel for this ancient ruin that is also known as the French Church.

We camped in Waterford County at Newtown Cove Caravan Park, a small camping park tucked into a residential-rural area along the Copper Coast. It is within a short walk of Newtown Cove where you can swim in the Irish Sea. We did not venture into the water because it was late September and too cold for us. But we saw several hardy, middle-aged Irish ladies jump in. Maybe we'll try next time when the weather is warmer.