On the Road to Waterford

Did you know there were palm trees in Ireland?  The temperate climates help the palms grow, and many people have them growing in their yards.  We saw many along the way to Waterford.  Waterford is one of the largest cities in Ireland, preceded by Galway, Limerick, Cork, and Dublin at the largest. ​

Waterford is a Viking city.  Water fjords are how the city received its name. Founded by Viking King Reginald, it became the epicenter of the Vikings because of its location.   The Vikings were all about the maritime.  They were great whalers and traders.  The site of Waterford is where three rivers flow out to sea from Waterford City.  One is the River Nore, which flows northward, the River Barrow flows east, and River Suir flows west.  These three rivers are also referred to as the Three Sisters.  This convergence of the rivers was a perfect place for the Vikings to situate themselves since they used the rivers as their access to get around.
  
Dooley’s Hotel in Waterford is where we stayed.   This hotel is in a great location, right on the waterfront and within easy walking distance to everything in Waterford.   Dooley’s is a third generation family run hotel in the heart of the city.  The hotel has a great bar called the Dry Dock Bar where of course they will pour you a pint of Guinness.   

When ordering a pint of Guinness, have patience, since the bartender did not forget about you.  The bartender will take your order; then you see the bar person pour the pint, they will place the pint down and then walk away. This is the proper way to pour a Guinness.  The pint of Guinness should sit for 3 minutes, and then the bartender will offer it back up to the tap to top it off and then will serve it to you.  

Many ladies who are not a fan of a traditional Guinness will order a glass of Guinness and black.  If you order a Guinness you will get a pint, if you order a half pint, you get a glass of Guinness.  The black is blackberry flavor added into it, about a thimble full.  The blackberry flavor takes away some of the bitterness of the Guinness.  This is only for the ladies, in Ireland if a man were to order a Guinness this way it would be sacrilege.   😊  

Along the river in Waterford, there is an old clock tower built in the gothic style.  The tower was formerly called the Fountain Tower since it has troughs for working horses to draw water from.  There are many things to see in Waterford, and the most famous is the House of Waterford.  I will share my tour of this great factory in an upcoming article. Along with Waterford Crystal and the great downtown, a visit to Waterford is a must see on a trip to Ireland.  ​