Moving to Ireland in Photographs
Our time in Italy has come to an end as Andrew begins to wrap up his PhD. He started searching for jobs back in January and has since been offered a position in Cork, Ireland. We are very excited about our new adventure and the journey to Ireland.
Living in Italy was our first experience living in a foreign country, and we learned a lot. Our time in Italy had a lot of trials but at the same time, it had a lot of sunlight and joy. We suffered through the bureaucracy while dealing with residency. We struggled with the language barrier while learning Italian. We also learned the importance of self-care and its connection with mental health. The joys were brought to us through close friendships and being able to travel the continent along with our first trip to Africa. We ate so much good food, drank delicious wine, and laughed alongside our friends at afternoon coffees and evening aperitivi.
We will miss Pisa and Italy in general, but it is time to move on to the next step in our journey. Perhaps Ireland will be where we put down roots (I hope so) or maybe it is just another stepping stone. There is only one way to find out and that is by taking the leap.
Due to Wally being a little too big to fly in the cabin of an airplane, we decided to make our journey to Ireland a road trip and then take the ferry from France to Ireland.
Road Trip to Ireland!
Day 1: Italy, Switzerland, and Germany
We started our journey by renting a car and heading North towards Switzerland. Our first stop was in Lugano, Switzerland. The lake was beautiful and we got some gorgeous photos.
We drove through the Swiss Alps and admired the beautiful mountains and waterfalls. Our next stop was over the border in Rheinfelden, Germany. This was our longest day of driving at just over 6 hours.
We stayed in a little hotel, Storchen. The neighborhood was so cute and we had a lot of fun exploring before settling into our room with a glass of wine.
Day 2: Eastern France – Colmar, Rebeauvillé, and Strasbourg
In the morning we buckled Wally into the backseat and headed off to France. Our friend had told us about a little French town we should visit. Turns out that Colmar wasn’t too far out of our way so we decided to check it out.
Colmar, France
It turns out that Colmar is adorable and has that Beauty and the Beast charm. It has a cute little center and an area designated as “Little Venice”.
The only issue we ran into was that many others had the same idea that we did. As time went on, the crowds grew and we decided it was time to move on. We still had time before we needed to head to our next hotel in Strasbourg so we found another village to explore.
Rebeauvillé, France
Just the drive to Rebeauvillé was worth the detour. I quickly fell in love with Eastern France. The countryside is gorgeous and the towns are adorable, I wouldn’t hesitate to return to the region.
Rebeauvillé itself had similarities to Colmar when it came to architecture and its draw for tourists, but it had more of a rural feel to it. We were able to walk up to a vista point and see not only the town but the rolling countryside. It isn’t too big, but we spent a good amount of time exploring and taking photographs.
Strausburg, France
This was our last stop of the day. We checked into our hotel and then walked along the river into the center. Strausburg is a really pretty city, but it is also expensive! We didn’t stay longer than to grab some drinks and a snack before heading back to the hotel.
Day 3: Luxembourg and Virton, Belgium
I had been on the fence about whether we should go to the city of Luxembourg as I was afraid of finding parking and how expensive everything would be. We ended up deciding to avoid the city and drive through the countryside to Belgium. The drive reminded us of Wisconsin’s rural areas. There were pastures speckled with cows, forests, and farm fields.
We made it to Virton at around 1 pm and were able to check in to our hotel early. I was pleasantly surprised as I thought it was going to be in a more industrial area. It turns out it was perched up on a hill with beautiful vista views of the surrounding hills.
We did go into town in hopes of finding a grocery store. Unfortunately, it was a holiday and a Monday causing most places to be closed. We were able to grab a beer at a local bar and then enjoyed dinner back at our hotel.
Day 4: Reims and Amiens, France
Reims, France
This was the first stop we made on day 4 of our European adventure. We grabbed a cup of coffee at a small cafe and then explored a bit. I can’t say it was a breathtaking city, but it was nice enough.
Lunch consisted of “French tacos” which were pretty much giant burritos filled with falafel, fries, and sauce. Delicious yet unhealthy and settled heavily in our stomachs.
Amiens, France
Amiens was our final stop of the day. We had a small hotel room in a hotel where we set down our things and went out to do some exploring before settling in for the evening.
Once again, it wasn’t a city to get too excited about. A nice cathedral, some shops, and places to stop for a drink or two.
Day 5 & 6: Cherbourg, France
The final stop of our adventure before boarding the ferry was Cherbourg, France. We needed to get there a bit early so that we could bring Wally in for his vet appointment. It is required that pets entering Ireland receive dewormer between 1 and 5 days before arrival. This is why we arrived a day before leaving.
The vet’s office was the fanciest I have ever seen. For one thing, it was huge and it even had a corner dedicated to children with toys and books. The vet was very friendly and knew exactly what Wally needed and the process for filling out the necessary paperwork.
When he was registered in Italy, he received a European passport which allows him to travel throughout Europe. He is also registered in our county in Ireland.
On our second day, we did chores such as laundry and repacking. We also went on the hunt for our ferry stop. Good thing too as it was confusing to find and contacting Stena Line (the ferry company) was very little help.
The Ferry: Cherbourg, France to Rosslare, Ireland
This part of our journey was probably the hardest part due to several factors. First, it was hard to find the port because of a lack of directions and the extensive construction surrounding it. We checked in very early and the woman at the window was really friendly and helpful.
We were two of maybe 8 pedestrian passengers and were brought to the ferry by bus. We then headed to the pet-friendly cabins. It was a small cabin with 4 bunks. Pets weren’t allowed on the beds or to visit other areas of the ferry besides the designated outdoor area. The cabins were pretty small so those with bigger dogs were in for a tight fit.
The company we went through was Stena Line. I probably wouldn’t take them again with a dog. The outdoor area was small and by the time we brought Wally out in the morning, it was covered in pee from all of the dogs. Someone told us other ferries have much nicer areas for dogs.
The ride was about 18 hours. It was long but because it was overnight it wasn’t too bad.
Arriving in Ireland
Once we were off the ferry and customs we took the train to Wexford where we rented a car and drove to Kinsale. Kinsale is a small artsy town about 30 minutes south of Cork City. This is where we settled into our AirBnb that we would call home for the following 2 weeks.
Stay tuned for more posts about Kinsale and our experiences in Ireland!
