Speaker 1: 0:02

Welcome to the Z Michelson Travel Podcast, where every journey is a story waiting to be told. I'm your host, z Michelson, and I'm so excited to take you on a ride through the world's most incredible destinations, hidden gems and unforgettable experiences. Whether you're a seasoned traveler or just starting to plan your next getaway, you're in the right place. Each episode, we'll be diving into everything from must-see landmarks to off-the-beaten-path treasures, speaking with locals and travel experts and sharing stories that will inspire your next adventure. So sit back, relax and let's wander the world together, one destination at a time. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Speaker 2: 0:51

This is Zee Michelson, and today, I am with Diana of Celtic Tours and you know what? We are really excited that she is going to be with us for the next several weeks. We're going to be talking all about Diana's adventures in Ireland with Celtic Tours. So every podcast for the next several weeks we are going to travel along with Diana on her day-to-day adventures. Doesn't that sound great, diana, welcome. Thank you. Now we are going to go day by day of your trip to Ireland, because you just went over to Ireland not too long ago and your first day is in Dublin. Yes, absolutely, tell us, ring us there, give us the theater of the mind.

Speaker 3: 1:39

Well, let me tell you, of course, the first day, traveling overnight and then getting into Dublin, I was running on adrenaline Because, of course, you don't sleep much on a plane. You don't sleep much on a plane at all. So I know I'm running on adrenaline, but we get there and we get a transfer from the airport and takes us to the Grisham Hotel. So Celtic.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Tours actually takes care of your transfers and it takes us to the Grisham Hotel. So Celtic Tours actually takes care of your transfers and it took you to the Grisham Hotel, which is part of the tour.

Speaker 3: 2:11

Yes, okay, yeah, and so we went to the Grisham, which was a beautiful, beautiful hotel. The rooms are very, very spacious, and all of the rooms in Ireland which is really really an important thing do include hair dryers.

Speaker 3: 2:30

Not a lot of people do that, but every single hotel I went to had a hair dryer, so you don't have to worry about a hair dryer. Everybody thinks you have to and you really don't. They have a hair dryer. You might have to go hunting for it, but there is one. Now is it a very large hotel.

Speaker 2: 2:39

It is.

Speaker 3: 2:39

It's a very, very large, spacious hotel. The shower was absolutely beautiful, had a waterfall shower in it. It was just a beautiful, beautiful hotel okay, so highly highly recommended. It's it's city center in dublin. Oh, I was able to walk everywhere that afternoon oh, you must have been exhausted.

Speaker 2: 3:00

I was exhausted. I got a lot of fun, but it was fun.

Speaker 3: 3:01

It was fun like I said, I was running on adrenaline, it was a lot of fun. So so, where did you fun? It was fun. Like I said, I was running on adrenaline, it was a lot of fun. So where did you go when you were wandering around? Well, my first stop, my very first stop, was at the White Bear Church, where I wanted to see St Valentine's remains, the relics that are actually there at the White Bear Church.

Speaker 2: 3:20

Not a lot of people know about this and of course I actually did a whole series on freight valentine, so of course I had to go see it personally. Yeah, now is this part of the tour.

Speaker 3: 3:32

It's actually something I did on my own. Our tour didn't actually start until the next day because people were still coming in, so so a lot of people want to know.

Speaker 2: 3:39

You know, oh my gosh, am I gonna have one thing after the other, or can I do some wandering? And apparently you can.

Speaker 3: 3:46

Yeah, I did a lot of wandering by myself and just walked around all over the place, and this is what I did for the first day, and then that evening we all had dinner together. So it was really, really nice. Then you got to meet everybody. Everybody was coming in, so it was very, very nice.

Speaker 3: 4:05

So before you met everybody for dinner, you went to the white bear, I did went to the white fair where I was again able to do that no more less of saint valentine and it was absolutely beautiful and it was actually not far from the temple bar area, oh and a lot of people don't realize it's not an actual bar, it's a bar of Dublin and, of course, went by the famous Temple Bar itself, you know, which is real red right there on the corner, and walked past that.

Speaker 3: 4:31

It's just an amazing experience. Then, actually after that, we took a stroll and we went to Jameson oh, the distillery the distillery in Dublin as well and, oh, what an amazing experience. I had to do the tour. I've never done the tour of Jameson Really and not, nope, this was my first time. And so I go in and I ask for tickets to do the tour and they hooked me up with James from Jameson. Oh, how nice. That made it easy. He was actually our guide and what a personality, what an amazing personality he was. He took us through the entire tour, told us all about I'm not going to give you too much information because I want everybody to go and experience it themselves but was able to give us all of the history of jameson and how it came to be and actually how they make the whiskey. And then we did a whiskey sipping and a tasting.

Speaker 2: 5:28

Oh, of course you have to have a tasting, you know, with three different whiskeys. So did they do the eight-year, 12-year.

Speaker 3: 5:33

Yes, they did, they did, and I'm not a real big whiskey drinker, but I really enjoyed this because he tells you how you need to sip it, how you need to look at it. It's almost like a wine. You look at it, it doesn't have as many legs as a typical wine but it does have legs.

Speaker 3: 5:52

I never knew whiskey had legs and then, of course, you sniff it. You would sniff it, of course, and you smell all the different the oaks and the fruits and everything. And then when you take a sip, you're supposed to breathe through your nose, as you're actually sipping the whiskey, and you let it sit on your tongue for about five to ten seconds, depending on the whiskey, so you could feel it in your mouth. It was an amazing experience and it really gave me a new outlook on Irish whiskey.

Speaker 3: 6:24

So how long did that tour take? It was probably about 45 minutes. Oh, from up there.

Speaker 3: 6:33

And then after that I had to do a cast draw tour at Jameson, where they take you into a special room where they're actually aging the whiskeys and he tells you all about the barrels and all you know the barrels that the whiskey is aging in. And then he takes a whiskey drawn as a 25 year old barrel and he gives you a sip of the 25 year old barrel whiskey that has not even been filtered yet and he actually he has to filter it in front of you, oh wow in front of you and that was strong whiskey.

Speaker 3: 7:08

I took one sip and that was the strongest whiskey I've ever had in my life, so I didn't finish. But just to be able to experience something like that and those are just different chores that you can do at Jameson it was just really, really a fascinating experience.

Speaker 2: 7:23

And this is something that you did, aside from Celtic tours, correct, because you got there before the group arrived and then you decided to do a little traveling on now while you waited, which is fabulous. People can do before and afters on these tours, of course yeah, which is a good idea For tours.

Speaker 3: 7:37

We do include the Jameson. Oh, fabulous If they want it, they can ask for it and anytime we customize anything whatsoever, we can add all of these tours.

Speaker 2: 7:46

And that's another thing. A lot of people are looking out for more customization, so that's another thing Celtic tours can do.

Speaker 3: 7:53

They can customize what you want. We do a lot of customization, especially for clients who don't want to do, let's say, an escorted tour that we already have put together. They want to do a private chauffeur drive. Or let's say, they want to do an independent journey, where they want to stay in Dublin for a couple of days and do some of these things Right, so we could go ahead and get their transfer, bring them to the hotel Right, we could do a hop on, hop off in Dublin.

Speaker 2: 8:14

That's nice.

Speaker 3: 8:14

Yeah, it's amazing where they can go all over, and then they just hop on, hop off and visit all of these locations. Of course, the Guinness Storehouse Brewery. Well, which all of these locations? Of course, the Guinness Storehouse Brewery, which is right there in Dublin as well.

Speaker 2: 8:26

Right, if you're coming to Dublin, you've got to go to.

Speaker 3: 8:27

Guinness you have to go to Guinness. You have to go to Guinness. I did not go to Guinness on this trip, but I have been to Guinness.

Speaker 2: 8:33

Yeah, I've been there before.

Speaker 3: 8:34

Yeah, I wanted to experience something different. What else did you do on that day? And I did not do the Book of Kells Mm-hmm or Kells.

Speaker 2: 8:51

Right Book of Kells.

Speaker 3: 8:52

Kells. Forgive me, I said it wrong so I did not do the Book of Kells because it was a little crowded. But the grounds Next time you go you're going to go to Kells.

Speaker 2: 9:01

I've seen the Book of Kells. It's amazing. It's amazing.

Speaker 3: 9:04

Yeah, so I would really like to do it. I was kind of running out of time because I had to go meet everybody for dinner I did a lot of walking, a lot of walking, and then, of course, St Patrick's. I had to go to St Patrick's. Oh yes, St Patrick's, it is €11 to get in. It's not a free visit but, it is €11. I've been to St Patrick's as well, but it's worth it.

Speaker 3: 9:32

It's so beautiful to just walk through there and walk through the gardens and grounds, and it was again just something you've had to do while you were in Dublin.

Speaker 2: 9:41

So you checked into your hotel Grisham and you went to the White Fair Church with St Valentine's.

Speaker 2: 9:48

Relics, Relics yes, and then you went to the Temple Bar area and wandered around. Then you went to the Jameson Distillery and had some tempting liquor, and then you went to Trinity College. You just wandered the grounds of Trinity College and there's more to do on Trinity College. People need to know that. Just like you said, the book of Kells is there. And then you went to St Patrick's yeah, which is different from the St Patrick's in New York. Oh, yes, much different, much different and it's also a different religion a little bit.

Speaker 2: 10:18

Yes it is and that's what happened, and I just wanted to tell you it is.

Speaker 3: 10:21

Yeah. So what else did you do that day? After that? I was tired. No, I came in there feeling tired on that day, so I actually wandered back to the hotel, got cleaned up and met everybody for dinner that evening. Now, did you see the statue of Molly Malone? I did not see the statue of Molly Malone.

Speaker 2: 10:43

Did you?

Speaker 3: 10:44

No, oh, I did not see the statue of Molly Malone. I missed it. I missed it, no.

Speaker 2: 10:49

I've seen the statue of Molly Malone. I missed it. I missed it. Now I've seen the statue of Molly Malone and the funny thing is I was working with somebody and both of us went on vacation at the same time. We didn't realize, both of us were where we were going Me and my husband went and he and his wife went. Found out when we came back we were there at the same time, saw the same statue and everything else At the very same time, at the very same time, but we didn't bump into each other.

Speaker 2: 11:10

So, it was. You know it's a city. Dublin is a city, it is. I love the fact that you can wander around and get things to eat and I wanted to let my husband experience a scone and clotted cream, so we went into one of the restaurants and we stopped in there and I said, okay, you're going to be experiencing stone and clotted cream. And the person that waited on us was a student at Trinity College who happened to be from the United States wow so Dublin is definitely high on the list of tours the people need to go to.

Speaker 2: 11:50

Now, if somebody wanted to be on tour with Celtic Tours, celtic Tours does have package tours for this as well correct?

Speaker 3: 11:58

Yes, yes, we can. Actually again, as we mentioned about customization, but we do have escorted tours, and so we can go ahead and they can go on. Some of these escorted tours that would include a lot of these things in Dublin, right, so including the Guinness Storehouse.

Speaker 2: 12:14

Right.

Speaker 3: 12:14

You know, personalized. One of the things that we actually do as well is we give you a lot of downtime in your tours.

Speaker 2: 12:21

That's great, you can go off and experience some of these things that you want to.

Speaker 3: 12:24

You know what you want to do on your own as well. So we always like to give at least two days in every single city on our escorted tours. We always like to give at least two days in every single city on our included tours.

Speaker 2: 12:33

So two days in every city, yeah, two days in every city, that's good. Sometimes you're running, running, running. Okay, we have six hours here, five hours there. You want to kind of soap up the local color.

Speaker 3: 12:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And not a lot of people get to do that. Not everybody wants to go to Trinity College, not everybody wants to go to Jameson Right to Trinity College, and not everybody wants to go to Jameson Right. Not everybody wants to do the same thing. So it's really great that we put you city center so that you can walk anywhere that you'd like to go on your downtime when you're not on the tour. And if you wanted to go ahead and include it in a customized tour, we can include anything.

Speaker 2: 13:06

Now, how large are these escorted tours?

Speaker 3: 13:09

So our escorted tours, our Ireland escorted tours, are very, very small. We don't do more than 28 people, so it's very nice. Now our chauffeur drives are up to 12 people. So if you have a family, let's say you know grandma and grandpa wants to take the entire family, which is really nice. We can actually again do a chauffeur drive which would be personalized to the family and they can do anything they want. They can request what we want to see With a professional driver who knows, of course, all of Ireland. Right, yeah, that's really nice.

Speaker 2: 13:40

So now we went back to the hotel. Where was everybody meeting? At the hotel?

Speaker 3: 13:44

We were meeting at the hotel at the Grisham. Yeah, we all met at the Grisham and we actually had dinner right there at the hotel. So what them? And then we actually had dinner right there at the hotel. So so what kind of, what kind of dinner? Oh my goodness, the dinners, the food you know, everybody thinks, I mean, when I first think of of ireland, everybody thinks of, you know potatoes and and meat potatoes and fish and chips. Right, oh my goodness, the food was impeccable. I had the best butternut squash soup.

Speaker 1: 14:13

I have ever had.

Speaker 3: 14:15

I love butternut squash soup it was so good.

Speaker 2: 14:18

And it was at the hotel.

Speaker 3: 14:18

This was at the hotel. Yeah, butternut squash soup, of course. Then I had a nice beet salad, and then I had a grouper Whoa, a fish, a fish. It was fish, but it was a grouper, a large piece of grouper on a bed of risotto.

Speaker 2: 14:39

Really, it was absolutely amazing. When you think Ireland you don't think risotto, you don't think risotto. So you're having a meal that most people don't realize. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 14:45

I think everybody. It's a misconception. Everybody thinks that Ireland is pubs and you know fish and chips Right, and it really, really isn't. And noodles and noodles, exactly.

Speaker 2: 14:55

Yeah, well, that's really really good. So now you're having all this food. Now is food included on these?

Speaker 3: 15:02

Estroded tours. Most of the food is included. For example, our food was included for our group dinner Okay, because we had a customized tour. Our group dinner Okay, because we had a customized tour.

Speaker 1: 15:11

Oh, okay.

Speaker 3: 15:11

Because I brought 30 travel agents with me. I know we had a customized tour. I know I missed out. Thank you, oh, so, yes, so we can include the food. We can include the dinners. Breakfast is included daily. It's all in the hotel. Breakfast is included.

Speaker 2: 15:26

Oh, that's nice.

Speaker 3: 15:27

All of the hotels. Breakfast is included and, of course, we can include dinners. We can include, which I'll talk about a little bit later, but we actually had an amazing dinner show experience as well that's a little bit further down a little teaser so, yeah, you're gonna be learning every day everything that you did in one day.

Speaker 2: 15:47

Yeah, today was doubling yeah, today was doubling today was doubling for me. Yeah, so you said you had 30 people there were 30 30 travel agencies.

Speaker 3: 15:56

That kind of tour bus or you want. We're on a full-size motor coach. A full-size motor coach does have wi-fi.

Speaker 2: 16:03

It does get a little choppy when you're in certain areas it gets a little bit choppy, just like here when we're driving of course, of course, and it also has a bathroom.

Speaker 3: 16:11

It's not a bathroom that you would use on a regular basis, but in just the same case as you're driving, it does have a bathroom on the motor coach and our driver, mr mickey nolan, was amazing. Was he with you for the whole tour, was with us for the entire tour. Yeah, and that's what happens when you book with us, you have one driver. One driver works directly for us. He doesn't work for anybody else who works directly.

Speaker 2: 16:34

Now, when you have the one driver, do you also have one tour guide? He's a tour guide. Oh, so they're the same driver.

Speaker 3: 16:38

Yes, yes, mr mickey nolan was our tour guide and our, so they're the same. The driver is yes, mr Nicky Nolan was our tour guide and our driver at the same time.

Speaker 2: 16:44

Now a lot of people will ask me is their tip included?

Speaker 3: 16:48

in price. It is not Okay, it is not. Yeah, those are pretty much. The only thing that's not included is any gratuities that you'd like to give to your driver tour guides If you have additional tour guides that are actually taking you into, for example, jameson, things like that, those are not included.

Speaker 2: 17:04

Now what is recommended? A recommended tip.

Speaker 3: 17:08

So, with our drivers, the typical recommendation is anywhere between 10 to 15 euros per day. So it's per day, yeah, per day, you know, for your entire tour per person. Right. So if you're there for six days, that's about what it? Takes, yeah, exactly. I mean that would be typical, because he does. He also ports your baggage. So, like he picked up my bag for me and they deliver them to your room, then you put them outside your door the very next day and he takes them and puts them right back on.

Speaker 3: 17:37

So that is included in the price as well. You know one bag is included in the price as well. You know one bag is included.

Speaker 2: 17:42

One portage bag is included. Now the weight on the bag what's?

Speaker 3: 17:45

recommended Again, standard weight 50 pounds. You know because you know standard airline weight. So 50 pounds, so you don't have to worry about schlepping your luggage.

Speaker 2: 17:54

You know, once it's in front of your room, you're in your room. Once it's back out in front, then it's in the bus.

Speaker 3: 18:01

Back out in front, then it's in the bus and you go on your very own way, and then if you go to another hotel, then he's going to go ahead and take it and they actually deliver it in your room, in your room, and so every day I saw my bag in my room, which was just amazing.

Speaker 2: 18:14

That would be amazing, because you don't want to have to mess with your luggage all the time, right? And then you said most of these are two-day adventures, correct, correct, which makes it nice, so you can actually breathe. Yeah, and then again, you're also giving people some free time. Yeah, so they can wander around and explore on their own. Yeah, and I'm sure because there is a person that can say, okay, definitely want to see this while you're here, kind of thing.

Speaker 3: 18:48

They would also tell you that as well. Oh yeah, the the driver. I mean any questions you might have. He was full of so much history and just really, really just gave us so much as we were going along, and he had a couple surprises for us as well, which I will share with you places we had no idea we were going to even go that he stopped at, which was just amazing.

Speaker 3: 19:02

He was just an amazing, amazing guide and so friendly and outgoing. I mean, the people there are just so, so friendly. Anyway, Everybody in Ireland is just so welcoming. They like to, they like to enjoy themselves and he's got a lot of good dad jokes you know good dad jokes.

Speaker 2: 19:21

Again, I'm talking with Diana from Celtic Tours and she's talking about her trip to Ireland. This was day one in Dublin. She had a fabulous, very, very busy day, and then she met for dinner and then collapsed later on in her hotel room Collapse.

Speaker 2: 19:37

Yes is the word, Collapse is the word yes is the word, collapse is the word and, like I said, we are going to be meeting with diana every week for the next six weeks and talking about each day's adventure in ireland. So can you give us a teaser what's coming on day two?

Speaker 3: 19:54

well, I can give you a little teaser, just a little teaser. So what we did? Of course, the next day, we you know, and we have our bags and everything, and we ended up going to La Ratte Estate, la Ratte.

Speaker 2: 20:12

Estate.

Speaker 3: 20:13

La Ratte. It's L-Y-R-A-T-H. La Ratte Estate. Ooh and uh, wait until I tell you oh boy, so that's coming tomorrow.

Speaker 2: 20:23

That is tell you oh boy, so that's coming tomorrow, that is coming tomorrow. Oh, fabulous. Or should I say week two, week two, week two and day two for you, diana, thank you for joining me. This is going to be a fun adventure with you. You are going to bring us there even if we weren't there. Yes, absolutely, I'll do my best. Spoon say thank you for joining me today. Yes, absolutely, I'll do my best. Thank you for joining me today. This is Zee.

Speaker 1: 20:42

Michelson. Well, that's it for today's episode of the Zee Michelson Travel Podcast. I hope you enjoyed our journey and found some new inspiration for your next adventure. Remember, the world is full of stories and sometimes all it takes is a plane ticket to start your own adventure. If you loved today's episode, be sure to tune in every week and don't forget to share your favorite travel moments with me on social media. I'd really love to hear about where you're headed to next. So until next time, keep exploring, keep discovering and, as always, keep traveling with your heart wide open. I'm Zee Michelson and I'll see you on the next adventure.