🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Wales is beautiful. At least I've heard it is. #Avanti #BlankSpots

Unsurprisingly, our journey continues from Holyhead to Dublin. Thanks to Stena Line, I am confident that my ferry will run on time today. Check-in and boarding by bus are both flawless. The crossing takes three hours. #BlankSpots

Well, it's time for me to take my first steps in 🇮🇪 Ireland! #BlankSpots

Having already shown the double-decker buses in Great Britain, I feel obliged to post the Irish counterparts as well. There are, of course, many of them. I can also share some additional impressions of #Dublin in that way. #BlankSpots

We can talk about Dublin's urban rail system later. Now is the time for my first train ride in 🇮🇪 Ireland, an Intercity service from Dublin Connolly station. We booked free seat reservations for our Interrail trip. However, the gates won't open with the corresponding QR code, despite it being stated in the PDF. Apparently, you have to show your Interrail pass to the staff at the gates. Our seat reservations aren't displayed above the seats, and even the train manager doesn't know why. #BlankSpots

We found some free seats in another carriage of the Irish Rail Intercity train to Sligo. You might call me narrow-minded, but I still consider many of the other passengers to be ruthless. Five people were playing videos on their speakers independently of each other, and a group of people were smoking cigarettes. Otherwise, it's a beautiful journey through the Irish countryside. I know that my future self will enjoy better Irish train trips. #BlankSpots

Over the next few days, I will be taking different buses on day trips. Taking a bus is very different to what I am used to at home. If you don't have a TFI Leap Card, which is a card for fare collection in Ireland offering reduced prices, you have to pay for your ticket in cash. The distances between official bus stops in the countryside are huge. It's perfectly normal to just go to the front and ask the driver to stop at the next intersection. #BlankSpots

The peak of my astonishment comes on my return trip with the TFI Local Link service from Sligo. The fare for my single ticket (paid in cash, of course) is collected in a personal cardboard box or tin, whereas the same route costs €3 one way and €5 the other way. I didn't receive any type of receipt or ticket. Other than that, the bus barely sticks to the speed limit on very narrow roads, but the views are stunning. #BlankSpots

Ireland's rail network consists primarily of radial lines leading to Dublin and Belfast. There are only a few additional lines in the south. Consequently, it is rather difficult to make round trips by train only. This is why we have to take the bus to our next destination, Galway. It's another beautiful bus ride. #BlankSpots

I am taking Bus 424 to Carraroe, in the west of Galway. The scenery is stunning.
This area is part of the Gaeltacht, where the majority of the inhabitants speak Irish. Most signs are in Irish only. #BlankSpots

We're returning from Galway to Dublin by train, of course. This time, it's a quiet and comfortable journey. It's an Irish Rail Class 22000 again, which apparently operates most Intercity services from Dublin (but not to Cork or Belfast). However, these Intercity trains lack a gastronomic service and even a first-class carriage. Only a few trains in Ireland offer these services. #BlankSpots

Dublin has two tram lines (with some shorter branches each) that form a cross in the city centre. If you need to change between intercity trains, you can take a tram between Dublin Heuston and Connolly stations, as we did. #BlankSpots

Dublin Connolly station is served not only by long-distance trains, but also by suburban trains (#DART : Dublin Area Rapid Transit). These run every 10 minutes along the coast to the Irish Sea, north and south of Dublin. Most of the rolling stock was built in the 1990s. Some of the newer models date from the early 2000s. #BlankSpots