The Best New Years
About a week and a half before New Years Eve, I decided I was going to keep my word from last year - this was going to be MY New Years. No raging with friends, no bars, no dressing up, I wanted none of that.
Glebe Cottage in Kilmacrenan, Co Donegal
I had been searching for cute cottages at an affordable rate in Ireland and was struggling to find the adorable-factor I had found the year before at our “tree house” outside of Westport. Then, I decided to just pull the trigger. I found a cottage just outside of Letterkenny in Co. Donegal - pretty much exactly where I wanted to go. The only problem was that the cottage was a little pricier than I was hoping… more so when I realized I only booked it for 1 person and the price went up for 2 people.
The trip started on December 30th. We picked up our rental car easily enough, though I really need to learn about the whole insurance scam... We ended up paying double - but I guess you can never be too careful? Then we picked up our bags and Sage and hit the road.
We drove through scenic Ireland -- and then the trip became international, when we crossed over into the UK. Our first stop was Aldi to grab some supplies for dinner. With the sun setting so early, we arrived to the cottage around 5pm and it was already pitch black.
Our expectations were so far exceeded when we entered the cottage - the pictures do not do the place justice. It was perfect. Old, cozy, secluded. We had no wifi or cell service, but we did have a fireplace and I was thrilled. Shortly after we arrived, Brendan - the Airbnb host, stopped by to show us around the place and explain some of the nuances. His cafe is located just behind the cottage so fortunately he was available for us when we tripped the fuse by having the record player on at the same time as the oven and the water heater. Hey, it’s a 200-year old cottage with plumbing and electric from the ‘50’s. We weren’t bothered.
After a dinner of steak, baked potatoes, and tender stem broccoli, we relaxed and listened to records. The next day was our adventure day!
My friend Maddie’s fiance Paddy grew up in Letterkenny so she was able to give us some suggestions. We paired their tips with Brendan’s and we started our day bright and early at Glenveagh National Park. The 3 of us did a 10km loop. It was mostly flat, until we decided to go to the lookout point which required walking up a 45 degree slope. We were clearly some of the first ones there, but on our way back we ran into a number of people sending 2019 off with a nice walk.
At this point, Sage was exhausted, but we decided to go to one of Brendan’s picks - Portsalon Beach. I was floored at its beauty and was so happy to be on a beach, even in the freezing weather. We played fetch with Sage and took in the views of the peninsula and the mountains ahead of us. The pup was too tired to go to any of the other places we wanted to stop at and we were ready for food, if we’re being honest.
We headed back to our cottage in Kilmacrenan and stopped into Brendan’s cafe, Coffee Time, for a late lunch. We both had the house made pastrami - I had it as a cold sandwich on rye, and Michael had it as a Reuben. Both were delicious! We made a quick stop back into town at the Aldi to get our last few bits - and a puzzle! - so that we could celebrate New Year’s Eve in style.
Brendan had also recommended Nora’s, a pub that was walking distance from the cottage. We stopped in for a pint of Guinness before the eventual partygoers arrived. We love trying new, local places, so this whole day was incredible. What an end to 2020!
Back in our cottage, we had a cheese plate and olives for snacks (we were both full from lunch, but I won’t not eat cheese if it’s in front of me). And I made some fantastic duck breast with wild rice, sauteed spinach, and a port wine reduction. Finish the night off with prosecco, puzzles and Harry Potter in your sweats - and you can’t tell me there’s a better way to spend New Year’s Eve.
