Waterford: My Viking Crystal City

We walked off into the Viking Triangle – Reginald's Tower glowing pink at sunrise, the only Irish monument with its original Viking name. The Medieval Museum is brilliant – two 13th-century choristers' halls joined together with the only complete set of King Edward III's clothes in existence. The House of Waterford Crystal tour – watching master blowers create vases with wooden paddles and shears was mesmerising.

We had lunch at Munster Dining Room – blaas (soft floury baps) with bacon and proper Irish breakfast all day. In the afternoon we went to the Bishop's Palace – 18th-century silver and the only Napoleon death mask in Ireland. The pros: compact, history-rich, and genuinely Irish. The cons: some modern bits, but the Viking core is perfect.