Trip Report: Ireland/Dublin

Passports? Check. Husband? Check. And, we’re off!

We landed in Dublin early on Thursday morning and completed the usual Airport Landing Routine – collect luggage, get some cash out at an ATM, buy Diet Coke and coffee, figure out transportation into the city. Even after 2 years of marriage, Chad and I have differing sleep habits and preferences (mostly that he likes naps and I don’t, and I don’t like to get out of bed. Ever.), and apparently different reactions to jet lag as well. Caffeine is a must for us both, though.

We took it easy on Day 1 in Dublin, with plenty of coffee and an easy walk around the city to get our bearings and get SIM cards for our iPhones so we had internet & Google maps. Priorities, you guys.

Our hotel was in a fantastic location, and while the rooms were nothing special, I’d definitely recommend the Arlington O’Connell Bridge for its location and service. Oh! I started writing Trip Advisor reviews. We rely on Trip Advisor and Yelp a lot when we’re traveling, and I decided it was time to start giving back to other travelers with my own thoughts on hotels and restaurants.

It was definitely Christmas season in Dublin even though it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet; the whole town was decked out with lights and decorations.

The weather was beautiful – it didn’t rain during our time in Dublin (or in Ireland at all, actually), but it was definitely chilly, so we bundled up when we went out. Good thing I like scarves. I managed to only take 5 on what turned into a 19 day trip. I was pretty proud of myself. Also, hello, smile lines around my eyes. I have mixed feelings about you.

It’s really nice of them to tell you which way to look when crossing the street, since traffic’s coming from the “wrong” way. I never noticed how inherent it is to look Right Left Right, until traffic’s coming from the other way. Look left, so you DON’T DIE.

Dublin is a cute city, but the Temple Bar area (located one cute bridge across the river from our hotel, also very close to Trinity College) feels really kitschy and toursity. Restaurants are more expensive and bars are more crowded. My guess is that there’s pockets of the city with equally good restaurants and equally cozy pubs, but the locals don’t want you to know about them.

Trinity College was full of bicycles and autumn foliage, just like I like European collegiate settings to be.

We stopped by to see the Book of Kells and the Old Trinity College library and they are…old. I’m blaming jet lag on my lack of interest in the Book. The Old Library was lovely and I could have moved right in next to Plato and Friends.

Even bricks and limestone are more picturesque in foreign countries, amiright?

We did find a good mix of acoustic Irish and pop music at this Temple Bar pub, along with Irish cider and the best fries smothered in melty goat cheese. So yum. Traveler tip: when you walk 6 miles around town during the day, you can feel less bad about cheesy fries and booze at night.

When in Dublin, Jameson. Obvs. We took the 10 AM tour and called it Second Breakfast. I was chosen for the extra Whiskey Scotch Bourbon tasting at the end, which I promptly handed over to my husband, because Vodka.

Here’s my handsome husband in Whiskey Heaven, getting ready to sample a flight of Jameson Reserve. Only the best for the man I love. You think our (potential) future littles will get that chin dimple? Love.

Meanwhile, I was dying over the chandy in the Jameson bar. I can’t even. So pretty.

The hotel breakfast was pretty terrific, with good coffee and a full Irish Breakfast spread, including good coffee, fresh fruit parfaits and a wide spread of cured meat and sausages. American hotels, take note.

Dublin has its share of monuments, including the one in the foreground dedicated to Charles Parnell, an Irish Nationalist, and the big spike in the background, built to commemmorate Dublin’s millennial birthday.