Dublin Ireland Visit - Prior to Portugal ABD Adventure - July 2024
July 1st, 2024, most of us got up early for our international flight to Europe. I’d gotten up shortly before my alarm and I heard a sound from Connor’s office and I found him gaming. He did the same thing on a previous trip, and Andrea and I both told him to go to bed knowing he'd be tempted. Connor decided he wanted one last marathon gaming session before leaving, and tried to sneak it in. We hit a little traffic on the way to the airport, but made our first flight to Charlotte with no problems. Connor slept in the Jacksonville airport and for the entire first flight.
We had a long layover in Charlotte, and we watched some Wimbledon tennis in the lounge and snacked on some of the sparse refreshments available. American Airlines had a super small lounge, but at least we were comfortable while we waited.
Our flight to Dublin boarded in the late afternoon and we got comfortable for our journey. I was next to Andrea in the middle, and both kids were near her with window seats. We had comfortable lay-flat seats and I was actually able to stretch out and got comfortable enough to fall asleep. The flight seemed to go quickly and I think it was our most comfortable long flight experience.
We arrived in Dublin very early in the morning (5am) of July 2nd and got a taxi to the hotel. We checked in, washed up, and we all took a long nap. In the afternoon, we walked around and did a little shopping. Both kids found some clothes at Urban Outfitters and we found a few Irish souvenirs.
We ate at The Old Storehouse Bar and Restaurant, where I tried bangers and mash, Paige had pasta, and Andrea and Connor shared a beef and mashed potato dish. It was a delicious Irish meal, and we loved the atmosphere and ambience at the restaurant. In the evening we unpacked a little, watched some more Wimbledon tennis, and watched Turkey play against Austria in the Euro Cup.
July 3rd was our first full day in Dublin, and we got up somewhat early at 7:15 so we could grab a snack and get to our tour bus pickup spot. We booked a tour with Wild Rover tours. We took a bus to Glendalough, Wicklow Mountains, Kilkenny, and then to see a sheep dog demonstration and had an opportunity to hold baby lambs.
Overall, we found the tour a bit boring. Our guide was friendly, but his accent and enunciation was such that we all had a difficult time understanding him. It’s odd because we haven’t run in to anyone else in Ireland that we’ve struggled to understand, so that was disappointing. The first few spots featured some historic castles, churches, and old areas.
We liked walking through Glendalough’s trails, it was a peaceful and quiet space, especially coming from busy downtown Dublin. We had fun goofing off on the trails and I managed to capture a funny moment on video when Paige slipped and fell off the side of the trail. The video doesn’t really do her athleticism justice, because she actually had balanced easily on a narrow board for over a hundred yards, but fell off just as I started the video. Thankfully nothing was really hurt, except her pride and she laughed it off like a true Alpha.
The highlight of the tour was definitely the sheep dog demonstration and baby lambs. We stopped at a sheep farm that’s been in operation for multiple generations, and the owner had his sheep dog do a few demonstrations, shepherding the sheep around the field before eventually herding them in to a paddock. After the demonstration, the farmer handed out some baby sheep, and we were given a sweet and chill lamb that was so young she still had a bit of umbilical cord handing on her tummy. Paige loved holding her, but we passed her around and all took turns cuddling and taking pics before we reluctantly returned her. We pet the dog as well before we departed on the bus and headed back to Dublin.
For dinner, we ate at Lundy’s Foot, where we enjoyed some live music and more Irish cuisine.
July 4th, we slept in and then set out for more Irish adventures. We took a self guided tour of Dublin castle’s State Apartments, and the walked to the pickup spot for our Vintage Tea Trip bus.
The Tea bus tour was our favorite Irish excursion. The bus was adorable and we loved being up high, seated comfortably, as we snacked and took in the sights. We were served some sandwiches, wraps, scones, sweets, and of course teas. Andrea preferred the hot chocolate, and everyone else tried the Irish breakfast tea, with milk and honey. The tour bus was a bit bumpy, but we had cup holders and we managed to eat and drink everything without making too much of a mess.
After our ride, we walked through a park, then back to our rooms, where we packed up for our flight to Portugal in the morning.
Our adventures in Ireland came to an end, and we had a lot of fun exploring the country together. Everyone we interacted with were friendly, and we enjoyed dressing in our warm clothes and breathing in the cool dry air.
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