Another adventure! I've been looking forward to this trip for quite some time, ever since being asked to go along by Shannon, one of my best friends back in Milwaukee. The lead up took a few twists and turns but all details were finally confirmed and we were off to Dublin via JFK. One added bonus for this trip was having Exec Plat on American Airlines, which afforded the opportunity for upgrades to Business Class for both of us. And wouldn't you know it...two seats confirmed!
We successfully enjoyed the trip over, made an easy 1:40 connection at Heathrow, and then took a short British Airways connector flight to Dublin. Passport control in Dublin Airport took a bit of time, but fresh passport stamps in hand, we were off to find our first place to stay. We chose AirBnb for several stays along the way - this turned out to be far more economical than trying to stay in hotels each day. Exiting the airport we experienced our first taste of Irish weather...and it was literally washing us over. Rain, rain, and more rain - on top of 30-50 mph winds. We had only a short walk to our first place - Cloghranguesthouse in Swords. Matt was very kind to meet us (we were a bit early on his watch but had confirmed a noon arrival...no matter) and our room was reasonable and efficient with tv and free wifi. It took us longer than we thought to find how to get hot water out of the shower...would have been a long start to the evening if we hadn't found the magic power switch.
After a quick refresher, we decided to venture out to Dublin and find Penneys. We were told the 41 bus was a close walk and would take us directly downtown. Little did we know how cold and wet we would be by the time the bus arrived...or how long it would take to get there. Soon we were off and made it to the central part of Dublin and a quick walk to Penneys. If you're ready for a fun shopping experience, this is it! Plenty of clothes and other articles to choose from. This picture shows us waiting for the bus and still in relatively good spirits despite jetlag:
We were famished after our shopping and evening in the rain, and found a very cool place to eat just down the street - Flanagan's. The food was excellent and service was great. Nothing like a few pints of Falling Apple cider on a rainy evening!
Soon we were back to the bus on Lower Abbey and off to our stay in Swords. It didn't take long for us to pass out after a long first day of travel.
We successfully enjoyed the trip over, made an easy 1:40 connection at Heathrow, and then took a short British Airways connector flight to Dublin. Passport control in Dublin Airport took a bit of time, but fresh passport stamps in hand, we were off to find our first place to stay. We chose AirBnb for several stays along the way - this turned out to be far more economical than trying to stay in hotels each day. Exiting the airport we experienced our first taste of Irish weather...and it was literally washing us over. Rain, rain, and more rain - on top of 30-50 mph winds. We had only a short walk to our first place - Cloghranguesthouse in Swords. Matt was very kind to meet us (we were a bit early on his watch but had confirmed a noon arrival...no matter) and our room was reasonable and efficient with tv and free wifi. It took us longer than we thought to find how to get hot water out of the shower...would have been a long start to the evening if we hadn't found the magic power switch.
After a quick refresher, we decided to venture out to Dublin and find Penneys. We were told the 41 bus was a close walk and would take us directly downtown. Little did we know how cold and wet we would be by the time the bus arrived...or how long it would take to get there. Soon we were off and made it to the central part of Dublin and a quick walk to Penneys. If you're ready for a fun shopping experience, this is it! Plenty of clothes and other articles to choose from. This picture shows us waiting for the bus and still in relatively good spirits despite jetlag:
We were famished after our shopping and evening in the rain, and found a very cool place to eat just down the street - Flanagan's. The food was excellent and service was great. Nothing like a few pints of Falling Apple cider on a rainy evening!
Soon we were back to the bus on Lower Abbey and off to our stay in Swords. It didn't take long for us to pass out after a long first day of travel.
You make a great travel partner, Shannon improved her vacation by going with you.
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