Day 4: Dublin (No Ennis)

So, our trek to Ennis never happened. We were on our way to board an 8 a.m train west and halfway on our walk to the station, I noticed that I did not have my passport which was essential to validate our rail passes. We turned around and by the time we got back to the apartment, there was no time to get to the station. Not to mention that Jessica has come down with a bit of a cold, so she slept all morning and I plotted ways to get to Ennis without wasting the entire day. The only option was to pay about $300 to change our flight out from Dublin to Shannon, which is 15 minutes from Ennis. We opted against this and spent most of the day shopping and roaming around Temple Bar and Grafton Street. It was unfortunate, but probably will spell Jessica a quicker recovery than had we made the effort to travel 3 hours each way, and that is far more important as we still have a great many things to see.

So our time in Ireland is done and now we move on to London. I leave you with a few sights from Monday.

Day 3: Dublin (Revisited)

So today was the day we were going to travel to Ennis, but we got a late start and plans changed. We did my Dublin favorites today, Guinness and Oliver St. John Gogarty’s. If you ever come to Dublin, don’t pass up the Gogarty. It is 3 levels of endulgement. The first floor is a traditional irish pub, the second is a pub with the best traditional irish music and the third is the best in Irish culinary fare.

I can say this much. I didn’t think I’d see Riverdance break out in this pub, but it did.

Some of the musicians were less than amused but they played on anyways. The old man on the right was Jessica’s favorite. The young man on the far left (not visible in this pic) was his grandson, which we thought was really cool.

Tomorrow we march on west to County Clare and the land of the Ennis clan. Until then…

Day 2: Dublin

So day two of this wonderful excursion is coming to a close and I thought it would be fitting to post a summary of my thoughts on this return trip to Ireland. There are so many things I love about traveling; the food, the drinks, the culture, the people and the differences between how we live and how the Europeans live. But there is one thing that I tend to notice more than anything else when I first arrive in a new city: the smells. There is something about a place you’ve been before and taken in all the city has to offer. But as I walked down Parnell Street shortly after we got off the bus from the airport my nose went crazy from those scents of a place I have visited before. It’s like deja vu. And I never have figured out what those smells are or where they come from, but they are distinctive and unique to the area.

Below are a few views from Dublin.

All dressed up and nowhere to go.

Saint Stephen’s Green - The Central Park of Dublin

Molly Malone, the fairest lady of ole Dublin

O’Connell Bridge at sunset.