After our overnight flight from Toronto, we easily passed through customs and quickly found our Brendan Vacations greeter upon exiting the airport in Dublin.
Hotel Arrival
Our bus driver, the lovely Louie, dropped us off at the Sandymount hotel next to Aviva Stadium where we met out wonderful guide for the week, the Amazing Allie Lister. Our rooms weren’t ready yet. We needed a caffeine pick-me-up, so we ordered coffee (tea for me) in the hotel bar and sat out on the deck. Dennis remarked that the coffee wasn’t very good, and Mom quickly cut in and said “It’s awful!”
Our First Meal in Ireland
We decided to walk to Sandymount Village for lunch. The hotel receptionist recommended Mulligans Bar and Restaurant. We all ordered the cauliflower soup and brown bread which was very good. Our waiter Paul was very friendly and helpful, explaining money and tipping. One euro is currently worth $1.24.
When we arrived back at the hotel, Mom and Dad’s room was ready. We waited another 30 minutes for ours and were completely confused when our new voltage converter wouldn’t work. We asked the bell hop about the power. Come to find out, you have to insert your key card in a slot on the wall to have electricity.
Dublin Sightseeing Tour
Our sightseeing tour of Dublin began at 2:30 p.m. While I loved the majority of our tour itinerary, the amount of time in Dublin (on Palm Sunday and Good Friday nonetheless) was disappointing. I would have loved to walk down the streets, exploring, and drinking in the atmosphere, but there just wasn’t enough time. We were able to see Trinity College, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Phoenix Park, and the Georgian squares, the brick townhouses with their famous doors, built in the 1700s.
Dinner at Nancy Hands Pub
We finished our tour with a welcome reception dinner at Nancy Hands Pub, 3-32 Parkgate St., Dublin, across from the Guinness factory.
Our group was seated upstairs. We each received two drinks–I chose white wine first followed by Guinness. I did take one sip of Guinness (when in Ireland…) before passing it off to Dennis. We also had three appetizers, one of which included smoked salmon, homemade bread, lamb stew, fish and chips, and three dessert samples (pictured above). I tried everything, believe it or not.
By 7:34 p.m. local time, we were back at the hotel, exhausted, and ready to fall into bed. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
Sunday, March 25, 2018.
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To read about our second day in Ireland, click here.
I always get a little sad reading posts about traveling in Ireland. My grandma and I always talked about going together but she died before we got a chance. I’m going to have to go sometime though to honor her memory.
Nice pictures. Enjoyed alot. Your description of your trip is really nice. It help those people who visit there in future.
My ancestors are from Ireland, so that alone has made me want to visit! I’m hoping one day that will become a reality.
Family lives in Ireland and it’s a shame i have not visited! Looks great!