DUBLIN, IRELAND: DAY ONE!

After an overnight flight from Newark, we arrived in Dublin!  We arrived at our charming Airbnb which is located right smack dab in the middle of an amazing area!  We can walk to restaurants, shops, a beautiful park, the canal, and the ocean! (Thank you, John The Tour Guide!)

Our Airbnb has two beautiful courtyards, one in the front and one in the back, both filled with amazing landscaping!  It was overcast and rainy when we arrived—we can’t wait to see them on a sunny day!

After much needed coffee and showers, we all decided that we needed to stay very far away from our villa today…because the beds look soooo comfortable!  The goal was to stay upright as long as possible, because we were a tad EXHAUSTED!  

Although the day was overcast, walking the streets was surreal!  We had to keep reminding ourselves that WE ARE IN DUBLIN, IRELAND!  

After a quick lunch of TEA (filled to the brim with CAFFEINE, thank you very much), Guinness for the guys, paninis and chips, it was decided to take the Big Red Bus Tour through the city so we could see some sights without getting drenched!

It was a great ride through the streets of Dublin, however, the windows were foggy (Susan kept wiping them off) so we couldn’t see a lot and we literally couldn’t understand one word that came out of our tour guide’s mouth!  OMGoodness, this is going to take some getting used to!  And rumor has it, they speak ENGLISH over here!

The weather actually cleared up after our bus tour, and walking the streets was suddenly AMAZING!  We made it to the infamous Temple Bar!  Wow!  It was PACKED TO THE GILLS!

Since there were absolutely no tables to be had at the Temble Bar, we opted to head across the street to The Shack to have an early dinner and celebrate the fact that our eyes were still open!

Our Irish Stew and Fish and Chips were delicious and I actually drank every last drop of a really big glass of Guinness!  (My goal for the Ireland segment of our trip!)

We were rather punchy walking back to our Airbnb due to being EXHAUSTED!  We found these signs and thought they were HYSTERICAL and that they fit us perfectly!  Yea, you’re right, it’s time we head to those comfy looking beds!

Good night for now!  We are hoping for clear skies, sunshine, and the ability to understand the locals tomorrow!  Oíche mhaith!!!