It's (Not) Always Sunny in Dublin

We made it safe and sound into Dublin!  We flew American Airlines for the first time for international travel, and I have to say - we were disappointed compared to the great experiences we have had on Aer Lingus the last two times we've flown over here.  We didn't have individual screens, which means we didn't have individual choice over what we were watching and most maddening was not having access to the map to see where we were.  But the service was just as good, we had two meals, and we still got here in good time.  I guess we can't truly ask for more than that.  Other than for perhaps more leg room, and not having to walk through business class on the way to coach. That puts a damper on things for sure. 

We landed at 8 am and took an air coach bus into the city.  It's more expensive than the Dublin city bus, but it's a bit more direct and a lot more comfortable. The trip from the airport was longer than we figured because of rush hour but we were there in no time. The walk to our hotel was just down O'Connell St and the along the river. Of course it started to rain!  Oh Ireland and your sunny disposition. We weren't able to check into the hotel, The Morrison, but we dropped off our bags and were able to get a feel for what we had booked. It was a beautiful lobby and the people behind the counter were very pleasant.

We decided to try and hunt down a coffee shop we had found last year wandering around the city. It was a way to kind of figure out what we wanted to do that day and a nice place to stay out of the rain. We ended up finding it around the corner from Trinity College. It's called Fixx, and it was just like we remembered. After a bit of a caffeine we decided to finally head to Kilmainham Gaol. I have been wanting to go there for four years so, it was about time.

Kilmainham Gaol is a jail that has held many leaders of the Irish rebellions. It was built in 1796, and operated as a jail until 1924. The tour had a very passionate guide who led us through many years of Irish history and the various rebellions and wars they they faced to try and gain their independence. It was a great tour and I'm so happy we finally got the  chance to go. It was also a brief tour - only about an hour, so we should have done it long before.

To keep out of the still rainy weather and kill time to check in to our hotel, we stopped in for a pint and a snack at The Porterhouse. Apparently a chain (we went to a different location last time). They have a great beer list and they had delicious sweet potato/red pepper soup. Then off to the hotel to take a nap!  We were exhausted from the flight and the time change.

 Now was the chance to finally see our hotel room  our luggage was already in our room, a great service, and everything looked great.  John's only complaint was the somewhat tired looking carpet, but it bought it was a great room. And the beds looked incredibly inviting!  Our nap was refreshing and probably absolutely necessary to make it through dinner since I was falling asleep in my soup a couple of hours earlier.  When we awoke, the rain was gone and the air was crisp.  

The location of our hotel on the north bank of the river across the street from Temple Bar made it a very convenient location to get around and do what we do best, aimless wandering. We managed to find a pretty delicious restaurant to sit down in not too far from the hotel (although we took a very circuitous route). The bathrooms were one of my favorite parts was they were co-ed (not why they were good, but just a point of note) and the sinks overlooked the kitchen. So you could see them cooking up the food while you washed your hands. 

Then drinks at the hotel and by then we were exhausted and crashed. Especially since I knew I would need to be on my game the next day when we were renting a car and driving to Ardmore.....on the other side of the road......and a manual transmission....