We're here!
View DAY ONE photos
Hello to all! We made it to Dublin. It's 7:20 AM right now and I woke up before Matt did. For those of you who know me, that's rare. It must have something to do with the 12 hours of sleep I got last night!
Our travels went very well. Fortunately we built in enough time between the three flights to allow for weather, etc. Our first stop was in Cincinnati. MJ's parents were in town to visit Molly (sister) and family. We got off the plane and heard from Molly that Mom and Dad were on their way to come visit us during our layover. It was nice to be able to spend time with them. Crazy how things work out! We ended up having quite a layover in Cinci due to major weather in NYC. Once we got to JFK, we realized what they meant! Ernesto had hit them and it was very rainy and windy. We had to get our bags in order to recheck them for international. So, we toted 2 bags (100 lbs. total) and a heavy backpack through the rain to check in with international. It all worked just fine, though. The flight to Dublin was ok. MJ slept all but the first hour. Thanks for everyone's prayers for safe, calm travels. It all worked out ok!
We got to Dublin and took a bus to the center of the city. We were told that was the closest stop to our hotel. We got off the bus and the adventure began. We really didn't know where we were going. We had quite a hike to our hotel, but we made it. Matt did a great job navigating. The 2 hardest things were that we were dragging that same 100+ lbs. and the fact that you really have to search for street signs. We finally found the hotel and were able to check in immediately. Thank God. We took showers, changed clothes and headed out.
First stop was definitely going to be breakfast. We ate at a little corner hole in the wall place for our first "Irish breakfast." Oh wait, might I add, Dublin has WAY more bagel shops than Memphis! They're all over. Shame on Memphis. :)
Then we went to Trinity College, which is just down the street, to see the Book of Kells. It's the four Gospels. Monks in Scotland had spent time transcribing the books. The artistry was beautiful! I think it dated back to the 700s. Amazing. Upstairs, we visited the Long Room. It is 75 meters of books, from floor to ceiling, that the University has had for centuries. The room was amazing. I wish I was able to take photos. We were able to take photos of the outside of the University. The grounds were gorgeous!
On our way back to our hotel, we stopped by a Catholic church. The doors were open, so we went in to check it out. We learned that there was a special mass about to take place to honor children who died in the past year. The lady who was hosting the mass was very sweet and invited us to look around and even stay if we wished. Reminded me of the hospitality at Hope!
After a quick stop back at the hotel to grab rain jackets, we decided to venture out to find where MJ's great-grandmother had lived (thanks Brian). It is right near our hotel and currently is where the Attorney General's office is located. We found it and of course had to take pics! :) Speaking of, there are so many cool doorways here. Each one is very unique. So, of course MJ had to take pics!
Then we made our way to the famous Temple Bar area. This is very similar to Beale Street on Memphis, minus the kids flipping down the street. :) Lots of bars, funky shops and cobblestones. We were searching for the Gallery of Photography and eventually found it. Outside the Gallery, we think there was a rehearsal for a film or play. It looked like some of the actors' kids were there playing hide and seek. They were so cute! Especially while they were counting in their accents!
By now, we were hungry again. The national hurling championship had just finished so the pubs were getting busier. We finally found a place that was serving food, not just beer, and it happened to be the oldest brewery of genuine Irish beer. Whatever that means. :) We were just happy to get a cheeseburger. Yeah, we know, very American, but we were craving burgers!
We decided to make our way back to the hotel for a quick nap before venturing out to find American ESPN. Afterall, there was a big game taking place back home (Ole Miss vs. Memphis). Well, we (MJ really) fell asleep hard and Matt decided to watch the game from the comforts of the hotel room via the Internet.
So, like I said, 12 hours later, here I (MJ) am typing away in the dark. Our window is open and we get to hear the sounds of traffic below as Dubliners head to work. We think we're going to go on a tour of the Easter Rising of 1916. MJ's step-greatgrandfather had a big role in the fight to separate Ireland from Britain and form its own country. We're eager to find out more info and walk the streets of where the whole thing took place. Then we'll probably head to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery for a tour and lunch. Not sure what else will be on the agenda today. We thought about trying to find MJ's grandpa's birthplace, but we hear the taxis are on strike today. May be too hard to find on our own.
Again, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. We're here safely and excited for the rest of the journey! I'm running out of battery life right now (long story), so I'm going to go ahead and post this. I made a slideshow of pics, but it won't attach. I'll figure it out later and post it.
Hello to all! We made it to Dublin. It's 7:20 AM right now and I woke up before Matt did. For those of you who know me, that's rare. It must have something to do with the 12 hours of sleep I got last night!
Our travels went very well. Fortunately we built in enough time between the three flights to allow for weather, etc. Our first stop was in Cincinnati. MJ's parents were in town to visit Molly (sister) and family. We got off the plane and heard from Molly that Mom and Dad were on their way to come visit us during our layover. It was nice to be able to spend time with them. Crazy how things work out! We ended up having quite a layover in Cinci due to major weather in NYC. Once we got to JFK, we realized what they meant! Ernesto had hit them and it was very rainy and windy. We had to get our bags in order to recheck them for international. So, we toted 2 bags (100 lbs. total) and a heavy backpack through the rain to check in with international. It all worked just fine, though. The flight to Dublin was ok. MJ slept all but the first hour. Thanks for everyone's prayers for safe, calm travels. It all worked out ok!
We got to Dublin and took a bus to the center of the city. We were told that was the closest stop to our hotel. We got off the bus and the adventure began. We really didn't know where we were going. We had quite a hike to our hotel, but we made it. Matt did a great job navigating. The 2 hardest things were that we were dragging that same 100+ lbs. and the fact that you really have to search for street signs. We finally found the hotel and were able to check in immediately. Thank God. We took showers, changed clothes and headed out.
First stop was definitely going to be breakfast. We ate at a little corner hole in the wall place for our first "Irish breakfast." Oh wait, might I add, Dublin has WAY more bagel shops than Memphis! They're all over. Shame on Memphis. :)
Then we went to Trinity College, which is just down the street, to see the Book of Kells. It's the four Gospels. Monks in Scotland had spent time transcribing the books. The artistry was beautiful! I think it dated back to the 700s. Amazing. Upstairs, we visited the Long Room. It is 75 meters of books, from floor to ceiling, that the University has had for centuries. The room was amazing. I wish I was able to take photos. We were able to take photos of the outside of the University. The grounds were gorgeous!
On our way back to our hotel, we stopped by a Catholic church. The doors were open, so we went in to check it out. We learned that there was a special mass about to take place to honor children who died in the past year. The lady who was hosting the mass was very sweet and invited us to look around and even stay if we wished. Reminded me of the hospitality at Hope!
After a quick stop back at the hotel to grab rain jackets, we decided to venture out to find where MJ's great-grandmother had lived (thanks Brian). It is right near our hotel and currently is where the Attorney General's office is located. We found it and of course had to take pics! :) Speaking of, there are so many cool doorways here. Each one is very unique. So, of course MJ had to take pics!
Then we made our way to the famous Temple Bar area. This is very similar to Beale Street on Memphis, minus the kids flipping down the street. :) Lots of bars, funky shops and cobblestones. We were searching for the Gallery of Photography and eventually found it. Outside the Gallery, we think there was a rehearsal for a film or play. It looked like some of the actors' kids were there playing hide and seek. They were so cute! Especially while they were counting in their accents!
By now, we were hungry again. The national hurling championship had just finished so the pubs were getting busier. We finally found a place that was serving food, not just beer, and it happened to be the oldest brewery of genuine Irish beer. Whatever that means. :) We were just happy to get a cheeseburger. Yeah, we know, very American, but we were craving burgers!
We decided to make our way back to the hotel for a quick nap before venturing out to find American ESPN. Afterall, there was a big game taking place back home (Ole Miss vs. Memphis). Well, we (MJ really) fell asleep hard and Matt decided to watch the game from the comforts of the hotel room via the Internet.
So, like I said, 12 hours later, here I (MJ) am typing away in the dark. Our window is open and we get to hear the sounds of traffic below as Dubliners head to work. We think we're going to go on a tour of the Easter Rising of 1916. MJ's step-greatgrandfather had a big role in the fight to separate Ireland from Britain and form its own country. We're eager to find out more info and walk the streets of where the whole thing took place. Then we'll probably head to the Jameson Whiskey Distillery for a tour and lunch. Not sure what else will be on the agenda today. We thought about trying to find MJ's grandpa's birthplace, but we hear the taxis are on strike today. May be too hard to find on our own.
Again, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. We're here safely and excited for the rest of the journey! I'm running out of battery life right now (long story), so I'm going to go ahead and post this. I made a slideshow of pics, but it won't attach. I'll figure it out later and post it.
posted by greens at
1:28 AM
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