Ireland - Day Two!

We awoke on the plane to the sound of the flight attendants serving breakfast. I opened the shade on my window - to see the sun rising! What a beautiful sight! (I only wish I had tried to take a picture...)

Once the plane landed, it was 8:45am in Dublin (2:45am back home!). We quickly recovered our luggage and went to find our driver. I found him right away! "Tony" was the perfect example of a quaint, proper, Irish professor... So cute! He was an older gentleman in a tweed suit, with the perfect Irish accent! I loved him from the moment he said that "yes, indeed" he was our guide! (If any of our fellow tour friends send a picture of him, I will post it!)

We had to wait for a few others from our group to show up... And then we headed to our hotel. We stayed at the Mespil Hotel in Dublin.

A nice place - nice rooms, friendly staff, and taxis always ready and waiting out front! (Which was perfect for our group.) Since we arrived at the hotel at 10am on a Sunday, we had til noon before shops would be open. So we decided to nap and shower before a little exploring in the city.
About 1pm, Mom-in-law, Annie, Mike and I got into a taxi (all the taxi drivers are so friendly and fun!) and headed down to Grafton Street. Grafton St in Dublin is similar to Michigan Ave in Chicago - the big, expensive shopping area, with lots of people-watching opportunities! As we pulled up in the taxi, we noticed some street performers ("buskers") in the midst of their act (a guitar player and a drummer). We thought it looked like a good time and stepped up to the crowd. Immediately, the guitarist made a comment that the American "Adams" family had arrived in Dublin! (I immediately checked my purse for all forms of ID - how the heck did he know we were the Adams Family?!) He then went on to explain to the whole crowd that he knew we were Americans because we were wearing bright colored clothes... He said only Americans are that happy. We were wearing a bright red jacket, bright green jacket, bright pink sweater, and a bright purple sweater... Good grief! So much for flying under the radar... (I have to admit, though, he made fun of every nationality and type of person that walked up to his show... So rude. But so funny!)

After our bit of laughter and embarassment, we walked the streets of the Grafton area. The weather was somewhat pleasant - sunny, but cold and windy. Good enough when you come expecting rain everyday! Mike found his beloved Patagonia Outlet (the prices were no different than the regular prices in the States). We walked through the beautiful St. Stephen's Green - a peaceful sanctuary in the middle of the city. And we loved the Georgian Homes with all of the colorful doors! All those posters you see of Ireland with the colorful doors - they really do exist! They're so charming and fun - Mike and I even daydreamed about what color our door would be... (We couldn't decide... So we thought we'd spice things up with some stripes!) Did I mention that everyone in Dublin walks everywhere? And they walk FAST - no wonder there are no overweight people over there... I thought Mike and I walk at a pretty brisk pace - we are the slow tortoises to these people! It's something to aspire to....

We made our way back to the hotel for our 5pm meeting with our tour group - we had 23 people total! A great size! We had a little meet and greet time with each other and our tour guide, Tony - and then it was off to find dinner!

Tony recommended a place called Foley's Pub for dinner - it was warm, cozy, and a little quirky! We had great food - I had seafood chowder and Mike had mussels and clams - Yum-o! When we found there was no live music there on Sundays, we decided to cross the street to Tony's other recommendation - O'Donoghue's! LOVED IT! It was like something right out of a movie - crowded and loud, with musicians sitting around a table in the front window playing their hearts out on traditional instruments and singing loud enough for all to hear! I have a feeling Mike and I will get back to this place - this is what Ireland is all about! Our evening ended about 11pm. We considered this getting to bed "early" - at least we would get six or so hours of sleep. A great first day on Irish soil!

Things I am thankful for today:

1. Dublin is an easy airport to fly into - even the passport people were nice!
2. We got our first stamp in our passports!
3. I love Tony our tour guide.
4. Nice hotel - and great 2 hour nap!
5. Visiting St. Stephens Green and Grafton St. - very busy with lots of people, beautiful parks, flowers, and swans!
6. "Smashing!" - Tony said it! Ha ha ha.
7. Fun and helpful taxi drivers.
8. A little time to go for a walk with just Mike - much needed and appreciated.
9. Meeting some of the other people in our group - Nancy and Maria from West Virginia; Mary, Diane, and Ann (and their other friend) from New York; Chris and Sarah from Washington DC; Don and Seth from Arizonia.
10. Live music in a pub on our first night in Dublin!
11. Safe travel.
12. Guiness beer!
13. Going to bed somewhat early!