Dublin, Ireland

Without question, Ireland was our favorite destination thus far, and the reason is simple - Linda and Donal.  We picked up right where we left off eight years ago in Peru (minus the drinks and endless card playing)!  And, we were reminded of what high quality individuals we were so fortunate to meet in our past travels.  Linda and Donal are easy and intelligent conversationalists on top of fantastic hosts.  And the extra benefit was they now have an adorable 10-month-old daughter, Alice, so we all understood each other’s limitations and took things relatively slow.  There were lots of mutual finger crossings for our children to nap, along with finding changing tables and enough space at restaurant tables. 

Before all that, there was the Internet…or lack thereof.  During our time in Scotland, Linda and I had been messaging about our first meet up given we don’t have phones.  How did people do this before cell phones?!  So, my last message was, “How about we pick a spot to meet on Thursday at 10 am (our first day of arrival)?”  Then, I had no Internet because the ship completely wiped it out.  So, Thursday came and I couldn’t contact Linda but my assumption was she would just assume it was off since we couldn’t finalize plans.  But the trooper she is, she came into the city to meet Quinn and I.  I almost didn’t even go into town since we have to take a bus that runs hourly to get in and Quinn had a late start to the morning.  For whatever reason, I decided to just get in to Dublin to walk around and message Linda.  I headed for a café with Wi-Fi right away and discovered Linda was in town to meet us!  So, I called her right away and we decided to meet in front of Trinity College.  I was completely frazzled by the time I arrived and she was completely patient and understanding (and thankfully, a little late herself).  We walked around Trinity College, Grafton Street (famous for its shopping), Stephen’s Green (gorgeous city park), and ate lunch with the kids.  It was, again, so nice to not to be led around and not have to think about where to go and how to get there.  Plus, Linda knew where to find a lunch spot with high chairs and lots of dining space. I want to emphasize this last point because it was in stark contrast with our dinner this night.

 

Chris had been working all day and was (is) really tired of ship food, so we ventured out to find dinner.  When we got off the bus, we ran into two TAs from the ship, Zach and Desiree.  Desiree had heard of this “restaurant” in Temple Bar, Bad Bob’s, so we decided to join them.  This place did not have high chairs and only high tables, and had loud, live Irish music.  We debated leaving, however, it was getting late, we were hungry, and we wanted to spend time with them.  By the time you find another place, often, you may have just as well stayed at the first place.  Well, it was a bit stressful for Chris as he walked Quinn around a lot and fed Quinn in her stroller below.  And I sure felt like a bad parent bringing Quinn into a BAR with really loud live music and then not getting her into bed until 10 pm that night.  Despite all that, I am still happy we did this because it was the only night I was able to hear an Irish fiddle, drink a cider, and spend time with friends on the ship.  We later learned from Donal this is a notorious bar filled with drunk 20 something tourists and overpriced food and drink.  Still, no regrets. 

 

The second day we took it easy while Chris worked and then went into the city to meet Linda and Donal for dinner.  Prior to dinner, we had about an hour and a half and thought we would attempt to see the Guinness brewery and storehouse.  MISTAKE!  The rookie parents were back! We forget that it takes longer to do everything with a child, stroller, and just in general traveling in a new place.  It took us about 45 minutes to get there, at which point, we knew we would have no time to tour the place, so we decided to turn back.  Regardless, we found out there was a small fire in the building so the entire place was evacuated about 15 minute prior to our arrival.  We wasted all this time for nothing but at least we did one smart thing:  we took a taxi to our dinner place versus try to do more walking and find it on our own.  LEARNED FROM OUR MISTAKE!  We had a fantastic dinner with Linda, Donal, and Alice.  And because we were with parents who were also on a timetable and therefore not tempted to overdue it, we got Quinn home at a decent hour this night.  

The best day, without hesitation, was our day spent with Linda, Donal, and Alice.  They borrowed a car from a friend so we could all get out of the city, which is always my preference when traveling.  I prefer small towns and natural landscapes versus cities with the same H&M clothing store.  Of course, cities have their unique charm too, but one day of touring a city is enough for me.  On top of my general preference, Dublin was bustling with mass tourists and crowds our entire visit.  So, we left the city and visited the gardens of Powerscourt Estate (see multiple pictures above; Quinn still doesn't quite get the smelling concept so she is also kissing the rose :) and Glendalough located in the Wicklow mountains.  The landscape was incredible, the ice cream scrumptious (Linda swears it is more creamy than other countries), and the babies were relatively happy.  Linda and Donal pointed out lots of sites along the way, including the famous houses of Enya and Bono, and provided a lot of information on Ireland’s history and politics.  While Chris was speaking to Donal in one car about the political and religious struggles in Ireland, Linda and I were discussing healthcare, the housing market, and work/life policies in another car.  They are a wealth of knowledge!  Both girls did great despite lots of car and stroller time and I am now inspired to rent a car in an upcoming port to get out of the city on our own.  While driving also entails more sitting for Quinn, we can get out along the way for breaks.  At the end of our time with Linda and Donal, when they had been so generous with buying various meals, driving us around the country, lending us a diaper (oops!), and more, they gave US a departing gift of a bottle of Whiskey!   What?!  If you are out there reading, there WILL be a formal thank you coming soon.  We really hope to see them again soon in the future as they are the type of individuals you want to be sure to keep in your life.  I will be surprised if any port surpasses Ireland for just that reason…