Arrived early this morning, got our car, and immediately headed to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch. Hit Boudin's Grill for Clam Chowder (my favorite) and a sandwich. After 4 hours on the plane, lunch hit the spot and to be in the middle of the Wharf and people watch, was fantastic. From there, we took the ferry tour around the bay. It was amazing to the see the Golden Gate Bridge and almost as amazing, was the fog. When we ate lunch, it could not have been a more beautiful day, clear sky over head, nice breeze coming off the bay, just [View Full Entry]

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After a nice drive back to Dublin and a quick check-in at the last hotel of the trip, we are off for one last souvenir hunt and one last outing at our now-favorite pub in Dublin, Knightsbridge Bar. If you ever get the chance to visit Dublin, a must see is the Knightsbridge Pub just off of O'Connell street. I have mentioned this pub in a previous entry, but thought I would give a link to the site with more info for those who will one day find themselves in Dublin. We had a good meal and great last guinness and [View Full Entry]

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Today was the big one for us; Blarney Castle! And it was not a disappointment. On the way out of town, we hit some rain and thought it might be another rainy, windy day. But, luckily, it cleared up as we got outside the city and the drive turned out to be incredible. The Irish country side never disappoints. Passed through several small towns which each had it's own magnificent cathedrals, no matter how small the town. The driving was nerve-racking as always, but passing through hillsides and seeing the view, the ruins, the cathedrals, and even the sheep, makes the [View Full Entry]

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Today's entry is short. We headed out today to see the Rock of Cashel. Exactly what we wanted to see on this trip; an ancient castle ruin surrounded my beautiful countryside. The only bad thing was that by the time we got there it had started to rain, though it was more of a heavy misting or sprinkle (if that makes any sense). But the really bad part was the gusts of wind, especially once we reached the Rock and walked around the Church. There were times that I could literally feel myself being blown away (and for me, that is [View Full Entry]

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Well, the day finally came for a large part of the reason why we came to Ireland....driving through the country side. And we were not disappointed. We may have spent all day making a 3 hour trip but we had some some fun stops along the way, and yes, the now-inevitable wrong turns and miles off path. But we had no schedule and the wrong turns led to amazing scenery and sharing death-defying narrow roads with nice big mac trucks barreling through like we were on an eight lane highway. Speaking of the driving, I have learned much in the short [View Full Entry]

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Today was yet another beautiful day in Dublin as we headed to the south side of the city centre. Found a central car park and headed off for a tour of the religious beauty of Dublin. First stop was the Book of Kells in Trinity College. The college grounds were everything you would think an old world university would be and being in the middle of it, it is very easy to imagine the historic figures who graduated from the famed college walking around the same cobbled grounds we were walking. Taking the tour of the Book of Kells was fascinating [View Full Entry]

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Visited Countries Map [View Full Entry]

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It is an incredibly beautiful day as we walk out of the hotel. The entrance to the hotel faces the mountain side, so the first thing we see when we walk out the door is a clear sky and the sun not far above the mountain range. It is going to be a fantastic day. We head to the city centre to find a place to park for the day and then head to O'Connell street for the parade. We're early, so we stop off at a quaint coffee shop (one of the few places open) and eat a quick bite [View Full Entry]

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After some much-needed rest, we hopped back in the car to give the Irish roads a try yet again. Only a few mistakes and then parked in an alleyway near the city centre. The first major street that we came across was Mary Street which was basically an outdoor mall. Each side of the street is lined with clothing stores and tourist shops - Marisa was in her element. There were no cars allowed on the street, so we had full run of the area (nice way to start the night). We walked until we came to O' Connell Street which [View Full Entry]

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We've finally made it!! Trip from Newark to Dublin was great. No bad turbulence, somewhat decent food, and we got here on time. Then the fun began. Time to pick up the car and get directions to the hotel. The directions from the Car rental rep: take M1 to M50 to N7...no...N4 and the hotel is on the left, verbatim. No map, no take a left here or go down 5 km there, just M1 to M50 to N4. Easy, right? And throw in the fact that I have never driven from the right side of the car. Yes, I think [View Full Entry]

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