Info from homework

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April 23 - I've been so busy preparing for my trip I forgot all about Fiesta…fiesta-sa.org. It is an 11 day celebration in San Antonio Texas that I try to get to when I can. The hot weather of later on in Summer hasn’t arrived yet and I would like to have attended but in any case I am having to focus all my attention and money on the May 9 trip to Ireland

April 26 Thursday - The weather this week looks to be great camping weather. I feel like I am wasting this great weather by not going to the Guadalupe River for a week or so but have to rein myself in and focus on my upcoming trip to Ireland on May 9 for 6 weeks. I don’t need to be spending any money on side trips but save it for my Ireland trip. I have been doing a lot of homework on the Dublin area mainly as well as a bit about the rest of the country. Today I am going to drive to the AAA office in South Austin and get my International Drivers License. I will use it for if I rent a car in Europe but also as another form of picture ID, with my beard, as I have let it grow back after shaving it for my Passport picture. I just figure it will be better to have an ID with me with the beard to show if I need to. Looks like it will get to be a bit hot later today. It is getting to the time of year when it would be good to get things done in the morning before it gets hot, but I really have a difficult time on giving up on the day and going to bed at night. It seems I do my best work between 1 and 3 AM. Well…..guess I had better get moving and head over to Austin.

Evening…I drove over to Austin to the AAA there and got my International Drivers License. The guy who issued it told me since I had a commercial drivers license I could drive trucks there if I wish……somehow I don’t think I will. It was somewhat hot today and it would have been a good day to go to the Guadalupe River at New Braunsfels. Or to Rio Vista Park in San Marcos…..but I decided to head back home and focus on my trip in May. The license cost me just $15 but I burned up $50 worth of gas driving to Austin and back. Hope it is worth it. It seems like you have to consider the price of gas in deciding just about anything these days….Sad......

April 27 - Came over to my sisters house in Bryan housesitting for a few days. My mother, 2 sisters and a brother and all went to my other sister’s house in Kingwood today for a birthday celebration for Annette and Gail. My nephew Billy, his dog Andie and I had to fend for ourselves tonight so we had a pizza delivered.We got a meat lovers since all three of us are carnivores ( Me, Billy, and Andie).

April 28 - Quiet morning here. My nephew Billy is working on his computer, Andie is napping, I'm checking things out on my computer then I will drink my tea and think things over.Invested most of today in editing pictures from 2011 trips and saving them to a screen show screen saver for my laptop. Also I did a lot of homework on free and inexpensive things to do in Dublin. Later in the day my Nephew went to join the others and I’m here housesitting. I am also attending to Andie's (the dog) needs. She seems to feel that the only reason for me being here is to cater to her merest whim. I have done tons of homework on Dublin yesterday and today and have tons more links to sites that I will study over the next few days. Here is a site that I found useful.

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowTopic-g186605-i90-k1703144-Top_10_Free_or_Cheap_Things_to_Do_in_Dublin-Dublin_County_Dublin.html



Here is some information that I have gathered from several sources over several days. I can’t affirm the veracity of all of it but hope it will be useful to the reader.

Irish tourist board www.discoverireland.ie newspaper – irishtimes.com car rental - carrentaldublin.ie

www.towd.com links to every tourist office on the continent

www.visitdublin.com shannonairport.com dublinairport.com dublinpass.ie dublinbus.ie

galwayairport.com DART irishrail.ie ferries - irishferries.com



http://www.guidetodublin.com/map.shtml dublintourist.com/maps/county_dublin.shtml http://www.dun-laoghaire.com/maps/map2.html

There is a Dublin tourist center in the airport arrivals hall, open 8AM-10PM

The main tourist office is at St Andrews Church 2 Suffolk St., 9AM-7PM M-Sat, 10:30AM-3PM Sun.

Dublin Area tourist maps http://www.dublintourist.com/maps/county_dublin.shtml

ATM fees… Bank of America has an arrangement with several Irish banks (including Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank, which have ATMs all over. So that you can withdraw money without any ATM fee. They do charge a 1%!c(MISSING)urrency conversion fee.

The Generator Hostel 28 Smithfield Street Dublin 7 Ireland – By Smithfield LUAS station. Take bus from airport to Connolly Station. Take Red Line of LUAS tram to Smithfield Station. I am staying at the Generator Hostel because it is a bit removed from Temple Bar , etc and hopefully it will be quieter and allow for sleeping at night. I noticed that both Lonely Planet and another travel blogger said that Issacs Hostel is better for the younger crowd.

Howth – Has a spectacular cliff walk

Take a train to Greystones and walk back along cliffs to Bray

Get reservations for Guiness tour to avoid long lines

Brazen Head – Oldest pub in Ireland, founded in 1100’s

Hostel booking sites – hostelworld.com hostelbookers.com booking.com

There is supposed to be a replica of a Viking ship on Essex quay

High Street is the gateway to much of medieval and Viking Dublin – old city walls, Dublin castle

Main bus station in Dublin – Basaras, Main train station Heuston Station

City Centre Tourist Office 14 Upper O’Connell St. 9AM to 5PM Mon-Sat.

Dun Laoghaire ferry port 10AM-1PM and 2-6PM

Dublin Tourism Centre – St Andrews Church, 2 Suffolk St. 9AM-5:30PM M-Sat, Sun-10:30 AM-3PM.- Tourist info and bookings for all of Ireland, American Express

Dublin bus office – 59 Upper Oconnell st, 9AM-5:30PM M-Fr., 9AM-2PM Sat.

Passes – One day unlimited travel on bus only( including Airlink) cost E6, on bus and tram cost E7.50.

“The Rambler” 1 day ticket allowing unlimited travel on buses, including Airlink, cost E6.

Fares on the Airlink service from Dublin Airport to Busáras (Central Bus Station) are:
Adult single €6.00. Bus 747 runs between the airport and Basaras.

Bus Eireann operates direct daily coach services to and from Dublin Airport nationwide. Routes not serving the Airport directly can be joined at the Central Bus Station at Busaras, which is a short 25 minute bus journey from the Airport using Dublin Bus routes 747 or 748, leaving every 10 minutes during the day.

For calls home - purchase a cheap Tesco Mobile Phone in Ireland (Tesco Grocery stores are everywhere) and top off. Calls to the US are supposed to be 2 cents a minute.

For electrical adaptors - Look on the chargers for all of those items , and see what is written on them, somewhere you will either see 110v, or 100-240v (or possibly 110-220v), as long as it doesn't just say 110v, then all you need is a plug adapter.

When in Ireland, make sure you charge in Euros if given the choice. If your card is charged in dollars you will get a less favorable exchange rate.

Get your Euros when you arrive in Ireland at an ATM. Do not purchase them in the States unless you want to be ripped off by fees. Currency conversion rates are always better in Ireland then the USA for some reason, always wait until you get there. If you arrive with dollars there is a little place next to the Spire on O'Connell Street which has surprisingly good rates despite its central location.

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Photos

Andie
Andie figures I am here to attend to her merest whim.

pizza
meat lovers pizza from pizza hut for us carnivores.

Andie
Andie was very excited about the weekend.