Blogs from Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, Europe - page 5

August 19, 2019 – Dublin, Ireland – Weather: 62°F/17°C, mix of sun and cloud, chance of rain 60%, wind 16 mph, humidity 66° We arrived in Dublin early this morning as the Captain had announced last evening that he wanted to be able to do his maneuvering at the dock while there was a high tide. While this portion of the habour can accept deep draft ships he wanted to ensure that there was enough water under the keel to turn the ship around as he moved into the pier. Due to the fact that the River Liffey is crossed by many low level bridges cruise ships are forced to dock out in the container port area, which is also shared with the ferries that head over to England. Dublin is both the capital and most ... read more

August 11, 2019 Dublin, Day 2 Cead Mile FailteAugust 11, 2019 Dublin, Day 2 Cead Mile Failte This translates to: one hundred thousand welcomes. Another way to interpret this phrase: You are welcome, a thousand times, wherever you come from whosoever you be! Today is the day we have been awaiting. This is the reckoning. The homecoming. The Sphinx shall answer the riddle….or not. NO. Today – we visit Guinness!! St. James’ Gate. The Storehouse. The Mother Ship. We got off the ship and hired a cab – because it was just easier. We’re ALL about convenience, whenever possible. We could have taken the shuttle into town, but then who knows how long it would have taken to hire a cab, etc. And there are a LOT of etc.! Owen, our cabbie, is wonderful, hysterical, and ... read more

August 9, 2019 The alarm was set for 7am, so we can get a jump on Glasgow. We have plans to take Tea at the Charles R Mackintosh designed Tearoom The Willow. Best laid plans of mice and men ofttimes go astray! Once again, we were both certain we experienced an Earthquake – but we realize at sea this is most unlikely. SO…probably rough seas. THEN….the closet door was rattling opening and closing of its own volition. Yet another “omen” for the morning. THEN…I threw the curtains open. Our veranda, the windows and basically everything are covered in a mixture of rainwater and seawater. That must have been SOME storm! Both finished with our shower so we can get our day going and spend as much time in Glasgow as possible, WHEN…to our dismay…our cruise director, ... read more

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden”- Oscar Wilde We had the morning in Belfast, as we were taking the train back to Dublin in the afternoon. We woke up quite early (no crazy 8:30 sleep in like yesterday?). We made coffee in the room, and had some orange juice from the “grab and go” bagged breakfast the Bullitt delivers to your room if you want (we thought we might as well get it, and have it on the train later). We headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Susan had the vegetarian Irish, and I had poached eggs with smoked salmon on buckwheat pancakes, with avocado. Another very good breakfast. We both had Irish breakfast tea rather than coffee. I’m quite liking the strong Irish breakfast tea. ... read more

”May your joys be as deep as the oceans, your troubles as light as its foam. And may you find sweet peace of mind, wherever you may roam.” - Irish proverb We started the day with a good breakfast at our B&B in Annascaul. Susan had the mini Irish and I had the vegetarian Irish (fried eggs, beans, and toast). We also had coffee, juice and yogurt. I was very happy because the rain had stopped, and there were even breaks of blue sky. We left Annascaul about 8:30 and began our drive in the beautiful Dingle peninsula. The scenery was really lovely, with green fields alongside the Atlantic Ocean, mostly with small herds of cows. We first stopped at the Torc waterfall, because it gets quite busy in the afternoon and Alex didn’t know if ... read more