bwendorff

Preparing for a long day of driving, the same four of us went for another 8am breakfast. I had attempted to find a new place for us to try but failed so we found ourselves at Deeley again. No worries as we knew what to expect and I was able to clarify scrambled eggs this time. Laura enjoyed another Chai Tea Latte while I tried out a different ginger tea. We hit the road by 9am to maneuver our of the city as folks went to work to grab the highway to Cashel. Google told us there was a toll on the route, but I didn't know exactly where so I prepped Carl with €2.30 ahead of time. Turns out it wasn't needed until after the road I thought for a tunnel under a lake. I ... read more

With little other options, Kyle actually joined us for breakfast this morning. Dining in the same spot at dinner the night before everyone filled themselves between the buffet and hot dinner order before we finished packing up. As checkout was the same time as our tour end, we packed up the car ahead of time. The maintenance man/ tour guide took us around the estate the next 2.5 hours sharing immense amount of information about the history of Ireland, progression of the house through that history, details on the fauna, and even stories about his own life. He talked all over the place which drove me a bit crazy, but we learned a lot. We also walked the beautiful estate setting it from many angles. Every photo we took was just phenomenal. I can't wait to ... read more

Alex woke extra early due to a spontaneous nose bleed. He mostly caught it, only a few drops escaped to the pillow and duvet. I woke to him drinking his 3rd glass of water trying to hydrate to prevent future issues. As he was up so early, he joined Carl and I for breakfast. Already tired, I proposed an alternative plan to the 250 stair Skyview tower to instead heading into the park to see the Wellington Monument - a mini version of the Washington Monument but with added self-important murals of the first Duke of Wellington's achievements. Afterward, we walked in drizzled back to the hotel for a short rest as Alex's leg was sore again. Then we continued on to the Jameson Distillery Bow Street. Time for one drink before our tour, the group ... read more

Well rested from an early to bed night, it was easy for the crew to rouse themselves. Carl and I feasted on the hotel buffet, Alex lounged, and the others visited the grocery store for provisions. Hustling to leave at 9 to get to the station for our train ride to Belfast, the front desk had some confusion on the outstanding bill on our rooms. Quite odd as we paid before AND were told we received a €50 refund due to the late room availability. She noticed our agitation and let us go to catch the train with the promise to call if she couldn't resolve it. Laura guided us on our walk to the Connolly train station not too far away. As I returned to the group with our tickets from the machine, we realized ... read more

Typical travel day. We woke early to catch the train to the airport, shopping breakfast so full from the prior day. At the airport, we had a bit of confusion trying to check in as the AA desk was mixed in with another airline and had only a simple rollout stand to support people. I kept getting directed to a kiosk that didn't work. Eventually got them to help allowing me to sign the form stating we had valid Covid tests before getting a boarding pass. Through security, we headed to the gate hoping to make it to the agent to get a "T" for transfer added to our standby level due to our flight in the other day. This would put us at the top of the standby list increasing our odds of getting in ... read more