Landing in Dublin- Day 1

We (J and I) were so excited to be landing in Dublin about to start our Irish adventure.

Off the plane we went anxious to get our baggage and car. The baggage claim in Dublin airport is awful! I think we waited about an hour to get our bags. When they finally did arrive going through customs was a breeze and before we knew it we were out of the airport (which will be a problem later) and headed on a bus over to the rental cars. We rented our car from Hertz and when we arrived a line out the door greeted us.  So we stood in line for another hour, then it was our turn! I was surprised at how simple it was after the horror stories I had read about. It was similar to renting a car in the US, sign here, here, and here and the car will be waiting for you out the door.  We did purchase super cdw but not the tire coverage (I should mention that I sell insurance so we had discussed all our insurance options prior). Oh one thing that was mentioned was you will go through a toll, when you do you must pay this toll within 48 hours, blah, blah, blah ... um did I mention we were excited to be in IRELAND? We werent really paying attention to his little speech other than you can pay the toll at a gas station. Ok!  When we got the car we took photos, stowed the luggage, and took off.

Before we left I had talked my traveling companion (J) into doing all the driving. My job was navigation! I had printed maps and directions for all our B&Bs and activities in the surrounding areas.

We were speeding along and before we knew it there was Galway Bay and Dunguaire Castle so we decided to stop, stretch our legs, and take a photo or 20. When we pulled over the rain was just stopping but there were huge puddles in the car park and on the road. Just off the plane I had on flip-flops (great for FL but not for rainy Ireland weather), jeans, and a t-shirt. To say I was cold when we got back in the car would be an understatement! Lucky for us not to far up the road was a shop selling Irish sweaters! Back on the road, now warm, we passed a sign for Burren Perfumery and decided to check it out. Up until this point the roads had been pretty wide with extra space on the sides, the roads in the Burren however are narrow and lined with rock walls covered by bushes. About the time J asked me if the roads were one way a truck came barreling towards us. J panicked and pulled the car to the left and on to the bushes (aka rock wall!). My response to this was, "J? You know you just hit a rock wall, right?" to which she replied, "No it was bushes ... I am sure the car is fine." Well, the car was fine minus the huge scratch and dent in the passenger door (Thanks rock wall!).

We finally made it to the Perfumery. It had started raining again so we hit the café for some horrible tea and a welcome bathroom break. We also spent too much money in the gift shop but got some great directions to our B&B.

When we arrived at Daly's House in Doolin, J was so happy to be out of the car and not driving I think she could have kissed the ground. We were met by the proprietors daughter Katie with an Irish coffee and cookies. After some fortitude provided via Irish whiskey we were shown our room in the second house and given directions to the Cliffs of Mohr. J and I both loved the Cliffs. I was fascinated watching a storm over the Aran Islands and trying to catch the sun filtering through the rain clouds. We called it a day when the weather started to push our direction and the winds picked up. Later we were told about people who had died getting to close to the edge and being pushed off the cliffs by the wind.

Dinner was next on the agenda so we headed to O'Connors Pub for a bite to eat and our first pint on Irish soil (actually it was my first pint of Guinness ever). I cant say I loved it but it wasnt bad either. The bar tender told us to come back at 9:30 for the music session and to bring Katie (she has a beautiful voice and we found out later is studying music in Dublin) with us. Back to Daly's House we went on a mission but we weren't very successful. Katie did promise us to sing at breakfast the next morning and she told us to try the Cider (I will forever say Thank you to Katie for the cider suggestion). The clock struck 9:30 and off to O'Connors we went (in the rain) to hear some music and try Cider.  The music and the cider were great but by 10pm we were done for and headed in to get some sleep.   

To Be Continued ...