This exact time last year I went to Ireland with three of my girlfriends and had the time of my life experiencing all this beautiful country had to offer. Lucky for us we all love to write and journaled our adventures.
I promised myself that I would put all of our words together in some sort of coherent document and add a few pictures to show our family and friends how four woman traveled across the pond, rented a car that was to be driven on the "wrong" side of the road, ventured from the city of Dublin to the country side of Kinvara over ten days and lived to tell about it!
A year later, I'm finally putting the stories out there for all to read. Better late than never!
I promised myself that I would put all of our words together in some sort of coherent document and add a few pictures to show our family and friends how four woman traveled across the pond, rented a car that was to be driven on the "wrong" side of the road, ventured from the city of Dublin to the country side of Kinvara over ten days and lived to tell about it!
A year later, I'm finally putting the stories out there for all to read. Better late than never!
September 17, 2010 – Arrival in Dublin
Top of the Morning to you! We landed in Dublin around 9:00am (local time) and it's overcast and cold. The flight was long and uneventful. Cheryle took two sleeping pills and slept through dinner, snacks, three movies and breakfast. We had to wake her up to exit the plane! Once we landed, we grabbed ALL of our luggage and made our way to the Hertz counter where life as we knew it was about to change.
We should have know there was going to be a problem since four American men that were trying to return a car were having a shouting match with a Hertz agent and then looked at us and said, "Don't rent a car from here!"
Awesome!
We shook it off as a disgruntled customer and proceeded to pick up the rental car that our travel agent reserved for us. Our car was suppose to be a standard engine, four door sedan, no A/C for 500 Euros.
Since I am the only one who knows how to drive a stick shift, I (by luck or default) was voted to be the designated driver. Plus USAA had already agreed to insure me while I was driving in Ireland. Suckers!!
After a few short minutes at the rental counter we realized that sedans are few and far between in Europe. Everything is mostly smart cars or vans! Once Daniel, our Hertz agent, saw the four of us and all of our luggage, he sent the smart car back to it's rightful parking space and brought out a minivan.
Bye Bye Smart Car.
Hello minivan
We loaded up the car, started the engine and rolled a few feet forward before I stalled. It was very obvious that I can drive a mini-van, drive a stick shift, and drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but was completely incapable of doing all three at one time!
Cheryle and I went back into the Hertz office and had a heart to heart with our new friend Daniel. We begged him for an automatic sedan and to add a second driver on the account. I knew that the roads were really small so the probability that the side windows of a minivan would be gone during our visit was approximately 95.8%. I also knew there was no way that I could drive the entire trip unless I wanted to end up at Bryce Hospital when we returned to Alabama. Daniel just shook his head, added Cheryle as a second driver, put a hold on my credit card for 14 days for $7,000 and brought us our "new car" for the week. We've named her Pieca because she is a piece of junk! I could have owned her for $7,000!!!
The good thing is she was already missing parts of her mirror!
Once we were all settled into our rental car, we headed into the city of Dublin to see if we could find our hotel. Thank goodness Cheryle has great navigational skills, otherwise we'd still be stuck in a round about just outside the airport! It turns out that the luck of the Irish was upon us as we found our hotel and a parking spot with one only one venture into the opposite lane of traffic. It was an easy mistake and I honestly think the bus driver was more scared that we were!
Since we couldn't check in right away, the hotel stored our luggage and graciously took Pieca to a parking lot where we didn't have to worry about her for two days. Praise the Lord! My nerves were SHOT from trying to make my way through Dublin.
We were so tired due to the eight hour plane ride and time difference, but we had about four hours to kill so we bought a two day "hop on / hop off" bus pass and started our sight seeing!
We finally checked in to our room around 2:00 and took much needed naps. Well except for Cheryle...she journaled. (She did sleep the entire flight!)
Once we woke up, showered and spruced up, we found a local pub to eat dinner. We all had fish and chips and it was very good!! We also had to have a black and tan beer...when in Rome!
The pub advertised that ALL major sporting events will be televised throughout the weekend. Apparently American football, much less SEC football is not major. Who do they think they are??
We're going to try the Temple bar area tomorrow to see if UF/TN and AU/Clemson will be on.
Something that's funny and shouldn't be too surprising to those that know us is that there are over 200 guests in this hotel, we've been here for less than 24 hours and all of the desk clerks know the four of us by name! We've gotten lost in the hotel so many times that when they see us they say " 220 is that way". Ha!!
We should have know there was going to be a problem since four American men that were trying to return a car were having a shouting match with a Hertz agent and then looked at us and said, "Don't rent a car from here!"
Awesome!
We shook it off as a disgruntled customer and proceeded to pick up the rental car that our travel agent reserved for us. Our car was suppose to be a standard engine, four door sedan, no A/C for 500 Euros.
Since I am the only one who knows how to drive a stick shift, I (by luck or default) was voted to be the designated driver. Plus USAA had already agreed to insure me while I was driving in Ireland. Suckers!!
After a few short minutes at the rental counter we realized that sedans are few and far between in Europe. Everything is mostly smart cars or vans! Once Daniel, our Hertz agent, saw the four of us and all of our luggage, he sent the smart car back to it's rightful parking space and brought out a minivan.
Bye Bye Smart Car.
Hello minivan
We loaded up the car, started the engine and rolled a few feet forward before I stalled. It was very obvious that I can drive a mini-van, drive a stick shift, and drive on the "wrong" side of the road, but was completely incapable of doing all three at one time!
Cheryle and I went back into the Hertz office and had a heart to heart with our new friend Daniel. We begged him for an automatic sedan and to add a second driver on the account. I knew that the roads were really small so the probability that the side windows of a minivan would be gone during our visit was approximately 95.8%. I also knew there was no way that I could drive the entire trip unless I wanted to end up at Bryce Hospital when we returned to Alabama. Daniel just shook his head, added Cheryle as a second driver, put a hold on my credit card for 14 days for $7,000 and brought us our "new car" for the week. We've named her Pieca because she is a piece of junk! I could have owned her for $7,000!!!
The good thing is she was already missing parts of her mirror!
Once we were all settled into our rental car, we headed into the city of Dublin to see if we could find our hotel. Thank goodness Cheryle has great navigational skills, otherwise we'd still be stuck in a round about just outside the airport! It turns out that the luck of the Irish was upon us as we found our hotel and a parking spot with one only one venture into the opposite lane of traffic. It was an easy mistake and I honestly think the bus driver was more scared that we were!
Since we couldn't check in right away, the hotel stored our luggage and graciously took Pieca to a parking lot where we didn't have to worry about her for two days. Praise the Lord! My nerves were SHOT from trying to make my way through Dublin.
We were so tired due to the eight hour plane ride and time difference, but we had about four hours to kill so we bought a two day "hop on / hop off" bus pass and started our sight seeing!
We finally checked in to our room around 2:00 and took much needed naps. Well except for Cheryle...she journaled. (She did sleep the entire flight!)
Once we woke up, showered and spruced up, we found a local pub to eat dinner. We all had fish and chips and it was very good!! We also had to have a black and tan beer...when in Rome!
The pub advertised that ALL major sporting events will be televised throughout the weekend. Apparently American football, much less SEC football is not major. Who do they think they are??
We're going to try the Temple bar area tomorrow to see if UF/TN and AU/Clemson will be on.
Something that's funny and shouldn't be too surprising to those that know us is that there are over 200 guests in this hotel, we've been here for less than 24 hours and all of the desk clerks know the four of us by name! We've gotten lost in the hotel so many times that when they see us they say " 220 is that way". Ha!!
September 18, 2010 – Day One
We're up. Not bright eyed and bushy tailed as you might think. We slept with the windows open in our room because we couldn't figure out how to turn the radiators off. Well the Irish don't sleep. They drink all night, drive diesels back and forth and scream at each other. The only word I understood clearly was “feck”. Amanda and Carrie slept like rocks and the two old ladies are functioning at 40%! I walked next door to get a cup of coffee and they were just opening!! At 8:30!!! Umm, you're a coffee shop.
It's overcast and a brisk 47 degrees. We're getting ready to go tour Trinity College and see the Book of Kells, which is the first translated version of the four gospels. Then we're going to the Guinness Brewery and the Jemison Distillery Museum. They don't make the whiskey there any more but we do get a tour and a shot at the end.
It's overcast and a brisk 47 degrees. We're getting ready to go tour Trinity College and see the Book of Kells, which is the first translated version of the four gospels. Then we're going to the Guinness Brewery and the Jemison Distillery Museum. They don't make the whiskey there any more but we do get a tour and a shot at the end.
We haven't figured out the tipping system yet. Everything is more expensive if you dine in so we figured it's already included. Note to self...find out more about that. : )
We're having fun and enjoying the city, but are looking forward to getting to the country.
Trinity College
Yes...the grass is really THAT green!
More blast from the past tomorrow.
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