The Last Day in Dublin

We had just one full touristy day in Dublin, and this was it. We’d already walked around the City Centre quite a bit, but still wanted to hit some shops that were closed during the week after work. So, we wandered down to Grafton Street, hit Powerscourt and a couple other shops, made some purchases, and then took the long way home to go past some sites we hadn’t seen yet.

We dropped off our purchases at the hotel, and grabbed the DART (commuter train) south around Dublin Bay to Dalkey, which is where Bono of U2, and other famous Dubliners live. It’s a cute little town on the sea. We wandered all over town, then ate lunch in an Australian restaurant.

We leave tomorrow for home, via two taxis, two airplanes, and I’m sure six lines at Heathrow in the middle.

This has been a great trip, both professionally and personally. I got to know a co-worker better, formed new relationships with the guys in Dublin, and had a lot of fun. Dublin is a great city. If you have the chance to visit, do. The people are great, the food is so much better than I expected, and the whole atmosphere is just perfect. I’ve got more to write about my thoughts on the trip, and my first trip to Europe in over twenty years, but I’m tired, need to pack, and want to go to sleep. Cheers!

Morning Commute

Photos from this morning’s commute.

Dublin: Day Four

I went to my first traditional Irish pub this evening, and it wasn’t a tourist trap. Cobblestone is a cramped, smokey little hole in the wall with free-flowing Guiness (I had Coke, I swear), mislabelled bathrooms, and good company. We had a really good time, me apologizing for the bad reruns we stick them with and McDonalds, and I made one of them apologize for reality TV (even though it’s really a British thing and not Irish – but they’re neighbors). I learned about the Irish gorvernment, a little more about the culture, and had a lot of fun.

I’m feeling a little better today, although I bet the smoke won’t make me feel any better tomorrow. We’re doing well at work, and I’m hoping we can cut out early on Friday and get some shopping done before the crowds descend on Saturday, our only real touristy day.

Sorry I don’t have more pictures, but we leave in the dark, and come home in the dark, and the pictures come out crap. The sun doesn’t come up until after 8, and it sets at 4. Did you know that Ireland is level with Newfoundland, and the tip of Spain is pretty much even with Maine? I had no idea… Beautiful sunrises on the way to work though, you really should see them through the completely fogged up windows of the bus (yes, boss, we’ve been taking the BUS to work – but no more, it takes way too long to get to work).

Day Two, A Day Late

I wrote this very early yesterday morning, but it didn’t post because of hotel network problems… cheerful, ain’t it? I’m much better now.

It’s 5:25 AM GMT, and I haven’t slept in 24 hours. Why? I’ve been coughing all night, and retching up multi-colored volumes of stuff out of my lungs. I swear I tried to sleep. I did. I just kept coughing… and couldn’t stop. I sat in a really hot shower for half an hour, tried the cough syrup I got at Centra (7/11-ish, only nicer), and drank a gallon or more of water from my little Slimish Still Water bottles that I also got at Centra, so I could quell the coughing fits that have plagued me so far on this trip.

What’s so disappointing about all this is that yesterday went really well. The discussions at work went very well, we ate at an amazing restaurant for dinner, and I tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

Now, it’s about time to go sit in the shower for another hour, get dressed and see if I can get some breakfast downstairs (Jen, you were right, I should have brought more snacks).

You remember what I said about the hotel TV? It’s even worse overnight. I know the weather now for every city in Europe, and I don’t want to… Make it go away…

2003.12.08 Ireland AM

I love Ireland AM. It’s the coolest morning show I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s just the accents, but I still love it. Also, I love Irish Football (I think that’s what that was). It takes the best of rugby, soccer and football, and there are no pads. Very cool. Good luck to me finding it on DirecTV (oh, but I will look… trust me).

I woke up a couple times last night after going to bed at 6:30. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any more. I left Sean near O’Connell Street and trudged back to the hotel, sniffling, and quickly losing any energy I had left. I am rather proud that I made it back to the hotel without making any wrong turns and without a map. Sean commented (and I agree) that it’s a lot harder to get lost when you’re walking than when driving. I think that’s especially true here, since we’d have to worry about driving on the left, all the weird stoplight/intersection combinations and the horrible traffic. Walking, while hard on my poor feet (brought the wrong shoes, which I thought were the right shoes), is a great way to see Dublin (yeah, I’m an expert now). The people watching is priceless. The sounds of the city really seep in, and it’s just great fun. It’s too bad I have to work this week…

2003.12.07 Dublin: Day One

We made it! It took two planes, a dozen super-long lines at Heathrow, some confusion, the world’s funniest cab driver, and some luck, but here we are. Dublin is great. Everyone we’ve met so far has been friendly and helpful, and the city has a great vibe to it.

The pictures are online from our first day.

Ok, what can I tell you before I have to go jump in the shower… Well, here are a couple tips. First, TV in the Alexander Hotel pretty much sucks. But, MTV Europe rules. They play videos and everything! And they’re not the bubblegum crap we have in the States. I’ve seen Snow Patrol, The Darkness, and the School of Rock video since turning it on, along with a bunch of other interesting stuff (like a song by a former Spice Girl that doesn’t suck!). Second, and more importantly, if you have to change terminals in Heathrow Airport, don’t fool around thinking that you have enough time to do anything else. Get there. You’ll have to go through no less than three confusing lines, and follow a dozen unintelligible signs. Good luck.

I didn’t sleep at all on the plane. There was no way to get comfortable, so I watched Seabiscuit (good), and 2 Fast 2 Furious (horrible) and tried to read. International business class is awesome. I highly recommend it if you can get your company to spring for it.

If you go to Dublin, talk to your cab driver. Our cab driver was short, red, hairy and hilarious. He was a driving confirmation of every stereotype I came into the country with. Thankfully, everyone else I’ve met since arriving has nullified a lot of those, but man, he was the best introduction to Ireland I could think of.

Ok, I’m gonna shower, get dressed, and consider going downstairs to get a traditional Irish breakfast. Toodles.

The Single Greatest Post Ever

Jon has a peculiar writing style. I assure you, it shows up in his speech too, which is why I love him, and want to have his alien wrestler love babies. His post about the stuff he got from Japan is the single greatest post on any blog, ever.

And I’m all packed except for socks and toiletries. You’d think I’d have done socks first, considering I have so many of them. I have plane tickets, a passport, clean underpants, shirts, pants, and a sinus infection. Oh, and there’s four inches of snow on the ground and more expected. Let’s travel!

On that note, I never thought I’d say, “I’m flying to Dublin to escape the weather,” but I did.

I Do Stuff

I’m at work today, and loving every minute of it – really. Sudafed and Exedrin are keeping me awake, and I’ve finally got my plane tickets for Saturday. I do feel a lot better than I did yesterday, but I’m still far from “normal” (OK, “normal” for me…). I’m probably running at about 60, and hoping that the percentage increases to at least 85 by Saturday afternoon.

I didn’t accomplish much in my two days at home. I am kind of proud that I finished all the special features on Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean, and most of them on X2. I also gained four or five levels in Kingdom Hearts. Yeah, I’m a doer…

I think I’m going to go home now. I’m exhausted. Toodles.

Why????

What a perfect time to get a sinus infection!! I’m supposed to get on a plane in about 72 hours to fly across the Atlantic… Perfect time to have clogged sinuses.

I’ve been home for work for two days, missed a deadline, and still feel unwell. But, I’ll still be at work tomorrow in meetings and completing that thing that was due yesterday. Wheeee!!

A Dublining I Will Go

My passport was finished and mailed out on 11/25, which means it should be here any day (any day before my trip would be perfect). I’m so excited that I can almost live with the cold I’ve had for three days, a deadline fast approaching amid numerous distractions (like sinus pain, documents and meetings), a sick kid (who sounds like a mini Joe Cocker at the moment), and a growing list of things to pack.

In doing some research for the trip, I realized that Dublin has almost the same weather this time of year as D.C., so no new wardrobe will be needed. I just have to remember to take walking shoes and an umbrella. I just realized that I can leave my keys behind, which is weird. I’m so used to having the weight of them in my front pocket that I’m sure I’ll walk funny for a couple days until I get my “keyless legs”.

I’ve got three guide books (the DK Ireland book, Lonely Planet’s Ireland bood, and a pocket map book). I’ve read the Dublin sections of the first two multiple times, and looked at the map book over a dozen times now. I’m tired of reading about stuff – I just want to get there. I’ve got my reading material for the plane (appropriately, The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke and Right as Rain by George Pellecanos – I hear it rains a lot in Dublin), the power adapter for the laptop (thanks, Robin!), a schedule, a flight (plane tickets coming Wednesday I think), a hotel room (in the very chichi sounding Alexander), plans and a couple hundred hours to kill before I get on the plane…