Apr. 17, 2019 - Dublin, IE

Ireland Day 3, Dublin, IE

Shades of Ireland: 13 days

Wednesday Apr. 17, 2019

8:15am - 8:45am breakfast

9:00am bus departs

9:20am Wlakers are dropped off at Merrion Square at Oscar Wilde Statue

9:25 am - 12:10 pm Walking tour of Dublin with Dougie (Tom, Sharon, PEI Barb, PEI Joyce, Linda, Steven)

• Georgian Houses,
• Taoiseach ("Tea-shock")
• Huguenot Cemetery
• Tonehenge
• St. Stephen's Green Park
• Grafton Street
• Powerscourt Centre
• Dublin Castle 
• Dublin City Hall
• Temple Bar area
• Bank of Ireland
• Molly Malone Statue
• Trinity College

Funny Story from The Dublin Castle:
There are two statues over the entrance archways. The Gates of Fortitude and Justice. Lady Justice faces the inner courtyard. Dougie quotes the Irish "The Statue of Justice, mark well her station, her face to the castle and her arse to the nation"

12:11pm Trinity College

• Barb and Joyce join us for the afternoon
• The Book of Kells
• The Long Room Library
• The Store (on exiting)

Interesting Tidbit: Long line up for The Book of Kells told by others to book online.

We meet a couple just leaving. Evan and Katie from Rochester. They have two unused tickets and we get them airdropped to Sharon's iPad. They want €25. I give them €30, they don't have change so he gives me €10 bill back. Tickets are usually €14 each, we got them for€10 each.  Barb and Joyce see us from the back of the line and Evan and Katie offer them two extra senior tickets for them.

We get in really fast!

12:16pm we are in to see The Book of Kells, The Long Room

12:31pm done with NO purchases!

12:50 pm we pose for pictures at The Temple Bar Pub 
12:49pm - 12:54 pm Did a cartwheel for the EarthCam Dublin Cam

1:10pm - 1:45pm Lunch at Kehoe's Historic Bar at 9 Anne St. South.

Leek and Potato soup.

We buy two hats and one T-shirt for Sharon

2:00pm back to Merrion Square for our 3:00pm meeting of the bus

5:15pm Guinness Storehouse tour

• Gravity Bar, Sheila unloads her beer ticket to me. I have a Guinness AND a Hop House 13 Lager with Wisconsin Dave and Tina

Dinner at the Clarence Hotel (East Cleaver) with Lori, Dennis, Amanda, Mary, Janet and Steve

• Wild Rocket Salad (hold the blue cheese!)
• Pork Belly
• ROAST POTATOES!
• Mixed veggies
• AMAZING Chocolate Mousse cake

9:00pm back to Clayton Ballsbridge Hotel

Apr. 16, 2019 - Dublin, IE

Ireland Trip Day 2, Dublin, IE

Shades of Ireland: 13 days

Tuesday Apr. 16, 2019

10:25am Landed at Dublin Airport (5:25am Toronto time)

8°C

• Luggage and customs,
• Met Fiona, our Collette tour guide
• Left airport

Shuttle to Hotel:

• Dublin Port Tunnel
• Licence plates start with Year of car and have initials of the County

12:50pm Arrived at Clayton Ballsbridge Hotel

• check in
• nap
• shower

3:50pm - 5:05pm Walk to Ballsbridge and back

5:15pm Fiona Introductory "Meet and Greet"

Bus to The Lansdowne Hotel for dinner and a show, The Irish House Party

• Dinner with Wisconsin Dave and Tina
• Smithwicks, Beef and Guinness Stew
• Craic means fun (sounds like crack)
• Three instruments bodhran, harp, fiddle

Apr. 15, 2019 - Toronto, ON

Ireland Trip Day 1, Toronto, ON

Shades of Ireland: 13 days

Monday Apr. 15, 2019

5:25pm Left Lynn's in Oakville

6:10pm Arrived at SkyPark

shuttle to Pearson Airport, Terminal 1

• Printed boarding pass and luggage tags
• Checked luggage (Sharon 17.1 kg, Tom 16.3 kg)
• Met a girl from Britain, chatted Brexit (she brought it up!), Canada, Ireland

6:50pm through security

• To gate E77
• Dinner at The Heirloom Bakery Cafe (we split a spinach quinoa cranberry sandwich, coleslaw, and a quinoa sweet potato walnut spinach salad. Two beers, $52.00 CAN
• Got a table with a scenic view of the Leafs-Bruin game with 15 minutes left in the first period
• Met up with Don, Sheila, Marlene and Ken

11:05pm Flight AC842 departs

Aug. 11, 2017 - to Haliburton, ON

Aug. 10, 2017 - to Killbear Provincial Park, Parry Sound, ON

Aug. 9, 2017 - to Sudbury, ON

Aug. 8. 2017 - to Sault Ste. Marie, ON