May 8 Dublin

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We walked back down Cockburn St. I pulled my own bag back downhill! The Airlink bus stop was just across the next intersection in the middle of Waverly Bridge. There were 2 buses sitting there and we walked right on and sat up top in front. It left shortly after we were seated. It cost £3.50pp. It took about 30 minutes.  We were on the bus at about 5:20am to be sure we were in good time for our Aer Lingus/Aer Arann flight departing at 8:20am.

We paid £113.98 for the 2 of us for this flight. It could have been purchased cheaper but then we would have to pay to choose seats or to check a bag. We purchased a PLUS fare that allowed us to reserve our seats and pay for one checked bag at the same time we booked the tickets online. It saved us money over paying for the checked bag at the airport and we knew we would be sitting together. The PLUS fee for this flight was £34 for both of us.

We went to the Aer Lingus desk to check in and get boarding passes. We never found a place to do it online yesterday. It was ok. We had been trying not to shop much because this Aer Arann operated flight had the strictest luggage allowances of only one carryon at 10kg and one checked bag at 20kg. Clay’s bag weighed 18.9 and mine was 18.3. The sign said they would weigh your hand luggage too, but he asked to see it and we just lifted our backpacks above the desk and he waved us away and said it was fine. Whew!



We went straight to the security line and it was crazy long and busy. They weren’t taking off shoes or scanning everyone either. I can’t imagine how or why they were so busy but it was a long wait. I think they were just not well organized and understaffed.

We had time for breakfast in the Edinburgh Airport and picked a quiet place near the end of the building. We ate at EAT. I picked the American breakfast which was scrambled eggs, pancakes and American bacon with not maple syrup. Clay picked the Scottish breakfast which was scrambled eggs, haggis and toast. I don’t remember what we paid but I don’t remember thinking it was too expensive.

We wandered the shops and I was able to buy child sized generic Ear Planes at a Boots store. That eases my mind and my ears a great deal. I can’t locate the receipt, but I think we paid about £9 and the box contained 2 pairs each in their own little plastic case with Boots printed on it. An inadvertent souvenir!

Our flight was on prop equipment! We had to walk out on the tarmac to board. It was cold and rainy and very windy and foggy, again. It was about an hour and 10 minute flight. They sold drinks and beverages and did not even have complimentary cups of water. I’ll remember that for next time and fill my travel water bottle with water once past security. Fortunately it was a quick and smooth flight and went ok.

I think it took us longer to clear security and then bus to the terminal from the tarmac in Dublin and walk an almost equal distance to immigration and customs and luggage claim than the flight took.

We walked outside in cold wind and rain again to find the AirCoach outside baggage claim. There was a guy working a little kiosk at their curb space and you tell him where you want to go and he sells you a ticket right there and tells you which bus to await. We needed the Leopardstown bus and we had to wait about 15 minutes for the 3^rd bus to show up to be ours.  It cost € 8pp. This was not as nice as the AirLink in Edinburgh. We rode for about 40 minutes.  We got off on Kildare Street and walked back to the corner of Kildare and Nassau Street where I had seen the Kildare Street Hotel as we passed it. When the driver got off with us to retrieve the luggage from under the bus he made sure we knew how to get where we were going and where we should safely cross the street.

We walked past the Irish National Library on Kildare Street to get to our hotel from the Airlink bus stop and they had up a poster for a W. B. Yeats Exhibit and we may do that tomorrow morning, especially because it said it was free and we broke the bank today!

We booked online from home the Kildare Street Hotel because it was reasonably priced and located within walking distance of the Old Library of Trinity College as well as the Conrad Hotel where are booked with the CIE Tour for tomorrow night. It was a good choice and really very conveniently located to almost everything that we would want to see except the Guinness Storehouse. We booked an ensuite double room including full Irish Breakfast for 1 night for the 2 of us at €83.

By now, it had cleared up quite a bit and the sun was out and warming things up a bit. We got checked in and dropped our bags again. The 2 men at the desk of the Kildare Street Hotel could not have been friendlier or more helpful. We are in room 109 on the first floor (what we would call the second floor). This is good because there is no lift. It was up a flight of stairs, up 2 steps, through a door, down 2 steps, down a short hall and up 5 steps, turn into a short corridor, up 5 steps and open our door. Weird! Our large room has a double bed and a single bed, a desk, a closet, a large bathroom with a shower over a big tub, 3 nightstands and a TV and a coffee setup. It has 2 windows overlooking Trinity College. Downstairs they are attached to the Blarney Inn as their restaurant. That is where our included Irish breakfast is served tomorrow. At night, they have live music. We could hear it through our floor as we are directly above it. It did not keep us awake though.

Clay went online with the included Internet and booked us tickets today for the Guinness Storehouse at a 10% discount for not showing up without tickets at €14.85 pp. He emailed it to the front desk and they printed our receipt out for us. The guys working downstairs told us how to do that for the discount. They also told us where to catch the 123 bus for €2.15pp (need exact change!) to get to Guinness Storehouse.

But, for now we are headed to Trinity College and the Old Library to see the Book of Kells. It is a very old and famous illustrated book of 4 Gospels of the New Testament. There was an incredible line for it! We got there around noon and paid for our tickets to enter at 12:39pm.  It was €9.00 pp and Clay got a senior discount at €8.00. The exhibit was very well done, especially considering the crowds. They had 2 or 3 other equally old texts and all were impressive and the Long Room was just stunning and packed with ancient books in stacks. There were manuscripts and sketches and personal effects of famous writers among other old bits and pieces in glass display cases down the middle of this magnificent high ceiling, wooden trimmed long room. It was spectacular. They route you back downstairs to exit through the Gift Shop where you bought your tickets and entered. Clay bought a Book of Kells t-shirt for €12.95 and I got an apron with a photograph of the Long Room and tercentenary printed on it for €14.95. They had some beautiful lightweight wool scarves with Book of Kells designs on them that I passed on because I think they were €70. In hindsight that doesn’t seem right, but Clay and I looked through them pretty thoroughly and then I passed on one when Clay mentioned the price. I was a little upset in the shop because it was very crowded and noisy. But mainly because as I told Clay when we were outside in the line and watching all the nice blue paper bags come out that I had wanted to come here since our last UK trip in 1983 and I planned to buy a tie. I always found great ties for my Grandpa in my travels and he loved getting them for Christmas. I had seen the Book of Kells ties and I always thought I would buy a tie here. Grandpa is dead and Clay didn’t want a tie. So, I thought I would buy a scarf and then I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I love the apron though and that is what I have been collecting for myself for several years now.

After the Book of Kells, we went to Grafton Street and the recommended Meteor store and got Clay another sim card for Ireland (the O2 UK one doesn’t work here, though I guess it will work in 2 days when we get to Belfast). Clay was upset that this one cost double what the one in London did. Then we went to the bus stop we had been directed to and in 3 minutes we were on the bus. We asked the driver to double check that we could get to Guinness on it and he said he would let us know the stop and he did announce it. We sat downstairs instead of up to make sure we could see and hear him, but he announced it over an intercom so we could have sat up top. We were warned that we needed exact change. Clay had enough small currency to buy one ticket with 5 cents over, but not enough for 2 tickets. So, we went in the snack bar across the lawn from the Old Library on our way out of Trinity College. We got change for a 2^nd ticket overpaying by 5 cents again.  When we deposited our money, the machine spit out a receipt that we were owed a refund of 5 cents and where to go to collect it with the receipt.  We let them keep the overpayment!

Guinness Storehouse cost us €14.85pp to tour by buying our tickets online for pickup there. Guinness Storehouse is on the main street, but the entrance in around the back of a 2 square block area, no matter how you walk it. We happened to walk around the St. James Gate and church. They call this facility the St. James Gate Brewery. They have been brewing from Arthur’s secret yeast since the 1700s. It was a pretty cool tour, but like everything here extremely crowded and noisy. We enjoyed it. Clay went to the included draw class and learned how to pull a pint of Guinness Draught in the minutes long, 2 step process. He had to drink 2 pints since they came with our tickets and I don’t drink beer. I tasted it, but I didn’t like it. I think Clay got a little drunk even though I fed him 2 packs of peanuts with his beers. Really, you could get a drink other than Guinness at the Gravity Bar on the top floor with your ticket stub, but we didn’t know that before Clay ordered his 2^nd pint. It was fine with me anyway. While we were sitting up there on the top floor in a giant glass room with 360 degrees views of all Dublin, we watched the stormy weather return! We killed some time and took our time shopping, but it was still pouring and blowing and cold again when we left. Clay bought 3 t-shirts to get the €15 each price. I bought a very happy looking apron with the Guinness toucan on it for €11. There is a series of photos of Clay attending the Guinness Academy.

Clay was anxious to find a place for dinner to get out of the rain. I nixed the first 4 or so places he stopped at. About half way back on the mile long walk to the Kildare Street Hotel (We didn’t have change for the return bus trip!) I said yes to the Bull & Castle, an F X Buckley restaurant near Christchurch. They have been in the Irish beef business since the 1700s. The guys at the desk told us Ireland has very good beef. They only serve it after dry aging for 28 days. It was very good. The prices were reasonable. Clay had another pint of Guinness! It was €4.75. We each had a 2 course €19.95 meal. Clay ordered deviled lamb kidneys as an appetizer because the menu had a James Joyce quote from Ulysses about kidneys. But they never arrived! He had a full rack of baby back ribs with chips. I had an 8oz. rump steak that I was warned was tough and an inferior cut of meat and should be served rare by our meat snob waiter but I found it perfect and delicious and I am a very picky eater, so I don’t know what his deal was. It was also perfectly cooked well done without butterflying. I also had mashed potatoes; sadly they had green onions in them. We both had desserts and hot drinks since they were also included at this point. I had the dessert of the day which was flaky pastry with cream and raspberries. Clay had honeycomb ice cream. He had tea and I had coffee. It was all excellent and we left to complete our walk home in the sunshine and a cold breeze. We highly recommend the Bull & Castle in Dublin! (Note: The weather must have been really bad because there was a Princess cruise ship in town today and they were unable to sail on to Cork overnight. There were a bunch of disgruntled Princess cruisers all over Dublin the next day!)

I had to stop at the Starbucks we had seen across from the bus stop earlier. They had a Dublin mug so I had to have it. It is green inside! That brings us back to the hotel and bed time. We don’t have to get up early tomorrow and Irish breakfast is included and we will be able to enjoy it. We are to meet CIE for a short walking tour of Dublin tomorrow at 2pm. After that I guess they will be making most of our decisions for us and we can just mindlessly follow directions!

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