Thinking Out Loud about Vacation - Dublin Day 1 and 2

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  So glad you popped in today and hope you link up below and share your latest post.  Eric and I recently returned from a week long vacation to Ireland and that's what I'm thinking out loud about today.

Way back in February, Eric and I started talking about where we wanted to vacation this year.  Barcelona was high on my list, but Eric really wanted to go to Ireland.  Since 99.5% of the time we vacation at my top destinations, I thought it would be nice to let Eric's choice win out this year.

After deciding we would travel in August because it's one of the warmest months in Ireland, I started checking vacation packages on Travelocity, Orbitz and Priceline.  We found a deal fairly quickly that fell in our budget and travel specifications and booked it.  I ordered the Ireland and Dublin travel books by Rick Steves.  Then I let the trip sit.  And sit.  And sit. The thought of tramping around in the cooler temps and rain wasn't making me overly excited to plan our excursions until I could see the weather forecast closer to our trip. 

By the way, I ended up booking on Travelocity going through Ebates (or Ratuken as it's now called).  If your not familiar with Ratuken, check it out HERE.  Every quarter I get a big fat check for doing nothing special other than clicking through their site when shopping online or in stores!

Both Eric and I had ideas of some things we would like to do while in Ireland and we literally sat down the night before our flight left and booked a couple tours outside the city of Dublin.  More on those in later posts.  Today I'm going to talk about our Day 1 and Day 2, which were spent in Dublin.   And by the way, going to Ireland was a fantastic decision.  We had a magnificent time!

Day 1
We landed a little late and headed straight to the hotel via number 700 Air Coach.  Although a bit apprehensive about taking the bus versus a car service or taxi, we were willing to give it a try.  For a mere 6 euros a piece, it was a wonderful option.  Air Coach was easy to find at the airport and there was a drop literally right outside our hotel.

The Clayton Burlington Road was our home away from home for the week.  After checking in and dropping our luggage, we headed out to explore the city.  It was a short 15 minute walk to St. Stephen's Green.  The park got it's start in 1664 and was originally a medieval commons.

We meandered down Grafton Street and let the sounds and sights sink in.  Street musicians were everywhere and it was nice just to pause and listen to their talents.  Flowers adorned many of the building, making them beautiful to look at.

Seeing the Visitor Center, we went in and purchased our Dublin Pass for the next day and also booked a tour for one of our open days.  Eric and I both were looking forward to busting out of the city and getting to see the country side.

Our bellies were telling us it was time to eat so we wandered in a pub.  The football game semi final was on the television and it was a fun atmosphere to enjoy our first meal in Dublin.

We closed out the day by getting some gelato and walking back to the hotel.  The following day we were going to conquer Dublin!

Day 2
Dublin here we come!  We were up and out the door early to catch the Hop On Hop Off bus.  It delivered us to our first stop - the Guinness Brewery.  I'm not going to lie, after visiting this is one stop I could have skipped.  We have the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis and their tour is so much more than the Guinness one.  The best part was the Gravity Bar located at the top of the building with a 360 view of the city.

After leaving Guinness, we ventured to a couple churches and then accidentally became extras in the filming of Normal People in the courtyard of Trinity College.  Oops!

Ireland has a long list of film locations.  If you're a fan of The Tudors, Christ Church might look very familiar to you.

We had a very satisfying lunch at Boxty and were ready to check some things off the list.  The afternoon was filled by seeing the Temple Bar, City Hall, Dublin Castle, and Penny Bridge.

Most of the things on our list inside Dublin were checked off so we headed back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep.  Day 3 was going to take us to Belfast.  Pop in next week to see our adventures on that trip!

Now it's your turn -- what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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