Ireland Arrival

The night before, we planned out our departure- when to leave? what combo of train/bus/walk? did Millie have enough funds on her card? maybe just take a taxi?

We were up in time and ate some scones we had picked up the day before. A short walk to the tube and we had settled on a route that required a lot of stops but no transfers. Little did we figure, the tube was PACKED. Ok, nbd, we will grab the next one. Except it was equally packed. Standing out as awkward Americans, we pushed our way on- all five of us with our five suitcases and carryons. A few side eyes, but thankfully our section slowly thinned out as we made our way- 16 stops, around 50 minutes. It was hot, smelly, and crowded but we made it with time to spare.

Noel booked us a flight from London to Shannon- much closer than Dublin to our Dingle destination. We ran into some Tosa neighbors- same flight! As we waited for our car rentals, Brett blurted out, “Tim, I’m glad to see your suspension has been lifted!”. It was a tight fit in the Ford Focus, between three kids and luggage. Thankfully not a stick shift to add to the challenge of everything being backwards. Josie had a brilliant idea that there should be a practice course for Americans before they leave the car rental lot.

The drive to Dingle was about 2 1/2 hours. We were all very excited to get there to see family. Scenic Hills and mountains as we got our first looks at Ireland. The final half hour included a journey through Conor Pass. Thankfully, the fog had cleared and we were treated to some picture views. Well, everyone except me who is focused on 3 feet in front of me through tight winding roads.

Streets lined with quaint shops and eateries. Lots of color, right on the water. We made our way to pub and enjoyed some meat pies and my first Guinness on the island. less impressed with their Caesar salad, which seemed a little dry. Millie was wondering if they could “add some ranch”.

As we made our way to welcome drinks at the wedding hotel, I noticed the tire pressure light was on. Hmm. The girls noticed a few people heading there looking much much more fancy than we were dressed. Thankfully, our house was close by. We returned and had a great evening checking in with family and sharing our excitement for the big wedding tomorrow.Read more