England to (both) Irelands to America

My flight back to the States actually left from Dublin - I'd booked an award flight on American Airlines and the additional taxes out of London were $200 more, out of Manchester an extra $100 - so I figured why not make a stop in Ireland?

Dublin has a reputation for good bars, live music, and late night fun - maybe too much, since room prices over the weekend were crazy expensive (I couldn't find a hotel for two nights less than 200 pounds, and Airbnb wasn't much better). So I ditched the weekend idea and booked an Airbnb apartment for the following Monday and Tuesday.

Instead of flying directly to Dublin, I went Manchester to Belfast that Saturday, where Trevor and his mom met me at the airport. If you read my China posts his name might sound familiar; Trevor was the school's PE teacher and was home for the summer with his mom, who lives a town outside Belfast. She agreed to host me and even chauffeured us around the countryside Sunday. That Saturday when I arrived we also stopped by the Titanic museum (the ship was built in Belfast harbor). On our tour Sunday I saw the best scenery of my trip (sorry Joanna), including Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, the Dark Hedges, and dinner at the seaside village of Portrush.

The Dark Hedges, one of the film sites
for Game of Thrones

Carrick-a-Rede, a wooden bridge with excellent views along the coast

Looking back towards the coast

Giant's Causeway, a group of ancient volcanic rock columns

By Monday morning my brief trip to Northern Ireland was complete; I had to get up before 6 am to catch the earliest train to Belfast, then on to Dublin, where Joanna was waiting to meet me. She'd flown that morning from England, but her Ryan Air flight departed at a god-awful 6:30 am, so she arrived before I did.

We met up at a bar near the Airbnb place where we could store our luggage for the day, then headed out for a walk around town. Our exploration included the Town Hall, Christ Church Cathedral, and the Guinness Storehouse. The storehouse is the former sight of the Guinness brewery, now a museum where tourists flock to learn about beer brewing, the Guinness brand, and to sip a cold one on the rooftop bar overlooking Dublin. A 20 Euro ticket gets you entrance and only one Guinness, although the exhibition had plenty of info and was a fun way to spend two hours, so I guess it was worth the price of admission!

Outside the Storehouse before our tour

20 Euros also doesn't seem so bad now that I know the prices at downtown bars. Along temple street, where most of the late night activity takes place, beers cost upwards of 7 Euros. After grabbing out luggage, checking in and freshening up at the Airbnb, and a late dinner, Joanna and I stopped in a two bars on temple street. The live music didn't disappoint; we heard two bands at one place and a duo at the creatively named Temple Bar, which was packed even on a Monday. I guess when you figure you're getting a free concert, the beer prices are tolerable!

The Temple Bar by day

On Tuesday we tallied up a bunch of steps again, touring Dublin Castle, the National Gallery, and Trinity University. The weather was brilliant - mid 70s (25 Celsius) without a cloud in the sky, probably one of the nicest days of the summer. That evening I had reserved a table for dinner at Brasserie 66, a place the Airbnb people advertised on their page (with a supposed meal discount, although on weekdays the price wasn't really any different). I wanted to have a nice meal before the end of the trip - the next morning Joanna was back to England and I was off to America.

Part of Dublin Castle, which wasn't much of a castle

The chapel at Dublin Castle may look old, but it's from the 19th century

Walking through Trinity College

The River Liffey, which cuts through central Dublin

Joanna's flight departed around 9 am, so we caught the bus bright and early for Dublin airport. After we said our goodbyes I tried to grab some extra z's up in the food court, since my flight wasn't leaving until 11:20. I checked in and got through security easily enough, and before I knew it we were on our way to Philadelphia!

One downside of booking the award flight was that I had a long layover in Philly. And I mean long - I arrived on Tuesday at 2 pm and didn't fly out until the following day at 11:30. I sure wasn't going to hang out in the airport that long, so I booked a shared Airbnb apartment for $50 and checked out nearby Drexel and UPenn campuses that afternoon (hey, I am a college counselor after all!).

Owing to the 5 hour time change I was spent that evening and got an early night sleep, lugged my suitcase back on the street car, and then onto the train to the airport. At least that morning it wasn't nearly as hot as the day before, when I walked a few miles with my luggage in the 90+ degree heat! The flight back to Columbus went off without a hitch, and less than two hours later I was hugging my parents and sisters, glad to be back home...at least for awhile!