Our Ireland Adventure Day 2

St. Patrick's Day and Old Jameson Distillery Tour

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. We returned to the Saddle Room at the Shelbourne Hotel for our complimentary breakfast. We were greeted by a very young and enthusiastic server named Patrick. The food and service was excellent. Paul had his usual eggs over easy, a hash brown patty and toast. I enjoyed the house Eggs Benedict. We split a banana for good measure. 

The Old Jameson Distillery tour was next on the agenda. We had purchased a two-day “on and off” bus pass. Unfortunately, due to the holiday, the buses were parked for the day. Therefore we caught a taxi.

We were there early enough for the first tour at 10:00 am. Nigel, our guide was very passionate and knowledgeable about his job. We were both very engaged the entire forty minutes. I now consider myself a Jameson aficionado. The tour ended with a tasting and then a free sample. What a great bargain at 16 euros per person.

We learned that we could not by any alcohol in the city until after noon. Paul and I embarked on a walking tour of Dublin. We headed towards the parade which was schedules to begin at noon. The television estimated that about a half a million people would attend the parade. Our taxi driver thought it would be more like a million.

Not sure who was correct, but there was a horde of people lining the streets everywhere. After a short time, Paul and I settled to watching the parade from the Woolshed Bar and Grill. Since there was no way we could get near enough to view the parade from the street, their big screen tv was the next best thing. 

Back to the Old Jameson Distillery after our lunch. Paul picked out a bottle to have personalized with our name. I found a heavily discounted discontinued T-Shirt. As we were leaving, we discovered an opportunity for a free long-sleeved shirt. It was made even better by the fact that I was able to silk-screen it myself.

We headed back to the hotel only to find out that we could not cross from the north side to the south side of Dublin until the end of the parade. Even the taxi we hailed, apologetically informed us that he could not drive to the Shelbourne until the parade traffic was cleared.

Nevertheless, we finally walked back to the hotel, asking directions from the numerous “Garda Síochána” (Irish Policeman) along the way. Exhausted but happy, we took a nap. 

Then we walked the short distance to Doheny & Nesbitt  for our evening meal. The place was hopping, but they found us a small table. We quickly began conversing with the locals at the next table. The establishment made a special meal to accommodate Paul’s vegetarian needs. Our friends at the next table were very gracious and presented me with a green cap before they left. There was live music at the bar and grill but there was no way to squeeze into the small listening area. Nevertheless he was good.

Tomorrow off to the Guinness Storehouse and our new hotel, the Faithlegg House Hotel. 

Photos from our St. Patrick's Day Dublin Wandering:

Related Posts: 

• Our Ireland Adventure Day 14
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 13
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 12
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 11
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 10
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• Our Ireland Adventure Day 1

Our Ireland Adventure Day 1

Our Flights In Business Class To Ireland, and The Shelbourne Dublin Hotel

Our big 2016 adventures takes us to Ireland for two weeks. Paul and I have always wanted to go but had to postpone a couple of times for different reasons. I will try to blog a bit every day to memorialize and share the experience.

First off, Sonja, the AAA Travel Agent from the Escondido, California office must be commended. Did you know that AAA even had a travel agent? AAA travel planning agents can tell you about places to see, plus travel information such as bed-and-breakfast guides and pet tips for travelers. And they help you book AAA-recommended hotels, travel packages or cruises, with discounts on a variety of attractions along the way . . . at little or no cost. Sonja even reminded Paul to get his international driver’s license.

We only learned about this valuable service last year, when Sonja help augment a European Cruise I had won with a week in Italy. Her arraignments incorporated all our requests and our explorations last year was perfect. We expect much the same for our two weeks in Ireland.

Sonja was excited when she explained that she was able to book our flights in Business Class for the price of economy. Boy was she right to be excited. When we arrived at the San Diego Airport, we were informed that our Club World status took us straight to the fast and easy check-in. Although we traveled light – we were entitled to check three large luggage free of charge. 

After we dropped the bags, the nice attendant directed us to the Airspace Lounge. The San Diego Airspace Lounge is located in Terminal 2 and there is free Wi-Fi with power outlets everywhere.

The atmosphere is one of the first things that hits you: floor to ceiling windows that provide an excellent, unobstructed view of the tarmac. Another immediately noticeable highlight is the transparent bar, which neither obstructs nor diminishes the panoramic backdrop.

Now the best part of all is that all the food and beverages, including alcohol was free!!! Coming in close second was the service – fun and fast attendants took great care of us. Paul and I were please to spend our two hours before boarding there. 

Boarding was a breeze, but by that time it was after 8:00 pm and we were tired. The unique business class seating arrangements had the seats facing face-to-face in its own little pod. The seats recline fully flat for sleeping or you could sit upright to dine and/or watch your personal small touch screen television. Paul and I both enjoyed the movie, “The Intern” before drifting off to sleep. Again the food (and there was plenty of it) and beverages were free. I actually opted for a couple of glasses of champagne.

They woke up us up about an hour and a half before landing with an offering of breakfast. Funny story is the attendant spilling the milk all over me. She was horrified and very apologetic. Paul and I thought it was hilarious. 

Now that brings us to our transfer flight from London to Dublin. The flight was scheduled to leave at 3:30 pm. Our landing in London was delayed for over twenty minutes. The signage in London was confusing and it took a bit to figure out that we had to take the train to Terminal A. Once there, we had to clear a pre-check. They directed us to the Customs line.

Unfortunately, they were down on staff and the line crawled. Nevertheless, we cleared customs a few minutes after three and I thought we were good as far as catching our next flight. However, we were then greeted by another pre-check line. The clock kept clicking and we started to worry.

After this second pre-check line, we were herded into the security line for screening. By the time we got through security, it was 3:25 pm and the board informed us that our gate was closed. Remember the plane was scheduled to depart at 3:30 pm.

Our gate was about a half a mile from security. Paul and I looked at each other and decided to run for it. I had never seen Paul so determined as we ran towards Gate 20. Unbelievable, we made the flight. The flight attendances noticed our heavy breathing and gave us some water.

Then the attendants got Paul good. They teased him that the flight was going to New York. Paul was very flustered as he tried to explain that we were on the way to Ireland. They let him of the hook quite quickly and the entire business class shared the fun of the successful joke. We were feed on this flight as well. 

It only took 45 minutes for us to reach Dublin. Our driver, Derek greet us with our names on his tablet sign. Now I do not know how big Derek was, but he made Paul look small!!! He helped us with our bags and whisked us off in his BMW to our hotel. On the way we chatted about Dublin’s history and even current affairs. Nobody likes Obama Care. It was like a mini tour!!! 

The Shelbourne Dublin and its staff are wonderful. Check-in was very easy and the hotel pretty modern. The best part of the Shelbourne is the location. You are within walking distance of pubs, restaurants and stores. 

The onsite restaurant really did not have anything to satisfy Paul’s vegetarian needs. Further, quite frankly, the Saddle Room prices were a bit high. They were accommodating enough to recommend an Italian Restaurant just a block away. 

Open since 1938 Dublin’s iconic Unicorn Restaurant is known as the city’s favorite Italian establishment. Again the staff there were wonderful. The server fretted over Paul’s choice of Rosemary Roasted Red Potatoes and a fresh Green Salad. I opted for the special, Pork Cheeks. Both plates arrived in a timely manner and were very tasty. Paul finished his meal with Organic Vanilla Ice Cream while I enjoyed the house specialty Tiramisu. They also make a great Amaretto Sour.

We took an after dinner walk and ended up in the famous O'Donoghue's.  Unfortunately the place was packed with no chance of getting a drink.  Therefore I picked up a can of Guinness Original Extra Stout at the market and we headed back to our room.

Perfect ending to day one. Tomorrow, St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin!

Related Posts: 

• Our Ireland Adventure Day 14
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 13
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 12
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 11
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 10
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 9
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 8
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 7
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 6
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 5
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 4
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 3
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 2
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 1

Flagship Whale Watching Excursions

On February 29, 2016, my friend and I took a whale watching cruise through Flagship Cruises and Events.  We had initially planned the day for February 15th but the tour was cancelled due to extremely high surf. The manager also gave us two complimentary tickets for the rescheduled date. If you have an Entertainment.com coupon book, there is also a great coupon inside for the Flagship events.

Flagship is located at 990 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA, 92101. They are open from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday through Saturday. Whale watching season is from mid-December through April 17 for 2016. There is a choice of tours and boats for whale watching. There is the choice of a 1400 power high speed jet boat. This tour is offered Saturday and Sunday. It costs more than the normal whale watching boat tour. It is $55 for one adult, $45 for children (ages 4-12), and $50 for seniors and military.

My friend and I chose the regular boat tour. It is approximately 3 hours long. Flagship has one very special thing going for them and that is a 6 year partnership with Birch Aquarium. This means that every whale watching tour has a Birch Aquarium naturalist aboard to narrate the tour and give interesting facts about the local sights, wildlife, and of course, the whales.

The regular boat tours are offered 7 days per week. The weekday costs are $40/adult, $20/child (4-12), younger children are free, and $35 for senior/military. The weekend regular boat tours cost $435/adult, $23/child, and $40/senior/military. The tours depart at 9:30 and 1:30 for the regular whale watching boat.

If you are prone to seasickness, you should speak with your doctor or if able to, take a Dramamine pill 40 minutes prior to departure. There are parts of the cruise where the boat is really rocking.

Also good advice from the staff, if you feel sick, do not go to the restrooms on the lower deck. That is where you will feel the boat rocking the most. They recommend you look at the horizon to give yourself a steady image to stare at, take deep breaths, and stay on the deck in the fresh air. (They do provide sea sickness bags). There is also a small snack shop on the first level and they also sell Dramamine, but by the time you decide you want it, it may be too late.

We took the morning tour on a Monday so it was wonderful to have a very small group on the boat. One thing I did not care for was they have someone standing at the gate to take your picture as you enter the waiting area. I know they do this at many places now and all you have to say is you do not want your picture taken. I said this but they told my friend and I that it was for identification purposes. What a crock. And of course, at the end of the tour, we stepped off the boat to see this:

OK, the negative is now out of the way. While we waited for them to open the area to board, we were able to look down into the water and we saw a number of baby rays. They were so cute and amazing, but too quick for me and my camera.

The day we went on the tour was extremely overcast, which you will see by the pictures. The staff were extremely friendly and as we boarded the boat, they greeted us warmly. We left the dock right on time and were underway. (It gets cold out there so remember a sweatshirt or jacket.)

Also, no matter how overcast it is, sunscreen is a great idea. Instead of just silently making our way out to the open sea, the Birch Aquarium naturalist narrated many of the sights we were seeing on our way out of the harbor. She imparted many interesting facts about some of the buildings along the way, as well as facts about Point Loma and the lighthouse there. We passed the Midway, the US Navy Air Base, and many other areas. If you keep your eyes open, you can spot many sea birds in different areas; like the snowy egret and cormorants.

With the fog, the other ships looked like ghost ships. We passed a number of naval vessels and were lucky enough to see a submarine out on the ocean. I had never seen one actually moving except in the movies.

There were tugboats helping an refill tanker, dredging equipment, the Cabrillo National Monument, and an assortment of other sights to take in on the way out to the open sea.

Another good thing on the Flagship whale watching tours is that Birch also has several Birch volunteers on board to help spot whales, answer questions, and to bring around interactive items that are great for the kids. On the way back to the San Diego harbor area, the volunteers brought out items that interested the kids as well as the adults. I was fascinated being able to touch the baleen and see how it actually works and I was fascinated by the whale lice and the symbiotic relationship their have with the grey whales.

I personally am happy seeing any animals on the water and there were plenty of sea lions resting on the buoys on the way to and the way back from the open sea.

Now, of course anyone on a whale watching tour wants to see whales. And the whale watching tour advertisements always show the whales breaching. We were looking for grey whales and on a very overcast day, they are not easy to spot. Try not to get your hopes up, especially your kids' hopes about what they will see. Just enjoy the entire experience. We saw three grey whales, but what I mean by that is, we saw mostly small slivers of their backs, a fluke, and the spray from their blow holes. They move so quickly, so it is difficult to get pictures and I would recommend you keep your camera on a burst setting once the whales are spotted. This was what we saw.

Now, this is not a bad thing. We DID see whales. They are beautiful and majestic. The narrative gave us so many facts about their migration behaviors, breeding, and their behaviors that we were witnessing. Also, being on a tour with so few people, made it easy for everyone to be able to see. (We have been on crowded tours and people push and shove and by the time you get a place on the side of the boat, the whale is gone). Everyone was very nice and the volunteers were amazing at pointing out the whales and where they may surface next.

So my dream of an entire pod of whales breaching at the same time in slow motion while I took lots of pictures did not materialize. But it was nice to have a day out on the water and it is always nice to learn new things. So, we headed back to the harbor area. On the way back, we saw more sea lions and a replica of the America's Cup. Another cool thing that kids and adults seemed to enjoy watching was the wake left by our boat. It made the most beautiful blue as we left the open sea.

All in all, a great day. They post the whale count on their website and there are days where they have seen numerous whales, dolphins, and sea lions. I would think the viewing would be best near the beginning of the season but you never know. This is a great ride for children as the staff does their best to keep them engaged and there is a lot to see both ways to and from the