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:

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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!

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• Our Ireland Adventure Day 2
• Our Ireland Adventure Day 1