Our cab arrived early so we were at O’Hare in plenty of time to get boarding passes and get through security. The flight was smooth and the plane nearly empty. After dinner Heather was able to stretch out across four seats and actually slept a little during the 7 hour flight.

We arrived in Dublin about 5:05 AM on 4/25. After picking up our rental car we made it safely to the hotel to relax in the lobby a bit before going exploring. Like in the UK the Irish drive on the “wrong”side of the road. Heather is always amazed that Randy can adjust to this so quickly, especially when driving a manual transmission which means shifting with his left hand.

Since it’s best not to nap to get over jet lag, we headed out for a free 3-hour walking tour of south Dublin. The city is split in 2 by the Liffey River. We learned some basic history of Dublin including about its Gael, Viking, Irish and English inhabitants. As well as Irish history regarding kings, famines, battles, fights with England and amongst themselves culminating in Irish independence in 1918. We also learned a bit about the Celtic based Irish language and toured the popular Temple Bar area.

We finished up the evening with a typical Irish meal of Guiness stew and Classic Irish Coddle, a soup popular in Dublin, and Irish soda bread. Delicious!

We are very tired but it was a fun first day in Dublin. We are looking forward to adding Brad & Cindy to the party early tomorrow morning. They are on their way to O’Hare as we type.

Sorry we aren’t able to caption photos. Most are self-explanatory. The female statue is Molly Malone. This popular song has become Dublin’s unofficial anthem. Molly worked as a fishmonger but also as a working girl and died in a cholera outbreak in Dublin. Molly may or may not be based on a real person. Regardless, the statue of Molly has been nicknamed 'The Tart with the Cart' by Dubliners'.

The tall statue is Daniel O’Connell a 19th century man who advocated for Catholic rights and against the unjust penal code.