luck of the Irish
This is my first view of Ireland, from a British Airlines flight, about to land in Dublin. Shades of green, as far as the eye can see, just as I always imagined it would be.
Once we collected our baggage and went through customs, we headed for the car rental office. This was to be our (Dave’s really, I have no intention of driving!) first experience with driving on the left side of the road. Dave reserved a car with automatic transmission and with GPS. The car we ended up with had neither. Suddenly our journey from Dublin airport to Dublin was looking a lot more daunting…
We paid extra to get the GPS but were still stuck with the manual transmission. Dave had a manual when I met him, but that was in 1982… it’s been a while! Put it all together and you have the uneasiness of driving a manual, in a foreign country, on the wrong side of the road, with a far from modern GPS.
All in all, he did great, at least on this, our first day. I am not being a critic, actually, I am giving high praise! If it was me, with my ADD, dyslexia, and the fact that I can’t drive a stick – Very High Praise!
It was only about 6 miles from the airport to our hotel, but with all that, it was still something of an adventure. You know how travel is, with the security and the tensions and anxiety that foreign travel brings about, we were happy to get to our hotel and even happier when the valet said he’d park the car for us!
We’d booked a room at the historic (1824) Shelbourne, overlooking beautiful Stephen’s Green. The very hotel where the Irish Constitution was drafted on the first floor in 1937.
We were escorted by the bellman to the registration desk and from there on out – it was all gravy!
We’d reserved a “junior suite” so that Dave and I would have the master and Connor would have the suite part of the room. We were informed that we’d been upgraded!
Is there anything better than hearing that you’ve upgraded?! It is THE BEST!
Especially in this case! We were upgraded from the junior suite to The Princess Grace Suite!
That’s right, my “luck of the Irish” got us the same suite that the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Peter O’Toole, Charlize Theron, and Presidents Clinton, and Obama have all stayed in! Pretty Lucky.
All of the photos you’ve seen and all of those to follow are of our massive suite! Dining room, coffee and tea hallway, living area, entry hall, master bedroom and bath, second bedroom and bath.
All filled with fresh flowers, antiques plus complimentary champagne, chocolates, strawberries, and drink coupons for the bar downstairs.
I took a nice long bath, while the boys went in search of their first glass of “Real Irish Guinness.”
They found it!
The views from the room are wonderful.
Everything is wonderful!
I love Ireland!
Hopefully, the remaining 9 days of our trip will follow suit.
And hopefully, you noticed something odd, cool, and somehow “off” about these last two images. The first person to leave me a comment and is correct about what is “different” about these panoramic shots, wins a souvenir from Ireland.
13 comments
I know what it is!! But I really wanna know is how you did it?? It’s not mirrors…
Looks like several images spliced together-I see your family more than once in the same panoramic shot!
Have fun on your trip!
Your men were cloned on the flight to Ireland!
Enjoy the Emerald Isle! Have sticky pudding often!
Bonnie
Ah so jealous right now. Sitting at work drinking bad coffee. Would rather be in Ireland drinking good Guinness.
Hmmm, how did you piece 2 panoramic pics together? Maybe Stephen can figure it out! You deserve to be treated like a princess after the drama you went through getting Connor’s passport!! Princess Linda in Ireland!! 🙂 Savor this trip!!! xoxo
2 Daves and 2 Connor?? Love the Shelbourne — great tea! Have fun. Enjoy the music at Fogartys!!
Even though Peggy was the first to respond, saying that she”knows what it is” … she didn’t say what it is that is “different” about the panoramas. Amy, who responded 4 minutes later, said “I see your family more than once in the same panoramic shot!” That is correct, so Amy is the winner! Congratulations Amy!
Now how about a chance for a second winner!??! Several of you think that I spliced together images, nope. And Bonnie thought maybe I’d cloned them – God forbid!
Each of those photos is only one panoramic shot. The first to figure out how it was done, and leave a comment with the correct answer – also wins an Irish souvenir.
I think I know? You took panoramic of Dave sitting in chair, as you continued to ‘pan’ to other side of room, Dave went behind you to doorway where you stopped panoramic shot. Am I close?
LOVE all the photos btw. 😀
Sheila is the second winner! Yes, that’s how we did it. It was Connor’s idea. As I moved the camera, I’d say “GO!” when the subject was out of the shot and they would run behind me (this is important!) and jump back in the photo to the end of the shot. Sheila, I’ll have a souvenir for you and for Amy too. Congrats! BTW, hope you went, or are going, to Sweet Salvage this weekend. Can’t wait to see what you get. xoxo
My favorite word in the dictionary while on vacation . . . . . UPGRADE! Love it-you richly deserve it! Enjoy every minute- these are the trips that precious memories are made of! Thanks for sharing! xoxo
Kudos to Dave for driving a manuel that is on his left side! We were lucky to get the automatic that we reserved, when we were in the Cotswolds for a week. He will be a pro at round a bouts when you get done, Have fun!
Yay!!!
I did go and was thinking of you. Introduced some Ohio cousins out for a visit to SS. A pair of red wooden barn doors are coming to my house 😀
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