Yesterday we started our day bright and early when the alarm startled us at 4 am only four short hours after we had gone to bed. We attended a nice going away party at a local Thai restaurant for one of John's colleagues on Friday night, so we didn't get to go to bed super early. We took a taxi to the airport and enjoyed some time in the lounge (I heart that John has "status" for flying so many miles) before boarding our Swiss Air flight to Zurich. The first flight was only 1 hour, but I felt sick. Note to self: even if the lounge offers free candy, it's not a good idea to eat it for breakfast..oops!) When we arrived in Zurich (my first time in Switzerland!), we found the other lounge and had a nice nap during our layover. We have a knack for getting really comfy in the lounge and enjoying free food, making our way to the gate in a very timely manner, and getting stuck in random long lines that make us panic and think we won't make the flight. When we were heading to the gate in Zurich, there was an additional security checkpoint with looooong lines. It never ceases to amaze me how slow people are going through security lines as if they are surprised they have to remove jackets and take off belts, etc. I guess I was well trained traveling with two babies and lots of gear when I was a nanny, and traveling with John on many occasions because I am trained to be prepared and be fast. I know it takes time to get everything in the buckets, but at least act like you are making an effort not to be as slow as molasses! Please people! Team Toppel did not want to miss our flight! We made it on fine and enjoyed some good naps during the second 2-hour flight. I awoke to John telling me to check my pocket, where I was happy to find a Swiss chocolate he had strategically placed in there while I was asleep! MMM.
When we landed we got a taxi to our hotel in downtown Dublin and the driver was really nice and friendly. She gave us some suggestions about places to see and eat and we had our first adventure driving on the "wrong" side of the road! I thought driving in Germany was bad enough, but driving on the opposite side? I am not even going there! We dropped our bags at the hotel and walked around for a bit because the room was not ready. We stopped in at a bakery and got a nice BLT sandwich and did some shopping. We headed back to the hotel around 2, checked in and brought our stuff up to the room. John had a nap and I had the worst shower of my entire life! The choice was either hot water at a trickle or good pressure with ice cold water...not fun! I will think twice about choosing a hotel just because the name is a family name. The Harding Hotel looked very nice in pictures, but is not as great as I was expecting. It's not bad, and they did some "fix" the shower, but we are probably going to switch our reservation and stay somewhere else during our last two days in Dublin. We are thinking of staying longer in Galway and then only one more day in Dublin (at a different hotel!).
After we rested and cleaned up, we headed out to the Guinness storehouse where we took the tour and learned how Guinness is made. We got a lesson on how to make the perfect pour complete with a certificate of completion (those will definitely be going up on the wall....) and got both a free sample taste, and a free pint during the tour. We were getting a bit hungry so we decided to try out a Guinness "muffin" which was a little bundle of deliciousness that was thick, moist (unlike German cakes) and very chocolaty. Wow! I don't like Guinness but give me a Guinness muffin any day!
having a taste
the perfect pour
The Guinness Muffin :0)
When we were done at the Guinness storehouse we headed to a restaurant called Gogarty's for dinner, which was recommended by our cab driver. It was a nice little place on the upper level of a pub where the Irish Music Pub Crawl begins. The food was great and we enjoyed some traditional Irish stews. After dinner, we headed back to our hotel and had one drink at the hotel bar. There was live music and I got to experience what a real Irish coffee tastes like. After our drink we headed upstairs and watched The Blind Side, which was excellent. It was an early night, but we were beat after having gotten up so early.
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