Day 4, Monday May 14th

We moved through immigration pretty quickly, got our bags right away and found ourselves in the airport.  There was no customs to speak of.  So very different from the U.S.  Dad and I pulled some Euro’s and we all went to the bus stop.  We took a double decker bus into town.  It was standing room only.  The bus ride took over an hour, mainly because traffic was so bad.  We got dropped a block from our hotel, the Jurys Inn at Christchurch.  When they say “at Christchurch” they mean it.  We are right across the street.  Our window opens out onto a terrific view of the church.

Christ Church Cathedral, taken from our hotel window.  I thought it would be bigger.

We dropped our bags and headed down the street to a little café called Chorus.  Tracy got a bacon and tomato sandwhich while the other adults got a full Irish breakfast.  The boys got sausage and chips (fries). 

Following breakfast we all headed back to the hotel for a quick nap.  Five hours later we gathered for dinner.  Our nap was not so quick.  We had dinner, some great Salmon, more sausage and chips for the boys.  We shared a bottle of wine, which didn’t help our efforts to stay awake.   

After dinner we walked around a bit, found Dublin Castle, which is a Georgian, not a medieval, castle; then headed back to the hotel.  Dad and I bounced back out to hit a pub where we had a Guinness and a local called Hop Head, on the long pull.  The Guinness did, indeed, taste a little bit different.  I like ours better.  I guess it’s a case of preferring what you are used to.

Tracy took the boys back to our room for “desert”, which was a bath.  Owyn and Rhys ate all of their dinner so they earned desert.  Owyn decided he wanted a bath for his.  They soaked in the tub, which helped them wind down.

We finally hit the rack about 2100.  Rhys slept with Nana and Grandad in their spare bed.  Owyn slept with Mama in our twin sized and I slept on our little, narrow, kid bed.  Tonight Owyn will sleep with Nana and Grandad and Rhys and I will have the “big” bed.  Owyn and I slept through the night.  I’ve been sick with a sinus infection and my snoring woke up Tracy.  Tracy woke up at 0100 and was up for an hour  or two before she fell back to sleep.   

We all woke up at 0830 when Grandad knocked on our door.