DUBLIN 1ST -5TH DECEMBER

Arrived in Dublin on the ferry SWIFT after a choppy 2 hour trip. We forgot to get travel sickness pills and poor Julie paid the price. I just may have fixed her desire to always go on the water, Heh! Heh!

Its' good to see that Australia is providing the safety systems on these internation shipping routes!

Go, Aussie, go!

Problem number 2; the Navman didn’t have Ireland maps so we were reduced to using low tech to find our way to the hotel. Technology is great until it fails and it was a pathetic sight with us trying to navigate Dublin city center but we made it without too much difficulty.

Day one we took a trip to the Giants Causeway in the north of the country, again using ‘old technology’ to find our way.

We had hoped to spend a bit of time in Belfast on the way but because of the distance involved and the shortness of the day we had to forego that pleasure.

Once we got beyond Belfast the trip took on a very pretty aspect but unfortunately it was late in the day when we arrived and the light was failing. It was also bitterly cold and blustery so was probably not the best choice of road trip to take.

It would have been better had we been able to spend longer there but it wasn't to be.

The light was failing fast and the ability to take photos was becoming very limited. Also we were freezing our nuts off so it looks like a future summer trip may well be on the cards!

Day 2 was spent in the city center, again cold but it remained dry.

It was a great opportunity to do a bit of Christmas shopping and get our international cards sent out.

Spent some time in the Temple Bar where we had a Guinness and an Irish coffee – hey; a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do!

Julie stuck to the ‘White Guinness! She assures me it’s as good as the black stuff but I’m not so sure; If you ask me I reckon she’s missing out!

Its’ a great bar and has a really friendly atmosphere. I think I need to make sure that it’s as good as first impression though; perhaps I’ll go back for another go tomorrow. Maybe have another one (or three) of their Irish Coffees.

I guess the weather is not really up to tourist tripping and it is really cold here. Also, the time of year means it gets dark by 4 pm so we didn’t stay too long after dark but returned to the hotel and had a few drinks in the hotel bar. I’m getting to like this Guinness but it left me with a very thick head the following morning. Maybe I’ll stick to my whiskey in future!

Today being our last day in Dublin we took off to Wexford, a mere 140klm run. Again the weather was blustery and cold with several showers.

It was a great little trip and we just enjoyed the drive, stopping off for breakfast on the way. We arrived at Loch Garman in Wexford at lunch time and had a really nice lunch in a hotel.

The plan was to go for a walk round but to be honest it was too cold so after an hour or so we headed back to the city and our hotel. Here we simply chilled out and relaxed before going down to dinner.

Overall, it has been a pleasant relaxing trip with us both agreeing it would be a much more pleasant experience in the warmer months.

One interesting little point; Wexford General Hospital is named such in English but in Irish it appears to be named Loch Garman General Hospital! OK, just my little quirky observation!

Tomorrow we head back to the UK and Bath for three nights so I’ll feed back from there.