Dublin Visitors: Round 1

I've been neglecting the blog, I know! We've been traveling through Europe the last few weekends in a row and I haven't found the time, but I'm back in action today and will try to write much more frequently.

I decided to start my posts about all our visitors at the O'Naber B&B. First of all, let me say that we're extremely appreciative of everyone who has come to visit us. As anyone who has moved to a land far far away knows, you get plenty of, "I'm totally coming to visit you"s. As expected, the follow through on this is always pretty poor. 

Believe me, we know how much time, money, and planning it takes to actually take a trip to Ireland, so we understand when it's just not feasible. However, for those that have, kudos to you! It's likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit a friend or family member abroad (and stay for free!) in a country with someone who knows the lay of the land. Best of all, we get super excited to take people around and show them the sights and what our lives are like over here. It's a "stay-cation" for us and we always feel recharged when familiar faces are around :)

Bray to Greystones

Our first familiar faces were those of my parents. They had been to Ireland twice previously, but didn't hesitate to hop on a standby flight over (thanks to my airline captain brother). Per their usual luck, they brought seldom seen sunshine and warm weather with them to the Emerald Isle. They arrived on a Thursday morning and, thanks to my Accidental Housewife status, I was able to play tour guide and design my own walking tour of Dublin and the surrounding areas. 

We had lunch at the Village Market across the street from our apartment, then walked to the centre to hit the tourist spots -- St. Stephen's Green, Grafton Street, Trinity College, Dublin Castle, The Liffey -- then stopped at Oliver St. John Gogarty's in Temple Bar for a pint of Guinness (my Mom actually had Guinness!) and some live music. Jet lag set in pretty hard after a beer, so we made our way back and had a nice, low key evening at home.

Patrick Kavanagh on Grand Canal

On the Liffey

Pints at Gogarty's - proof of Mom with a Guinness

Friday was spent on the Bray to Greystones walk. It was one of the maybe 5 days that we've had 70 (21+ C) degree weather in Ireland, so I was in a t-shirt and loving it. My Mom, however, actually complained that it was a little hot, ha! I think we should really switch climates.

The 4 of us took took a road trip to Northern Ireland for the weekend, then I took a trip around southwest Ireland with them during the week (both of which I'll cover separately), and we capped the final weekend in Dublin with a trip to Howth. It was a jam packed trip, but well worth it!

It was an amazing experience to make memories with my parents in Ireland AND I was able to take a trip the 3 of us around the beautiful countryside. I guess I have the Irish government to thank for the time off ;)

Next, I'll go over our trip to Northern Ireland and the Antrim Coast...