Well Hello Ireland

Let me fist say that today has been a very long day but completely worth it. We caught our flight at 6pm from Logan on 2/14.. For the most part the flight was not too horrible. There was some turbulance but I did manage through it. the plane made great time and we arrived in Dublin at 4:45am. We went through Customs, caught the local bus and arrived at the Arlington Hotel at 7am. Due to Valentines Day the hotel was completely full the night before so they told us to come back at 9am to see if a room was ready. We dropped our large luggage off and headed out walking. We walked to Christchurch Cathedral then decided to head to St. Patricks Cathedral. We arrived in time to see the sunrise from a nice wooden bench in the green surrounding St. Patricks. After some nice relaxation, we stopped at a little cafe and had breakfast of toasted scones and tea in front of a fireplace. The culture is so different here watching people coming in for their daily lunches to bring to work, or picking up breakfast and coming back at lunch break to pay. We ventured back to the hotel and after initially saying no rooms were available, they saw how tired we were and a room was finished. We slept from 9-1:45. We showered and headed back out. We headed to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room...absolutely amazing..we continued to the Custom House for some stunning photos.. Stopped at a local camera store to pick up a shoulder strap for my camera and had a fun conversation with the local gent that had worked there for over 30 years. We kept walking admiring the views. O'connell st and the Spire were viewed. We stopped for a delicious dinner. our first Guinness was consumed and i had amazing Guinness beef stew and Dave had Irish Bacon and Cabbage. We came back to the hotel and headed down to the bar.. local music and spirits to end the evening. The day has felt like an eternity but day one has come to an end. Ireland, i am falling in love with you after only one day... Goodnight all...