We happily left our cruise ship behind in Marseille and headed to Nice. After a short stay in France, we headed to Dublin, the first stop on our month-long tour of Ireland. The transit part of our trip caused some frustration but nothing major went wrong. Our hotel caused a bit of discomfort but the Guinness helped us forget our aching backs.
Getting to Nice
After our cruise, we hopped on a train to Nice. We were making our annual visit (pilgrimage) to pick up our Titre de Sejours (French Residence cards). We also got to catch up on laundry, use the hotel wifi (since the cruise wifi pricing was awful), and grab a bite at a favorite haunt.
Our hotel, the Crowne Plaza was located close to a Tram station, which made it easy to get around without a car. It was also close enough to our departure point at Terminal 1 in the airport that we just wound up walking there with our bags. I should note, the Tram is free for trips to and from Terminal 2, in case you are in need of a short stay in Nice. The hotel also had a simple gym.
Nice Airport, Aer Lingus Check-in
We arrived at the airport a bit early, hoping to speed through check-in and security for some food and drink prior to our flight to Dublin. I might say Aer Lingus, our carrier, had other plans, but I don’t think they gave it any thought at all, because…
The check-in line was huge and there were only two agents handling all of the passengers on our flight. Normally, I wouldn’t think this would be an issue. Somehow, Aer Lingus managed to take a set of passengers for a single flight that Southwest Airlines processes in 30 minutes and balloon it into a full-blown 2-hour process. Again, for a single, intra-border flight.
For our part, we took extra long because the junior agent trying to check us in insisted we hadn’t prepaid for the bags we were checking. But, I had purchased a 40kg bag package under my name and she was looking under Diana’s. It took a senior agent to figure things out. I will say I found Aer Lingus’ a la carte bag and seat selection pricing to be needlessly confusing.
Once past that nonsense, it was smooth, if slow sailing. After a brief fuel stop in the lounge (which is a significant benefit of our Chase Sapphire Reserve card), we boarded our flight. The 2-hour flight was smooth and effortless.
Dublin Airport Uber/Taxi
Getting from the airport to our hotel proved a bit more challenging than usual. After picking up our bags, we went in search of the Uber pick-up area. I often prefer car-sharing, e.g. Uber, for leaving an airport because the price is fairly predictable and I know they have been provided with the correct destination. Sometimes I have to wait a bit for a car to arrive, but I generally accept that trade-off.
Finding the pickup area, however, is often difficult. Airport and train station signage are frequently at odds with the instructions from the ride-sharing app. This was true in Prague at both the airport and train station and proved to be true in Dublin, too. Eventually, we found ourselves in a taxi line in Dublin. So… we took a taxi.
Parking at the Hotel in Dublin
As we approached our hotel, the Hampton Inn, our taxi driver asked if he could drop us a block away. It seems the hotel is located on a street corner that is difficult to get to by car due to the one-way streets. Also, there is nowhere for a car/taxi to legally stop in front of the hotel. Nowhere. Who approved this plan?
Since the meter would be running and we could see the distance to the hotel was short, we chose to get out and drag the bags a long block to the terminal. By the time we checked out 10 days later, I found a side street to park in illegally for a few minutes to load the car up. I guess the cabbie was unaware or unwilling to go there.
Our Tiny Compact Hotel Room
We have come to learn that hotel brand standards don’t apply universally, e.g. that a Hampton Inn in Ireland doesn’t have the same standards as a Hampton Inn in the US. At least, that was the explanation we were given by the staff at the Hampton Inn in Dublin after we expressed our opinion of their hotel.
While I understand that hotel rooms in Europe are generally smaller than those in the US, this room was quite compact. Diana commented that the room was just like an Ibis, not a glowing remark. It was difficult for us to find space for all of our gear. There was also no mini-fridge nor any portable luggage racks available.
Don’t Get Me Started on the Bed
Worse yet, even though the hotel was only 18 months old, the mattress was already sagging, which caused a somewhat painful stay. Not at all the Hampton mattress we know and love in the US. Adding insult to injury, the bed got short-sheeted during our stay, three nights in a row, despite a request to reception to get it fixed. Either there weren’t enough of the proper linens for every room or the lady changing the sheets was too lazy to go get one that fit our bed when cleaning our room. Neither option spoke well of management.
In a final nod to capitalism, rather than have loaner umbrellas available, an umbrella rental concession was installed in the lobby. Let’s just say I will consider other lodging options for our return visit to Dublin.
On The Plus Side
There were some benefits to our hotel. With consecutive fifth-night free points bookings, our room cost came to the equivalent of $200/night for our 10-night stay. The cash price at the hotel was around $330/night, which was in line with pricing for similar rooms in similar hotels in Dublin. Saving $1300 was nothing to sneeze at.
Also, the breakfast buffet was decent and late enough that we didn’t have to hurry down to get breakfast. And the location was great. There was a tram stop across the street. We picked up a transit card at a local convenience store and loaded it up. It was easy to get around town for $1.50/ride. We were also within walking distance of the Liffey River and a number of area restaurants and pubs.
Rehab First
Unfortunately, Diana had been unable to have any PT since our time in Mexico, a month earlier. So, she was anxious to find a therapist to resume rehab on her knee. Happily, she found one not too distant by bus and was able to begin healing again.
It happened that St. Stephen’s Green was nearby, so I hung out there until she finished and we had a nice saunter through the park. We were not alone. Many people were out enjoying the relatively rare sunshine in Dublin. It was pleasant to see everyone out and about.
Apparently…
We got an early start learning about Dublin with a “free” walking tour from GuruWalk. It’s free because the guide is paid solely on tips and you’re free to leave whenever you like. I feel the tour guide has to be entertaining, otherwise, the tour guides would starve. Our Dublin tour proved our guide was doing well for himself.
The guide took us to a number of locations, including Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, and Trinity College. We heard about the Vikings and rebellions through the ages, the Great Famine, and local folklore. We saw where the band U2 was formed and the Cranberries played.
At one point, he told us that tour guides (or at least he) prepend any unfounded story with “apparently…” and then they feel they have the license to reel off anything they want. The more fantastic and believable, the better.
One story he told that did seem backed by fact was about the statue of Veronica Geurin. She was a sports reporter for a local paper when a story came in about a local boy dying under suspicious circumstances. She chose to investigate, which lead to a series of stories exposing links between local officials and the Irish mob. Undeterred by threats and attempts on her life, she pursued the truth, eventually succumbing to her foes. I appreciated that the local folks saw clear to honor her memory and the guide chose to share the story. I hope more people are inspired by her sacrifice.
More Fantastic Tales…
Another tale was about a small plaque on the O’Connell Bridge, remembering the suspicious passing of Father Pat Noise. A few years after the plaque was placed, someone asked a local paper to find more info regarding the late father. It seems there never was a Father Noise but rather just Pat Noise, who was a bit of a prankster. His sons chose to commemorate their late father by paying 1500E to place the bogus plaque as a joke. After some debate, the city council decided to leave the plaque. The community felt the playful prank was a good fit with the mentality of Dublin.
Our guide shared one final pastime few tourists knew. There is a stone face carved into the arch of a local church. Apparently, it is said that those who rub the beard of the carving are blessed with a long and healthy life. He showed us the face and most of us dutifully rubbed the beard and walked off. Once around the corner, he said that, apparently, he had made the whole thing up. That gave us a good laugh and he got a bit more tip. Apparently.
Touring Guinness
At the end of our second day in Dublin, we made our way over to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour. Although there is a large, working brewery in Dublin, Guinness has chosen to convert one of its old buildings into a shrine to all things Guinness. The tour covers not only how the brew is made, but also the company and how its marketing has evolved over the years. I will let the pictures I took serve as an enticement for you to visit.
Another enticement is the pint of Guinness awaiting you in their 360-degree view, rooftop tasting area. It really is a nice place to take in the city views while relaxing with a cold brew. I’ve included some pics there, too.
What tall stories have you been told?
