Chapter 2 - Let's Start From the Beginning

A quick note to the reader:
1) My mother and I decided we will not be reading each other's work until we get back state side. So, in essence, I will have no IDEA what she is saying about the trip, or what pictures she is posting from the trip.
2) I have had less than 5 hours of sleep in the last three days, so there will be no thought of grammar in this chapter, sorry in advance if it is hard to follow

Now then, let's start from the beginning. (Because that is a very good place to start.)

The trip began at my house, at 5:30 am. I had realized the night before I'd forgotten business cards at work and knew that I'd be needing them for the Park n Fly, that was errand #1. I also realized my mother and I would be needing nourishment for the drive, errand #2. AND that she and I both needed things from Walmart, errand #3. Long story short, I sped into work, flew to Walmart, followed by a dash into Caribou coffee and we were off. My vacation had finally started.

The drive went fine and we ended up at the airport, got through security, and made it to our gate with no problems. We boarded for a 45 minute flight to Chicago and landed with ease. This trip was going to be a cake walk... or so I thought.

As soon as we land in Chicago, we realize we have 1 hour before our flight boards and we are in the wrong terminal. For those of you who travel frequently, you know this means we have to exit one terminal, take the tram to another terminal, and then go through security AGAIN for said terminal. The line was enormous! It rounded two corners and had no end in sight. Now we only have 25 minutes until our flight starts boarding. My mother, who is not a frequent traveler, asks me if we are still going to be fine. And I tell her of course, that we have plenty of time! You know... like a lie. In my head I was screaming WE'RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT IN TIME. WE WILL MISS OUR FLIGHT AND HAVE TO STAY IN CHICAGO FOREVER AND JUST MAKE UP THIS BLOG TO TRICK EVERYONE!

In the end what I had said out loud to her was correct. The security guard was pulling everyone out of line that was on our flight to Dublin and giving us a head start for the TSA screening. We passed the whole line and made it to the gate with time to spare. Once again, relief spread through me, this trip will be a stroll through the park on a sunny summer day! Then we board the plane and prepare for take off. Now I'm not sure why... maybe it's because I don't like children all that much and the universe just likes to toy with me, but I am always, and I mean ALWAYS next to screaming infants on flights lasting more than 5 hours! And I mean screaming, crying, throwing things, the whole works. It makes it a little hard to sleep. None the less, my mother and I each got an Irish drink, turned on a movie, put in noise cancelling headphones, and cranked the volume up so loud that no amount of screaming could bother me. For all I cared, let the baby scream until its vocal cords were destroyed and it became a mute baby... hmm that may have been too far, again I have had no sleep.

Anyway, I slept maybe 30 minutes of light sleep on the flight (it becomes more difficult when the crazy old woman sitting behind you holds your seat forward every time you try to recline it back, and when I say holds it forward I actually mean that she shoved my seat back forward when I leaned it back a smidge!) and then it was time to land! We made it! FINALLY in Europe! We get off the plane, wait 55 minutes to get through customs, then collect our bags and hail a taxi. We get to our hotel and they even let us have an early check in! Things are looking up. We get to our room, start unpacking, exhausted from the travel and the fact that it was almost midnight our time. But could we fall asleep, ABSOLUTELY NOT. We're on Dublin time now and it's 6 am. So we shower to wake ourselves up, drink a few cups on instant coffee (oh how I missed it from my adventures in South America), and then decide to get acquainted with Dublin, our home for the next 4 days.

We walked all over today. We visited Trinity College, and say the Old Library and the Book of Kells. We went all the way down Grafton St, we ate lunch at Bewley's Cafe on Grafton (we both had burgers). Saw the statue of Molly Malone. We walked up and down the River Liffey. We went to St Stephen's Green (an amazing park in the middle of the city) and then to St Stephen's Mall, an amazing glass mall with a giant glass clock in the middle of the ceiling. Everything we saw was amazing! We even went grocery shopping, like true Dubliners!

The only problem, and a little damper on the day (although not much of one), was that today was Good Friday. EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED. We attempted to go to Temple Bar, we attempted to go to the National Museum and see the Bog People, we attempted to go to The National Library, the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson Distillery. Apparently, the one day a year that Dublin shuts down all pubs and most other activities is Good Friday. The ONE DAY! We will attempt to visit all of them on either Sunday or Monday (even though that will be Easter and Easter Monday, none of the signs of the aforementioned places stated that they were closed either day). As for tomorrow, we have a train to catch to the West Coast! Until then...

PS: I know we said we would put pictures up, and we have them and really want too, but we are FAR to tired and they are not loading for some reason. We'll have to try again tomorrow, when we've had more sleep.