Welcome back me? And any other random souls reading this blog. Previously I have made a travel journal about my several hours in Stockholm, those hours were part of a layover on the way to Dublin to begin the Ireland trip. With this entry, I will talk about the first evening.
Firstly I would like to talk about the flight from Stockholm to Dublin. Jet Lag is no joke. For the entire 2 + hour flight I was not awake or asleep for more than 2 minutes consecutively. I would doze off, pull off some sweet head bobs, and wake up to look out the window before dozing right back off. 1/10 I would not recommend. Though I’m sure my fellow travelers found it entertaining.
Once arriving in Dublin it is a forever-long walk from plane deboarding to customs and into the outside world so do be prepared. Aer Lingus flights might be different as they have a separate terminal. We flew Scandinavian Airlines to Dublin for those wondering. After getting through a surprisingly quick customs line we continued on to pick up our rental car. Now here is where I would like to pass on advice. Personal and info passed on to me.
1. Make sure if your credit card or insurance carries rental car coverage that it specifically covers Ireland. This is something I came across in research, a lot of coverages are invalid in Ireland. After driving there, I get it.
2. Take a lap, 2 around the parking lot if needed to get acquainted with the car. Getting in on the right side to drive is different and takes some getting used to.
3. Don’t try driving in Ireland for the first time when the sun is down. It adds an additional learning curve that is rough
Our first objective once loaded up was to just get out of Dublin, as our lodging for the first night was in Delgany, County Wicklow (Shout out Finn Balor). It is in theory an hour’s drive, however, it took us a bit longer with learning, road construction, and a couple turn turn-arounds. 38 miles or 61 km for those reading from countries that haven’t been to the moon.
Upon arriving in Delgany we were looking to stay at The Horse and Hound, and it is where we found out, that addresses in Ireland are approximate. It will get you in the ballpark area and it’s up to you to figure it out from there. After some searching the Fox and Hound was found, we walked into a pub and were told it was too full on account of the Rugby World Cup so you can pass through to the inn but you can’t drink. Fair enough.
The Horse and Hound was super quaint. With amenities such as a Nespresso, supplies for morning tea, a wardrobe, and a tv in the room. One of the more fun things to experience was being above a pub and hearing them erupt when something happened in the Rugby match. I put it on the TV on mute just so I could see what they were reacting to.
Another fun memory from there is ordering pizza. We were knackered, the pub was full, and the on-site restaurant was closed, so we ordered pizza for delivery. Once the pizza got close the fun ensued. As previously stated addresses in Ireland are approximate, so I received a phone call from a local Irishman, asking me, an American with zero clue how to say where I am at, how to find me. We finally worked it out and met on the street out front of the Horse and Hound. Had a lovely chat about his aunt who lives in New Jersey and went on about our ways. But I will say it was a direct foreshadowing of the welcoming nature of the folks I came across in Ireland.
That is it for Delgany. In the next installment, I will go over the journey and ensuing day as we go from Delgany to Kinsale, County Cork.
That’s all for now. Safe travels and happy reading.
Warm Regards,
Clint Wehrman