Dublin, Ireland & Portadown, N. Ireland

On Sunday May 29^th we left Holyhead for Dublin. We decided to book the hotel in Wales for the two nights we were in Dublin because it would be such a hassle with all of our stuff. We had been in contact with some family in Ireland as we wanted to see if we could meet up with them but it turns out that they were coming to Wales for vacation. The ferry we were getting off in Dublin was the ferry they were getting on so as we got off we got to meet quickly before they got on. Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture with Diane and weren’t able to meet up with her when we came through Wales again. We stayed in a hotel in Dublin that was across from the Kilmainham Gaol which was a former prison and is now a museum. We walked into the city center and saw Temple Bar, Trinity College and walked along the River Liffey. The cab drivers were great because they would give us a tour of the city as we drove pointing out what certain statues signified and certain buildings. The next day we had decided to go to Northern Ireland to meet Diane’s sister Jacqueline and her family. So we rented a car in Dublin and made our way out of the city after only a few wrong turns and up the highway. We decided to stop for lunch in a place called Drogheda before we made our way to a place called Monasterboice. Monasterboice are the ruins of an early Christian settlement and is famous for its 10^th century crosses. The Muiredach’s High cross is supposed to be one of the nicest and most famous crosses in Ireland. Driving on back roads in Ireland is always fun...especially when you have to pull over to let oncoming traffic go by. The streets are very narrow and often covered overhead with trees. This cemetery was way off the main road but well worth the visit. After the cemetery we got back on the highway to head to Portadown where Jacqueline lives and where some of Grandpa Mullen’s family is from. We were able to meet Jacqueline her husband and two kids and visited with them for a few hours before we had to get back to Dublin. On the way back we stopped at the church where Grandpa’s father was baptized. Jacqueline and her husband couldn’t believe that we drove through Dublin and said that they would never do that. The roads outside of Dublin are not very busy and the highway at peak times would be comparable to the Queensway at its least busy time. We had a nice chat with our cab driver the next morning who on top of telling us some history (which included the names of the boats that use to take the Guiness from Dublin) also told us how he was starting to build bamboo guest houses in Bali and he was moving there next year with his wife. People were so friendly there and it was a different experience then first time we were there. Next time we will take a few day tours to see the sights we weren’t able to get to. We got onto our ferry at 9am and got into Wales just before 11 and spent most of the day on the train to Southampton...our final stop before we come home!

The town of Drogheda

Monasterboice

Muiredach's Cross

Guiness

Portadown

Jeff, Jacqueline and I

The church Grandpa Mullen's father was baptized in

Guiness Brewery

Holyhead, Wales

It took as a day of train travel and boat travel but we finally made it to Wales. It was pretty cold and very windy. Wales and especially the Isle of Anglesey have been in the news a lot recently as Will and Kate live there and RAF Valley where the military is based is close to Holyhead. We booked a B & B who the cab driver told us was the best in town and our host Len was really friendly and told us where to eat dinner and where not to eat dinner. We took his suggestion and ate at a restaurant called the Boathouse which was really good. The next day we had to switch to a hotel. We tried to book the B & B but our room was booked and the Captain of the ferry to Dublin was staying in the other room downstairs. Jeff had become pretty sick with a really bad cold so the next day we didn’t venture out to much except for the grocery store...it was raining and really windy anyways so it wasn’t so bad. One thing that was surprising was the taxi fares in Holyhead. Everywhere we have been taxis have been really expensive but they were so cheap here which was great since we had so many bags. 

The view from our room at the B & B

Our B & B

Paris, France

After a full day on the train from 6:30am to 10pm we ended up in Paris. We were both exhausted from the day of travel that we didn’t end up getting out until about noon the next day. We were staying in the Marais district which is nice and close to the main street that goes to the Louvre. Since we had been to Paris before and were lucky enough to get there on the first Sunday of the month when all attractions and museums were free we decided this time we would just walk around. We went down the main street to the Louvre and then into a big park so we could get a good pic of the Eiffel Tower to show Ethan. If possible the city seemed busier than it had been previously and although we had seen a lot of dogs before this time it seemed to be multiplied by 10.  After 2 days of pain au chocolats, macaroons and pistachio pastries it was time to go to Wales for our trip to Ireland. 

How much is that doggy in the window?

On the left a Lavender flavoured macaroon on the right pistachio chocolate chip pastry...YUM!

Oslo, Norway

Oslo was our last stop on our Scandinavian cruise and we decided not to do a tour and just walk around and see the sights. The harbour front had a lot of statues and a huge park on top of a hill that overlooks the city and the harbour. We walked down the main street which was really busy and was lined with shops, bakeries and restaurants. Oslo has a lot of fountains especially on the main street so we decided to stop and enjoy the view for a bit until it was time to go back and get packing. We have accumulated a lot of extra stuff and it’s definitely going to be difficult to travel with.