Taking a Trip to Dublin, Ireland - The beginners guide, because I'm a beginner

Thank you Mr. Postman

1-9-08 – Got the information from the booking agency last night in the mail (it only took 3 days from the day I booked the trip).  What was included in the mail package:

• 4 suitcase ID cards
• 4 “90 minutes unlimted travel” cards (I guess they go by time in Ireland instead of by destination.  It says they were 1.9 euro a piece)
• 2 travel tickets for Delta Air – Not vailid for travel ( We must have to use the ticket pickup counter when we get to JKF)
• Itinerary, bus transfer, hotel information, bus return, and information on what bus to take.  It is all just computer print outs, not really helpful at all except for the bus information.
• “Important Information” (basically what I am trying to accomplish here).  I will scan this document and put it up, but first I have to go to a meeting (damn job is always getting in the way of things). http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=1011805&da=y Here is the document – nothing special

And I'm back . . . so to speak

The trip was fun . . . I guess it’s time to stop procrastinating and write the guide.

Don't waste your time in Dublin

I shouldn’t call it wasting your time, but more don’t get caught in the tourist trap that is <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” /><st1:city><st1:place>Dublin</st1:place></st1:city>.  It is a very nice city and the people are extremely friendly, the women extremely hot (and brunette) and the prices  . . . yep you got it . . . extremely high but it felt just like home.  Hell I even watched the NFL divisional play off game and I think there were more Eagles fans there than back here in Harrisburg. 

Prepare for preperation

I hate researching and finding places to visit before I actually get to the place that I am going, so here are the basics you will need.  The bare minimum.

• Passport
• Working Knowledge of Transportation services – http://www.dublin.ie/transport/home.htm
• Counties currency and conversion prices (Euros in Ireland) Currently – 1.00 U.S. Dollar = 0.7282 Euro on 1-8-09

Flight information

Leaving JFK on 1-17-09 at 7:15PM with Delta, Arriving at 7:55 AM on 1-18-09    

• This gives us an entire day on the first day.  Much better than getting to dublin at 7PM and wasting the whole first day and night

• This also makes it hard to get over jet lag if you get it since we can’t check in until 2:00PM on the 18th.  Hopefully We can work something out with the hotel.

Hotel = Maldron Hotel 
Address =  Cardiff Lane
                 Sir John Rogerson’s Quay
                 Dublin 2
                 Ireland
Ireland doesn’t use the number system for their address like the U.S. does. 

Where do we go from here?

We looked at some places we want when we get there and didn’t really get too far.  We are basically going to “wing” it when we get there. 

Also, the Eagles play the Cadinals on Sunday.  This being an American Football game, I figured it would be hard to find a place that shows the game in Dublin.  After using http://www.tripadvisor.com/ I found that there is a channel, SkySports, in Ireland that hosts American sports.  Hopefully the hotel will have it, if not the local bar “Woolshed” is playing all the play off games.  Go Eagles!

T minus 4 days

Don’t really have much planned to do before we leave on Saturday Noonish for JFK airport.  I’ll update when I get internet connection.  Check the map out I have posted and add places to visit.