Day: June 30, 2018

Dublin

After a delayed flight to Dublin from Reykjavik, we arrived in Ireland at about 1100 and by the time we got to our hotel, it was noon. Our hotel is on O’Connell Street Upper, I think that means we’re north of the river Liffey(?) but I’m not sure.

We managed to get checked in early, thank you IHG status, our hotel is the Holiday Inn Express City Center, nice hotel with the usual amenities but unlike the HIE in the US, this one has a bar which make it even better.

Somehow, we manage to hit Europe and the UK during Pride Week and this trip was no exception. We also seem to be here during the World Cup and, once again, we are. A great mix of people looking for a party and, the Temple Bar (not a bar) was rocking yesterday and last night.

Pride Week, Dublin

Once we were checked in, we headed for Trinity College to see the Library and the Book of Kells. The Library is about as old school library as you would expect for a thousand year old college. We learned later that the books are not categorized alphabetically or by the Dewey Decimal System but by size, literally, weight. Apparently, the old River Liffey ran under the campus and, there’s some settling that’s still occuring so, heavier books at one end, lighter/smaller at the other. You can’t make this stuff up.

Before we could do much more, we needed to drop laundry off at the American Laundry, drop off service allow you to not waste time, you pay more but your time is worth more when you’r travelling. We’ll pick it up on Sunday. We sent the rest of the afternoon strolling Dublin before heading back to the hotel to clean up before dinner.

For dinner, we chose The Shack, back in Temple Bar. The Shack offers traditional Irish food in a kind of funky setting. The difference is that it’s traditional but well done. The Salmon that I had was fresh and not over cooked. Susan had a seafood pasta which was well prepared and very large, the proportions in general were generous.

We finished dinner about 8:30 and headed back for our hotel, jet-lag was still hitting us both, me worse than Susan, the early light means…I’m awake early, combined with our 0400 wake up call, I’m tired. Drinks to go in the bar and lights out by 2200. Probably didn’t accomplish much today, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

Iceland In My Rear-view Mirror

I would have to say that Iceland was a unique experience but, it’s a certain type of traveler who would enjoy it. It’s certainly a beautiful place but, in my opinion, it’s not for everyone.

If you’re looking to visit Reykjavic on a quick layover, I don’t know if I’d do that. It’s a lovely little city but, you can see it in half a day. If that’s worth the time to you, you should go for it. If spending a day to see a city in 4 hours is worth it in your time budget, it’s easy to do.

If you want to explore the rest of the island, that’s worth it to me. The island is beautiful and if I had time or if I were to ever come back, I’d rent a camper and drive the entire island. Just the little bit that we saw on the south coast to Vik tells me I’d love it.

A couple things that you should consider. First, there is no real summer unless you think low 50’s (10-12 C) with sporadic rain, fog and wind is summer. I’m her in late June and while it may warm up a couple degrees next month, this is about as good as it gets on average.

Second, you need to like to be outdoors. All the better activities are outside. Glacier hikes, trips to volcanoes, trips to hot springs, snow sled tours, everything is outside. If doing these things, in the weather that I described earlier is not your thing, go somewhere else!

Finally, if you’re on a tight budget, Iceland is not your place. Lunch will run you $40-50. A beer is $12, wine is $15-18. Nothing is cheap here. Lots of other places to visit first that are easier on the pocketbook.

With all that said, I enjoyed my visit. The people are very friendly, the speak very good English and, they’re used to tourists. One warning, if you rent a car, make sure you have plenty of time to find a gas station that can handle our credit cards with no PIN. I knew the N1 Stations could do it but, the only one in Keflavik was blocked off while they resurfaced the street. I went to another station that was selling only diesel. Another could not take my CC. Finally, I went to a Bonus station that sold prepaid cards but, because they were near the airport, you could leave ID and fill up then come back and pay. All told, it took me an hour. One last note, as I drove back to the hotel, they were picking up the traffic cones and had I left later, I could have gotten to the N1…oh well, that’s life.

If I haven’t scared you off, pack warm clothes and rain gear and come on up to 66 degree north and have a good time.