Master Trip Ireland Driving Tour - Day 1

We arrived at the Dublin Airport on an August morning on a Night Owl flight from Chicago. After standing in a few long lines at the airport, we had to decide how to get into the city. There are several options, including taxi (too expensive) and various bus/tour options that allow for Hop On/Hop Off tours of Dublin for either one or three days. We opted for a straight bus ride into the city as we were too tired to think much about anything but getting into a nice comfortable bed, besides we wanted to see how much of the city we could see by just walking around. This turned out to be a good move. We arrived at the Shelbourne Hotel, touted by Fodor's to be "the best address in Dublin," across the street from St. Stephen's Green. The Shelbourne is fantastically beautiful, the rooms are totally quiet, even during the day (!) and indeed the location was a perfect place to start our tour of Dublin. While waiting for our room, we took in St. Stephen's Green, which is an idyllic park across the street, and introduced us to the flowers, foliage, cleanliness, and ambiance of Dublin. Later that night we walked to the Temple Bar area for dinner. We fell in love with Dublin during that walk. The streets and promenades are full of sidewalk musicians and happy looking people out strolling and looking for some dining or nightlife. The Temple Bar area, even on a weeknight was a vibrant hub of activity, and its restaurants are beautiful and plentiful. Tomorrow - Trinity College and more of Dublin!