Ireland Day 18 (2 July 2018)

We had the easiest rental car return that I’ve ever had at the Manchester airport!  He looked up the license plate and asked me if my name was Kimberly Henson. I handed him the keys and he told me everything would be sent to me electronically, and we left. Voilà!  He said if we would’ve picked up the car from them, it would’ve been more of an effort, but I’m definitely not complaining.  

We flew Ryanair to Dublin. Tami booked us as priority boarding and with checked luggage. What an interesting airline. Tami read the fine print that said you had to download boarding passes, or pay £55 to talk to a gate agent. 😯. It was a pretty quick flight though!  I loved that the safety information was printed on the back of the seats. 

After taking a taxi to a hotel, we spent some time shopping, which was a lot of fun. We also spent some time people watching, which was fantastic too!

We then stopped for dinner, which was delicious Guinness stew and bread, with a puff pastry on top, of course. 

We walked to and from the shopping area to our hotel, and saw some fun art along the way too!

When we got back to the hotel, I honestly felt like I was melting from the heat in our room. We are in a western facing room with no a/c, and a window that only opens two inches.  😳 We couldn’t handle the muggy heat and went in search for ice cream and water!  I also saw this sign outside the store. I kind of feel like I need one for my classroom. 

We sat on the front stairs of the hotel and watched as people went by. Every group spoke a different language.  It’s always interesting to think about their lives and how they differ from mine.  The ice cream was delicious!  

After being disappointed that the hotel didn’t have a fan for us to use in the room, we noticed a few awesome vending-like machines in the lobby!  I’m pretty sure we need some of these machines in the US. 

And so the trip comes to a close. What a fun trip we have had!  We have seen great things, eaten delicious food, had marvelous conversations, and discovered several new cultural aspects that were fabulous!  

Every day, I would ask my travel companions about something that pleasantly surprised them about the day.  I feel like my great surprise is how so many countries can so easily feel like home. We live in a beautiful world with all sorts of amazing people and cultures.  I am grateful to be able to slowly figure out how I fit in the world. 💕