I remember my last trip to Europe like it was yesterday, but this one has been far different from the get go. On my last trip I didn’t know a soul and although that may seem like a pretty lonely 8 weeks, at the time it was exactly what I needed.
Ever since launching my business ventures last year, I have always said that social media is an amazing thing. I can’t even begin to tell you the connections I’ve made via twitter & facebook and the connection I made right before this trip came at the PERFECT time. Two days before my flight to Ireland, I tweeted that I had just booked my standby travel to Dublin and was so excited. Within minutes I received a response from Jemma encouraging me to bring along a coat as it was still quite cold. Jemma own’s an event planning/design company here in Dublin called hip hip (her new site launches in a couple weeks!) and her aesthetic is ah-maz-ing.
Many tweets later, I was completely flabbergasted by Jemma’s generosity and all the more excited about my time in Dublin. She had helped me re-book my hotel at the trendy boutique hotel Kelly’s (my 1st hotel according to Jemma was in a not-so-great part of town) and lent tons of amazing advice of where to go & what to see. I honestly don’t know what I would have done on my 1st few days here (Coli arrived 4 days after me) without Jemma’s help – let’s just say the month leading up to the trip left little time to plan an itinerary.
Upon arriving in Dublin I was immediately entranced by the essence of the city. People were friendly, the accents adorable and the laughter from bustling pubs made me smile from ear to ear. I immediately got the “Cheers” feeling – where everyone’s a regular and you know your neighbor.
After a week of zero sleep and a long uncomfortable flight, I was exhausted. I made the mistake of taking the city bus from the airport to the hotel and unknowingly got off about a mile too early. By the time I got to the hotel I couldn’t wait to rest my incredibly sore legs – my poor right hip was screaming for mercy. BUT once I put down my bags I immediately felt rejuvenated and ended up wandering the city a bit. I ended my first day with dinner with Jemma at the super yummy Coppinger Row (I had the gnocchi – oh my gosh good!) and then we wandered through Grogans (my 1st Irish pub experience!) and settled in to a wine bar that Jemma’s friends had recently opened. It was so much fun sipping wine and learning all about the Irish culture from Jemma. I shared my own preconceptions of Irelend (most of them horribly wrong and as a direct result from movies such as P.S. I Love You – I know…quite the embarassment!).
For the next couple days I strolled the streets taking in the Irish air and soaking in the charm. I wandered through the temple bar area and did a little shopping, nibbled on a potato cake from a local farmer’s market and snapped pictures of The Liffey (river flowing through the center of Dublin). On Sunday morning Jemma picked me up and dropped me in Phoenix Park for a bike ride while she gave her friend driving lessons. Although I felt a little awkward at first riding up the park incline, one I got moving it was a welcome break from the hustle of the city streets. Phoenix Park is the (4th largest city park in the world – I know this because Jemma is this amazing receptacle of facts) and the quiet beauty of the park was palpable. We ended the afternoon with brunch in the Portobello neighborhood (LOVE LOVE LOVE!) at the adorably teeny cafe Bibi’s. Although the service was horrific (Jemma asked for salt and was pointed in the direction of its placement on a shelf, my glass of water pretty much never came & the last lemon bar was given to another patron) the food was INCREDIBLE.
photo cred : {jenn elliott blake}
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