Wrap-up :)

I'm so sorry I didn't post in Dublin! Our internet was pretty slow in the hotel.

The plane ride from Heathrow to Dublin was quick and painless. We stepped outside to catch our bus and the weather was beautiful. There were only a few minutes until the buses were to arrive, and all of a sudden it started hailing! We all knew then that the weather was going to be as unpredictable in Dublin as it was in London.

We climbed aboard the bus and stowed our luggage, then made our ways up to the top of the double-decker. It only took a few minutes to get from the airport to our hotel, and on the way we were serenaded by a 3 year old Irish boy crooning "The Wheels on the Bus." I told the girls, "If my children have accents, they are going to be spoiled rotten; I'll never be able to tell them 'no!'"

The Gresham was a gorgeous hotel; a HUGE improvement from our lodgings in Oxford. The hotel in Oxford (The Linton Lodge) was frustrating from the moment we walked through the narrow doorway. Rachel Brown and I discussed it, and our initial thoughts when we walked in were "Fawlty Towers?!" The staff were anything but helpful. There were two elevators which brought residents to two separate parts of the hotel... two separate parts which couldn't be reached if you took the wrong elevator.

Of course, I took the wrong elevator. I lugged my suitcase, backpack, and viola onto the tiny elevator, dragged everything around on the 2nd floor and couldn't find my room anywhere. I wanted to scream! I had to bring everything back down again, and then make two trips to get all of my things up to my room in the right area. Whoo, was I ever grumpy!!

The Gresham in Dublin was much, much different. The lobby was enormous. There were two pubs, restaurant service throughout the entire lobby, and a really lovely restaurant called 23 tucked back in the corner. Our room was on the 3rd floor and had plenty of room. The shower, however, was the highlight of the hotel. Finally, I had water pressure! For the whole trip, my hair was full of soap... but now? Now, I could take a quick shower and not worry about my hair looking like a wet dog for the rest of the day. What a relief!

On our second day in Dublin, we all ventured to County Wicklow. It was absolutely beautiful, and there are pictures in my photobucket album, which I'll post the link to at the end of this post. We saw an old monastery that was gorgeous, and we were able to walk around for a few hours and take pictures. Everyone did different things in Dublin; a few girls went horseback riding, took a day trip to another area on a rainy day, visited the Guinness Brewery... I had convinced myself that I was running out of money, so I stuck around town. I had a wonderful time shopping and I went to see the Book of Kells at Trinity College. What a good read; I couldn't put it down. ;)

I was so sad to leave on Friday. I really felt like I hadn't spent enough time in each place. I even asked at US Customs when we arrived in Chicago, "What can I say for you to deny me entry?" but they wouldn't take me seriously.

It is good to be home, though. After all, I had to watch the season finales of The Office, Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy...

Thanks for reading, everyone. :) Cheers!

http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z76/ktjonesuk/

The pictures are backwards, so if you go to the end of the album, you can start in London and work your way back towards Wicklow. :)