So, we're going to take a family trip.
My Mom decided that she wanted to go to Ireland for her birthday. She's talked about it for a couple years now and, initially, I think she had the idea that it would be for a milestone birthday; the 85th or the 90th. But, frankly, I think she's considered the health of some of her friends that are her age (or even younger) and figured that, since she's healthy now and able now, that now was the right time to do it. So, it's Ireland for Mom's 84th birthday.
In order to do this, of course, we'd need a plan. We would need a plan and someone to coordinate it. We would need a plan and someone to coordinate it who had extensive knowledge of booking flights and hotels and various yadayadayada for more than one person. It appears as though that person would be me.
I did some extensive searches once the decision was made. I looked at hotels all over Dublin and the outskirts (what's the Gaelic word for "suburbs"?) and became mind-numb at the number of choices we were being offered. Out of sheer necessity I became a ninja at the ways of Travelocity. Somehow, I managed to plan a trip for three to Ireland.
Ireland is actually pretty small. We'll be staying in Dublin, but Belfast (which, as it's in Northern Ireland, is actually part of the UK) is only two hours away. Ideally, we were hoping to stay at one of those quaint little castle-type inns you see on the Travel Channel, but that didn't pan out. First, those quaint little castle-type inns you see on the Travel Channel can be really expensive. In some cases, a week's stay in one could easily cost three or four times as much as a larger chain. Also, we'll be getting two rooms, and all of the quaint little castle-type inns you see on the Travel Channel offered rooms with only one bed. Mom is going to have her own room and Greg and I will be sharing another. I love my brother, and I look forward to embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure with him, but I sure as Hell don't want to sleep in the same bed with him. So, given all of that, we selected the Crowne Plaza. In another life I traveled pretty extensively for business, and I found that Crowne Plaza properties were remarkably consistent.
We've ditched the idea of getting a rental car. First, they're all right-hand drive over there. Now, I drove a right-side drive car when I was in Australia in 1984. It really doesn't take too long before you're used to it. The wild card, though, would be that all of the renal cars are manual transmission. That's just a recipe for failure that could only end in tears.
Suffice it to say, there are more than enough things to do while we're in Ireland. Of course, we'll take in the Cliffs of Moher and many of the castles which have stood since the Middle Ages. But we're also going to spend a couple of days just cruising around Dublin. There's no shortage of churches and cathedrals there and, of course, those are great photo subjects. Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded around the year 1030 is absolutely magnificent, inside and out. Needless to say, my photography jones is starting to go into overdrive.
We've ditched the idea of getting a rental car. First, they're all right-hand drive over there. Now, I drove a right-side drive car when I was in Australia in 1984. It really doesn't take too long before you're used to it. The wild card, though, would be that all of the renal cars are manual transmission. That's just a recipe for failure that could only end in tears.
Suffice it to say, there are more than enough things to do while we're in Ireland. Of course, we'll take in the Cliffs of Moher and many of the castles which have stood since the Middle Ages. But we're also going to spend a couple of days just cruising around Dublin. There's no shortage of churches and cathedrals there and, of course, those are great photo subjects. Christ Church Cathedral, which was founded around the year 1030 is absolutely magnificent, inside and out. Needless to say, my photography jones is starting to go into overdrive.
 | |
| Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Its more formal name is the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity(or Trinidad Cathedral) was founded in Ireland in the year 1028... |
 | |
| Inside Christ Church Cathedral... |
I welcome any input anyone has on where to go, what to do, where to eat, etc. Just send me an e-mail at steve@steveparrphotography.com or make a comment here...
(Exterior photo of Christ Church Cathedral courtesy of projectirelandhipatia.blogspot.com)
(Interior photo of Christ Church Cathedral courtesy of thousandwonders.net)
No comments:
Post a Comment