When I reflect on our trip to Ireland, I cannot help but admire the fact as we drove across the Island; 6 people and serious luggage packed into a midnight blue van, that we not only did not get lost even once, nor did we crash and burn. Oh, there were some close calls to be sure—a traffic circle in Birr, a very sharp curve on a country road (sorry Shell!) and of course the ridiculously narrow roads with shear walls of bushes that conceal, well, shear walls of stone. Picturesque and deadly all at once, the Emerald Isle is. And I might as well say at this point that while I did all of the driving, it would have been impossible without Andrew manning the GPS in his inimitably calm demur—no one navigates like him—and everyone else biting there tongues while we careened into the shank of our itinerary.
Patti, Shelly, Mark and I arrived at Dublin port via the ferry across the Irish Sea from Holyhead, Wales.
The four of us had elected to arrive in London and take the train to the coast, while Liz and Andrew flew direct to Dublin, where they were to secure our van rental for the week.
As enjoyable as the crossing was,(after some last minute drama over our reservations) with our comfortable first class seating in the private
upstairs club (excellent food included!), our anticipation evenly matched by some fairly ambitious choppiness in the sea, a quick deflation set in as we established cell communication with Liz only to find that our van was not in her keep. Remember that the horror stories you hear about car rentals in Ireland are true; Liz had prepaid and was guaranteed an automatic transmission van for six upon landing at the airport….and it was not to be. No vehicle, no explanation, no nothing. Crestfallen, she and Andrew had made it by taxi to the Finnstown Hotel,
our first stay of the trip. We did the same, and, our party complete, settled in to what seemed to be a disaster for the future of our trek.
Now, in my life I have learned a few incontrovertible truths: you don’t tease the alligators in the swamps of Florida, you avoid the under lit side streets in Paris after dark and you never, ever cross Shelly.
After a discussion with the charming clerk at the Finnstown about our plight, she advised that we were being “nice” and that the rental company was taking advantage of us—we should call them and be firmer in our request that they uphold their end of the contract. And that was that; Shelly and Liz (who is tenacious enough in her own right) teamed up on the phone; advantage yanks. The morning brought a clear day, moderate weather and a blue 6 passenger automatic van delivered by a less than affable driver (“There… Ya happy now?”). Early morning victories on foreign soil taste the best.
Back to the Finnstown Country House Hotel…the town of Lucan just outside County Dublin is the home of this 18th century masterpiece of a hotel. 45 acres consist of rolling fields, lush forests and impeccably kept grounds with horses in the pasture and peacocks roaming freely. The mansion may be ancient, but the accommodations are first class and comfortable; modern as any hotel I have been in, yet retaining an indescribable charm. When we settled in we gathered in the Peacock Restaurant for an exceptional dinner; our first together on the Island. Retiring to the rooms came early, and sleep was immediate.
Tuesday morning brought our first exercise in loading and unloading the van, something that we would become quite proficient at before the end of the trip. Part of our plans included staying in a different interesting hotel every night, and on this point we scored handsomely as we headed off across Dublin to the Radisson St. Helen’s. As a side note, they drive on the left over there, so the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. Obviously this is somewhat unnerving at first, and I swung the car around the parking lot at Finnstown’s a few times to get the feel. It was certainly my intention to display confidence to our group, but as I drove down the long entrance from the hotel and prepared to spill out on to the road, a sense of dread encapsulated me and I feared the worst; that my driving would not be up to task and that I would surely get us all killed. Happily--for whatever reason--I felt quite comfortable and managed to adapt to the traffic infrastructure rather easily, if I do say so (although traffic circles are vexing; more on that later).
So this was the start of our first full day in Dublin, and the itinerary was packed.
The Radisson proved to be another stunner with spectacular grounds and cozy rooms all set in a enormous stone mansion.
Plus, I only managed to miss the turn in to the lot twice! Built in 1750, the black and white marbled floored lobby exudes history with beautiful crafted furniture, exquisite details in the wall and ceiling details…and terrific staff. Check in completed, we walked across the grounds to Stillorgan Road to await the bus to downtown. Next…Trinity College, Guinness and much more!
Patti, Shelly, Mark and I arrived at Dublin port via the ferry across the Irish Sea from Holyhead, Wales.
The four of us had elected to arrive in London and take the train to the coast, while Liz and Andrew flew direct to Dublin, where they were to secure our van rental for the week.
As enjoyable as the crossing was,(after some last minute drama over our reservations) with our comfortable first class seating in the private
upstairs club (excellent food included!), our anticipation evenly matched by some fairly ambitious choppiness in the sea, a quick deflation set in as we established cell communication with Liz only to find that our van was not in her keep. Remember that the horror stories you hear about car rentals in Ireland are true; Liz had prepaid and was guaranteed an automatic transmission van for six upon landing at the airport….and it was not to be. No vehicle, no explanation, no nothing. Crestfallen, she and Andrew had made it by taxi to the Finnstown Hotel,
our first stay of the trip. We did the same, and, our party complete, settled in to what seemed to be a disaster for the future of our trek.
Now, in my life I have learned a few incontrovertible truths: you don’t tease the alligators in the swamps of Florida, you avoid the under lit side streets in Paris after dark and you never, ever cross Shelly.
After a discussion with the charming clerk at the Finnstown about our plight, she advised that we were being “nice” and that the rental company was taking advantage of us—we should call them and be firmer in our request that they uphold their end of the contract. And that was that; Shelly and Liz (who is tenacious enough in her own right) teamed up on the phone; advantage yanks. The morning brought a clear day, moderate weather and a blue 6 passenger automatic van delivered by a less than affable driver (“There… Ya happy now?”). Early morning victories on foreign soil taste the best.
Back to the Finnstown Country House Hotel…the town of Lucan just outside County Dublin is the home of this 18th century masterpiece of a hotel. 45 acres consist of rolling fields, lush forests and impeccably kept grounds with horses in the pasture and peacocks roaming freely. The mansion may be ancient, but the accommodations are first class and comfortable; modern as any hotel I have been in, yet retaining an indescribable charm. When we settled in we gathered in the Peacock Restaurant for an exceptional dinner; our first together on the Island. Retiring to the rooms came early, and sleep was immediate.
Tuesday morning brought our first exercise in loading and unloading the van, something that we would become quite proficient at before the end of the trip. Part of our plans included staying in a different interesting hotel every night, and on this point we scored handsomely as we headed off across Dublin to the Radisson St. Helen’s. As a side note, they drive on the left over there, so the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. Obviously this is somewhat unnerving at first, and I swung the car around the parking lot at Finnstown’s a few times to get the feel. It was certainly my intention to display confidence to our group, but as I drove down the long entrance from the hotel and prepared to spill out on to the road, a sense of dread encapsulated me and I feared the worst; that my driving would not be up to task and that I would surely get us all killed. Happily--for whatever reason--I felt quite comfortable and managed to adapt to the traffic infrastructure rather easily, if I do say so (although traffic circles are vexing; more on that later).
So this was the start of our first full day in Dublin, and the itinerary was packed.
The Radisson proved to be another stunner with spectacular grounds and cozy rooms all set in a enormous stone mansion.
Plus, I only managed to miss the turn in to the lot twice! Built in 1750, the black and white marbled floored lobby exudes history with beautiful crafted furniture, exquisite details in the wall and ceiling details…and terrific staff. Check in completed, we walked across the grounds to Stillorgan Road to await the bus to downtown. Next…Trinity College, Guinness and much more!
