Traveling…
It was something I only dreamt about doing but NEVER thought in a million years would be something I was able to do let alone frequently do. But, since becoming a coach and building my business that dream has become a reality.
When my friend Jessica, who had moved to Ireland for work asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, I knew I had to take the opportunity to stay and EXPLORE
On October 9th , 2019, I headed from Pittsburgh International Airport to Toronto Pearson International Airport for my layover before heading directly to Dublin. Toronto’s airport was IMPRESSIVE to say the least. After getting off the plane, they escorted us to an amazing area that had ipads on every table, tons of food options, cool art and plenty of places to relax and rest. I even did a live video because there was plenty of room to rest.
Then….it was time for the red eye. Because of my healthcare job, I wanted to make the most of the time I had off. It sounded like a great idea, take a red eye, hit the ground running and explore right? Oh boy, it was, until I came crashing down that afternoon lol.
I took a taxi from the airport to my first hotel which I would 100% RECOMMEND- The Jury’s Inn At Parnell Street. This was my first time being that far away, on my own, since I was meeting my friend and her bridal party in Ireland. The kindness of the staff was EVERYTHING. The hotel room was epic, it had a full tub which was super important for me because I was FREEZING lol. This was the first time I had ever willingly took a vacation to someplace colder so it was interesting.
Bonus, next door to the hotel was A DONUT SHOP! If you know me you know I had big plans for that. Once I got unpacked, I actually decided to stream one of my workouts in the hotel gym which had plenty of dumbbells to get a good workout in. It helped to wake me up and get ready for a night out in the city.
My friend getting married set me up with one of her friends to get a tour of the town and a traditional fish and chips dinner. On our walking tour, we went to The Trinity College of Dublin, it was so impressive. The buildings were incredible I was in awe of the architecture and history. As we walked the streets, it was quite clear the love and respect for the maintenance of these buildings was unreal. The windows at Ballsbridge literally stocked me in my tracks along with the style of South Georgian Core. With the time difference and being up all night/day, we headed back to my hotel and I quickly fell asleep.
On my second day, I woke up, streamed another workout and headed to get donuts in the north inner city. They were EPIC. After I got cleaned up, I headed out on the town to get some gifts for a few people and get my friend and her soon to be husband a special wedding present. Let’s just stay, I did not make it on foot because I got so lost. Thankfully, the taxi service was super easy and they helped me to find places to get gifts. After I got back to the hotel, I packed up and it was time to head to the wedding venue.
Our friends hired a bus and we made the trek south to Enniskerry where the wedding was being held at Powerscourt. Enniskerry is an adorable little town where several of us in the wedding party decided to stay to save some money and then took a taxi up the hill to Powerscourt. I stayed at a small inn called The Enniskerry Inn. The only issue was the wifi, it did not reach the room I was in and there was limited assistance from staff because they are not open 24/7.
That evening, we had our rehearsal dinner, got everyone prepared and then we had one of the best meals of my life. The food at the Powerscourt was DELICIOUS. I wore a super cute dress from Saved By the Dress that I absolutely adored and enjoyed a night getting to know the wedding party.
The next morning, one of the bridesmaids and I took a taxi up the hill to catch an incredible sunset in our suite where we were getting ready at. The Powerscourt is one of the most IMPRESSIVE places I have ever seen. The grounds were breathtaking and meticulously handled. Per the usual, I was freezing and headed downstairs to grab a coffee in the parlor (they provided some delicious cookies) and I took in the grounds walking around.
After my tour, it was time to put on our dresses and support our friend as she married her prince charming. This wedding truly felt like it was out of a story book. The setting, the vibes, the grounds and the wedding party truly made for an epic evening. Irish weddings last forever, there’s so many different parts and traditions it was really interesting to learn and experience. The evening ended with beautiful sparklers sending them off on their next epic journey.
The next morning, I had this grand plan….or so I thought. I woke up early, I had hired a taxi driver to pick me up and take me back to the city to catch a bus for a tour of I arrived at my second hotel (The Wynn) and the day from hell began. The hotel staff was not remotely friendly, I had put in a special request to check in early because I knew I would have to get ready and leave my belongings before I went on the full day tour I had planned.
After a not pleasant experience, I left my belongings because they would not let me check in and followed their directions. Well, their directions were completely wrong, I found myself trekking around in the pouring down rain trying to find where I was supposed to meet the tour guide and head out. After missing the bus because of the wrong directions, I made the long treck back to the hotel in hopes to shower and regroup. Instead, I was met with complete resistance by an extremely rude employee who refused to let me check in early even though I had set that up prior to arrival. Their only option was to allow me to sit in the parlor, soaking wet until I could check in at their time which was 6 hours later….yes I got to sit there for 6 years shaking, they didn’t assist me with anything.
Honestly, if I would have had a clue, I would have just planned to stay at the hotel I originally stayed at. I called family, so exhausted and upset, even considered going home early because the second half of my trip I was going to be by myself…the stress and travel exhaustion truly had kicked in. At one point, I was so cold and miserable, I walked back there to see if I could stay there. I was willing to take a huge hit just to be somewhere I felt comfortable at but they didn’t have any openings until a few hours later. Finally, they allowed me to check in and I immediately showered and jumped right into bed. After a good cry, I decided to woman up and find a way to salvage the day.
I remembered seeing an idea for a bus tour (when I was a traveling therapist if I lived in a city I always took the bus tour it’s a super affordable and neat way to see a city). After the bus tour, I found a movie theatre, got some snacks and saw The Joker. Such a good movie, so well done and the sour candies were to die for!
The next morning was my last full day with a second bus tour scheduled. This tour was northern Ireland, which included Belfast, Bushmills, Giants Causeway and the Carrick Rope Bridge. This tour was THE BEST DAY EVER! Seriously, the tour guide was super kind. When we entered Belfast, we took a black cab tour. This was very humbling, very informative and honestly emotional as we crossed enemy lines to see where this current active religious war was occurring. Our tour guide had been personally effected by the war and was even arrested at one point simply for his religious beliefs and his wife being from the other side of the wall.
The second option for the tour was The Titanic Museum, we stopped there after our cab tour to pick up fellow passengers and took a walk around. It was beautifully done and had so much history and heartbreak. After a quick break, we headed to The Giants Causeway. This literally took my breath away, something so beautiful, so natural that wasn’t man made…I loved hiking all over.
Our trip’s last part was the Carrick Rope Bridge, it required a bit of a hike, and once you got to the rope bridge due to the level of danger (ya know a rope bridge over water lol) we went one by one. The views were indescribable. At one point, it actually felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie when Harry and Dumbledore to go find the horcrux lol. This tour was worth every dollar and I HIGHLY recommend you utilize their services if you go to Ireland to get the most bang for your buck and to see the most you can in the time you have available.
The next morning, I completed a workout in the room, took a shower, packed and happily checked out, attempted to speak with a manager, obviously they were completely resistant…I would never recommend anyone stay there just an FYI. I did not feel safe being alone. When I got in my taxi, I was chatting with the driver about my stay. He asked me my experience at that hotel and he told me he continually kept hearing the same terrible things from other travelers which made me feel slightly better. I always strive to be kind when I go to new places but clearly it was not me.
Things I wish I would have got to do if I had more time:
