March 30, 2017 - Top Ten Places to See in Dublin and Prepping for Moab

Elisa's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 13 DAYS

Dublin Must-Sees

Hello!

Boy has this week been a busy one.  I'm relatively beat, but it's not over yet.

Today, I still have Kelsey home.  She is on the mend, thank goodness, but I always stress about not sending these kiddos back to school before their immune system is a bit stronger. 

Is it just me, or does anyone else get totally stressed out when their kids are sick?  Doesn't matter how old they get, I still feel so ill at ease while they are sick!

Gianna had a very special day yesterday as she "shadowed" her classmate's sister on a day at one of the private high schools.

Although my first born's back was not 100% back to normal, having been dealing with an aggregated previous injury, she was well enough to attend this special day.

Arriving first thing in the morning like all the other high school students, her day was spent attending classes at this all girls academy and enjoying the usual daily experiences of a sophomore.

A bit nervous, but ever the trooper, Gianna wound up having a great time and loving the experience.  Her choice of high schools will include this one as well as another private school, which, unfortunately, does not offer "shadowing."  However, her cousin Nolan currently attends this "co-ed" high school, so Gianna will have a chance to tour it in the early Fall.

So hard to believe my little girl is getting emotionally and academically prepared for high school.

Here's my sick Kelsey in her jammies with her best fur-sister being used as a foot rest.

PUNKIN DOESN'T MIND BEING SMASHED BY HER BIG SIS (c) travelincousins.com

So, what does a mom do after 4 days of waiting on, cooking for, running to the pharmacy for, providing ice packs and generally being an on-call, 24-7 slave?

That's right - she goes out for an hour to get some pampering for a "bling"  manicure!

That's what I found an hour to do yesterday.  Let me tell you, it was the best hour ever!  I had one technician giving me a back massage while the other focused on beautifying my nails!

And let me reiterate, that you can never get enough glitter and sparkle!  

What do you think of this totally springtime pink and the serious glitter on my ring finger??

​Love it!!!

SPRINGTIME PINK MANI WITH BLING TO BRIGHTEN MY DAY AMIDST PLAYING NURSE TO MY TWO GIRLIES YESTERDAY (c) travelincousins.com

And now, on to some travel talk!!

Did you catch Tanya's re-cap from her time in San Francisco this week - her last and final stop on her Annual Trip to Park City, Utah?

Well, as for today, I wanted to chat about Ireland!

At present, I do not have an Ireland Trip on my teavel calendar, but I did find the most amazing article about Dublin that i wanted to share with you!

As you may be aware, I absolutely LOVE Ireland.  It was the very first European Country I visited with my daughters, and our trip was straight out of a storybook!

We stayed at a castle in Country Cork - Dromoland Castle, to be exact and in addition to doing all the funnest things possible in the Irish countryside such as archery, falconry and taking horse and carriage rides, we also managed to do a great deal of driving, touring around both Cork and Killarney.  

Check out my previous Throwback Story:
​THROWBACK THURSDAY:  Falconry, Archery & more  at Dromoland Castle Ireland - August 2012

IN SEAN KILKENNY'S BUGGY WITH PADDY THE HORSE IN FRONT OF DROMOLAND CASTLE (AUGUST 2012) (c) travelincousins.com

However, we did not visit Dublin during this trip which is now on my radar to visit in the not to distant future and this is why this article, published in IrishCentral.com caught my eye. And, now I'm going to share it with you!

Top ten tourist attractions to see in Dublin

DUBLIN - IRELAND'S CAPITAL (credit: irishcentral.com)

According to Conn Corrigan, article author: 

"Dublin, Ireland's capital, has changed enormously in recent years - as has the country - but the city still manages to combine the old with the new. Even though the city center has a metropolitan feel to it, visitors here will still get a sense of Dublin's history." 

Here are Mr. Corrigan's Top 10 Tourist Attraction Picks, courtesy of Irish Central:

1. Guinness Storehouse

The Guinness Storehouse consists of seven floors, each one giving visitors a look into how Guinness is made.  Interestingly, the core of the building is shaped like a giant pint glass!

​
2. Kilmainham Gaol

(credit: irishcentral.com)

Kilmainham Gaol tells part of the story of Irish history. The leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were executed here while several Irish nationalist leaders were imprisoned here over the years.

​
3. Trinity College Dublin

(credit: irishcentral.com)

Best known for the Book of Kells, (for which I own a mini reproduction book, which I cherish!), the "Long Room" is where the book is held!

The college was founded by England's Queen Elizabeth in 1592 and is packed with history.

​
​4.  Phoenix Park

(credit: irishcentral.com)

This park is the largest urban enclosed park in Europe and is more than twice the size of New York’s Central Park and is also home to the residence for the President of Ireland, Áras an Uachtaráin, as well as Dublin’s zoo.

​
5. National Gallery of Ireland

(credit: irishcentral.com)

The collection includes some 2,500 paintings and about 10,000 other works in various forms. Major Irish work includes that of Jack B. Yeats (the brother of William Butler) and of Louis le Brocquy, Ireland’s greatest living artist.

Admission to the permanent exhibit is free!

​
​6. Leinster House

(credit: irishcentral.com)

The house of the Irish government, Leinster House is full of history. Admission is free, however, visitors from outside Ireland interested in getting a tour, must arrange so in advance by contacting their embassies to make arrangements.

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7. Croke Park

(credit: irishcentral.com)

For the sports enthusiasts, Croke Park is the headquarters of the main sporting body in Ireland, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), who are in charge of hurling and Gaelic football.

This is also the fourth-largest sports stadium in Europe. If you are interested in securing tickets, it's best to get them at the beginning of the season  around May.

A visit to this stadium should also include a tour (which can be arranged) and a walk through the GAA Museum.

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​8. St. Patrick’s Cathedral

(credit: irishcentral.com)

Ireland’s largest church, St. Patrick's Cathedral is a must-see according to Mr. Corrigan.

The church was founded in the 12th century, and contains plenty of history. Jonathan Swift, the author of “Gulliver’s Travels”, who was the dean of the Cathedral from 1713-45, is buried here.

For the music lovers, St. Patrick’s Cathedral hosts choral concerts regularly, which are worth keeping an eye open for.  "If you do get tickets for a concert here, it is strongly advisable to bring a cushion, as sitting on the hard wooden benches for over two hours can be a fairly numbing experience" says Mr Corrigan.

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9. Dublin Castle

Ireland is full of lovely castles and Dublin Castle is  one of them with a long history. as the former center of British rule in Ireland.

The best thing to visit here today is undoubtedly the Chester Beatty Library, which has some of the finest collections of Eastern art in the world. Alfred Chester Beatty, an American mining magnate, was a major collector of Eastern art and he moved his collection to Ireland in 1950. Dublin Castle also contains a police museum. Admission is free.
​

10. Christ Church Cathedral

(credit: irishcentral.com)

A short walk from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral is one of Dublin’s oldest buildings and includes in its exhibition various rare manuscripts, historic artifacts and gold and silverware. 

The Cathedral is also notable for hosting the first performance of Handel’s Messiah and it continues to put on various choral performances. 


Wow - this is just making me chomp at the bit to plan my trip to Dublin immediately.  Please drop a line if you have visited Dublin and a bit about your experiences!!!

A few Ireland Throwbacks...

ENTRANCE TO THE WALLED GARDEN AT DROMOLAND CASTLE (c) travelincousins.com

MY GIRLS IN THE WALLED GARDEN (c) travelincousins.com

GIANNA WITH "TJ" ON HER ARM AT 8 YEARS OLD (c) travelincousins.com

RATHBAUN CASTLE (c) travelincousins.com

SCONE MAKING AT A RATHBAUN FARM (c) travelincousins.com

KELSEY FEEDING A LAMB (AT 5 YEARS OLD) (c) travlincousins.com

OUTSIDE RATHBAUN FARM WITH A LOCAL DOG FRIEND (c) travelincousins.com

AT A LOCAL PUB (c) travelincousins.com

THE CLIFFS OF MOHER (c) travelincousins.com

ON A BUGGY RIDE TO MUCKROSS HOUSE IN THE RAIN (c) travelincousins.com

I've decided that I'm taking Gianna to the doctor today.  I am just at my wits end about what to do - it's so difficult to watch her in so much pain. 

I'm not sure what the doctor is going to tell me, but, it's worth seeing if she has any advice.

So, I'm going to sign off now.  

Have a happy day!

-E
xoxo

Tanya's Daily Scoop
NEXT TRIP DEPARTS IN: 7 DAYS

Getting ready for Moab

It's another Thursday and although I just got back from my Road Trip to Park City - Lake Tahoe - San Francisco.

I've only got a week (a busy week at that) before my next trip and heading back out on the road. This time to Moab!

And being that it is a Thursday that also means TBT so why not toss is some TBT pics and stories from Moab...

Adventures in the Southwest

Moab, Utah 2016 (c)travelincousins.com

Related reading:
A Birdwald birthday & Moab for Mother's Day  Part 1

Moab, Utah 2015 (c)travelincousins.com

Moab, Utah 2016 (c)travelincousins.com

More related reading:
A Birdwald Birthday and Moab for Mother's Day Part 2

Moab, Utah 2015 (c)travelincousins.com

Moab, Utah 2015 (c)travelincousins.com

Moab, Utah 2016 (c)travelincousins.com

Oh the FUN we have! 

And as you can see Moab = mountain biking for us, and thus the ski season is officially over (for me) and now the time has come to break out our mountain bikes and hit the dirt!

But just because we are hitting the dirt doesn't mean that I can't be all prettified...
So of course my nails will be look perfect and my lips will be done to the nines wearing my new obsession in lip color...

I am seriously so obsessed with this product. It is truly the most amazing lipstick EVER!

Totally covered from top to bottom and side to side in patents - there is nothing else like it. 

I've even became a Lipsense distributor #311447

And you know me...
Well most of you already know me and know that I am NOT a salesperson whatsoever.

In fact - I really really really hate selling things.

I also love💄lipstick, but as you have probably noticed I hated wearing it (and was never in my life obsessed with it) because it just NEVER lasted, always smudged and got on just about everything!

Well not anymore...

Because this product is seriously seriously amazing. 
No joke. I'm totally addicted - have I already mentioned that?!

Now I'm wearing lipstick💋all the time and I'm absolutely loving it!

I'm not saying any of this because I'm now selling it - I'm selling it because I LOVE IT and I kinda sort of have the feeling that you will too!!!💋💋

Sooooo if you are even the slightest curious - drop me a line and I'd be happy to become your friendly Lip "Crack" dealer! lololol

Oh and by the way - there is a 100% money back guarantee - so how could you go wrong?!

So with all of the colors that I've been buying and all of the color combinations that are available (2 colors make 27 different shades!)   I have lots and lots to match all of the outfits that I'll be planning to take on our upcoming trips! 

And since I hadn't shared with you any travel updates for this week here they are:

Hawaii flights are finally BOOKED!

Portland flights have also been BOOKED!

We are also working on the excursions that we'll take while on the Western Caribbean Cruise this summer, but one that is for sure that we will be going to is the Chichen Itza ruins.

Chichen Itza (Credit) Pinterest

​Chichen Itza is the most famous Mayan Ruins site in all of Mexico.  It has been designated as a UNESCO world heritage site, and the main pyramid, El Castillo, was declared as one of the 7 wonders of the world in 2006 after a worldwide vote.  El Castillo is, indeed, perhaps the most recognizable structure in the entire Mayan Empire, but you'll be surprised at how many other magnificent structures still exist at Chichen Itza today.

And we just had so much fun while in SF that I need to take a peak at our calendar and book another trip for us to go back there are do more some more exploring!!  
​I'm thinking maybe sometime in November or December..

Have you had a chance to check out Elisa's post about what to do in Dublin?

Both Elisa and I have a real fondness for Ireland - it's such a beautiful country and with the utmost friendly countrymen! 

Well as you know we'll be heading back to Ireland next March 2018 and while I've already done a number of things on the list, what I haven't done and will be putting on our itinerary is Trinity College and the  Guinness Storehouse.

Now how about some more Throwbacks...

But this time just to my birthday weekend (March 18/19) - since I hadn't been able to share these with you quite yet! 

SATURDAY

At Petco Park for the World Baseball Classic (c)travelincousins.com

World Baseball Classic at Petco Park (c)travelincousins.com

At Petco Park for the World Baseball Classic (c)travelincousins.com

SUNDAY

At Dodger Stadium (c)travelincousins.com

Downtown Los Angeles (c)travelincousins.com

Huntington Gardens (c)travelincousins.com

Huntington Gardens (c)travelincousins.com

Huntington Gardens (c)travelincousins.com

Lunch with the fam bam (c)travelincousins.com

Well here is where I'm gonna wrap it up.

Since there is no skiing or mountain biking today - I'm about to head to the good ol' gym. 

Gotta get my workout on!

​-T