Day 4 - Welcome to Dublin

This morning we said goodbye to Killarney and headed to Dublin for the second half of our trip.  We boarded a train with our friends Maeve and Gerry, who are with the destination management company in Ireland that is helping us with all of the arrangements for next year's trip. 

When you see them next year, make sure you say hello.  We couldn't do it without them!

The train ride from Killarney to Dublin takes about 3 hours and travels through beautiful countryside.  The cars are very comfortable, which made for a very enjoyable trip.

Once in Dublin, we made our way to the Shelbourne Hotel, a national treasure that was built in 1824.  The Shelbourne was recently completely restored and is considered one of the finest hotels in Dublin. 

At the hotel we conducted a tasting of the menu for our first evening dinner in Dublin.  The food was incredible and we all left the table completely stuffed.  I'm sorry I forgot to take pictures...I was too busy eating!

After a tour of the hotel, we checked into our rooms and had a little time to relax.  I took the opportunity to walk across the street to St. Stephen's Green, Dublin's largest public park and one of the grandest gardens in Europe. 

Dinner this evening was at the Jameson Distillery, home of Ireland's famous triple-distilled whiskey.  We enjoyed an interesting tour of the distillery, then dinner and a very entertaining Irish show. 

Sorry for the short post today.  Our travel schedule cut into my photo opportunities.  But, no worries, tomorrow is another day and I promise to return with plenty of interesting pictures.  See you soon and keep those comments coming!