“They lived and laughed and loved and left” … James Joyce

There is a mystical aura in a Dingle sunrise (a little later than the summer), the sky lightens and heavenly beams break through the mist and fog. This time of year the lush green of the Conor Pass coppers and rusts.

Our departure from Dingle through the Conor Pass is a sweet goodbye as we head to  Dublin’s fair city.  Once again, the ever changing weather,  one moment sunny, then rainy while sunny, then grey clouds tumbling in, provides a show that is intriguing. 

We ramble through one village after another until we finally pop out and hop on the M50 . ( We are feeling quite full of ourselves driving effortlessly on the left side of the road at 80-100kph while other nubies are chugging along at 60kph…) while country lanes with switchbacks and sheer cliff edges offer a challenge, city driving also provides an arcade meets life opportunity.

We arrive in Dublin in time to settle in before heading into the big city Saturday night life! Our AirBnb is just by the Spire on O’Connell St. The spire is a tribute to the hope and transformation of the city following the 1916 Irish Rebellion.

Just around the corner, the Portal to the World attracts visitors to see other places in realtime. It had been open to NYC during the month of August, but now we were treated views and fun human interactions in Lithuania and Poland.

Well despite a phenomenal compression of packing (a travel crib, a travel stroller and a very expert collection of carry on luggage) we wrestle our many bags and ourselves up to our 4th floor ( actually 5th by American standards) Air B&B. A quick reset before we head out.

If you find yourself in Dublin, the Temple Bar scene is the stuff stories are made of. Dublin is not the quaint and quiet vibe of Doolin or the countryside charm of Dingle. It is a busy party scene. It is Saturday night of a holiday weekend (who knew). We wander through the bustling streets of Temple Bar to The Quays Dublin, a cheery bar with a mix of tourists and locals with very good pub food.

Emily had studied in Dublin and was reminiscing about her time there.   While waiting for a table, we strike up a conversation with a couple who coincidentally live a short distance from us at home and will be on our return flight. Small world!

Sunday breaks with a sunny, but very windy day! We make to trek to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and then onto brunch at Brother Hubbards North , a very trendy (and delicious) restaurant. Dublin is beautiful this time of year. The colors of fall are everywhere.  

A lovely day seeing the sites of Dublin, with the obligatory visit to the Guinness Storehouse for mom and dad, while Bodhi and Gigi roam through Trinity College and St. Stephen’s Green with Nora. 

The swans and ducks were unphased by the windy conditions and enjoyed swimming in the pond. We had to brace ourselves not to be swept away in the gusts. The gazebo was full of people with flowers and candles coming together for an unfortunate, but touching tribute by young(ish) fans of Liam Payne, of One Direction,who had died the day before.

The park was full of families, couples, friends etc all enjoying a lovely fall day. After touring all the edges of the park, we make our way to the shopping area and have two cappuccinos and a latte!

The day has come to return home. We have throroughly enjoyed our venture into traveling internationally with a grandchild. Miss Nora is a very happy little one, who rolled with the punches and made it seem easy. After a 7 hour flight home, the lady in the seat in front of us, turned and said “She was amazing… She will be a lifelong global traveler!”  She definitely encouraged us to do it again with our other grandchildren. Watch for our next multigenerational travel!