Four days before Christmas and my festive travels plans were still to be determined. I had been trying to see if I could get something booked in Namibia for the holidays but I came to realize that Namibia is high in demand and the holidays are no exception. These are the downsides to last minute travel planning. So I pulled up probably my most visited webpage, Google Flights, to be my guide on alternative options. Flying out of London, I looked up to the north, and there was my answer, Ireland.
I had wanted to save Ireland for warmer weather but I thought, screw it, I’d have to bundle up most places I traveled to at that time of year. Plus, talk about a festive ambiance of pulling up to a charming castle and cuddling up to the fireplace … yes, this was a spot-on decision the more I considered it. I found a handful of accommodations around Ireland that still had some spots left for their three-night Christmas experience. There were visits with Santa, movie nights, game night, falconry and lots of stuffing your face full of food. Comparing their pictures of fireplace coziness (and costs associated with such delight) I opted for the Glenlo Abbey in Galway, on the west side of the Island. Not exactly a castle but lots of charm, history and an attached Abbey that “looked” very much the castle-esque part.
So! The hard part of the equation was done, the other part was figuring out how else to disperse my time and get around the country. There is a great train network in Ireland, but, with the holidays, that meant highly reduced service and train times. Most people rent a car but I always try and avoid driving solo with long drives because I struggle with sleepiness behind the wheel. But … I was going to have to make this work, so I reserved a car, booked my Aer Lingus flight into Dublin and mapped out my plan.
December 23 - Fly into Dublin
December 24 - Drive from Dublin to Galway
December 24 - 27 - Glenlo Abbey Christmas Experience
December 28 - Drive from Galway to Cork
December 29 - Drive from Cork to Dublin
December 30 - Fly back to London
So Christmas Eve-Eve (or Festivus if you have ever watched Seinfeld) and I touched down into Dublin and went to pick up my rental car. I had reserved an automatic but the gentleman behind the counter asked if I wanted a manual. I responded “sure, if you don’t mind me tearing up the transmission … I haven’t driven a manual in 15 years”. He smiled and opted to continue with the automatic. I shrugged, hey, I’ve got the rental insurance so … ya know. He gave me the row and spot number to go get my car and off I went. As I pulled up to, let’s call it L10, I saw my little Citroen. I wheeled my bag around the back and looked for the handle to open to trunk/hatchback …. still looking … still looking and finally I put my hands to the glass to peer inside and realized there was no “back.” The end of the car was the back seats, that was it, no more. This was the size of a smart car, I had never driven anything so small before! Ok, so I squeezed my bag into the back seat and swung around the “right” side to get into the driver's seat (I was so proud of myself for getting into the correct side of the car!).
I threw my backpack on the passenger seat and looked to get out of the parking lot. I started the car, put my foot on the brake and stared down at the shifter in confusion. Where the hell was drive? Or where the hell was park for that matter? These were not normal automatic options, this was like a manual hybrid. But what was E? Not wanting to go back to the rental counter like an idiot, I tried googling the answer with the car type, but did not have much luck and it didn’t help that I was getting about 1G data speeds on my phone. So I embarrassingly walked back to the counter and said, “ok, the jigs up, dumb question but how do i get the car out of the parking lot without drive?” A different gentleman this time and he was nice enough not to laugh and told me to “E” was what I needed to drive, and when i needed to park to throw it in neutral and pull up the handbrake. Alright, that’s easy enough but I walked away wondering if I had missed out on this new breed of automatic vehicles, since when are we driving automatics in “E?”
Ok, car in “E” and I successfully made it out of the parking lot, a Christmas miracle! But after a few minutes of driving, a high pitch noise starts going off. I’m looking around, the doors are properly closed. Finally about ten minutes into the drive, I realize the car thinks there is an unbuckled, real person in the passenger seat because my backpack is so heavy. For criminy sake! Citroen to the rescue of saving my bookbag in a collision. Should I call myself a solo traveler if Citroen considers my backpack a live being? Food for thought.
I booked the Morrison hotel in Dublin, so after navigating into downtown and successfully getting into the tiny parking garage (remember while driving on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the street), I was so excited to be welcomed into the hotel with freshly baked, warm out of the oven, chocolate chip cookies! For me, these were celebratory cookies of a vehicular success! The receptionist saw how over the moon I was, that little chocolate chip twinkle in my eye and probably crumbs on my lips, he gave me a second cookie and told me they were unlimited if I wanted more! Umm. yes, I think this is the way to start every trip, wouldn’t you agree?? (If you’re too good for freshly baked cookies, I’m afraid we can’t be friends anymore)
Relishing in my melting chocolate cookie high, I dropped my bags in the room and high tailed it outside to go explore downtown. I was really hoping to find a Christmas market with hot wine to still be open, but no such luck. The bars were all hoppin’ though and the famed Temple bar exuded the holiday spirit, draped in Christmas lights on the outside and packed shoulder to shoulder on the inside.
Cheers and Merry Christmas Eve-Eve Dublin!
