you are very welcome here

The airline captain, bartenders, tour operators and hotel staff all greeted us the same - "you are very welcome here." It struck me as a very formal yet charmingly irish welcome. 

Other than the fact that my luggage didn't catch the same plane from London as we did, we had an long, uneventful yet relaxing trip over the pond. Although we missed the kids dreadfully I think I speak for the both of us in saying that our first trip together to Europe was wonderful.  We got a great feel for the two cities that we stayed in and were so fortunate to also get a good sense of Ireland's and Scotland's famous countrysides. Breathtaking. 

For the most part the Irish were friendly and hospitable. We were both struck by how many Eastern Europeans were in Dublin. The EU's open borders have resulted in "foreign" ownership of a pile of Irish pubs and hotels.

Our first selfie on Irish soil awaiting an airport bus to take us into Dublin.

One of Dublin's endless charming streets.

Among our first stops was the classic Guinness storefront. It's impeccably done - truly a marketers dream. 

Watching my pint and Cody's baby pint settle while enjoying the 360 degree views from the top of the Guinness "tower".

Malty goodness.

A happy man - enjoying our walk in the sun.

One of the stops we enjoyed - the Dublin Archaeological Museum. Ireland has such a rich and violent history. Here's a Viking that didn't fair too well.

One of the infamous Bog People. And in keeping with the violent history of most of the discovered Bog People, this guy was decapitated and had his entrails pulled out which you can see were preserved.

Happily walking through the streets in search of our next adventure.

A classic scene in a big, old city.

A famous destination - The Temple Bar. A beautiful place located in the heart of a whole area of vibrant pubs. If I remember correctly, we enjoyed a couple pints and some grand Irish music there.

One of our first views of Ireland's green countryside seen from the breakfast table of our train. Bliss.

Our train's destination. I forget what it was called but it's cup of charm overfloweth'd.

A peak at the Blarney castle and it's pristine gardens. 

One of the views from the top of Blarney Castle. My knees were a little wobbly up there. It's old, slick and steep.

Kissing the Blarney Stone - here's hoping it was cold sore free.

Cody's turn - now where's the antiseptic.

Some of the cattle held in pasture at the Blarney grounds.

A magical street scape.

Almost makes me wish I was Catholic. No offence at all intended.

Can you spot the Border Collie laying in wait in the background?

The Shepard named Brendan that we had the pleasure to watch as he demonstrated his dogs collecting his sheep from up the hill.

Hard to capture the beauty of the Irish countryside. It truly is a million shades of green.

I cannot end this post without a huge shout out to our team of child minders. My sister, my mom and Cody's mom. They tag-teamed taking care of and absolutely spoiling Kate and Elliott. We're still hearing of adventures that you took them on.  You made our time apart so much easier for us and memories were certainly made for the two teams of Jorgensens. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next post - Scotland.

XO Aimee