First off, forgive any typos or strange word choice in this entry as we came to Dublin via a Delta flight from Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., to Logan Airport in Boston, and then the transatlantic (in coach) to Dublin. The first flight left D.C. at about 6:30 and landed a little after eight, and the second flight left a little after 11 p.m. Eastern Time and landed at 8:45 a.m. Dublin time.

I thought it sounded like plenty of time to sleep– but I didn’t account for the four-hour time difference (which changes back to five hours Sunday) which meant the plane technically left at a little after 11 p.m. and landed at 4:45 a.m. eastern time. And on top of that, they did a dinner meal service right after take-off (which M and I both skipped) and that meant we couldn’t recline our seats until midnight.

Not that reclining our seats added comfort. Those seats felt like sitting on a boulder and today my ass hurts.

And then they did a light breakfast and drink service at the equivalent of 4 a.m. eastern.

If you were good at falling alseep on planes, you are looking at 4 hours of sleep on this flight. I am not good at falling asleep on planes. My watch says I got one hour and 18 minutes of sleep, but M and I think that figure might be closer to two hours.

But enough bitching. I’m thrilled to be here and having a great time, even if my meager nap got interrupted meaning I only gained another ten minutes of sleep.

That is also why I am not dealing with too many photos right now. I will do a photo gallery later.

Also: random side note– the European Union rules on how web sites can collect data are very different from the United States so I am constantly reviewing cookies and practices that I use every day at home as if I am seeing them for the first time. Accept cookies?

We are staying in the Hyatt Centric, The Liberties, Dublin. My room has a pod-fed espresso machine, an electric tea kettle, a selection of teas, unrefrigerated milk in a glass jar, and a bottle opener. I wondered if I needed it for something– the bottle opener– but then I realized:

I’m in Ireland. The assumption is everyone in Ireland needs a bottle opener at some point of the day.

M. mentioned to the immigration officer at the airport that it was colder than he expected. And the officer replied:

“It’s always warm in the pub.”

M thought he said “in the pool.”

I reminded him we were in Ireland. Not pool.

The main event today was touring Trinity College with M’s family member doing her graduate work here.

The tower in the one photo from Trinity houses a bell, and there’s a superstition that if you walk under the bell and it rings, you will fail your exams. And the bell rings at random intervals, according to our student attending, so you never know…

M and I have separate rooms and I chose this one downstairs– and it does not have the traditional desired view. M’s room looks to the street and St. Patrick’s Catherdral.

But I like this view, the angles of the hotel, it’s modern lines, and the traditional brick building in the distance.

Doors seem to be a theme for me on this initial day of wandering 10,000 steps around Dublin. So here’s another… for all my classic punk fans…