We finally made it to Dublin this morning after two days of traveling, including a 12-hour layover in Chicago. I had completely forgotten that we had scheduled it this way, I was thoroughly convinced we went straight from San Francisco to Dublin with no stops. And I was excited about it.
But our detour was a delightful surprise. We stayed the night with Andy's YWAM friend Seanna, who lives in a suburb called Glen Ellyn, waking up to a breakfast at Honey Cafe and visiting Wheaton College to see the wardrobe that inspired C.S. Lewis in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We can't wait to go visit Chicago again to spend more time with Seanna and see all the Chicago sights sometime in the near future.
Once back on the plane, we were determined to sleep as much as possible so we could hit the ground running once we arrived. That plan didn't work out so well. So while we did accomplish our "whirlwind" tour of Dublin, we are tired.
Ireland coming into view, green and fairly flat. This island has been inhabited since the dawn of time. Amazing.
I had never been to Dublin before, or even Ireland, despite living in England. While I liked what I saw, I know there are other cities I love more. Sitting at our pub dinner of fish & chips and my soup with buttermilk bread, we agreed that we would like to perhaps come back for a longer stay and explore the countryside, but as far as the city is concerned, we aren't too bummed to be leaving so soon.
Oh, and can I just say that the butter in the pub that came in the little foil packets was better than any butter sold in U.S. grocery stores? Besides Kerrygold, which just so happens to be an irish import. After just one taste, I used two whole packets in their entirety on two small pieces of bread.
Hello, you're a most welcome sight.
River Liffey, cutting Dublin into two parts.
At long last, Andy's dream has come true. This is THE Guinness storehouse. Read his blog for his entertaining account of how long it took us to find it.
There is a lounge/bar area built onto the top of the storehouse with great views of Dublin. We cashed in our free ticket for a pint and snagged two chairs in front of the windows. A very welcome respite for our feet. 
On to Belfast tomorrow!
