September 19 2016 Ireland: 50 Shades of Green!!

We caught an early train in Northampton after returning our car.  After a few stops, we transferred to the Virgin Train to Holyhead.  It was a very comfortable train :-).  We passed many quaint villages and interesting sights.  We went through Wales as the train goes right along the coast.  Amazingly, we saw big windmills that were standing in the ocean!  How does that work?  We passed many meadows of sheep and cows. Some of those grazing animals had beautiful coastal views.  Now we understand why there are so many delicious lamb dishes at restaurants!  The train actually passes through a coastal castle.  We arrived in Holyhead and got on our "Irish Ferries" ship - not to be confused with the Stena ship, which queues and departs right next to us.  My sweet, rich husband upgraded us to the First Class Lounge, which is on the 11th deck with a great view of our passing to Ireland.  It was a great day for sailing - sunshine and a few beautiful clouds! :-)

Train to Holyhead

Train to Holyhead

Jeri was tired!

Train to Holyhead

Contemplating life!

Train to Holyhead

Train to Holyhead

Train to Holyhead

Holyhead Train Station

The Irish Ferry Ulyssee

Ulyssee

Aboard the Ulyssee. We upgraded to the Class Lounge. Less noisy and a great view from the front of the ship.

Ulyssee

Jeri admiring the beautiful view.

Ulyssee Ferry

Beautuful blue ocean.

Ulyssee Ferry

Sunset

Dublin

This a a canal just outside of the Schoolhouse Hotel.

Schoolhouse Hotel

Jeri relaxing in the hallway to our room at the Schoolhouse Hotel. This is a wonderful hotel in a nice quiet section of Dublin. The decor was fantastic.  Not too far from Trinity College. This hotel was recommended to us and we would highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Dublin.

Bar 51

No, this is not the 51st bar we visited. This is a pub that we had dinner in after we checked into the Schoolhouse Hotel. We could have had a wonderful dinner at the hotel, but we wanted to explore the neighborhood a bit.