Well it’s the end of what is technically our second day in Dublin, but it really feels like our third day already.  Overall the trip has been great so far, and there’s been a ton of quick lessons for Amanda and I along the way.  Almost all of them have been positive, with the exception of a few things that “we’d do differently next time”.  But I think that’s how it always goes.

One of the things that has surprised me the most is how well the kids have managed with the transition.  A redeye flight, 5 hour time change, and living in another culture have hardly phased them at all.  Granted the 3/4 mile walk from where we got off the bus form the airport to our AirBnB in the rain, when it was 55*F outside, with all our stuff, and without much sleep wasn’t too fun.  But even then I only heard “I want to go home!” a couple of times.  They really have been great troopers and I couldn’t be more proud of them.

What’s really interesting (really in just our first full day) is how the kids aren’t at all into the typical attractions and want to see all the local stuff.  We passed by St. Patrick’s Cathedral today and they were totally into taking pictures of the Tulips instead of playing on the fountain or even going into the church.  I was surprised.  Granted, the hit of the whole event was playing on the playground there (definitely not up to US safety codes, which made it even more fun looking to me!), which was a great escape for them.

We’re finding that things in Dublin shut down in the mid afternoon for the day.  There are plenty of places that stay open all day, like pubs and grocery stores, but all of the typical, locally owned stores only operate between like 9-3.  That may just be how they roll here.  When we were in Spain last year the whole idea of a siesta threw us off…dinner didn’t ever start before 7 pm, so I guess this is the local twist that we’re finding here in Dublin.

In terms of our mindset I have to say that being here and a bit on our own has really been freeing for me.  With my work it’s going really well (the time zone difference is actually a bit of an asset if I use it right I think) and all of the free time I have without the job is great to be able to give us the freedom we want to go explore or just be lazy around the house.  I’m sure I’ll find my groove in terms of work/family/personal time over the next week or so, and will probably only hit my rhythm once we get to Madrid for the 2 weeks we’re spending there.

I’ll let Amanda chime in on how she’s feeling about that side of things as well, but I think it’s really going well thus far.  We both know there are going to be huge obstacles along the way (like our hike to the apartment here, but x10) and we’re just trying to set ourselves up to take the good with the bad.  And so far the good has been pretty damn good.

More to report in a few days as we explore the Guinness brewery and take a bus tour of the city.

Cheers!