The Irish Trip – Day 1 Getting There

We got picked up from home at 5pm and headed for the airport. This would be our first flight ever with Emirates and we were interested to compare with our other experiences.

We actually were checked in by humans which was great. The automatic passport checking booth failed to recognise Jeanette as it always does. The flight left about 15 minutes ahead of schedule which was another big tick. Our aircraft was an Airbus 380 which is our favourite type and it seemed very new. The cabin crew were friendly and helpful.

The downsides were the flight from Melbourne to Dubai is 14 hours which seemed to take forever. Despite a generous number of cabin staff, the meal service took an incredibly long time and the wine was strictly rationed at one glass of wine per person per flight and that was served with the second meal.

We finally made Dubai, had a two and a bit hour stop over then onto a Boeing 777 for the final 8 hour leg to Dublin. The Cabin crew were very nice but the aircraft was old and the seats were very small and cramped.

Finally made it into Dublin feeling incredibly secondhand. Immigration and Customs waved us through with a smile. We collected our bags, got them down to the ground level out into the Dublin air, across a busy road to where we could see taxis pulling up. But this was the drop off lane so back across the busy road, into the terminal, up to a higher level, across the road bridge then down to the pick up point.

We got a cab and headed for our hotel. We had timed our arrival on the day of the All Irish Football Grand Final between Galway in Maroon and Armagh in Orange. The streets and the pubs were packed to overflowing with supporters in their team colours slowly making their way to the grounds .

Our driver was not impressed as Dublin for the first time in many years had not made the Grand Final and he didn’t approve of all these farmers taking Dublin’s rightful place. He would occasionally wind down the window and yell some comment in Gaelic at the crowd. I am not sure what he said but every one seemed happy and just waved.

Given the narrow streets, the football crowds and a mob of pro Palestinian demonstrators, our progress was pretty glacial but we finally made it to our hotel. It had been 29 hours since we left home.

The receptionist, probably taking pity on our disheveled state, let us check in early (nearly 3 hours before the stated time) and we went to the room and collapsed.