Hello Family & Friends:
It’s been four years since I have written anything here. In the past I used this blog as a place to share insights for clients, but now I’m ready to share something personal. After publishing a short memoir, I’m not so afraid to have something to say.
And thanks to loads of personal effort and ignoring my worst fears, I now have something interesting to write about!
Two weeks ago, after boxing up and stowing my entire life in a storage unit, I embarked on a journey to Ireland. This has been a life-long dream and I’m not getting any younger. I figured if I didn’t get to it, it might not happen.
My sister says that travel is just solving a lot of problems and trying to have a good time while you are doing it. She’s not wrong. I have encountered a lot of challenges, and I’m only two weeks in.
But along with the problem solving, I have encountered incredible beauty. And because I am at a crossroads in life, full of hard choices, I need to lean into that beauty. Really soak it up and appreciate that life is more than problems to solve.
I’m also keeping a photo journal of my experiences, which family and friends have asked me to share. So here goes.
I hope you enjoy the journey with me.
Days 1-3: Dublin
I left the U.S. on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, and arrived in Dublin early on the morning of April 1st, stayed in Dublin for three days.
Sunrise over Dublin
First view of the island. I spent the first week in Ireland waking up every day thinking, “I’m in Ireland. I’m in Ireland!” It seemed so unreal. I couldn’t believe that I am actually here!
Took a bus ride from the airport into the city, about a 40 minute drive.
The River Liffey runs through the center of Dublin.
Christ Church Cathedral through the bus window.
Walking to my hostel was a real trip! There are no street signs here, just plaques on buildings in obscure places.
You can’t really navigate by street signs because there aren’t any! Got lost a few times before I finally found it. 
The city is packed with people, buses and narrow busy streets.
Went walk-about near the hostel on the first day to find resources, grocery stores, etc. The shops here are small and cramped. The local “grocery stores” are hardly more than a glorified U.S. convenience store. Gluten and dairy free were in very short supply!
By the second day I was bravely venturing further into the heart of the city. I found that if I gave myself a reference point (Christ Church Cathedral and the river) I could find my way back to the hostel easily.
Every walk into the city took me past several pastry shops.
This is the “Rolling Donut,” a sourdough donut shop. Sadly, NOT dairy or gluten free.
The “Peace Garden” across from the cathedral.
I did not see a lot of the traditional sites on my three days in Dublin. It took me a couple of days to recover from jet lag and figure out how to get around, so I was doing a lot of walking. I had to find the stop for my bus tour pick up, so I practiced that route. My biggest challenges were food and transportation.
I will see more of the Dublin sites on the final leg of this trip with Robbie.
On my final day in Dublin I took a bus tour to the Glendalough monastic site, Wicklow Mountains (they are really just big hills!), and Kilkenny Castle. More on that plus photos in the next post.
That’s all for today. See you next time! 
Anne