kennedyfamilytravels

The 9th Level of Hell aka American Airlines

Honestly, the title is probably one of many Vacation trilogy references in this post. Because right now, we truly are in that 9th level of hell. Also known as the Charlotte Airport. Where I have been sitting, waiting, hoping, and praying to finally embark upon a winged goddess, also known as a 747, and fly through the blue skies to Dublin. Alas, it has not happened yet. So here we sit, since 6:45 yesterday evening.

The trip started out well enough. We made it to CVG without much ado, loaded up, and made it rather quickly to Charlotte. Then things changed.

On the road Notice the happy, smiling, and hopeful faces

Next day faces of despair, lack of hope and sleep, and disdain for flying

Snacks and coffees during our original layover

After landing, we found our gate and headed that way. Joe and I sat down for refreshments and the boys grabbed coffee. And the first delay came. Fine, it’s an hour. Then, after about 45 minutes, the second delay. Thirty minutes. We got this. Little did we know….. Next delay to 10:55 (originally we were to take off at 9:10). Then, hey, let’s board this puppy. Ok, everyone lines up. Oh hold up there folks, the moose needs to check the plane first and make sure it’s ready. At this point, I’m chatting with the gate agent about boarding tips. Found out she’s from Poland and grew up in Germany. She tried to help. As we were chatting, I see the pilots leave the plane. Crap. I’ve been reading enough about American Airlines I know what is happening next. “Folks, the moose at the front said we’re going to try to get pilots and take off at 2:00 AM.” Sure. Because not two minutes later, we hear “Folks, I’m sorry to say we’re delayed until 7:00 pm tomorrow. Oh, and because it’s late, there are no hotels available!”

So we line up to get another flight to salvage our Saturday and Sunday. No go. I break out in hives. Joe and I try to find alternatives because we have an Aer Lingus flight at 5:00 out of Dublin to Berlin. I go back down to try to get into Frankfurt. Nope. Has to be within 300 miles of Dublin. The boys have walked the entire airport 16 times now. Patience is gone. We’re defeated. So the boys go to find us seats for the night.

Oh! I forgot Seamus ran into one of his saxophone buddies at the gate. His plane left. Ours did not.

We were up all night. Meanwhile we have Todd and Dee trying to cancel and handle things in Berlin. Joe had to rebuy our flights to Berlin. We miss the walking tour we were so looking forward to doing. This has been rough. Noise cancelling headphones are miracles. Honestly, I’m pretty sure you can smell me from the pictures.

Max trying to sleep in our second spot of the night

So at this point we start day 2 still in Charlotte hoping we get out at 7:00 tonight. Panera bagels to refuel. A long day of waiting is ahead. As Seamus said, “Things are going to turn around now!” Hopefully we don’t Heck it up-yes, we love The Middle. Watch it.

Here’s hoping the moose at the door changes the sign tonight.

The Hursts hit Iceland

Todd, Dee, Diana, Amanda, and Catherine started their journey from Sandusky after Todd finished up with some training. Heading to Toronto, their first stop was Reykjavik, Iceland and some sightseeing adventures.

They landed to a rainy day in Iceland at 8am. Waited an hour for their rental car and then headed off to the hotel to drop off luggage then explore the wilds of Iceland . They adventured to see a geyser and Gullfoss waterfall. Had some good fish and burgers to refuel before heading into Reykjavik.

It’s a misty hike down to the Falls for Diana, Catherine, Amanda and Todd

Just in case you weren’t aware! Only in Iceland

There she blows!

While on the way, Diana found her bag had locked and she didn’t know the combination! Panic set in until…. She realized she DID know the combination, she was pushing the wrong button to open the bag! Baggy will be making many journeys this time out!

Now the group was off to explore Reykjavik and check out the church!

Leif Erickson and the Hallgrimskirkja Church

Off bright and early to Berlin!

Steins and Shamrocks 2026

Ooops! We did it again! We scheduled another European vacation for the Hursts and Kennedys, and this time we’re bringing the Gerkes and the kids as well. A group of ten heading straight to Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Ireland. The Hursts will be leaving a bit before the Kennedys and Jake, as the latter both have work commitments to fulfill. During their early departure, the Hursts and one Gerke will be exploring Iceland so the girls can have their first tast of that amazing country. As always we ask, what’s the worst case scenario?

As of today, all reservations have been completed apart from a few ghost walks! I’m excited to take lots of pictures and learn about Auschwitz in person; a place I’ve taught through Elie Wiesel’s book for 30 years now. It truly doesn’t seem real honestly!

Now the fun begins with trying to pack lightly and hope that the airlines do their jobs!

The Shining Tour begins

Today we headed down to Stanley Village for breakfast at You Need Pie! We all know I love pie, but I restrained myself and didn’t have pie for breakfast 😉. We did have some really good food though!!

Delicious! Denver omelette for me and waffle for Joe

Next we picked up water at Safeway and wandered around the hotel for a bit before heading down to shop in Estes Park. Not much has changed and there are lots of little shops to peruse. We even found an Irish pub where we will have dinner tonight!!

My hurt elk from our drive home from breakfast. It did not look good

Yes I was upset!!

The ballroom getting ready for Flock of Seagulls tomorrow

The staircase

My own ice cream place. Unfortunately it was closed for the season

Now we were heading back up the mountain to hike a bit more. This time we headed in through the Fall River entrance and up to Deer Mountain trailhead. It was much colder today, but I saw the forecast and by Sunday it’s supposed to be 80! The sun came out though and it was great. The wind was whistling and although we didn’t reach the summit we had some great views. Next we drove up to Many Curves lookout, and there the road closed. Trail Ridge Road will not open again until May. I was secretly hoping we could sneak up, but no luck’

We think these are Sasquatch huts and they hide here at night!

My travel show preview

Clouds made it hard to see the snow on Long’s Peak

Somehow our hats didn’t fly off in the wind

Next it was back to the hotel to get ready for our Shining Tour of the hotel that evening. We checked out the grounds a bit and had a glass of wine at the 217 Wine Bar with the most magnificent views you can find. Then it was tour time! I’ll let the tour photos tell the tale, but we did learn there had been a bear at the hotel foraging in the trash the night before!!! I wish we would have witnessed that scene!!!

The Halloween game was strong at the Stanley

The view. This was the music room when the hotel was built. The afternoon sun was glorious

The back side of the hotel and the view from our room

Fire pits and waterfalls behind the hotel

This girl was amazing!!

Flora Stanley. She was heavy into the supernatural

Beautiful night. A bear was foraging out here the night before!

Our tour guide in the haunted men’s dorm. Lots of movie props in here

The clouds added to the spooky atmosphere

They spent $2.5 million to refurbish this building. It’s gorgeous

Little children ghosts run here

The dogs’ ghosts are known to appear here. Right up from the pet cemetery. Inspiration for King? It came out after he was here…

Oh yes they did! It’s not exact but close!

Someone bought this at an auction for $178,000 and anonymously donated it to the hotel!

The balcony where King created his storyline for The Shining in room 217 in a snow storm

The worst and loudest karaoke I’ve ever witnessed at the Irish pub

This costume at Cascades was amazing!! Great finish to a fun night!!

Uphill is Harder than Downhill

Joe and I embarked upon an anniversary adventure to Estes Park, Colorado for a long weekend. We are even staying at the famously scary Stanley Hotel. Growing up, I travelled to this majestic town every summer with my family, but I hadn’t been out since 1988. While some things have definitely changed, there’s a lot that hasn’t!

Frontier flew us here pretty uneventfully and the sun was just coming up when we arrived. We grabbed our little Bronco rental car and headed for the mountains.

The drive was pretty much as I remembered it to be; once you turn in Lyons, you’re really on your way up along the Big Thompson River. It’s weird what your mind can recall!!

Aside from a new roundabout, everything looked familiar! The Holiday Inn we stayed in multiple nights is even still here! My picture of that turned out terrible so I’ll try again later!

We were so hungry that McDonald’s was delicious!!

Starbucks with a view. I could seriously get used to this

Heading up to Rocky Mountain National Park

After coffee and some nourishment we were off to Rocky Mountain National Park to hike before check in to the hotel. They couldn’t renew our pass due to the government shutdown, but the rangers on duty were awesome and friendly. Off we headed to Bear Lake trailhead, where I remember hiking as a kid. I’m not sure how my parents put up with us on those hikes😉

We started out from here at 9200 feet up!

Unfortunately we did not find any bears today

Off we go. No he did not walk that far ahead. I was taking pictures. Shocker

Ok I am out of shape. These about killed me

The trip back down the mountain was much easier and we decided we were up for a bit more hiking so we headed up to Alberta Falls. Everyone on the trails was friendly and kind; it’s such a fun thing to experience!

I swear Jill and I have a picture by this rock!

Enjoy the hair! I know this is in the same area as we hiked today

Joe traversing the rocks

Now it was time to check in to the Stanley Hotel. Somehow I didn’t get any outside pictures yet so I will do that today! The hotel is beautiful and lots of Halloween decorations abound. The hotel staff are all dressed as well. Tomorrow we have our The Shining Tour and I’m sure that won’t disappoint! Dinner was at The Post here on the grounds of the hotel and was amazing. We stopped at the bar Cascades for a quick drink before exhaustion overtook us for the night. More hiking in the Park tomorrow!!

For a historical hotel the rooms are spacious

Chicken sandwich with amazing Mac and cheese. Joe had the fish and chips! Now it’s time for bed!!

The Final Hoorah!

Today is our last day in Dublin; tomorrow we fly back to Toronto via Reykjavik! Luckily Caroline was able to take the day off and hang with us as we headed to Blackrock to show the boys UCD and Joe’s Michael Smurfit School of Business. We grabbed a DART train after breakfast and headed over to campus to check it all out!

The boys at Joe’s favorite pub. It’s closed for refurbishment unfortunately

Joe and Caroline led us on a tour of the buildings and we saw where Joe lived during his time here. The boys saw classrooms and we walked around the small campus before heading back into Blackrock for lunch at Eddie Rockets. This place is another Joe favorite. It’s like an old diner!

College visit for Max A lot of Counter Strike was played here

Checking out Joe’s dormfrom his UCD days

Trying to scan a QR code. I wasn’t sure what he was doing at first!

Interesting chairs in the cafeteria area

Now we were heading back into Dublin to check out St. Patrick’s Cathedral and then head over to St. James Gate and our tour of Guinness. The walk over was nice as the sun was out and we were able to see lots of Dublin on the way. The Cathedral was busy but we were able to get right in and see the inside for ourselves.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Next we headed down to St. James’ Gate and the Guinness tour. Joe loves this place and the boys were able to see Dublin from the tallest building in the city in the Gravity Bar on the 8th floor. It’s so busy now; the first time Joe and I visited many years ago, we were literally the only ones up there!!

Arriving at Guinness

Really cool water messages

The water Guinness uses

Two bands were playing in a new area while we were there

It was time to head back to the hotel and drop the boys off for some down time. They were exhausted so we brought them some dinner and let them relax while we headed out with Caroline to meet up with Joe’s classmates for a reunion of UCD alumni. We met up in Dublin and there was a great turnout of people who came out to see Joe and Caroline before we headed back to the States.

The gang: Anthony, Caroline, Pat, Joe, Cole, me, Karen, and Russell

Fun place!

The next morning it was time to head back home!

Overall it was an amazing trip! Now it’s laundry time!!! We arrived home about 4 am after a 7 hour drive back from Toronto. The dogs were happy to see us and we were happy to see our beds!!! Thanks for following!!!

Discovering Dublin

Today we had a true Irish day: rain! Joe tried to convince me it was a fine, soft rain. Nope. It was rain. Big drops. And wind!! I broke down and bought an umbrella to try to stay a bit drier. We foraged out into the weather to head over to the National Museum because Joe and Max wanted to see the bog people who had died and been preserved in a bog!

Joe really wanted me to try the blood sausage. Heck. No.

Inside the National Museum. Unfortunately no bog people

The boys were bummed too about the lack of bog people

Unfortunately the bog people were not on display this summer. The boys were very disheartened by this, but they trudged on through the rain. They had closed the entire second floor, so it was a quick trip.

Next we were heading to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Old Library.

On the way we passed the famous Molly Malone statue that our Molly is named after!

Finally we made it into Trinity College and the line to see the Celtic Book of Kells. They are restoring the Old Library and have pulled many of the books to fireproof and protect them due to the age and condition of these books. I loved the library. Very cool experience. When Joe and I saw it 20-some years ago there were no tickets, no lines, no one around. Very different experience today!

Information on the history of The Book of Kells

There were no photos allowed of the book, so after checking it out we headed to the library

After this we headed back to the room and had some lunch before resting up for our ghost bus tour that evening. We knew it would be a late night since we didn’t start until 9:30.

Joe and I have done this tour before and loved it. There’s some history shared and some scares along the way too! Highly recommend this tour if you find yourself in Dublin!

My poor umbrella didn’t survive the wind

Outside Trinity heading back to the hotel

After a nap I headed out to shop and found the original Guinness Storehouse so of course I called Joe to come over!

Now we were delayed on our tour because they had to switch out buses. No big deal, it just made it darker for us. Almost everyone on the bus was from the Midwest! We saw the Doctor’s College that started the idea of body snatches and supposedly inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. Our guide said there was a female writer who penned a very similar story earlier that may have inspired the story as well. We think it was called Camilla by Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu, and it predates Dracula by 25 years. They really tried to scare us but it was all in good fun!

Graveyard. Some local teens had snuck in here too but they were harmless

Our guide. The boys wouldn’t get in the coffin

Now right outside these gates Seamus made a discovery that excited him. Lorian Studios, one of his favorite game makers, had a studio there! He was way more excited about this! I don’t have a photo though!

More haunted tales where we learned about Darky Kelley, who was burned and tortured for being a “witch”

Part of the original walled city of Dublin. Very little of the wall remains today

The final stop! After this we made it back around midnight and crashed for the night!

Back to Dublin!

Starting the morning in Kilkenny was wonderful. We walked up into town to grab some breakfast and shopping before catching the train into Dublin. This time we got smart though and bought seats on the train, which gets very crowded!! So we booked our seats for the 1:05 train to Dublin and headed out!

Our garden suite room area at Langton’s. Highly recommend this place!

The train ride was about 90 minutes into Dublin and the train was packed. So much easier than driving!

Riding the train

Arriving into Dublin we went in search of a cab to get to our last hotel of the trip. We were booked at the Leonardo Hotel just outside of Temple Bar area. This is in a good location to get places but a bit shady on some side streets. We were right next to the giant spire too!

Only in Dublin. Cheap gas

Next we went out to explore the shopping area. Max found his Warhammer store and Seamus was hunting down Funko Pops. Joe and I hit up the Butler’s Chocolate store while the boys did their shopping. Very busy area!

Portal fun

We continued on our way to Temple Bar to find a place to eat. As usual it was packed and they were completing a lot of work on the roads so peoply is my best description!! We landed at a pub and the boys enjoyed pizza, me a salad and Joe some fish and chips. There was live entertainment and it was a great way to slow down and relax a bit before a day of sightseeing tomorrow!

Carriage rides. The horses were beautiful

Temple Bar the pub. It’s always packed and the most expensive pint on the street

Temple Bar crowds

Inside Temple Bar

Five Lamps Amber-it’s called Light the Lamps. Appropriate. Joe had Guinness 😉

Irish entertainment

Joe and I put the boys to relax at the hotel and we ran back over to do some shopping and enjoy some music. Way too many people so we were back in a hurry! Back at it again tomorrow!!

Last bit of entertainment for the night!

Waterford to Kilkenny

Waterford was definitely cool overnight but not terribly cold. Here we leave the window open at night to keep the room cool as there is no air conditioning!! This hotel is super comfy but we wanted to make sure we saw all our things, so up we jumped up to head out to see the sites and catch out 11:43 train to Kilkenny.

Breakfast today is at The Pantry at the local mall

My chocolate chip cookie latte. It’s delicious!

The boys had this piece of art for breakfast today

Next it was a quick cab ride up to the train station to catch our train to Kilkenny. This was only about a 30 minute ride, and we’re starting to get the hang of these trains!

After our short train ride we arrived in Kilkenny. It was a quick 10 minute walk from the train station to the Langton Hotel. This is a great place to stay and the city is wonderful. We loved it and will definitely be back!! Smaller city like Waterford but much to do and way more music being played. Great experience!

Walking from Kilkenny Station to the hotel

The gardens from the sitting room window

The marble table for displaying the body during a wake

Hall of portraits. Max recommend this spot

Next up Joe and I headed over to Smithwicks’ Brewery for a guided tour. This is owned by Guinness now, but was started in 1710. The owner was Catholic, and because of the Reformation Act, could not own property or a business unless they renounced the Pope. His friend fronted the business for him until he was allowed to rightfully own and name his business. Molly was our guide and we really enjoyed learning about their brewing process and their beers too!

The Smithwicks Experience. This almost didn’t reopen after Covid but the town protested because it’s so important to Kilkenny!

Learning about the founders. The pictures come to life and talk

We tasted each part separately in its raw form

The pour

We had the original, the 1842, and the Kilkenny that is if Smithwicks and Guinness had a baby. Very creamy!

Next we grabbed the boys for dinner and a quiet walk back to the hotel. I would say we highly recommend a stop in this beautiful town. On our walk back we stopped into a pub for a pint at a haunted pub and met some Canadians traveling through the country and chatted for a bit! Tomorrow we head back into Dublin for our final destination!

The home owner was charged with witchcraft!

Enjoying the music

Back to the skies

Today it’s time to leave London and head back to Ireland. Luckily all we had to do was grab a cab outside of the hotel and head to Victoria Station and catch the Gatwick Express train to Gatwick Airport and catch our RyanAir flight to Dublin. It was raining as we headed out and at 6:30 am the streets were pretty quiet.

Victoria Station in London to catch the Gatwick Express

We have learned several tips on the trains. It’s best to book online and reserve your seats! That gives you a specific place to sit and is designated by your name over the spot. You have to hustle getting on the train to make sure you get a spot for your luggage. After that, just sit back and relax and let the conductor do the driving! The Express only took about 30 minutes to get to the airport and then straight up to RyanAir to load your bags. Everything is electronic and you do the work. Scan your boarding pass, weigh your bag and print your bag tag. Put in on the luggage and then load your bag on the conveyor that reads the tag and takes your bag off to Bagland. Easy peasy!

After breakfast at Starbucks we loaded up and were off to Dublin!

Once in Dublin we headed into Heuston Station to catch a train to Waterford for the night.

Pub at the station. We did not eat here🤣

Holy moly the tractors were actually working IN the fields this trip!

It’s about a 2 1/2 hour train ride from Dublin to Waterford so we all relaxed and enjoyed the ride. Joe was more than happy to not be driving!!

Waterford Marina Hotel. We also stayed here with the Hursts

Seamus at Waterford Crystal with a pure crystal saxophone

Max and a crystal violin. These were about 16,000 euros

We ran through Waterford Crystal before they closed for the evening. No purchases this year but they updated the showroom. It’s beautiful for sure!

I’m really not sure how one sits on these chairs. And no, I did not try.

Exploring the Viking aspects of Waterford was next up as we wandered around the city, hitting up Reginald’s Tower and several other spots. We learned that Waterford is where St. Patrick’s Day was originated too!

Luke Wadding that started St Patrick’s Day

Remains of Luke Wadding’s church and monastery

Meanwhile Max found himself in the stockades

We helped put these away in the Irish Wake Museum after the game

This cracked me up. Dog peeing post it reads!!

We did some shopping where Seamus bought his Funko pops and the rest of us wandered around. Dinner was definitely on our minds now, and we tried The Three Shippes but they had closed early, so we headed to Reg’s Pub for some fish and chips, or baby sharks as the bartender called them. They were HUGE pieces of fish and we probably should have split some meals here!

Dinner. Seamus had a burger too but also enjoyed some fish from me.

Back to the hotel we went because we were all beat and ready for sleep. I did grab some lovely sunset photos!!

My new friends. Joe won’t let me bring a real hairy coo home😪

Good night to all❤️. Tomorrow we head to Kilkenny!