Summer Tier Points - Doughnuts and Coffee Shops - Exploring Dublin

Doughnuts and Coffee Shoes – Exploring Dublin – Summer Tier Points

In this… epic.

Thank you mini-bus.

Disembarking at Dublin Airport, there was no fancy jet bridge – it would be a walk across the tarmac. This lead to the 200 gates.

If you’re a BA Tier Point runner considering using Dublin for a back-to-back, this impacts you – mainly as arriving and departing passengers are now separated.

This is new…

So good luck doing a back to back there. Because unless you can run fast, cross security fast, and run back to the 200 gates from the main checkpoint – you won’t be it here.

No chance of back-to-backs any more.

I cleared immigration and headed to the luggage belt… and said a quiet prayer

Hmm. I have to get me one of those bags.

Why?

I forgot to check in on my luggage at any point of the trip. Had it made it past JFK? Did it transfer correctly?

Patience.

My answers were made once the belt started – with the bag – happy as larry – came out in the first container load.

Lucky sometimes works.

With me and my bag re-united, I grabbed a trolley and headed out of the secure are and into Dublin Airport.

Now I had two options – either lug two heavy bags around Dublin with me… or cheat like heck and drop a bag at Excess Luggage Company.

Readers will know what I did by now – I dropped my heavy bag off – after a minor re-pack

With the bag dropped off, I grabbed a LEAP Card (hey – new city – new transit card), and headed for Bus 747 into Dublin City Centre.

Direct you say….

Oh boy.

Which – not to put a gentle touch on – was load to capacity, with no more room for luggage – just hand luggage customers only.

That suits me to a tee. I blipped my Leap card, and boarded the bus.

The joy of standing room only.

Soon enough, I was on O’Connell Street again, but this time – my body went into autopilot – and headed straight to the first Starbucks coffee I could find.

There has to be coffee somewhere.

A sign if there was one in the world.

With a big Grande Americano powering me until my friends met – I got writing.

You want to know how much this stuff fuels this blog? The weekly editing in sessions in Starbucks in Birmingham New Street should answer that (as well as the staff who know me. By drink and by name).

Well, I did say I was on autopilot.

An article done – my friends were outside. Because whilst Dublin is known for many things -be it Guinness, the Liffey, Temple Bar, Ha’Penny bridge and so on – it’s becoming famous for Doughnuts.

And we all know what that means – a walk to Offbeat Donuts. This branch is along the Liffey on the South side – and on the riverbank.

DOUGHNUTS!

They deliver. As you might remember in June.

And were there donuts? Well.

Mmm. Doughnuts.

What deliciousness lies in here?

Crunchie and Chocolate covered deliciousness. Helllooooo Lovely!

A #avgeek catch up (as well as getting shot of a couple of amenity kits extra I picked up on the way) and a lot of chewing the fat is never a bad thing. And I can live with that.

With my friends needing to go back to work, I head back to Jervis and St Stephen Street for another Starbucks.

There’s gotta be another Starbucks down here.

And ended up spilling a lot of a black coffee on the laptop.

What’s the term… stick a fork in me – I’m done.

I was debating if to fall asleep in the Starbucks when @essiejosie messaged me. She was out chasing planes, and asked if I wanted to catch up… and chase planes.

Like I need an excuse for that.

I headed out of the Starbucks, with a little of my dignity intact and headed back on Bus 747 to the airport.

Once aboard the bus – even with caffeine inside me – my body vetoed doing anything else – be it playing Pokémon Go or anything. By the time the bus was cruising down the north bank towards the ferry terminal – I was fast asleep.

I didn’t wake up until the bus was exiting the motorway and approaching the airport

Well, that’s the most productive use of time I’ve had for some time.

After getting off the bus, I waited for essiejosie (who had caught the plane that was landing she wanted), and she kindly came to pick me up.

Again, there is nothing like catching up with people and setting the world to rights – as well as watching planes at the same time.

Well there was a special guest plane visiting Dublin that day – a Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-200. It seems that the airline was trying out wide-body ops at the airport and seeing how that would fit into the business model (a few days later they sent the payload optimised A330-300 for a visit too).

Again – if you went to Dublin Airport and didn’t see a Ryanair plane – are you sure you ever went?

However, time was ticking on – not because my body was exhausted, but I had the flight to hell to meet – or FR666 to Birmingham Airport. essiejosie kindly dropped me back to the airport where I could regain my bag, my awareness and what little sanity I had left….

Next: Once more with feeling at Dublin Airport

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Summer Tier Points – Doughnuts and Coffee Shops – Exploring Dublin

Doughnuts and Coffee Shoes – Exploring Dublin – Summer Tier Points

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