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Everyone tells us that the best time to travel with a little one is between 4 and 7 months before they get too mobile. So, Phil and I decided to take everyone’s advice and booked a getaway to Ireland and Switzerland when Aidan had just turned 5 months old. I was excited to travel internationally as a family for the first time, but also nervous about flying with a baby and of course… jet lag (Check out our list of toys and gadgets for keeping little ones entertained on a flight and our must have travel essentials when traveling with kids). Again, Aidan surprised us all and adjusted pretty well. He seemed to love exploring new places with us and meeting new people. So, hurray! We’ve got a little travel bug on our hands!

Dublin was our first stop where we spent the weekend hanging out and reconnecting with old friends. One of my best friends from high school was working in Dublin and one of Phil’s travel buddies from college lived about 30 minutes north of the city. It was so great to catch up, introduce Aidan to everyone, and soak in a bit of Ireland during our brief stay. Here’s our itinerary:

Day 1

First stop was Trinity College where we visited the Book of Kells and the famous library. The book and exhibition were a little bit underwhelming, but the library was pretty special and quite the photo op.

Then it was off to a delicious vegetarian lunch at Cornicopia, a definite gem and absolutely delicious! So much variety and veggies galore!

You can’t come to Ireland and not have some Guinness. So, after we walked around Dublin, we made a pit stop at the Temple Bar district to have a pint of Guinness.

We loved walking around the streets of Dublin and exploring the different neighborhoods. Every corner seemed to remind me of Boston. I was totally nostalgic…

Day 2

The next day we had brunch at Cinnamon and then headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to enjoy the incredible weather. We had anticipated rain for our entire visit, so were pleasantly surprised by the glorious sunshine and fairly warm temps.

We finished our day with a delicious dinner at Saba, a Thai and Vietnamese fusion restaurant and then walked home through Stephen’s Green and the side streets.

It was so nice to spend some quality time with old friends and enjoy a beautiful city with no real agenda. The food was surprisingly diverse and delicious and the people were so friendly. What a great start to our summer trip!