Ireland // Day 8 // Dublin to Frankfurt

THE HORROR OF THE ALARM CLOCK
Alarm ringing at 4:00 am: Horrible! Probably it was also because I had slept relatively poorly. First, the football fans in the stadium next door had prevented me from sleeping, then it was too warm in the room (I couldn't open the windows and balcony door, and I couldn't find an air conditioner anywhere), and there was probably also a bit of underlying fear that I would oversleep and miss my flight.
Anyway, there was no other option, I had to get out of bed. Fortunately, I had already packed almost everything the night before, so now I just had to mechanically take care of the last things. The check-out and leaving the underground garage (I actually found the car without searching) went very quickly, and there was little traffic on the streets. Although not as little as I had expected at half past 5 on a Saturday morning. The few kilometers to the airport were quickly driven and I was in good time. Until I remembered that I still had to refuel - although the tank was 3/4 full, if I returned the Audi like this, Hertz would charge me €60 'penalty'. And I didn't want to give them that money! So I drove to the nearest gas station, where there was, however, a lot going on. I think all the taxi drivers in Dublin had gathered there with their cars!

FINAL AUDI INSPECTION AND MODERN AIRPORT HANDLING
When I finally got to a number in the queue, everything was quickly taken care of and I drove to the Hertz return station - fortunately it was just around the corner.
There was only one employee working at this early hour, but he immediately had time for me and was relatively unimpressed by the scratch on the rim caused by a pothole. I'm afraid they're so used to their tourists ;-). I quickly took care of the paperwork and then stood at the shuttle stop.
The shuttle to the airport came a few minutes later, but by now I would have felt more comfortable if I were finally at the airport terminal to drop off my luggage. I had already checked in with the Aer Lingus app the evening before, which works really well!
Again on the topic of 'experienced traveler': I totally forgot to check which departure terminal was the right one for me. When the shuttle stopped at Terminal 1, I somehow thought that wasn't it and continued to Terminal 2. What a mistake: A look at the airport website showed that Aer Lingus can be found in Terminal 1. So I had to walk back for a few minutes. I didn't like that at all, wasting unnecessary time again! Next time, I really have to inform myself a bit better in advance...
Finally arrived, Terminal 1 was full of people. Lots of people. At least I wasn't alone with my early morning odyssey. However, there was a moment of panic that I would miss my flight if this took too long. But the worry was in vain! There is a huge selection of self-service machines where you can check in, weigh your suitcase, and print the baggage tag yourself. Then you just have to put the suitcase on a luggage belt and you're done! I have never experienced anything this modern anywhere else, it was really great.

GOODBYE AND SEE YOU SOON!
Overall, I was a bit more nervous before the flight than on the outbound journey. It certainly had to do with the fact that the anticipation of the holiday is simply missing on the way home. And of course, because I was completely exhausted and sleep-deprived! The flight, however, was calm and very punctual overall. The connection to the ICE train at Frankfurt Airport also worked smoothly, so I was back in Cologne by noon.
I was really looking forward to being home - even though it was a great week in Ireland and I could easily have stayed a bit longer. Ireland is such a beautiful country and has - despite its manageable size - a lot of different things to offer, and above all, the people are incredibly friendly. And in the past few days, I only saw a very small part of it, mainly the southwest - a real 'fly by'!

Therefore the conclusion: There is still a lot to discover in Ireland, I would love to come back :-)!

OTHER THINGS TO MENTION
*** I would still prefer to travel around the country with a rental car rather than by bus. Only then can you get to corners that are relatively difficult to reach but are therefore even more beautiful and not so crowded with tourists! *** From now on, no more hotels in Ireland, only B&Bs! *** In my opinion, the cities can be left out on further visits. Having seen Dublin once is enough for me, I think. *** The next vacation will go to only one region of the country (instead of trying to see three regions in one week, haha), with less planning in advance and more time for spontaneous roaming around! ***