To say Hamish has been incredible over the past 36 hours is an understatement. I’m so proud of him: he’s exhausted, but has not whined or even looked like he was going to lose the plot once. As I write this, he’s asleep. It’s 430pm Saturday afternoon.

Other than a seating mishap, our flights were smooth and uneventful. Hamish ate everything Emirates served up to him, including the ‘Mum, I think it’s spicy’ pide. He’s loved the entire onboard entertainment system from movies, games and quizzes to the mounted camera coverage and flight details. We had to make haste between flights in Dubai, where there seemed to be an endless stream of Irish people trying to make their way to Gate B20.

Once we arrived in Dublin, things started to resemble our tired state:

• Customs was understaffed
• Our bus left from another terminal (which was a decent walk for a tired 9 year old)
• I purchased two bottles of sparkling water instead of normal water (“Mum, this tastes just terrible!”)
• The airport bus drop-off point was not as close to our apartment as I had expected
• Cobble stones and suitcases (ergh)
• The hot water is rubbish at our apartment

However, our accommodation is cute (small), cozy and central. We have spent the last few hours sorting out our bags, showering (quickest shower I’ve ever had!) and planning tomorrow. We walked up to the Spar and got a couple of things for breakfast, then had a light dinner at Eddie Rockett’s Diner (so incredibly Irish…).

Tomorrow we’re catching up with Rod’s mate Gerard and his partner Fiona and we’ll probably do a bit of hopping on and off the tourist bus. I suspect tonight, I’ll be in bed by 7pm at the latest. Rod is safely in Germany, but he can update you next week.