Home for over a week...

Monday - May 10th. So, we've been home for 10 days. Last week almost a blur - with so many things to get done. 6th Grade days, groceries, clothes, sort and sort and sort pictures, and write narrative so we don't forget everything.

Shared some of the story with Roberta and Ron Hagen last Friday. Didn't show pictures, forgot to take her a cross or bring along the map to show where we went. They've not been there. Ron asked if we would recommend people stay in the castle just for the experience. Wasn't an easy answer -- but in the end, we both said yes, it was definitely something to experience. I wonder what the falconry activity was like? I'll never know - no doubt I would have been disappointed. Don't actually get to play with the birds - most likely a talk or something.

Having an Irish Night @ Mullin House on Friday of this week. Irish libations, snacks (as much Irish as we can come up with: soda bread, Irish cheese, Irish nachos (I know - American Irish, but still), and pictures and stories. Invited anyone we thought might be interested, including library folks. Will be interesting to see who comes. Joan and Mike and Mary Redlin, for sure. That will be grand!

Chicago O'Hare

Well, it's all the fault of the leprechaun I bought this morning. Snow, really? Says freezing rain on the weather screen. AA flight 1987 canceled due to weather. Many others also. United apparently is still flying - wer're on 597 @ 8:30 tonight, God willing & the leprechaun is done being mischievous :(. I did it, cannot tell a lie about city.

Airport is filled to their brim it feels like. Sure wish we could have gotten stuck in a friendlier place. Personnel are getting kind as' tetchy.

And now it's11 o'clock, we're @ Brian and Jill's - darned leprechaun! Flight finally left at 9 p.m.  We were supposed to be underway @ 3. The good news is we did not have to spend the night in Chicago airport :-)  More tomorrow.

Dublin airport

1 security 1 VAT refund kiosk 1small shop to buy cardsd, 1 shop to replace M's mug which broke @ car rental :( couldn't find same darn. I wanted one too). Then customs - neither customs agent nor we knew who pix next to prez. Good we don't have to take citizenship exam :-). Then second security same as first. You all should be very proud of me! Not even wanded. Old lady ya' know. M wanded once. Very polite - lots of smiles - Irish courtesy. Many USA flights delayed. Flight 93 still shows on time. 11/2 hr layover in Chicago. Hope enough. Coming home... :-)

OMG

It took us longer to get to the Dublin airport from 'burbs than the drive from Wexford. VERY long story. We have arrived safely at long last @the Carlton near the long term car park. Wow the buses. It is definitely a night to find the bar! Fortunately not far from the lift. Highlights of the day: a stone circle in a field of sheep, and nettles of some sort. I touched w/ one finger untying gate rope, M brushed his arm retying. So many villages w/ 20 chemists (only slight exaggeration) and we never saw another until serious rush hour traffic. Will be fine; slight blister to start w/ then itching. Will maybe want benadryl when we reach mpls. 2nd high spot -Russhough House - vol au vent & cappuccinos for a break. Never got a pix of the Guinness keg delivery truck , but I think everything else - including 1000 transits . Even rode in 1 to hotel, Mimi! How different the roads east to west coast and how much more assertive M is after driving for 8days :-) Says might be difficult to adjust to right side again. M checking flights for tomorrow now. Poor soul has spent eves copying pix & then Blogger locked up on him - lost 2 posts. Said he would bring laptop next time. I can so relate. Me & nexus have love/hate relationship too :( DRINKY TIME!

Wed eve

We covered a bit of ground today. West coast back to east. Stayed away from cities for most part. Lovely stories about Fl after breakfast - host couple winters there. Her grandmother's advice in emergency "fill the tub". We've been filling our water bottles every day, just in case.

2 hours in locals pub tonight visiting w/ the 'publican'. Delightful - reminded us so much of Jay - reads and hears a lot - interesting ideas thoughts.  Tried local cider - Bulmers I think. We passed the brewery (?) earlier today. PBS on tv Ken Burns 'West' ironic... Talk ran the gamut of guns, Irish language, law, sports (none of the games on TV the last week were Irish teams), famine & immigration (saw 'famine' boat as we came into New Ross - tiny. Apparently they do reenactments on it - too tired to go back down.) Mind full off lots of things - will take awhile to process. Sorting suitcases tonight 3/4s full of dirty clothes. Have to work purchases in. Mike sweater, hat, Kells tie, sippy cup, Jan pashmina shawl w/ shamrocks, AND 12 Celtic crosses! (Among other things...)

That's it for tonight. More tomorrow...

Ah, salmon, finally!

Dinner this evening, salmon w/o stuff on it, sides of a sort of mashed potato sun dried tomatoes w/ a prawn bisque,and 'chips.' Of course Guinness and Powers Irish whiskey then ramble back to shed shoes and open window. Yes open window - huge bay tower window! Birds r singing their hearts out. Have I mentioned pampas grass, palm trees? B&b yard rose trees & ancient clematis - stem as thick & twisted as wisteria last night. Pub was mother/Bob/Dort/Geo type. Beautiful old hotel.

Saw some really strange cattle front back ends black, middle band about 1/3 body all white. M didn't believe me until 2nd group too late for pix.

Have seen the Atlantic from so many places. Looked across at you all this afternoon. Love ya'

A very nice surprise...

After thinking no net here in Tralee the hostess Juliette O'Callaghan hands us # like UBS WiFi :-) Breakfast wonderful fresh poached eggs, saw their new greenhouse, outside and talked constr. The walls are double block w/ insulation between. We've seen many new constr Toomullin host said cost €600 K. Last night b&b on the large size of that :-) Huge grounds beside stream. They know hosts of tomorrow b&b so we're transporting fresh eggs w/ a story :-) Drove down Tralee best over Connor pass (like Ouray mill $ hwy) to Single bay around headland. Smoke salmon tart & spinach w/ spring salad, M lox & cream cheese panini & espresso. I had French lemonade. 2 hr's this a.m. @ county library. You'll love the story of pkg here @ gr gables. Rest a bit then town pubs about 5 mins walk. Tomorrow last b&b - have to sort tax receipts and organize cases. Today one suitcase all dirty - must be over halfway Yesterday shirt needed warmer today cooler needed. Gorgeous sunshine all day today light frost in Glin last night. 2new tomato plants in greenhouse btw. More later...

Tues. Morning

Sunshine and wet ground. Hosts say light frost last night. Vined plant is wysteria. Won't have internet today unless library does - none @ B&B. Hosts here friends w/ New Ross B&B - we'll take some eggs for fun to them - as a greeting.

Want to have a look at the greenhouse before we need out again. Love to all...and off we go again.

Glin, Limerick afternoon tea time

<p dir="ltr">For all our scoffing @ the snooty castle atmosphere, that had to be the best breakfast ever. Of course, nothing so crass as coffee or tea or ice in the room - that's room service, or nothing.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Spent today not getting lost :-)&nbsp; Drove around Ballybunion and Listowel where Patrick Mullin and sibs came from. Shannon river dirty and green. Strong cold wind blowing in from the ocean. You can prolly tell by the trees leaning to the east how this wind blows. Charming B&amp;B with gardens and chickens and fresh eggs just gathered from the hens. Have to have eggs for breakfast when they are that fresh! Host said she usually has a garden in by now, but not this yr. Sounds familiar.

Good morning!

Am I sounding Irish yet? The Irish cprolly don't think so, but I can fool Americans now The French baker thought I was French briefly when I said bonjour :-) Words: lift, petrol, lie down, mobile, a step out (a long walk) a ramble (stroll). And pronunciations: Galway sounds like gall bladder, not my gal Sal Sorry! I thought a ceillie was an evening entertainment. It's a type of music, at least according to the Irish couple from Galway. Eamon is a bus driver; suggested a more entertaining route for today's travel to Ashford Castle. More later.

Sunday evening

6 hours to drive an hour and half distance... Hm. Absolutely gorgeous scenery. We only went about an hour out of our way. But we found the most delightful marble gift store - Joyces Connemara Marble. Thinking of Jay! Mountains all around as we went, with lots of streams, sloughs and lakes. Pine tree patches here and there. So eventually found the castle (it really IS a castle!), met at the gate by the gateman and checked of his list, and then greeted at the front door by a valet (all older men) who said he would park our car and bring the suitcases in.... Inside a young woman 'processed' our registration along/ credit card swipe and said we were upgraded to suite. Sheet in drawer says 475 euro per person not including breakfast. Is someone playing games with us??? Huge room - seating area with divan and chair, super king-sized bed, turn down and truffles, slippers and robes. Feels like something out of the John Cleeves movie Hotel whatever. No wireless except in public places, no ice machine (room service ya' know...) Can connect with cable which is at Brian's, reservations only for any dining but the bar. We didn't know what we wanted to eat, drove back to little town, didn't like that, reservations in bistro an hour later - we'll pass. No thanks. So - we went to the bar and had the whiskey sampler trays. I can now say I've had Laphroaig (I did pronounce correctly, although one of the guys at the bar made it sound like frog on the end :-) Very peaty background as did the Connemara Irish Whiskey (3 samples - M wants the glasses :-) He'll post pix on his post. I can't get 'em to here unless I take pix with it. I sure need to learn text type. We had a wonderful late lunch so truffles (choc on pillow) and dried apricots and Jill's choc/craisins/nuts and our M&Ms are fine. M said he's losing weight, I might be too - we have big breakfast, late lunch at pubs, and have been splitting something in the eve. It's the Irish fast food :-) Guinness and whiskeys. And prolly all the walking? Pix count increases daily: 80, 90, 200, 300- nobody s going to want to see them all. Feels like bed is feather bed - M says it's not. Scented room, too oh good grief. Will send off in the morn. Sandman calling.

Mike's blog

Moon's Musings. Here ya' go...

Sunday morning

Greetings! For pictures, see M's blog - Moon's Musings on blogspot. I'll see if I can't copy the link k...

Time...

I have not changed the time on the Nexus - you can add 6hrs yourself, you can :-)

A French sort of day...

Breakfast of yogurt and fresh fruit and tea w/cream and sugar :-) M had smoked salmon. A stop at a cemetery for Jay, then a French patisserie with orange DC (deux chevaux - that's a French 2 horse power Citroen) parked outside. Decadent 70% choc tort w/ handmade choc sliver and pistaccio dab, whipped cream and raspberry 'Marshmallow' on the side. Cappuccinos to complete. Then drive to Ballyvaughn, refill petrol (finding stupid opener challenging). Petrol is cheaper here! 1.59/litre. Poulenabrone dolmen burial and for RF paddocks made of stone, cows and tractors. Pub lunch of leek potato soup and lamb stew. No Guinness for the driver. M looking forward to Powers whiskey in pub and maybe some pipe music if it's not as crowded tonight. We'll go earlier. 6 Celtic crosses so far - 6 to go It is fun looking. Lots of cheap tourist trash everywhere and tourists everywhere!

Sat. Morning

We did get an automatic trans car :-)

Sun shine in between showers. Quaint seaside village. Hear tell there's an awesome French bakery down the road from the church. Looks like sun today. Wind blowing hard. 9 euros to rent bikes for a day.  Will see what kind and where folks ride. Flat on main road - hills around.

Lots of seafood like mussels crab and salmon. Every dish seems to have 'stuff' on salmon. I like plain not sauced. Wonderful veg soup in mom & pop pub somewhere yesterday. Great fried cod for dinner. Hotel in Dublin was first class. The stone site I read about in novel near here. Host says oldest and awesome. 15th century stone church ruin out room window cool. Pubs here pretty cliché. 3 bus loads German tourists arrived just before us - crowded and hot. Can't get imagine what like in peak season.

. Lots of students everywhere and also French speakers, eastern European - no clue where from. Think I have an accent yet? I 'tink' I just might Tablet very frustrating has to be it, not me, right? Only place not free WiFi Chicago airport and planes.

Friday eve Apr 26 Doolin on coast

Out of Dublin fairly quickly - only 2 start overs.:-)  A short time on the M4 motorway much like  turnpikes w/1 short toll section. Most of day on narrow (not redline) lanes. Not good to meet trucks (a thousand Ford Transits,  Mimi) or busses on.

Beautiful scenery. Rock walls (and fields) everywhere. Tulips, daffodils and flowering trees and a yellow shrub called wormwood. Gentleman clearing field of sticks said they'd rather not have it (aka invasive). Bri - traditional Irish breakfast w/ blood sausage. Well-seasoned and tasty, brought to mind Chasing Leprechauns.
Pub lunch today - looking for salmon for dinner.

Windy and cool here. Waves out in bay looked inhospitable. Will need fleece and raincoat to walk to pubs tonight. Will be fine.

Friday morn...

A Jamesons @ 11 pm and a good night's sleep - new world! Will find N1 highway headed to Gallway shortly. Strong teabag tea with milk and cream :-) M drinking decaf instant - gaugh. Tea reminds me of Simmance's in England. Gorgeous sunshine out there now. Hugs to all...

Friday April 19th we have begun to plan out a route in Ireland starting in Dublin and going with to Galloway south from there to the small town of Doolin, Co Clare, Toomullin House. 4pubs -2 nights. Hmm...

Meeting the sun...

Didn't have a chance to comment on flying through the night. Boarded flight about a half hour late due to catering door malfunction. Dinner @9:30 pm, attempt to sleep for about 4 hr's. Then croissant and yogurt breakfast @1:30 am CDT 6 Dublin time just as the sun was shining. So of course when we got back to lovely hotel, crashed & burned. Now awake @9 pm. M thinking we should go check out bar & library here :-)

Beauty & Blight

Dublin - a city of contrast...gorgeous wooden doors, hanging pots of flowers, trash & derelect neighborhoods and buildings. The overhead toilet tank in O'Neills Pub and the space age Goss hand dryer (and blacklight in loo), the fantastic 16th century architecture of Trinity College theologic univ cheek by jowl w/ ugly 1970 buildings... travel takes a body to interesting places.

Argh!!!

I'm dying here. I know walking is always part of travel, but today was over the top. A 15 min walk turned into 2 hrs. OMG. We did find Trinity College and Temple Bar area. Postgrad PhD tour was great fun, library very special, Book of Kills seriously over-hyped. Don't get me wrong - absolutely awesome, but you could hardly see it for the tourists --gaugh. AND, Annie, no DVD. There's an iPad app. More tomorrow. Too tired to  write.

Dublin yes, we r really and truly here!

What language r they speaking? It's not Gaelic-at least not yet. Charming accents. We r learning by immersion with as vengeance. Mike is designated driver since it would cost additional 80 euros for a 2nd driver. Street signs are well hidden. M got us to hotel, park car (shades of Montreal???) but we didn't turn right. Off to bus or walk about 15mins to Trinity college and temple bar area. TTYL

MSP airrport...

15 mins through security You will all be pleased - went just fine. Most effort was putting stuff back in pockets and backpacks. Airports are too warm. A glass of cab and bloody Mary got us bottles filled w/ ice and water. We're set. Flight to Chicago boards in about an hour. All is well!

The beginning of the 'adventure' :) We are in the cities and the sun is shining gloriously, and the roads were mostly if not entirely dry, driving over. They didn't get nearly as much snow as was forecast or said... thank heavens.

Everything went into a backpack and small suitcase for each of us, including big water bottles to fill on the other side of the dreaded TSA <evil grin> Everyone prolly knows of my issues with them. Annie this morning says -- just don't say anything :) I'm an adult -- I can do that.

Still have the laptop available tonight and tomorrow so I can type more (maybe too much :). On the Nexus, the posts will be briefer, but hopefully creative. I got over my panic attack of last night (What in the world were we thinking to do this????) once the suitcases were packed and I could see it's do-able :)

We fly tomorrow afternoon from MSP airport - God and the air traffic controllers willing. A 3 1/2 hour layover in Chicago before boarding for Dublin. It doesn't seem quite real yet that we will be there in a little over a day! We really are going to Ireland, finally, inspite of bombings and fires and trains and sequesters and and and... More tomorrow

Today is the day we begin our 'adventure'. Roads to Minneapolis should be clear by the time we actually get in the car. ::fingers crossed: and according to the NYT this morning, Air Traffic Control delays run about 2 hours. And all will be well... Namasté!

2 days and counting... we leave Tuesday for the Minneapolis, and Wed. for Ireland - yay!

All the nights are set up. First night, Croke Park Hotel in Dublin, second and third nights, Toomullin House, Doolin, County Clare,  (4 pubs, 2 nights <g>); fourth night Ashford Castle north of Gallway; fifth night Old Castle House, Glin, County Limerick; sixth night Green Gables Victorian house in Tralee, County Kerry; seventh night - Carberry B&B, New Ross, County Wexford. Eighth night - Carlton Hotel, Dublin. And then we're back to the United States.

We will be in every county where anyone from any of ours families has come from! Mike's family mostly from Kerry and Cork, mine from Wexford. Lots of pubs and shops and ruins and dolmens and bicycling and water and rivers and bogs.

Stay tuned...

3 Days and counting...

Saturday morning. Going through thoughts in my head about what else needs to be done before we go. Many things piled on the suitcases and backpacks upstairs waiting to be neatly organized into them. We've been playing with the bandbireland site. We have 6 of the 8 nights reserved now. I wasn't going to do that - but as we've explored the different locations, we have found some treasures, I think. First and last nights are hotels - no big there. The third night is a castle - fancy schmancy :) We have now two nights at a lovely cottage B&B (internet included) in the village of Doolin. 4 pubs, 2 nights, hmmm. There is a silversmith, a woolen weavers, a couple of craft and Celtic shops, as well as TWO bike hire places. To arrive at Doolin we pass by a 6,000-year-old dolman. The third B&B we have reserved so far is in Tralee, where Mike's Mullin family originated, in a lovely period Victorian. I forgot to see if they have car parking - oops. Iit's next door to the County Library - one of Mike's list of things to check out. I'm sure we'll pass by a cemetery for Jay's interest in stonework, probably many times. Stay tuned!