As Erica's wedding approaches, I am finding it harder to get to sleep at night. I think some of it is actually stress by proxy. I worry about everything she is dealing with at once: the last few weeks of her first year as a med student; she and Craig buying a house in Madison and all the details and expense involved with that; the wedding itself with the many last-minute preparations and glitches. I feel like I should be there helping, but I don't know exactly what form that help would take.
I helped her with the wedding invitations at the end of March and co-hosted a bridal shower for her a few days later. I dragged Fred to the menswear store in Madison to get his suit for the big day and assured her that he would have a fresh haircut and ear-hair-trim for the wedding. I listen to her vent on the phone when one thing or another goes wrong and offer advice that may or may not help. But hey--I also have my own problems.
Shopping for a mother-of-the-bride (MOB) dress has been a nightmare all its own. Designers apparently think that middle-aged mothers want to look like Queen Elizabeth or the mayor of Cougar Town. I looked in stores in which I normally have good luck, and was thoroughly disappointed with the selection--or moreso the lack thereof. Sure, if I'd made good on all the weight loss promises I made to myself and my readers over the past year, trying on dresses would be more fun and productive. But since I'm pretty much the "total me" I was a year ago, I have to look for both style and camouflage.
With only a little over 6 weeks to go, I did something I haven't done before: ordered dresses online. I'm very leery about sending for something that I can't try on first, but at least I found styles on websites that I'd actually want to wear. One dress is back-ordered until mid-May, but the other is on its way. I have my fingers crossed that I will both like and look decent in one of them so I don't have to keep searching.
Then there's the nagging worry that it will be unseasonably warm that day, and between the heat and my out-of-control hormones I will be a puddle of sweat just in time for the picture-taking. I am fervently hoping that the photograher is a master of the touch-up.
Ultimately, though, it is Craig and Erica's day, and as long as everything goes the way they hope it does, I am going to try to chill about everything else. If there is any freaking-out to be done, I won't be in the center of it. Looking forward to the 5:00 cocktail hour will definitely help.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ireland--the Final Chapter
I have been lazy about writing an account of my last two days in Ireland, so I'd better do it before my sieve-like memory forgets all the details!
Saturday morning, March 20th: Bonnie, Katie, and I left the hotel and grabbed a cup of coffee before catching a bus to the University of Limerick. Katie wanted to show us the campus and where she is living for the semester. The River Shannon flows through the grounds of the university, just like the Chippewa River is a centerpiece of UW-Eau Claire. We walked across "The Living Bridge," which feels as if it's moving, and took pictures in the Stables--Katie's favorite hang-out when she's not diligently working in the library. Her house in Plassey Village, where she lives with 7 roommates, was obviously a college kids' abode--but nice. We met Val, one of her roomies, and I asked him to say something to me in Gaelic. I love the sound of the language, but couldn't understand a word of it.
After seeing campus, we hopped on a bus to go back downtown. There we had lunch at Chocolat, a restaurant Katie had been dying to try. We each had a delicious meal followed by a dessert of 3 different cheesecakes/cake. (Don't tell Richard Simmons on me.)
Another bus ride later, we were at Bunratty Castle just outside Limerick. Katie was a little disappointed that Bonnie and I didn't want to go inside; we were temporarily "castled out" and more interested in checking out the shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills there. We did do some walking down the road to the Bunratty Winery, but unfortunately it is closed on Saturdays. To soothe our disappointment over getting no free samples of mead or wine, we stopped in at Durty Nelly's, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, for a drink. Sitting on the outdoor balcony, we enjoyed the sun and the breeze over glasses over Bulmers and Bailey's Irish Cream.
We returned to Limerick and had a late supper of pizza and garlic bread--that traditional Irish meal!--at Luigi Malone's. From there we walked to Dolan's Pub to hear some Irish music. It wasn't an actual band that played--just local people who come in and play their insturuments together for fun. I'm sure Katie was quite relieved that I didn't dance any jigs, though it really was toe-tapping music! We only listened for a short while since we had another early morning the next day.
Sunday we got up and walked down to the Travel Center to catch a tour bus for Blarney and Cork. We searched in vain for an open coffee shop or restaurant, discovering in a hurry that nothing is open on Sunday mornings when everyone is supposed to be in church! Fortunately our bus driver stopped partway to Blarney so we could grab something to eat at a gas station.
Blarney Castle was quite spectacular. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with flowers, trees, and a stream with waterfalls. We climbed the narrow, winding stone steps to the top of the castle in order to reach the infamous Blarney Stone. Many people were waiting in line to kiss it--including Katie and Bonnie--but I only observed. You have to lie down on your back and hang your head backwards while a man holds onto you in order to kiss the stone, which is the fourth one down from the top--and actually part of the wall. I don't like heights, especially being upside down while looking five stories below. Bonnie and Katie had their pictures taken by the on-site photographer and bought them, along with the certificate proclaiming that they had kissed the stone. After leaving the castle we walked through the Druid's Settlement and saw some interesting rock formations. The rest of our time in Blarney was spent shopping!
From Blarney we drove to the City of Cork, which has 250,000 people and is the second largest city in Ireland after Dublin. We spent our time there just exploring the city and having lunch. We ate at O'Brien's Sandwiches, where we had a shamrock-shaped chicken pesto sandwich. Excellent!
We got back to Limerick around 6, retrieved our luggage from the hotel, and said goodbye to Katie at the bus station. She had been a super tour guide, and the time with her in Limerick was by far the best part of the trip for me. Bonnie and I took a short bus ride to a hotel in Shannon which was just across the parking lot from the airport. We had to get up at 5 AM Monday to be at the airport by 6. Bonnie discovered the fickleness of Irish electrical current when her curling iron overheated and burned off a chunk of her hair!
The Shannon Airport has duty-free shopping, but by then our bags were already full of souvenirs and gifts. We had the amazing experience of seeing a whole waiting-room full or American soldiers returning to Iraq from R and R. I talked to a couple of them and thanked them for their service--wished afterwards that I had taken a picture.
Our flight back to the U.S. was uneventful, other than the fact that Continental served us a chicken dinner at 7 AM! When we got to Newark, we discovered that our flight to Minneapolis was delayed--what a surprise. We finally got back to the Cities at 6:30 PM, 2 and 1/2 hours late. Ironically, we deplaned at the same gate where we had spent so many hours waiting to fly out the week before--just in time to hear the announcement that the next flight to Newark was also delayed! I won't fly Continental again!
We caught a shuttle to the hotel where we'd left my car and took off on the 4-hour drive to Rhinelander. I came straggling into the house at 11:15 P.M., not knowing then that it would take me four days to stop feeling exhausted! But it was an incredible trip, and I would like to go back to Ireland again someday. If you get the chance, you should too!!
Saturday morning, March 20th: Bonnie, Katie, and I left the hotel and grabbed a cup of coffee before catching a bus to the University of Limerick. Katie wanted to show us the campus and where she is living for the semester. The River Shannon flows through the grounds of the university, just like the Chippewa River is a centerpiece of UW-Eau Claire. We walked across "The Living Bridge," which feels as if it's moving, and took pictures in the Stables--Katie's favorite hang-out when she's not diligently working in the library. Her house in Plassey Village, where she lives with 7 roommates, was obviously a college kids' abode--but nice. We met Val, one of her roomies, and I asked him to say something to me in Gaelic. I love the sound of the language, but couldn't understand a word of it.
After seeing campus, we hopped on a bus to go back downtown. There we had lunch at Chocolat, a restaurant Katie had been dying to try. We each had a delicious meal followed by a dessert of 3 different cheesecakes/cake. (Don't tell Richard Simmons on me.)
Another bus ride later, we were at Bunratty Castle just outside Limerick. Katie was a little disappointed that Bonnie and I didn't want to go inside; we were temporarily "castled out" and more interested in checking out the shopping at the Blarney Woolen Mills there. We did do some walking down the road to the Bunratty Winery, but unfortunately it is closed on Saturdays. To soothe our disappointment over getting no free samples of mead or wine, we stopped in at Durty Nelly's, one of the oldest pubs in Ireland, for a drink. Sitting on the outdoor balcony, we enjoyed the sun and the breeze over glasses over Bulmers and Bailey's Irish Cream.
We returned to Limerick and had a late supper of pizza and garlic bread--that traditional Irish meal!--at Luigi Malone's. From there we walked to Dolan's Pub to hear some Irish music. It wasn't an actual band that played--just local people who come in and play their insturuments together for fun. I'm sure Katie was quite relieved that I didn't dance any jigs, though it really was toe-tapping music! We only listened for a short while since we had another early morning the next day.
Sunday we got up and walked down to the Travel Center to catch a tour bus for Blarney and Cork. We searched in vain for an open coffee shop or restaurant, discovering in a hurry that nothing is open on Sunday mornings when everyone is supposed to be in church! Fortunately our bus driver stopped partway to Blarney so we could grab something to eat at a gas station.
Blarney Castle was quite spectacular. The grounds are beautifully landscaped with flowers, trees, and a stream with waterfalls. We climbed the narrow, winding stone steps to the top of the castle in order to reach the infamous Blarney Stone. Many people were waiting in line to kiss it--including Katie and Bonnie--but I only observed. You have to lie down on your back and hang your head backwards while a man holds onto you in order to kiss the stone, which is the fourth one down from the top--and actually part of the wall. I don't like heights, especially being upside down while looking five stories below. Bonnie and Katie had their pictures taken by the on-site photographer and bought them, along with the certificate proclaiming that they had kissed the stone. After leaving the castle we walked through the Druid's Settlement and saw some interesting rock formations. The rest of our time in Blarney was spent shopping!
From Blarney we drove to the City of Cork, which has 250,000 people and is the second largest city in Ireland after Dublin. We spent our time there just exploring the city and having lunch. We ate at O'Brien's Sandwiches, where we had a shamrock-shaped chicken pesto sandwich. Excellent!
We got back to Limerick around 6, retrieved our luggage from the hotel, and said goodbye to Katie at the bus station. She had been a super tour guide, and the time with her in Limerick was by far the best part of the trip for me. Bonnie and I took a short bus ride to a hotel in Shannon which was just across the parking lot from the airport. We had to get up at 5 AM Monday to be at the airport by 6. Bonnie discovered the fickleness of Irish electrical current when her curling iron overheated and burned off a chunk of her hair!
The Shannon Airport has duty-free shopping, but by then our bags were already full of souvenirs and gifts. We had the amazing experience of seeing a whole waiting-room full or American soldiers returning to Iraq from R and R. I talked to a couple of them and thanked them for their service--wished afterwards that I had taken a picture.
Our flight back to the U.S. was uneventful, other than the fact that Continental served us a chicken dinner at 7 AM! When we got to Newark, we discovered that our flight to Minneapolis was delayed--what a surprise. We finally got back to the Cities at 6:30 PM, 2 and 1/2 hours late. Ironically, we deplaned at the same gate where we had spent so many hours waiting to fly out the week before--just in time to hear the announcement that the next flight to Newark was also delayed! I won't fly Continental again!
We caught a shuttle to the hotel where we'd left my car and took off on the 4-hour drive to Rhinelander. I came straggling into the house at 11:15 P.M., not knowing then that it would take me four days to stop feeling exhausted! But it was an incredible trip, and I would like to go back to Ireland again someday. If you get the chance, you should too!!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wisconsin Cheryl and the Castles of Ireland
(March 18th, Limerick, Ireland. When we last left our heroine, she was suffering from insomnia due to a potent late-night Irish coffee...)
Bonnie and I got up fairly early in spite of not sleeping well because we didn't want to miss our last pre-paid meal with the tour group! We avoided talking to any of them and spent an hour yakking over breakfast. Katie came over mid-morning, and we took some time on the computer to make plans for the rest of our visit--booking a tour, a hotel, and seeing what the local bus schedule was for the next couple days. Then we set off to see some sites of Limerick. St. Mary's Cathedral was the first, and I was absolutely awestruck by this 800+-year-old church. As with some of the other buildings I had yet to see, it just amazed me that people were able to build such magnificent structures hundreds of years ago without modern equipment. After checking out the cemetery, we went inside and paid two Euro each to the church maintenance fund so we could look around. The huge stone arches, tall stained glass windows, and towering ceiling are just spectacular! I would love to have seen an actual church service taking place there.
From the church we walked to St. John's Castle. Poor Katie had already been there twice, but she persevered so Bonnie and I could enjoy the tour. The castle's history and the recreation of many of the features that existed when it was actually in use were really interesting, and we took lots of fun pictures. After we'd seen everything, we spent plenty of time in the gift shop! We had a late lunch at Arabica, the coffee shop across from the hotel, and spent a quiet evening resting up for the next day's adventure.
On Friday Katie came to the hotel right from her 9:00 class, and we went to the bus station to catch our ride to Cashel. The bus ride took us through some quaint towns, including Tipperary! The streets in these small towns are SO narrow that the bus could almost touch the cars and other vehicles it met. All of the storefronts are connected, and it seems to be the popular thing for merchants to make their buildings as colorful as possible! We stopped in the town of Cahir and had to wait an hour for the connecting bus to Cashel. We passed the time walking along the river, taking pictures of the outside of Cahir Castle, and also did more shopping!
Katie had been to Cashel before on an overnight trip, so she was again an experienced guide for us. We walked to the outside of town and first visited the Hore Abbey. It is abandoned and there is no official "tour", but we were there for more than an hour just taking in the essence of a place so old and mysterious. Again I was amazed by the enormity of the task undertaken by the builders of that period. How could they create such architecture from stone with their bare hands?? The other thing that struck me over and over during my trip was the history of the place. The U.S. is a mere infant historically when compared to the countries of Europe.
We investigated the graveyard at the Abbey and took more pictures, gazing up at the Rock of Cashel on the hill opposite. Then we made our way up the hill via the "Path of the Dead," stopping to take pictures of the amazing view below us. The "Rock" is actually a castle, and we explored both inside and out, also viewing a brief video about its history. There was another cemetery to check out, this one including a gravestone with my mom's name on it!
We were hungry by this time, so we made our way back to town and found Feehan's Pub. With a Bulmer's cider in hand and an excellent meal, we toasted our great fortune at being in this beautiful country!
We caught the bus back to Cahir, and it was raining as we waited around for our connection back to Limerick. Lucky for us, the bus we would have otherwise missed was running late, so we were able to catch that one and not have to wait long. I ran into a bakery next to the bus stop and bought us each a cupcake before it closed. We were back at the hotel by 8 PM after picking up a few groceries, and Katie spent the night so we could set out together the next morning. Tomorrow: the University of Limerick campus and Bunratty!
Bonnie and I got up fairly early in spite of not sleeping well because we didn't want to miss our last pre-paid meal with the tour group! We avoided talking to any of them and spent an hour yakking over breakfast. Katie came over mid-morning, and we took some time on the computer to make plans for the rest of our visit--booking a tour, a hotel, and seeing what the local bus schedule was for the next couple days. Then we set off to see some sites of Limerick. St. Mary's Cathedral was the first, and I was absolutely awestruck by this 800+-year-old church. As with some of the other buildings I had yet to see, it just amazed me that people were able to build such magnificent structures hundreds of years ago without modern equipment. After checking out the cemetery, we went inside and paid two Euro each to the church maintenance fund so we could look around. The huge stone arches, tall stained glass windows, and towering ceiling are just spectacular! I would love to have seen an actual church service taking place there.
From the church we walked to St. John's Castle. Poor Katie had already been there twice, but she persevered so Bonnie and I could enjoy the tour. The castle's history and the recreation of many of the features that existed when it was actually in use were really interesting, and we took lots of fun pictures. After we'd seen everything, we spent plenty of time in the gift shop! We had a late lunch at Arabica, the coffee shop across from the hotel, and spent a quiet evening resting up for the next day's adventure.
On Friday Katie came to the hotel right from her 9:00 class, and we went to the bus station to catch our ride to Cashel. The bus ride took us through some quaint towns, including Tipperary! The streets in these small towns are SO narrow that the bus could almost touch the cars and other vehicles it met. All of the storefronts are connected, and it seems to be the popular thing for merchants to make their buildings as colorful as possible! We stopped in the town of Cahir and had to wait an hour for the connecting bus to Cashel. We passed the time walking along the river, taking pictures of the outside of Cahir Castle, and also did more shopping!
Katie had been to Cashel before on an overnight trip, so she was again an experienced guide for us. We walked to the outside of town and first visited the Hore Abbey. It is abandoned and there is no official "tour", but we were there for more than an hour just taking in the essence of a place so old and mysterious. Again I was amazed by the enormity of the task undertaken by the builders of that period. How could they create such architecture from stone with their bare hands?? The other thing that struck me over and over during my trip was the history of the place. The U.S. is a mere infant historically when compared to the countries of Europe.
We investigated the graveyard at the Abbey and took more pictures, gazing up at the Rock of Cashel on the hill opposite. Then we made our way up the hill via the "Path of the Dead," stopping to take pictures of the amazing view below us. The "Rock" is actually a castle, and we explored both inside and out, also viewing a brief video about its history. There was another cemetery to check out, this one including a gravestone with my mom's name on it!
We were hungry by this time, so we made our way back to town and found Feehan's Pub. With a Bulmer's cider in hand and an excellent meal, we toasted our great fortune at being in this beautiful country!
We caught the bus back to Cahir, and it was raining as we waited around for our connection back to Limerick. Lucky for us, the bus we would have otherwise missed was running late, so we were able to catch that one and not have to wait long. I ran into a bakery next to the bus stop and bought us each a cupcake before it closed. We were back at the hotel by 8 PM after picking up a few groceries, and Katie spent the night so we could set out together the next morning. Tomorrow: the University of Limerick campus and Bunratty!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Obviously-A-Tourist
I wonder if the natives of Ireland--and other countries--look at people like me and Bonnie and see a large blazing "T" on our foreheads. I'm sure the bewildered facial expressions, neck-craning for the correct bus, and taking pictures of said bus are dead giveaways. (Ya think?!)
When we arrived in Dublin on the morning of March 16th, we bought tickets for the "Hop-on, Hop-off" Dublin bus tour. Since we only had about 5 hours, we wanted to see as much as we could of the city's famous landmarks and attractions. First we rode the bus for the entire tour, then did it again so we could get off and look at things we wanted to see more of--and shop! Our driver was very informative and funny, singing and reciting limericks for us. Among the stops on the tour are Trinity College, which houses the Book of Kells; Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, the Guinness Storehouse, the Old Jameson Distillery, Grafton Street, and the colorful Georgian Doors. We took several pictures, but missed getting one of Molly Malone--"the tart with the cart." The bus driver did sing her song for us though: "In Dublin's fair city where girls are so pretty, 'twas there I first met my sweet Molly Malone..."
Many young people in Dublin dress just like kids in the U.S. with neon hair colors, multiple facial piercings, and some of the shortest skirts I've seen since I wore them myself in high school! Occasionally I'd see an older white-haired man with ruddy cheeks chatting animatedly with a friend in that lyrical brogue and think, "Now he is Irish!" There were plenty of redheads, too!
We arrived in Killarney that evening, starving and relieved to be caught up to our tour group after all the delays. The Killarney Avenue Hotel was an old building with beautiful woodwork and decor. We had a delicious dinner and met our tour director, Martin Guilfoyle. More about him later...
Wednesday morning, St. Patrick's Day! In Ireland!! Bonnie and I went down for breakfast-wearing green, of course--and met a few people in the tour group. We got on the bus and headed to the ferry across the River Shannon, making our way to the Cliffs of Moher. We sat near the back of the bus with the people who had already been designated the "rowdies" by the rest of the group. Three of them were women in their 30s-40s who had red hair of questionable authenticity. They had each gotten tattoos in Killarney the day before! There was also a college kid from Wauwatosa, WI who was on the tour with his grandma!
The Cliffs of Moher were amazing. It was extremely windy, and the waves were crashing at the base of the rocks. We took a bunch of pictures, and Bonnie walked up the far side of the rocks to take some from the opposite view while I checked out the shops that are built right into the hillside. I got myself a Celtic knot brooch made of Connemara marble. It is a green stone mined in Ireland, estimated to be 500 million years old!
After a quick lunch, we piled back into the bus and took off for Rathbun Farm. It is a working sheep farm, and we were able to see several varieties of sheep and other farm critters. We were given a glass of hot whiskey with sugar upon arrival, and later had coffee and scones before departing for Limerick.
We arrived at the George Boutique Hotel in Limerick around 5:30. I had texted Katie on the way, and she showed up shortly after. Hooray! I was able to give her a hug for the first time in two months. She gave me a claddagh necklace as a belated Christmas present, and we talked about what we wanted to do during our visit. First on the agenda was dinner....but we had a problem to solve first. Bonnie's carry-on hadn't been with our other luggage when we got to our room. After phone calls to the front desk and then Martin, the tour director, we learned that he had her bag--and had basically held it "hostage". Unbeknownst to us, (since we missed the first 3 days of the tour) carry-ons were supposed to be kept with each passenger on the bus, NOT put with the luggage to be stowed beneath it. He basically blamed Bonnie for not following his protocol and seemed to think she deserved the several panicked moments when she thought the bag was gone! We no longer thought he was a charming Irishman.
After this upset, we went to Bailey's for dinner. Bonnie and I had fish and chips and some Bulmer's cider--on Katie's recommendation. The waiter/bartender was a cute redhaired Irish lad named Gary. I told him that name didn't sound very Irish, and he said his real name was Gearoid (pronounced Guh-ROAD) Now that sounds Irish! I told him that maybe he was my long-lost son, and I could kick myself for not getting my picture taken with him.
After dinner we went back to the hotel, dodging puddles of puke left over from that afternoon's parade! We were mad at Martin, the tour guide, but still attended his "Farewell Irish Coffee" just to get our free drink. The coffee was delicious, but not a good idea at 10 P.M. Katie went back to campus, and Bonnie and I went to our room. We really needed a good night's sleep, but the caffeine kept us up till after 1 AM. Another big day coming up! Thursday: sightseeing in Limerick.
P.S. We don't recommend taking a trip with Brendan Tours!
When we arrived in Dublin on the morning of March 16th, we bought tickets for the "Hop-on, Hop-off" Dublin bus tour. Since we only had about 5 hours, we wanted to see as much as we could of the city's famous landmarks and attractions. First we rode the bus for the entire tour, then did it again so we could get off and look at things we wanted to see more of--and shop! Our driver was very informative and funny, singing and reciting limericks for us. Among the stops on the tour are Trinity College, which houses the Book of Kells; Dublin Castle, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Temple Bar, the Guinness Storehouse, the Old Jameson Distillery, Grafton Street, and the colorful Georgian Doors. We took several pictures, but missed getting one of Molly Malone--"the tart with the cart." The bus driver did sing her song for us though: "In Dublin's fair city where girls are so pretty, 'twas there I first met my sweet Molly Malone..."
Many young people in Dublin dress just like kids in the U.S. with neon hair colors, multiple facial piercings, and some of the shortest skirts I've seen since I wore them myself in high school! Occasionally I'd see an older white-haired man with ruddy cheeks chatting animatedly with a friend in that lyrical brogue and think, "Now he is Irish!" There were plenty of redheads, too!
We arrived in Killarney that evening, starving and relieved to be caught up to our tour group after all the delays. The Killarney Avenue Hotel was an old building with beautiful woodwork and decor. We had a delicious dinner and met our tour director, Martin Guilfoyle. More about him later...
Wednesday morning, St. Patrick's Day! In Ireland!! Bonnie and I went down for breakfast-wearing green, of course--and met a few people in the tour group. We got on the bus and headed to the ferry across the River Shannon, making our way to the Cliffs of Moher. We sat near the back of the bus with the people who had already been designated the "rowdies" by the rest of the group. Three of them were women in their 30s-40s who had red hair of questionable authenticity. They had each gotten tattoos in Killarney the day before! There was also a college kid from Wauwatosa, WI who was on the tour with his grandma!
The Cliffs of Moher were amazing. It was extremely windy, and the waves were crashing at the base of the rocks. We took a bunch of pictures, and Bonnie walked up the far side of the rocks to take some from the opposite view while I checked out the shops that are built right into the hillside. I got myself a Celtic knot brooch made of Connemara marble. It is a green stone mined in Ireland, estimated to be 500 million years old!
After a quick lunch, we piled back into the bus and took off for Rathbun Farm. It is a working sheep farm, and we were able to see several varieties of sheep and other farm critters. We were given a glass of hot whiskey with sugar upon arrival, and later had coffee and scones before departing for Limerick.
We arrived at the George Boutique Hotel in Limerick around 5:30. I had texted Katie on the way, and she showed up shortly after. Hooray! I was able to give her a hug for the first time in two months. She gave me a claddagh necklace as a belated Christmas present, and we talked about what we wanted to do during our visit. First on the agenda was dinner....but we had a problem to solve first. Bonnie's carry-on hadn't been with our other luggage when we got to our room. After phone calls to the front desk and then Martin, the tour director, we learned that he had her bag--and had basically held it "hostage". Unbeknownst to us, (since we missed the first 3 days of the tour) carry-ons were supposed to be kept with each passenger on the bus, NOT put with the luggage to be stowed beneath it. He basically blamed Bonnie for not following his protocol and seemed to think she deserved the several panicked moments when she thought the bag was gone! We no longer thought he was a charming Irishman.
After this upset, we went to Bailey's for dinner. Bonnie and I had fish and chips and some Bulmer's cider--on Katie's recommendation. The waiter/bartender was a cute redhaired Irish lad named Gary. I told him that name didn't sound very Irish, and he said his real name was Gearoid (pronounced Guh-ROAD) Now that sounds Irish! I told him that maybe he was my long-lost son, and I could kick myself for not getting my picture taken with him.
After dinner we went back to the hotel, dodging puddles of puke left over from that afternoon's parade! We were mad at Martin, the tour guide, but still attended his "Farewell Irish Coffee" just to get our free drink. The coffee was delicious, but not a good idea at 10 P.M. Katie went back to campus, and Bonnie and I went to our room. We really needed a good night's sleep, but the caffeine kept us up till after 1 AM. Another big day coming up! Thursday: sightseeing in Limerick.
P.S. We don't recommend taking a trip with Brendan Tours!
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