Saturday, July 18, 2009

Saturday in Ireland - Our last day

Woke up and had our last Irish breakfast and it was very good. Then headed out to find Janice’s roots – this time we google mapped it out – but since we didn’t have exact addresses, the inn owner told us to take another way – she asked her husband for help but every time he suggested something she told him he was wrong – typical interaction - and he said he just does what she says – very funny couple. Anyway, you can’t miss the …. Sign and you turn there and go to there and turn there, etc. Of course we did miss the sign because it wasn’t there – but we finally made it – we were 90 minutes past our schedule, the first one we’ve had all week, but we had a few stops before we needed to be at the airport by 5. We stopped in an antique shop and had a great conversation with the owner and his son…… who told us he had a book that lists all the irish families from the early 1900’s from longford and he offered to look up mullaley (Janice's family name) and send Janice what he could find. Then he asked me my name and I told him, then said Russian jews – I doubt if you have any in your book – and turns out he’s half jewish – klein – and his son was in Dublin dating a jewish women and there is the only synagogue in Ireland – sorry we missed it. Anyway, great conversation, but Janice had what she needed and we stopped at the market – got a local paper and some food and headed out for new grange – where Janice thought the hill of tara was located. Turns out it isn’t there – and I found it just because my thumb was right there when I was looking for directions so we headed there first. We had been told this was a not to miss site. Arrived there and I wasn’t impressed. I guess when you’ve seen all we have, it’s going to take a lot to impress me. We climbed the hills and read about what happened there in the 1600’s and earlier. Lots of dead people, of course and it was creepy. Lots and lots and lots of sheep and sheep shit that we constantly stepped in – couldn’t help it. But we did find a very nice gift shop, only the second place in Ireland that we actually thought was nice enough to buy anything – I found a great book about spells and Janice found a couple things. Then we went to the book shop - which contained tons of old books and we were fascinated. I found the first 4 volumes (out of 5) of “the works of the right honourable lady mary wortley montgu", printed in 1803 and these volumes are actually from 1803. It’s by the first women to travel by herself and write about it. Can’t wait to dig in. I got it for only 20 euros. He said there is also another book all about her life that he has at home but I might be able to find, along with the 5th and final volume. Janice also found some very interesting books.

We took so much time in the shops that we decided to head to the airport in Dublin and skip New Grance – figured we would be there extra early – it was raining hard by this time and the windows were fogging up – we made it to the airport but got lost trying to find the rental car place as it was not with the rest of them, sue had no more $$ in her phone all of a sudden so we couldn’t call and everyone we asked for directions didn’t have a clue or gave us incorrect ones – so for the next 45 minutes we circled the airport – and finally found it, dumped the car, hopped on the shuttle and got to the airport one hour before our flight – we were kind of wet and pooped by that time but the fun was just beginning. Let’s just sum it up by saying NEVER fly on Ryan Air – we heard it was a great bargain airlines – Sue saw it on 60 minutes – but it turned out to be a horrible nightmare and what was advertised for 35 euros ended up costing us so much extra - 40 euros each to print our boarding passes since we couldn't print them ourselves, 105 euros for 3 pounds extra weight on janice's baggage, and more for other things - much more than a regular airlines that would have taken us to Heathrow, where we needed to be, instead of Gatwick where we had to pay another 85 pounds to get to our hotel at Heathrow – we were both beyond our wits end –

checked into our hotel which promised to have a laundry – but no – it’s a dry cleaners that can’t possible get our laundry done by the time we need to leave. Got to the room, ordered room service and now Janice is crashed. I have a huge suitcase of dirty clothes and only one more outfit to wear so tomorrow is a must for laundry. And so ends our wonderful adventure in Ireland, a place we hated to leave and loved so much and had so much find in. Signing out from the Sheraton Heathrow at 12:37 am -

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