Cead mile Failte! We survived the "Titanic" crossing but what an ordeal - and we had to pay for it!!! I was proud of myself though 'cause big, strong macho men were using numerous "sick" bags and I managed to keep my breakfast down!!! One of the stewards told us they cancel crossings when the waves are 3.5 m. high but they were "only" 3 m yesterday!!! We could hear pans and dishes crashing in the snack bar area every time we rose and fell on one of those waves! The songs (Theme from The Titanic and "I Will Go Down with this Ship") certainly provided some comic relief for the passengers!!
It's been quite the time for adventures the past couple of days. I drove for the first time when we left Heathrow. Right hand drive on the left side of the road in a manual transmission car with the stick shift on the left and trying to remember to use the clutch PLUS dealing with ROUNDABOUTS?!!!! Does anybody know what the purpose of those things are...except to stress out tourists?!!!
I did enjoy the M4 and got the hang of the driving - eventually found 3rd and 4th gear too!! Seemed to go straight from 2nd to 5th for much of the drive!! We also couldn't find reverse so had to rely on gravity to get turned around at one point!!
Our drive through Wales was lovely - looking forward to our 6 days there - and, despite some rain yesterday (our first since we arrived), Ireland is very pretty too. I wasn't terribly impressed with Dublin when we first arrived - NO STREET SIGNS?!!!! We drove around for an hour and a half looking for a sign so we'd know where we were ('cause the highways weren't marked on the city maps) to find our hotel!!! We did finally find some signs high on the second storey of buildings but many of them were worn and hard to read. A kind "local" got us on our way and we arrived safely - and exhausted!!
We are staying at The Harcourt Hotel - with a connection with George Bernard Shaw (don't have my "notes" with me but his portrait is in the lobby. The ceilings in our room are 14 feet tall with very ornate crown molding and a gorgeous crystal chandelier in a leaf motif medallion in the centre of the room! The DART tram goes by frequently and rings it's bell so that adds a bit to the charm! The hotel is on another great Georgian street and I have started my series of Georgian doors in Dublin!
The weather has been good today - a brief shower just now but it ended quickly and the sun is back out. We have been to St. Patrick's Cathedral and got fish and chips from Leo Burdock's to eat in front of Christchurch Cathedral. We've seen Dublin Castle and are headed down to Temple Bar and Trinity College then will do some shopping on Grafton Street!!
We head to Dingle tomorrow via Cashel and Tipperary. I have loved seeing London and Dublin but I really am a country girl at heart and am looking forward to green, open spaces!
