Home Again

    The toilets in Ireland are the worst.  There are two kinds: those that flush, then take about 10 minutes to refill the tank, and those that don’t flush.  Besides the notorious roads, this is really all I can complain about in Ireland.  While I preferred the countryside, the cities we passed through were fairly clean and friendly.  Plus, the ancient castles were amazing; the weather was beautiful (this amazed our tour guides); the countryside was gorgeous; and the sheep were fairly well behaved.  We started and finished in Dublin, and along the way we stopped in Cong (where John Wayne filmed “The Quiet Man”), Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Dunguaire Castle, Annascaul, Dingle, Kilarney, Cork, Blarney (as in the Blarney Stone), Cahir, then back to Dublin, and all the beautiful landscape in between.

Mom and Dad at Kylemore Abbey

  Halfway through we switched buses and drivers.  Martin was as excellent a guide as Barry, but the bus was even larger than our last, if it can be believed.  Scary stuff on those roads.  We joined another tour that was partway through a 6 day trip, and it was full of Aussies.  They weren’t even all together; there were at least 4 different groups of Australians on the one bus.  All excessively good-natured and ridiculously good-looking.  I’m afraid my parents and I were the fuddy-duddies of the group.  When we stopped each night and settled in to our lodgings we ate dinner then called it a night while everyone else headed out to the pub.

Our favorite B&B, Inspiration Lodge in Annascaul

I really think one can’t fully appreciate a tour through Ireland if one doesn’t enjoy drinking alcohol to excess.  Our guide, while introducing one small coastal town, called it “a wee drinking village with a fishing problem.”  All in good fun, of course.

A beautiful view at the Cliffs of Moher

  Overall, I think I enjoyed the beautiful views the most.  And even though I took many, many pictures, I don’t think I got any that did those views justice.  I guess you’ll all just have to visit Ireland yourselves to find out what I mean.

  It’s certainly been an adjustment being back in the US.  Not just the time difference, but being out in rural NH is a big change from central London.  Also, I’m afraid I keep thinking people are driving on the wrong side of the road, which is a problem.  I am glad to be back among my family and friends, and to get back into my routine.  But I hope you will all follow me on my blog again when I’m back in London someday.

Cheers!