Ireland

Here we are sitting in the lounge at Dublin International, after spending the better part of today trying to find out way through the labyrinth of roads that is Ireland. We are physically and mentally exhausted at this point and are looking forward to getting on the plane to Barcelona.

My plan to sleep on the flight here was mostly foiled by bright cabin lights, a meal service at midnight Eastern Time, , and a generally miserable excuse for a bed that was my seat. However, I managed to snag about 2 hours worth of shut eye while Amy watched a medley of video programming. When we arrived at Dublin at 9am local time, we were already tired. But the excitement of being in Ireland gave us a real shot of adrenaline, enough to say- rent a car and drive around the country until we were due back for our next flight.

Recall that people here drive on the wrong side of the road. The steering wheels in their cars are also in the corresponding incorrect side. But apparently my Delaware driver's license was all that was necessary to send me and Amy into the wild behind the wheel of a Renault Clio (stick shift of course).

Despite some initial trouble learning the ropes, we managed to motor our way up to the Black Bull Inn in Drogheda for a proper Irish breakfast. Then we hit the coastal town of Laytown and tried to see a castle in Malahide, but apparently it was under construction.

Eventually we made our way back to the airport, and here we sit waiting for our flight, really looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed again.

-ming