Aer Lingus jet courtesy Google Images.
“Thank you very much, Love,” “There you go, Love.” “Sure, Love” …the warmth of the Irish people softens the blow of a long, exhausting trip across the pond via Aer Lingus’ cramped seating, distracted, less-than-attentive flight attendants and unappetizing food, followed up with the trauma of driving a stick-shift rental car on the left side of the road from Dublin Airport to Bewley’s Hotel at Newland’s Cross, where we fell into bed and slept for several hours. Now, having showered and enjoyed a delicious meal in “The Brasserie” downstairs, we’re back in the room with the tv on, where Eoin, like a good Irishman, just finished watching Ireland lose to Italy in the football match everyone was tuned in to in the hotel pub downstairs.
The weather here is lovely and fresh after the sweltering heat we left in Chicago and everything is both familiar and strange. Eoin agreed with me during dinner that it feels like ‘home’ to be back. But at the same time so much is different that it takes some getting used to. The signs, the roads, using the Irish debit card with its pin number, and even the light switches in the hotel room, take an extra effort to figure out. When we finally arrived at our hotel, with the aid of directions along the road from two men in a truck sitting next to us at a traffic light, I was so relieved that I would have punched my fist in the air and shouted “yes!” if I’d have had the energy. But my last bit of energy was required to figure out how to open the “boot” of our Volkswagen rental car so I could remove the one large suitcase we were able to fit into it. This effort took around 10 minutes – partly due to my brain having already thrown in the towel at that point.
So, tomorrow we will wake up early and head out to The West with a wish and a prayer that I quickly get used to the car and the roads and that, with Eoin’s help reading signs, we arrive safely at our little cottage in the bog …and that it has not become too wild while we were away!
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June 18, 2012 at 5:15 pm
Mel Berg
Glad that your long flight is done and that you are a bit rested. Your writings about your flight, reminded me of one of my husbands flights to Holland. His nephew had bought a ticket to come here, but then decided not to come, and he couldn’t get a refund on his ticket. He offered my husband his ticket, having to pay a bit more to reverse the ticket to come from the U.S, to Holland instead of the other way around. My hubby thought, well why not, so he accepted. The flight out of Chicago, was on an airline I had never heard of, Tarom?, which, he found out it was a Romanian airline and the planes were old Russian ones. From take off to landing, it seemed to be nothing but trouble, he went to use the bathroom, the door fell off, he and one of the poor stewardess tried in vain to put the door back on. Then, when they were trying to serve, what from my husbands description, was a awful meal, the dinner cart kept getting stuck on the plane’s carpet, which was old and not glued to the floor anymore, as it had large lumpy rolls. The stewardess, had to stop and lift the cart over the lumps in the floor. He said that most on the passengers, didn’t speak much English, mostly Russian and Polish and there were no newspapers, or any other reading material. Needless to say, I found his description of his trip hilarious, I know I have forgotten some things, but it still makes me laugh when I remember his telling of his flight. The one odd thing I found about this, was after he came back home, our mail from Holland, to us was gone through by the government
June 18, 2012 at 5:34 pm
bloggingfromthebog
Wow, Mel, your husband’s experience makes my experience sound like petty complaining in comparison! I think that air travel has just gone downhill in general though, while I have little doubt that Russian airlines have improved a lot from when he took his trip!
What I didn’t include in my post is that the security in O’Hare Airport has improved immensely in the last year! It was relaxed and efficient with extra security people in place just to be to be available to answer questions and direct people about procedure as they were lined up before going through. This was a pleasant surprise!
June 18, 2012 at 6:00 pm
june
Dia dhuit, Sinead! Agus cead mile failte go Eireann!
Sorry…I couldn’t resist! I’m sure you were able to translate that, Janet. Forgive me, also, for not getting back to you before now. I’ve been super chaotic crazy busy here for the past three or four months, starting up my very own crafts business (and a blog to go with it, for which I’m still finding my sea legs)) that the time has just gotten completely away from me. Even waking up at 6 or 7 a.m. and working/crafting away till midnight/1 a.m. (and knackered), there’s still so much that needs doing/tending to that I’ve not gotten round to do.
I remember well how uncomfortable Aer Lingus was the last time I flew from New York to Dublin…I empathise completely. But it’s all forgotten quickly enough once you’ve touched terra firma and you’re finally here…your second and adopted home. Get some much-needed rest (after a lovely dinner and perhaps a pint) for tomorrow’s journey out west (where I am, as well).
Slan go foill, mo chara…and welcome back ‘home’.
June
June 18, 2012 at 6:28 pm
bloggingfromthebog
I was able to translate it, but I’m ashamed to say it is close to the limits of my ability to read Irish! Thank you for stopping by June and I will definitely check out your blog. We had a nice meal and I am now hoping to get a decent night’s sleep, though you never know with time changes and jet lag what to expect!
June 18, 2012 at 6:47 pm
june
It takes a while, but by the second day and proper rest on both of those nights, you’ll be right as rain, no worries. How long will you and Eoin be here this time round? For a short stay or maybe for the entire summer? Hopefully the weather will remain summer-y, as it’s been for the past couple of weeks, rather than its usual autumnal (read: cold, wet, damp, grey – such is the northwest is wont to be for most of the year) throughout your stay here. How cool it’d be to meet up somewhere in between where you are and where I am here in the northwest.
As for the driving, just relax and chill and don’t stress. As you know yourself, there are plenty of very helpful folks who’ll be more than happy and able to show you the way.How are you with roundabouts, by the way? I’m still getting used to them, little by little, and getting more comfortable with them (no chocie, really, when you drive on any motorway or dual carriageway here). Driving on the left side of the road, and the driver’s seat being on the right side of the car becomes second nature before you know it, so don’t worry about that…you’ll be fine.
Have a good night, and an enjoyable trip way out west, to home.
June 22, 2012 at 1:34 pm
bloggingfromthebog
June, I didn’t get a reply button for your second comment so I’m answering here. Since I didn’t have internet access until today, you know that the weather turned nasty and now, Friday night it seems that summer is back! I hope it sticks around awhile. I’m ok with roundabouts now, especially after hearing a piece on Clare FM last summer that explained how they are supposed to be driven! Up until then it was a mystery to me as to how to use the two lanes and how to signal. They still take a lot of getting used to though!
June 18, 2012 at 10:30 pm
lifeonthecutoff
It is so good to hear that you have arrived safe and sound to your first destination, Janet, and here’s hoping that you and Eoin will have safe and speedy travel to the cottage. What a wonderful feeling that must be that you are home, especially for Eoin. I hope all is well and that you are quickly settled in there. Keep posting!
June 22, 2012 at 1:14 pm
bloggingfromthebog
Penny, it took me until today to get my Vodafone internet reinstated but I hope to get a few posts up while I’m here, there seems to be more to write about when I’m actually HERE considering the blog is about our place and our experiences here – for the most part anyway. I already have a couple things in mind! Our trip across the country went well and was quite fast, thank goodness considering we slept in at the hotel until 11 am the morning and got a much later start than I had planned!
June 19, 2012 at 4:38 am
eddie stack
fáilte ar ais, Sinéad. I was at the Clare Fleadh in Miltown Malbay over the weekend and there was great music there. Crowds were small, but that made the sessions more enjoyable. Is Eoin taking whistle lessons at the Willie Clancy Week? Let me know if you’re going to be in Miltown that week and maybe we meet up.
an Banner Abú,
es
June 22, 2012 at 3:19 pm
bloggingfromthebog
Eddie, Eoin is taking whistle lessons from a lady who runs or is part of a school in Miltown Malbay that is in session during the school year. She gives private lessons in the summer. She did mention a summer school for him and it sounds like that might be part of Willie Clancy week since the dates coincide, but I’m not sure. Since he is a BEGINNER-beginner she said that he wouldn’t normally be able to attend, however she thought that she may be able to get him up to par enough in a couple lessons. I guess as long as he knows where to put his fingers and can get a tolerable sound out of it he’s ok. So, short story long – if he gets in it would be great to meet up!
If I’m not mistaken, we were in your neck of the woods yesterday. We were passing through Ennistymon on the way back from the Burren and stopped for dinner at a place that I think was called “Byrnes” restaurant – at least the name Byrnes was on the building. Americans that we are, we showed up hungry at about 5pm, before the kitchen opened for dinner, so we were only able to have the soup, but by the taste of it I’ll bet dinner there is delicious! Ennistymon looks like a lovely place.