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WELL I HAVE TO ADMIT I'M AN ELECTRON SNOB; DEALING WITH EURO/POUND MINUTE BY MINUTE CHARGES-THRU POP UP ADVERTISING AND AT 56k/OLD SCHOOL 'DIAL UP SPEED' DIDN'T WORK FOR ME. SO I'M GOING TO TAKE LIBERTIES WITH TIME-CIRCUMSTANCE AND TRAVEL.
FRIDAY THE 27TH; WELL WE MADE IT TO SEATAC WITH TIME TO SPARE; AND MAINTAINING BERTMAN PROMPTNESS FORM INGA WAS THE LAST IN. WE DID HEAR FROM AMANDA THE THUNDERSTORMS HAD BOLIXED UP HER FLIGHT AND SHE WOULD BE LATE [MAYBE THE NEXT DAY], BUT SHE'D GET AHOLD OF THE B&B TO LEAVE US A MESSAGE ABOUT WHAT THE PLAN WAS. AS IT TURNED OUT MARY AT THE PRAGUE HOUSE HELPED HER PLAN THE TRIP INTO GALWAY ON THE BUS! SO OFF WE WENT INTO THE WILD BLUE OF CANADA AT A LITTLE AFTER 7PM PDT WITH A TAIL WIND MOVING US ALONG.
SATURDAY THE 28TH- DAWN CAME SOMEWHERE OVER GREENLAND; FOLLOWED BY A LOVELY BRITISH AIR SNACK WITH TEA-COFFEE & A BOTTLE OF WATER. EVERYONE GOT UP AND MOVING AFTER A VERY SHORT NIGHT. WE ARRIVED AT HEATHROW MINUTES EARLY; BUT HAD QUITE A HIKE THRU TERMINAL 4 TO THE BUS TO TEMINAL 1 AND ON TO SECURITY/UK CUSTOMS. LYNN HAD SAVED HER WATER FOR LATER IN HER CARRY ON; AND WE GOT THE SECURITY GENT TO JUMP US THRU THE LINE-BY THEN WE WHERE WITHIN 10MINUTES OF THE TO DUBLIN LEG-BUT THAT DARN 100ML BELL WENT OFF WITH THAT 500ML BOTTLE AND LYNN GOT THE FULL MEAL DEAL AT SECURITY. ONCE ALL THAT WAS SORTED OUT AND WE WENT THRU UK CUSTOMS OUR NEXT SIGN WAS THE 'IT'S 20 MINUTES FROM HERE' FOR OUR DUBLIN GATE. SO OFF WE TROTTED AND THE KIND FOLKS AT AIR LINGUS GOT US ALL REBOOKED ON THE 230PM FLIGHT-SEEMS A GOOD THING BECAUSE ALL THE LUGGAGE [WHICH WOULD EXPAND AND HAVE NEW FRIENDS JOIN IT THRU THE TRIP] HADN'T MADE THE TRANSFER EITHER. THE ENTIRE TIME WE WHERE THERE 'BAA-THE AIRPORT COMPANY' WAS BEING ROASTED IN THE PRESS ABOUT SERVICE LEVELS; I THINK MAYHAPS THEY ARE RIGHT. ALSO HEATHROW IS HUGE AND AS MANY MANY MANY KILOMETERS OF HALLWAYS; IN THE INFLIGHT MAGIZINE-GREAT INFO TO SEE ONCE YOU'VE BOOKED YOUR TICKET AND ARE FLYING-THEY WHERE NOW RECOMMENDING NOT 90MINUTES AS WE PLANNED AND WAS THE 'OLD' PLAN BUT 150-SAY 2+HRS-MINUTES TO CHANGE PLANES. OH WELL WE WHERE ON HOLIDAY; LETS HAVE A DRINK. ROSE PAID IN DOLLARS AND GOT POUNDS FOR CHANGE-STUCK THAT INTO POCKET FOR LATER.
A FAIR DUBLIN-AND WE GOT THE LAST GATE AT THE END OF THE TERMINAL AND ANOTHER HIKE THRU DUTY FREE TO CUSTOMS-YES BEFORE WE GOT OUR LUGGAGE. THEN WE FOUND OUR BAGS AND AT THE WHEEL-THRU EXIT OF NOTHING TO DECLARE BEHOLD SOMEONE YO-HOING FOR INGA. CAN'T TAKE THAT GIRL ANYWHERE-ACTUALLY IT WAS HER FRIENDS WHOM AHD BEEN THERE ALL MONTH A WHERE JUST FINISHING UP THEIR HOLIDAY. WE HAD A LIGHT SNACK-FISH&CHIPS SEEMED THE ORDER OF THE DAY AND INGA'S FRIENDS WILLED US THEIR ROAD MAP-IT WAS A LIFESAVER-HERTZ'S VERSION OF A MAP WAS GOOD FOR GENERAL DIRECTIONS NOT SPECIFICS; THEY SHOWED ROADS BUT NO #'S AND AS WE SOON LEARNED IRELAND IS BERFIT OF STREET SIGNAGE-OR IT'S SO OLD WEATHERED PAINTED OVER THAT IT REMAINS A MYSTERY HOW THEY KNOW WHERE THEY ARE GOING. THEN WE GOT INTO THE CAR LOTTERY AND OF COURSE THERE WHERE QUESTIONS-LYNN STOOD FOR THE AUTOMATIC AND GOT THE SUV; TIM -TO ROSE'S DISPLEASURE- SAID SURE TO THE STICK AND GOT THE 6SPEED TOYOTA. WE LOADED UP AND OFF WE WENT AROUND THE ROUND-A-BOUTS TO THE M1 [DUAL CARRIGE WAY-SAY 2 LANE FREEWAY] TO THE M50 WHERE WE GOT TO SEE ALL THE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION & TEMPORARY ROUND-A-BOUTS DUBLIN HAS TO OFFER. SOMEWHERE IN THIS TRAFFIC JAM FROM THE CAR INFRONT OF THE 'CONVOY' LEPT A YOUNG LAD IN HIS SOCCER GEAR WHO PROCEEDED TO PRESENT HIS PERSONAL OFFERING TO THE RIVER LIFFEY'S FLOW. THAT SEEMED TO SUM UP THE TRIP HE WAS HAVING ON THAT LOVELY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. FINALLY WE GOT TO THE M2 AND WHERE CRUSING LEFTLY ALONG @ 120KPH-UNTIL IT TURNED INTO THE N2 [WHICH RESEMBLES HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION FROM 1950] ONE LANE EACHWAY AND MAYBE A SHOULDER; BUT USUALLY NOT @ 100KPH TO THE N3 WHICH WAS ROLLING UNTIL BALLINSLOE WHERE THE N3 RETURNS TO IT'S ROOTS AS A TWO LANE WINDING CITY STREET @ 100KPH. ALSO ADDED INTO THIS FLOW WAS THE HOMEBOUND 'GALWAY' HURLING FANS-GALWAY HAD LOST TO KILKENNY-AND I SUSPECT SOME OF THE FANS MAY HAVE HAD A PINT TO MARK THE LOSS. WE OF COURSE NEED THE LOO BREAK AND BEHOLD THERE IS A PUB, SO AFTER THE NEEDED WE HAD TO RELOAD, AND BACK ONTO THE ROAD WE GO. IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT IT'S NOW 8PM IRISH DAYLIGHT TIME; BUT THE SUN STILL SHINES ACCORDING TO OUR PUB SOURCES UNTIL 10ISH; AND WE'RE -FROM THE SAME SOURCES- 2HRS FROM GALWAY. SO ZIPPTY-SPLIT WE ARRIVE IN GALWAY 10:45ISH; AND AFTER RANDOM ROADSIDE CALLOUTS BY MEGAN&ROSE AND LIBERAL MAP READING BY ROSE WE PULL INTO THE PRAUGE HOUSE MORE BY CHANCE THAN PLAN. MOLLY AND MARY OUR HOSTESS BOTH GREET US AND MARY GET'S EVERYONE SETTLED. BUT NO WE MISSED DINNER SO INTO TOWN WE GO FOR KEBOOBS [IT'S ABOUT THE ONLY FOOD STILL BEING SERVED] SINCE THE 'PUBS' TURN TO DRINK AT 8ISH AND NO MORE EATING. THEN THE LADIES HAD TO VISIT AN ESTABLISHMENT [WHICH MOLLY 'THE LOCAL' RECOMENNDS] I TURNED IN FOR THE NIGHT AND MISSED ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS-FAIR ROSE BEING 'MOTORBOATED' BY ANOTHER OF THE 'LOCALS'. THUS ENDS DAY1
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