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Here we are, back in one of our many spiritual homes, the Irish countryside. (Other spiritual homes? Paris specifically and Spain generally.) We went out for dinner with our owners on night 1 and they are now off on their holidays whilst we start our travelling lifestyle again. We didn't need to prove our vaccination status at all during our 3 days in Dublin, which felt very weird indeed - as did the lack of QR checkins. Definitely relaxing and nice, but still, after months of waving our phones at QR codes back in Sydney - weird. It was good that they made a show of checking our vax certs at the Hollywood Inn last night - though we think they had to read our Australian ones, vs scan them. In any event, fingers crossed our application for conversion to French Digital Covid Certificates is processed by the time we leave for Paris at the end of November - an easy life is a good life. We don't tend to eat out much in Ireland as the prices are at the higher end of diabolical (yep - Paris is so much cheaper). They also do massive serving sizes - perhaps to somehow justify the prices. We're not sure - but in any event we had half a serve of fish and chips left over - so that turned into dinner the following night.
Covid and all, it was dreadful to miss our annual sit in November 2020, but reassuring to know the cats all remembered us and were loving right from the get go - except for the new cat who's a bit bamboozled as to why we got the full court love press from the other 8. We were just barely adjusted to Dublin time and it seemed a cruel joke to finish daylight saving just as we arrived in the countryside - and clocks went back an hour. Mind you - it was nice to see the sun rise at 7.20 am instead of 8.20 am - heaven knows how anyone ever gets to work when it's dark outside.
Qatar Airways did a wonderful job getting our bags to us all the way from Sydney (and not mislaying them during our 20 hour transit in Doha). However, and we can never normally say this, if they'd delayed the bags and we'd arrived with just passports, purse and pills, it wouldn't have been a drama. We have a stash of clothes in the Irish attic that could fit out 5 people at least - clothes, shoes, boots, toiletries - ridiculous. We used to call our stored bits and pieces our ammo dump. If we're honest it's more of a munitions factory these days. We have a clear goal this month to have a chuck-out and reduce our attic bags prior to heading to Paris. We unpacked, sorted, washed, dried, packed and got on with it. It was lovely to have access to a washing machine and dryer - the little luxuries in life.
The first couple of days in Dublin were pretty mild - not wintry at all, but as soon as we arrived, the cold snap rolled in after us. We got out and about for a scenic drive after a coulple of settling in days - all the usual haunts - Glendalough, the Military Road and Sally Gap, Lough Tay / The Guinness Lake and lots of long, long walks in the fresh air - albeit a much wetter, damper, mizzlier November than we recall. In fact 'mizzle' became the word of the month - a peculiarly Irish form of precipitation whereby mist and drizzle combine, it doesn't actually appear to be raining, yet in 20 minutes you can be quite wet indeed. We discovered a couple of great new walks during the course of the month - the Railway Walk in Tinahely when we accidentally missed a turn and did 20,000 steps (15 km) - a very fine day so that was good. We also walked both loops at Russborough House (snappy 8 km or so) and the Blessington Greenway - we are, in short, a lot fitter than we used to be and trying to stay that way. We also walk like champions when we're in Paris and don't see this changing - particularly with trying to avoid the metro/bugs/humans.
Mid-November saw my French Covid Certificate arrive via email - celebrations all around and it was immediately downloaded onto my phone, iPad, and into assorted apps so there was no chance of losing it. We had the applications in around 18 October and they cut the online system off in late October (not unreasonably - they'd been inundated with 4.5 million requests from around the world). We kept an eye on a few international travelling/airline/point hound blogs and had our fingers crosssed that applications already submitted 'should' be processed. So yay me! Just had to wait for James's to arrive. Given his application went in 24 hours later due to an issue with his Australian certificate, we thought, surely, 24 hours later. Nope. Over a week before his arrived - but still, before we left for Dublin airport - so well in time. It wouldn't have been a planet killer - just a planet irritant as we would have allocated our first morning in Paris to visiting an official pharmacy to have the Australian cert converted to a French one for €36. Free was a much better price (always is - oui, bien sur!) It was a wonderful day altogether when we had them both in hand - could only have been happier if they were actual European passports. Any stripe really. We are committed Europhiles. Now we can eat, drink and be merry in Paris, flash our passes for all our forthcoming travels in Europe and be as local as can be - let the good times roll.
What did we get up to in Ireland? More walks, lots of fresh air, not as much sunshine as we used to get in an Irish November mind. One of our all time favourite drives is up and through the Wicklow Gap to Glendalough. It was also carboot day on Sunday 14th - there's a small but perfectly formed car boot market held every month in Laragh which we like to visit if the stars align. I found a sweet little ring that I thought was silver and thought was a garnet for a couple of euro in a bowl of junky business. Gave it a polish when we came home and started the internet hunt for the unusual silver mark - turned out to be Iranian. Felt very 'Hercule Poirot' when I nailed it. We also picked up some homemade jam and chutney. Good shopping. After our carboot adventure, we ventured to a new carpark that was opened to allow for less crowding at the Glendalough visitor centre and it was great. In fact it meant we walked a whole new section of the Green Road - longer than we expected so by the time we reached the 'usual' carpark - it was time to turn around and go back - very few people and lovely Autumn foliage. We continued our day with a drive up past Glenmacnass waterfall, had our coffee at the summit and headed home via the supermarket for necessities - in this case an entry in the 119 million Euromillions (and a far distant second priority - groceries).
Other walking adventures? Russborough house got a good look in this time - We finally discovered the free public car park just over the road for the Greenway so really enjoyed doing the long loop walks to the front and rear of the stunning Georgian mansion (and not paying for their parking). Almost 10,000 steps in one fell swoop. Very sodden sometimes but wellies not comfortable over that distance. Another new adventure? Greenways are popular in Ireland and we are now dab hands at the Blessington Greenway walk. But something new to us are the Blue Ways - or paths along the various rivers and canals. After some research we found a Goldilocks track - not too long, not too short - befween Bagenalstown and Leighlin Bridge on the Barrow Way - our first canal tow path walk and very photogenic indeed. (Interestingly and logically, Glendalough is 'lock' like loch or lake - however Leighlin is not Lay-Lin - but rather Locklin. Apparently. Who knew…) We had lunch in the middle on the far side of the Black Castle and Valerian Bridge - positively Game of Thrones territory. The bad news was we didn't win the 119 million euro. The good news was no one else did either, so we picked up a ticket for the 130 million jackpot. Which is A$213 million. If we drop off the face of the world, you'll know why.
Now whilst we are seemingly incapable of winning Euromillions, our 8 year run of pretty good luck with pets finally ran out. We've had some close calls and a couple of elderly and unwell animals have departed this world a few weeks after our departure - which is devastating enough. This time our oldest cat, Papa - 20 odd years - no one is certain - was heading downhill gently even we we arrived at the beginning of November. We hoped he'd make it til the owners returned at the end of the month - but he went downhill at speed on Saturday 20 November and slipped away about 7 am Sunday morning - I spent most of the day bawling my eyes out - we've known him for 6 years and he was a wise old puss even when we met him. Very sad, but best way for him - apparently the vet had said nothing could be done - he was just going to expire - and so he did. After we took care of him we had to get out of the house so went for a drive to a small local Christmas market - bought a raffle, pudding and pies. Unable to face going home, we went for a drive to a cafe we'd always fancied going to - closed though. Still couldn't bear going home so we went for a fast drive to a scenic spot and an even faster run back. In a very Universe/The Secret kind of way, we won a gift certificate in the raffle for the very cafe we'd scoped out. Didn't even know it was a prize option. We're going to try out their pizza on Friday night. Far too expensive to go out in Ireland in the usual course - wounded bulls would be impressed. Aside from the pizza outing we're saving our euro-pennies for fabulously inexpensive dining in gay Paris. (Especially with our wonderful and newly printed out French Digital Covid Certificates - it will be so easy to go out). Thank you to Monsieur Macron and his 'passe sanitaire', it seems possible France won't lock down before we get there - though our post Paris stop, Amsterdam, looks to be an odds-on certainty for a lockdown of some stripe. And Austria? In lockdown now, but might be out of it by the time we get there (if we get there) in January 2022. First frost of the year and it seemed fitting that the sun was shining but almost cruel to bury old Papa in the freezing hard ground.
Our final week in Ireland was busy and productive in a bits and pieces kind of way. We felt much better when Monday dawned and we enjoyed a drive and a walk. We visited the local library to print out assorted travel paperwork for the next leg of the trip. We dropped off some excess clothing and bags at the local op shop in Blessington, took a drive to another local town, Baltinglass just for a change of scenery (Baltinglass Abbey - pictured) and, slowly but surely, started packing. And stopped. And started. We're in the middle of a cold snap and one frost barely has a chance to defrost before the daylight dissapates and the freezing cycle starts again. We continued with the walking and certainly enjoyed our outdoor pizza outing in GrangeCon. Service all over the shop ('the Covid' don't you know), but pizzas were tasty enough (and gift certificate subsidised). We're so starved for outings that 'feels like -4 degrees' on the weather app definitely isn't too cold to sit and eat outside… Bodily functions are on the way to shutting down anyway - not as though we even noticed the cold. Much. Good excuse to wear our 'hats with the flaps', thermal underwear and down jackets.
Come 27 November, our knowledge of the Greek alphabet was expanded. Yay! A new variant in southern Africa - not going to be called 'nu' because you know, too close to 'new' and the New Nu Variant would have been impossible. Not going to be 'Xi' because, you know, it's a common surname (and there's that bloke in China who can be touchy). So Omicron it is. Or O-mi-god as we're calling it. We've seen pictures in the media of people queueing frantically to fly out of Nairobi airport quicksticks. Sooner they rechristen it 'Dodge Airport' the better. Funnily enough, we were scoping out the Black Friday deals for an African adventure in May 2022. We even had our ducks lined up and 2 tours ready to link up and were looking at the seats available using our stash of frequent flyer miles. And then news of the African variant hit. Kiss of death we are…
The penultimate day of our Irish stay we visited our wonderful owners on their canal boat / home away from home. Great stuff altogether - like a floating doll's house and very interesting indeed. James had a go driving it and I sat next to the pot-bellied stove and luxuriated in the heat. Final cleaning and packing that night and up bright and early on the 29th for our last morning and the drive to Dublin airport. Wow. Ghost town. Paris - here we come!
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