We arrived at Shannon on March 8th. No problems getting around the airport. Really easy.
Funny incident at the car rental counter. The gentleman was cheerfully going over my paperwork and chatting. He looked at me and asked, "First trip to Ireland?" I told him yes and then he just looked at me and shook his head (not insulting at all - just funny!!). He said, "Tell you what. How would you like an automatic instead of a standard?" I told him that I had looked into that but, as you all most likely know, you really get hammered for the price of an automatic. He looked at me and said, "Tell you what; for five euro a day more, we'll get you into an automatic." My wife raised her hand and called out, Sold!!"
Getting an automatic was one of the best decisions we made. At least for me, as a newbie to Ireland, I was glad I didn't have to concentrate on shifting gears while I was figuring out driving on the left. I recommend an automatic if you can. One reason they gave us such a good deal is that we were there in the "off-season." They might not make that good of a deal during the main tourist season.
I'll add on to this as the days go by. Lots more to talk about. t was a wonderful trip and I found there are advantages and disadvantages to the time we traveled. More later! Have a great day!
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The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. - Nahum 1:7 (KJV)
Welcome back! Great start on a trip report. It's kind of like eating an elephant....one bite at a time!
You did luck out on the 5 Euro upgrade! esp since you were a newbie! The best offer I had for an upgrade was 12 Euro....I declined. I got along great with the manual. This midsize car was much easier to shift than the compact car we had 2 years ago.
