Here it is December, I am back on-line already planning trip number 3 and realized I hadn't posted trip #2.

Sorry...here tis...

 .....this begins a paragraph after a bunch of family stuff that would bore you...

We headed to the airport shortly thereafter and boarded the plane taking us to Boston, MA and then on to Shannon Ireland.  As we boarded the plane in Chicago, I notice we have a women pilot and comment to Randy how great the flight will be and it was!  Smooth sailing the whole way.  I am almost SURE it was because a women was flying but I admit it COULD be the perfect weather.  Our first hitch in our flight happened in Boston as we board the plane and then asked to debark.  It seems there is a problem with the fuel pump on the left engine.  Fuel is leaking out on the tarmac. We would just as soon they fix it NOW before we are flying over the ocean.  This problem is causing a 3 hour delay but we are grateful we do not need to catch another plane on the other end.  God is good!  We meet our seat mate and visited a bit while we were waiting to debark.  His name is Steve and he is Irish.  His family lives in Clare but he now resides in Boston with his wife.  We all laughed at the absurdity of getting on and off the plane.”

Later….the plane ride from Boston to Shannon, Ireland was 3 hours late so many people missed their connecting flights.  Luckily for us, it did not matter when we got there.  The ride over from the states was very bumpy and kept me awake most of the night...not out of fear...but it was a bit disconcerting and uncomfortable for sleeping since I was in the middle.

We got off the plane and picked up our rental car from Argus.  It is a black, Ford Fiesta Steele and very comfortable.  Randy adjusted immediately to driving on the right side of the car, on the left side of the road and shifting with his left hand.  I was more nervous this time riding on the left which was weird because last time we were in Ireland, we rented a VAN!

When we arrived in Shannon, it was absolutely beautiful outside.  The sun was shining and I am sure it was near 70 F.  We had a wonderful first day of driving even though we were jet lagged.  We headed for ‘Cliffs of Mohr’ even though we had been there before.  We wanted to see it one more time in case we never got to see it again.  It is so awesome.  They were doing a bit of construction on site but even then, the cliffs are awe inspiring.  We then headed for Clifden through Galway.  We did take a nice nap out in the parking lot in our car.  I highly recommend napping on your first ‘jet lagged day’.  What a drive to Clifden!  We were so tired, we thought we’d never get there.  Galway is a huge city with lots of ‘round abouts’.  We were too tired to enjoy it and just wanted to get to the B & B.  Luckily, our ‘working farm’ B & B is very nice.  It is called ‘Faul House’ and they raise Connemara ponies and also sheep.  I highly recommend this working farm.   

Tonight before retiring, I went to my suitcase only to discover, it was NOT MY SUITCASE.  I bought very unique bags (orange and black) brand new before out trip.  My husband had the same bag.  Evidently, an Irish lad did the same thing while he was on holiday in America.  I opened it to find young men’s clothing and boxer shorts!  So I slept in Randy’s t-shirt and bought one outfit the next day to wear.  It was VERY expensive especially for me.  I own an upscale resale boutique and could have bought nicer jeans for a quarter of what I had to pay.  Ouch!  Oh well!  It is part of traveling and when you travel out of the country, everything is an adventure.  This was one I would rather have skipped but we are hoping he will contact the airport.  So far, he has not done that...so either he LIKES my clothes, he gave them to his girlfriend or he threw them all away somewhere.  I did, however, lose my medication too, so I will have to go to an Irish Doctor to get a new prescription.    LATER:  She was very nice and told me I looked Irish.  Her office was very small, only one room..and her desk was also in that room.  The pharmacist told me about her but mentioned “a lady dr.” almost like it was an after thought or a last resort....with that kind of attitude about women..SHE was the one I wanted to see for sure.  Stepping into her office was a bit like time travel back in time though.  Since the medication needed was estrogen...my husband would have flown BACK to the US to get it for me..

 Wednesday, September 7

We had a great traditional Irish breakfast this morning (except the Irish gentleman...Michael..told us he eats just like we do...a bowl of cereal and coffee.  Funny how they call it the TRADITIONAL Irish breakfast.  It was a breakfast of Potato Bread, Brown Bread, fresh marmalade, Fruit, Eggs, Bacon (which is more like our ham), sausage and tomato.  It was huge.  We never eat much breakfast at home but it is fun to eat it here.  There goes the diet!!

We head for a CYBER CAFÉ to email back home and let our kids know we are safe.  After doing so, we walked around the town of Clifden.  It is a ‘soft day’ and wet for most of it.  Since I was looking for clothes, the first part of the day was a bit of a hunt.  After I had all the ‘staples’ I needed we could then meander the town.  It is a nice village to visit.  Randy and I both bought rain hats but mine kept blowing off so it isn’t doing me much good.  I still love the hat.  We ate a late lunch/supper of ‘pub grub’.  Randy had cabbage and bacon and I just ate french fries and chocolate cream cake (nourishing lunch).  We then headed for “sky road” for a scenic tour.  I am sure it would be beautiful if it was a clear day.  We still enjoyed the ride but it was hard to see for all the foggy mist.  We got to the top of the road and Randy was determined to get out.  I laughed at him as he tried to stand against the ‘gale force winds’ trying to yell things to me through the car window.  I've never felt such strong wind before.  Wow!  I finally agreed to get out but only for a second.  The flowers along the road are gorgeous...purple, yellow and white.  I love the floral displays God has left here for us.

We stop at a convenience before coming back to the B & B and picked up some “Hob Nobs” our favorite Irish Cookies.  Yum!

Tonight, after showering and borrowing “Allison’s” hair products, I decided to investigate the stranger’s suitcase a little more.  Since we’ve not heard from him, I’ve decided that I might as well use some of his things.  I find that he has a pair of jeans I can wear and a couple of shirts.  He also has a nice pair of new Calvin Kleins but they are too small.  The best find was HAIR GEL!!!  Yipee.  It’s pretty pathetic when you get excited about hair gel.  At least, if I never see my things again, I do have a MATCHING suitcase and a new pair of jeans.  He definitely got the better end of this deal though.  I think Randy will be able to wear his new NIKE Tennis Shoes if we have to keep them.

After showering and putting on my new undy’s, I felt like a new women so we headed out to the lounge area to visit with the other guests here.  We met a couple “Eva and Rick” from Florida also Brian and Joyce from South Wales.  Brian and Joyce were a delight and we visited with them quite awhile.  They are here celebrating their 40th anniversary as we are celebrating our 30th.  European people are so gentle.  We talked about how we American seem ‘brash’.  I think we stick out like a sore thumb and we can always pick out other Americans in the room.  I am not sure I like that part about us so we try to be more “reserved”...at least in the presence of other people...specially Europeans.  Sometimes I wish we could pretend we weren't from the US

Well, it is time for bed and we want to wake up at a decent hour tomorrow.  We slept for 10 hours last night and want to be up in time to visit with everyone.

Thursday, September 8

We got up this morning to an overcast but beautiful day.  Still no sign of my bag so it’s the pink sweater and white blouse again!  Ho hum!  Breakfast at the Cooneely’s is wonderful. (Clifden Farm) They are such warm people.  I had pancakes this time and Randy had the typical Irish breakfast.  We packed up our room and then took a walk down to the sea with Ruby the dog after feeding the chickens.  The ‘Faul House” is a excellent place to call home for a time...we would stay there again and again.

After one last goodbye to the beautiful Albino Connemara Pony I fell in love with (Faul House raises Connemara Ponies) and his relatives, we were off for Achill Island.

later.. 

You get no where very fast in Ireland and we didn’t get as far today as we had thought but did eat in a nice Pub called Groinia’s Pub in Newport.  Randy had the best Scallops he’s ever had.  (He talked about them the entire trip and wished he could have more)  I had Lasagna and Chips with cheese.  WEIRD!  I won’t order that again in Ireland but I really wanted to see what the Irish do with Lasagna.  It tasted like canned lasagna but I blame no one but myself because everything else at this little pub was wonderful and even the presentation of the food was nice.  We meandered through the little town and headed off again.