We finally made it! Good news - the plane landed about 10 minutes early Bad news - the hydraulics went out as we were landing. The captain made a very hard and abtupt stop on the runway. We had to stay put for about 15-20 minutes while they sent a tow out to get us and bring us to the gate. It appears that the baggage doos and system are also affected by the los of hydraulics as it took them about 45-50 minutes to get the bags in.

We picked up our nearly brand new Ford Fiesta from Dooley and were off. I programmed Holy Cross Tipperary into the Garmin so we could stop and see the Abbey on our way to Kilkenny. Unfortunately, I forgot that I keep it set to "avoid tolls" in the US. The result? Driving through Limerick city center past two primary schools and a secondary school right as the kids are all being dropped off instead of bypassing using the tunnel. Nearly an hour later, we finally made it out of own.

We stopped in at HolyCross Abbey - just after they started a Novina, so we didn't get to see the inside. Next stop was Kilcooly Abbey in Gortnahoo, Tipperary. Well worth the visit. The carvings inside were some of the best, well preserved we have ever seen, and the windows were in perfect condition.

We made it into Kilkenny and stopped and checked in at Alcantra, had a cup of tea and then headed into town. We visited St Canice's cathedral and round tower - Keith went up the tower while I stayed below. After we found the local shopping center so we could stop in and get the Myfi unit up and running, grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed back to Alcantra.

Now that it is coming up on 8 p.m. i think we're about ready for bed!

-wc