It’s hard to believe we’ve been home already for almost a week. Once I got back in the office, the time has really gotten away from me, but I would like to share a few fine bits about our tour.
Our last day in Dublin was a busy one. We started out with a locally guided panoramic tour that took us through the various parts of the city. We saw the typical Georgian style flats with their colorful doors. The doors were painted different colors because all the buildings looked the same so families painted their doors to identify their home. Apparently the need to do this was brought on by gentlemen returning to the wrong house after an evening out!
Other highlights included Nassau Street, Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s St. Patrick’s Green Park that is right off of Grafton Street. We had time to walk the grounds of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and took a coffee break at Phoenix Park, which is a popular recreational area for the locals. The President’s house is in the park so we saw that as well.
Our tour ended at Trinity College where we saw the well –known Book of Kells and got to walk through the library that houses over 200,000 books – pretty overwhelming.
The afternoon was at our leisure, but many of us chose to take a tour of Guinness to learn how the famous pints are brewed. In terms of brewery tours it was indeed quite the tour with several floors full of displays about the history of Guinness and the process by which it is brewed. Our tour included a pint of pint which most enjoyed in the Gravity Bar. A bar on the very top floor that has 360 or glass walls that gives an awesome panoramic view of Dublin. After our tour, we still had time for some last minute shopping, photo snapping and sightseeing.
In the evening, Joe took us to Taylors Three Rock for dinner and an Irish Cabaret that included singing, dancing, instrumental music and a hilarious comedian. It was a very enjoyable way to conclude our tour.
Sadly, upon our return to Dublin, we said good-by to Joe, our driver guide. We thoroughly enjoyed his knowledge and wit. He taught us a lot about Ireland but also shared some personal stories, funny jokes and limericks and even sang a few songs for us. He definitely made it a super tour and we will miss him.
I have posted pictures of the tour on CETA’s Facebook page. The link to that page is below:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150303373385894.338651.144170630893&type=1
You will be able to look at the pictures even if you are not a Facebook user. If you are on Facebook, please “like” CETA Tours to receive travel tips and information about upcoming tours.
Thanks for reading about our visit to the Enchanting Emerald Isle!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Kilkenny and on to Dublin
It was hard to find time to write, so today's entry will be short. There were quite a few businessmen and women at our hotel this morning. We found out that all the hubbub was because Enda Kenny, Ireland's Prime Minister, stayed at the hotel last night and was holding some meetings there. Joe was kind enough to bring me down to where he was and introduce me - he was very kind - double kiss on the cheeks and everything!
There was security and such with him, but nothing like what we have for our President or I am sure we wouldn't have even been able to get a room in the hotel!!
After all that excitement, we were off to Kilkenny where we toured the Kilkenny Castle, took a walk through the old past of town to see the church of St Canice and enjoyed free time for lunch and other shopping or sightseeing.
We then headed to Dublin taking the longer, more scenic route through the Wicklow Mountains. We also stopped at Glendalough a beautiful area nestled between two lakes. Here we got a tour of the monastic settlement that was founded by St Kevin. Our tour included the remains of the round tower, a church and cathedral - all from the 10th-12th centuries.
Late in the afternoon we arrived in Dublin-our final destination. Today we have our guided city tour including a visit to Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Some of us are also planning to tour the Guiness Brewery. For our final evening we enjoy dinner and traditional Irish dancing at Taylors Three Rock.
I most likely won't have time to post until our return and sometime next week will post pictures too.
There was security and such with him, but nothing like what we have for our President or I am sure we wouldn't have even been able to get a room in the hotel!!
After all that excitement, we were off to Kilkenny where we toured the Kilkenny Castle, took a walk through the old past of town to see the church of St Canice and enjoyed free time for lunch and other shopping or sightseeing.
We then headed to Dublin taking the longer, more scenic route through the Wicklow Mountains. We also stopped at Glendalough a beautiful area nestled between two lakes. Here we got a tour of the monastic settlement that was founded by St Kevin. Our tour included the remains of the round tower, a church and cathedral - all from the 10th-12th centuries.
Late in the afternoon we arrived in Dublin-our final destination. Today we have our guided city tour including a visit to Trinity College and the Book of Kells. Some of us are also planning to tour the Guiness Brewery. For our final evening we enjoy dinner and traditional Irish dancing at Taylors Three Rock.
I most likely won't have time to post until our return and sometime next week will post pictures too.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday - Waferford & the Rock of Cashel
Today we travelled to Waterford and got a tour of the famous crystal factory. Waterford started in 1873 and has changed hands over time. Most recently it closed down in 2008 but was taken over by an American company. The new showroom and manufacturing site is much smaller, but located in the heart of Waterford.
During our tour, we learned some of the history and saw the entire process of making the crystal pieces from blowing and cooling to drawing the design, then cutting, etching and polishing the pieces. Most of the process is done by hand with master craftsmen who study their craft for at least 5-8 years before they can work.
We saw some pieces for the 2012 Olympics in London and the cheese heads in the group were were excited to see the Lombardi Trophy.
After our tour we had plenty of free time to explore downtown with its winding narrow streets and have some lunch.
Our afternoon stop was at the Rock of Cashel, a sort of fortress that sits atop a prominent green hill known as the "rock," just outside the town of Cashel. Various tribes controlled it early on, but later a chapel was built followed by a cathedral and for while it was the archbishop's residence until he moved it into the town of Cashel. We understood the reason for this move: the weather was windy and rainy and pretty miserable, but probably not a tour we will forget.
St Patrick spent a little time here and his cross is in the little museum of artifacts which we saw on our way out. While our visit here was interesting, we were cold and wet and happy to board our Coach and have Joe take us back to our hotel in Clonmel. The skies cleared and we enjoyed a beautiful evening.
During our tour, we learned some of the history and saw the entire process of making the crystal pieces from blowing and cooling to drawing the design, then cutting, etching and polishing the pieces. Most of the process is done by hand with master craftsmen who study their craft for at least 5-8 years before they can work.
We saw some pieces for the 2012 Olympics in London and the cheese heads in the group were were excited to see the Lombardi Trophy.
After our tour we had plenty of free time to explore downtown with its winding narrow streets and have some lunch.
Our afternoon stop was at the Rock of Cashel, a sort of fortress that sits atop a prominent green hill known as the "rock," just outside the town of Cashel. Various tribes controlled it early on, but later a chapel was built followed by a cathedral and for while it was the archbishop's residence until he moved it into the town of Cashel. We understood the reason for this move: the weather was windy and rainy and pretty miserable, but probably not a tour we will forget.
St Patrick spent a little time here and his cross is in the little museum of artifacts which we saw on our way out. While our visit here was interesting, we were cold and wet and happy to board our Coach and have Joe take us back to our hotel in Clonmel. The skies cleared and we enjoyed a beautiful evening.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Tuesday - Blarney Castle & The Queenstown Story
The skies cleared this morning as we left Tralee. We made a short pit stop in Macroom and it happened to be market day so many of us bought fresh fruit or baked goods.
Our highlight for the morning was Blarney Castle. There was plenty of time to walk the grounds, including the gardens and also to make the climb up to the top to kiss the Blarney stone and get the gift of eloquence. Kissing the stone is not an easy task. There are over 100 stairs to climb, most of which are part of a narrow winding staircase. The kissing itself involves laying on one's back, grabbing bars for support and arching down below floor level. Luckily, word has if that the gift of gab can also be acquired by kissing someone who has kissed the stone.
The Blarney Woolen Mills are just a few blocks away and those who wanted had time to shop. We also ate lunch here as there were several good restaurant or pub options.
Next, we took a short drive to Cobh (pronounced Cove and formerly known as Queenstown.) It was from here that many of the Irish started their long voyage to start a new life in America, Canada, Australia and other parts of fhe world. We visited the Cobh Heritage Center where we saw the Queenstown Story exhibit. Here we learned about what the voyages were like for the immigrants from Ireland. From the first waves that left during the famine when the travel conditions were crowded and unsafe, including the "Coffin Ship" to leisure voyages that took place later on. In terms of emigration, over 6 million Irish left Ireland between 1848 and 1950 with over one third departing from Cobh.
The exhibit included information about convict ships that sailed mostly to Australia where criminals were used for hard labor in the land down under. We also learned about the luxury cruise ships including the fateful voyage of the Titanic and the tragic sinking of the Lusitania.
The exhibit also had some ties to Ellis Island. There is a statue of Annie Moore and her two brothers outside the center, overlooking harbor. Annie was teenager who traveled to meet up with her parents and other siblings in New York. She was the first emigrant processed when Ellis Island officially opened in 1892.
This was a very interesting stop and many of us with Irish ancestry are more curious about our relatives and how and when they came over. Sounds like a little research project!
Our final stop was at Coleman Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic style church that was started in the 1850's. It is named for the patron saint of Cork, the county in which Cobh lies.
This evening we had time to relax and enjoy the beautiful grounds and scenery surrounding our hotel in Clonmel. We had drinks and a social hour before dinner.
Our highlight for the morning was Blarney Castle. There was plenty of time to walk the grounds, including the gardens and also to make the climb up to the top to kiss the Blarney stone and get the gift of eloquence. Kissing the stone is not an easy task. There are over 100 stairs to climb, most of which are part of a narrow winding staircase. The kissing itself involves laying on one's back, grabbing bars for support and arching down below floor level. Luckily, word has if that the gift of gab can also be acquired by kissing someone who has kissed the stone.
The Blarney Woolen Mills are just a few blocks away and those who wanted had time to shop. We also ate lunch here as there were several good restaurant or pub options.
Next, we took a short drive to Cobh (pronounced Cove and formerly known as Queenstown.) It was from here that many of the Irish started their long voyage to start a new life in America, Canada, Australia and other parts of fhe world. We visited the Cobh Heritage Center where we saw the Queenstown Story exhibit. Here we learned about what the voyages were like for the immigrants from Ireland. From the first waves that left during the famine when the travel conditions were crowded and unsafe, including the "Coffin Ship" to leisure voyages that took place later on. In terms of emigration, over 6 million Irish left Ireland between 1848 and 1950 with over one third departing from Cobh.
The exhibit included information about convict ships that sailed mostly to Australia where criminals were used for hard labor in the land down under. We also learned about the luxury cruise ships including the fateful voyage of the Titanic and the tragic sinking of the Lusitania.
The exhibit also had some ties to Ellis Island. There is a statue of Annie Moore and her two brothers outside the center, overlooking harbor. Annie was teenager who traveled to meet up with her parents and other siblings in New York. She was the first emigrant processed when Ellis Island officially opened in 1892.
This was a very interesting stop and many of us with Irish ancestry are more curious about our relatives and how and when they came over. Sounds like a little research project!
Our final stop was at Coleman Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic style church that was started in the 1850's. It is named for the patron saint of Cork, the county in which Cobh lies.
This evening we had time to relax and enjoy the beautiful grounds and scenery surrounding our hotel in Clonmel. We had drinks and a social hour before dinner.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Monday - The Ring of Kerry
Due to our super early arrival on Friday we were able to rearrange our itinerary and free up Monday to drive the Ring of Kerry. It is another beautiful drive with winding roads and beautiful views of the Atlantic. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate quite as we would have liked. The rain stayed away a good part of the day, but the clouds were thicker. We could still see the scenery, but not as well as on the day before.
It was a much more leisurely drive and we were able to make stops in several little towns along the way including Killorglin, Sneem, Mol's Gap and Killarny.
During our time on the bus, Joe, our driver/guide, has been telling us lots of interesting and informative stories, singing some traditional songs and even throwing in a joke or two. We have learned a lot about Irish history and customs and I am sure we'll hear more before our trip is over.
Last night, most of us went to see a performance at Siamsa Tire-The National Folk Theater. Joe told us the story about Clann Lir, the show we would see so we could decide if we wanted to go. Clann Lir is a traditional Irish legend about the 4 children of King Lir who were turned into Swans by their wicked stepmother. The show is sung in Irish with dancing and accompanied by traditional music. So we were all ready to see the beautiful swans, but it turned out that it was a different show playing which we didn't realize until partway through the performance, making for a little confusion, but a lot of laughs!
The show we saw was wonderful, especially once we knew what we were watching. It was Oilean, a story about the people of Blasket Island. It was extra meaningful because we saw the island on our drive along the Dingle Peninsula. We got back pretty late and were ready for bed after a fun evening.
It is now Tuesday morning and we depart Tralee shortly and travel to Blarney to kiss the stone!
It was a much more leisurely drive and we were able to make stops in several little towns along the way including Killorglin, Sneem, Mol's Gap and Killarny.
During our time on the bus, Joe, our driver/guide, has been telling us lots of interesting and informative stories, singing some traditional songs and even throwing in a joke or two. We have learned a lot about Irish history and customs and I am sure we'll hear more before our trip is over.
Last night, most of us went to see a performance at Siamsa Tire-The National Folk Theater. Joe told us the story about Clann Lir, the show we would see so we could decide if we wanted to go. Clann Lir is a traditional Irish legend about the 4 children of King Lir who were turned into Swans by their wicked stepmother. The show is sung in Irish with dancing and accompanied by traditional music. So we were all ready to see the beautiful swans, but it turned out that it was a different show playing which we didn't realize until partway through the performance, making for a little confusion, but a lot of laughs!
The show we saw was wonderful, especially once we knew what we were watching. It was Oilean, a story about the people of Blasket Island. It was extra meaningful because we saw the island on our drive along the Dingle Peninsula. We got back pretty late and were ready for bed after a fun evening.
It is now Tuesday morning and we depart Tralee shortly and travel to Blarney to kiss the stone!
Saturday - Dan O'Hara & Kylemore Abbey
Am catching up a bit and reporting on Saturday. What a difference a good night's sleep makes! We all felt much better on Saturday morning. After our delicious buffet breakfast, we were on our way to Connemara.
Our first stop was at an Aran wool outlet where we found a variety of woolen goods and other Irish treasures. Next we traveled to the Dan O'Hara Homestead. Dan O'Hara was a tenant farmer during the potato famine and his story if how he and his family had to immigrate during the potato famine is an example of what happened to many families. Dan lost his wife and some of his children on the trip over to the U.S And Dan himself did not have a very good life in America. He tried not very successfully to make a living selling matchsticks and died only a few years after arriving. During out visit we saw what his farm and home would have looked like and learned about life in Ireland in the mid-1800's.
Our visit started off with tea and homemade scones that were delicious! Then we took a tractor pulled enclosed wagon up to see the farm and home. We first got a demo of how the peat is manually cut out of the bogs. It has to dry for 2-3 months before it can used and shrinks considerably since the bogs are 80% water. Peat fires were the way people in Dan O'Hara's time heated their homes. But even now it is still commonly used to supplement modern heat.
We saw the inside of his tiny home, the heart of which was the fire place with the peat fire. Martin, our guide told us stories about Dan O'Hara and families like his during the potato famine. The saddest part was that the landowners who were making money by exporting lots of other crops, did nothing to help their tenants. Martin told wonderful stories and sang is the song about Dan O'Hara. Then we headed back down to board our bus for Kylemore Abbey.
The Kylemore Abbey was originally a castle built by Mitchell Henry for his wife and family. It is nestled on the hillside on Lake Maladrolaun. Tragically Henry's wife died at the age of 45. Henry couldn't bear to have her body buried in the cold ground so he built a mausoleum for her. The home was turned into a Benedictine Nunnery as well as a boarding school for girls. The school was closed in 2010, but the nuns remain at Kylemore.
We had time to see the inside of the Abbey that was furnished with pieces typical of when the Henrys lived there. There was a nice walk along the lake and a few people were able to see the Victorian gardens.
After our visit, we returned to Galway where we had some time to shop or visit a pub before returning to our hotel for dinner.
Will try to post a short report about today(Monday) later today or tomorrow.
Our first stop was at an Aran wool outlet where we found a variety of woolen goods and other Irish treasures. Next we traveled to the Dan O'Hara Homestead. Dan O'Hara was a tenant farmer during the potato famine and his story if how he and his family had to immigrate during the potato famine is an example of what happened to many families. Dan lost his wife and some of his children on the trip over to the U.S And Dan himself did not have a very good life in America. He tried not very successfully to make a living selling matchsticks and died only a few years after arriving. During out visit we saw what his farm and home would have looked like and learned about life in Ireland in the mid-1800's.
Our visit started off with tea and homemade scones that were delicious! Then we took a tractor pulled enclosed wagon up to see the farm and home. We first got a demo of how the peat is manually cut out of the bogs. It has to dry for 2-3 months before it can used and shrinks considerably since the bogs are 80% water. Peat fires were the way people in Dan O'Hara's time heated their homes. But even now it is still commonly used to supplement modern heat.
We saw the inside of his tiny home, the heart of which was the fire place with the peat fire. Martin, our guide told us stories about Dan O'Hara and families like his during the potato famine. The saddest part was that the landowners who were making money by exporting lots of other crops, did nothing to help their tenants. Martin told wonderful stories and sang is the song about Dan O'Hara. Then we headed back down to board our bus for Kylemore Abbey.
The Kylemore Abbey was originally a castle built by Mitchell Henry for his wife and family. It is nestled on the hillside on Lake Maladrolaun. Tragically Henry's wife died at the age of 45. Henry couldn't bear to have her body buried in the cold ground so he built a mausoleum for her. The home was turned into a Benedictine Nunnery as well as a boarding school for girls. The school was closed in 2010, but the nuns remain at Kylemore.
We had time to see the inside of the Abbey that was furnished with pieces typical of when the Henrys lived there. There was a nice walk along the lake and a few people were able to see the Victorian gardens.
After our visit, we returned to Galway where we had some time to shop or visit a pub before returning to our hotel for dinner.
Will try to post a short report about today(Monday) later today or tomorrow.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Sunday- Galway to Tralee & the Dingle Peninsula
It's been pretty busy and I haven't has as much time to write as I has hopes. So, here's an update for today (Sunday). I'll catch up and add Saturday later.
We departed Galway and travelled to County Clare. Our first stop today was at the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. We were able to tour the inside of the castle and walk through the park that was made up of different buildings typical of the late 1800's representing different aspects of life during that time such as the homes, schools and farms.
We continued on to County Kerry and had lunch in Dingle. Here things were abuzz as everyone was anxiously awaiting the start of the all Ireland Gaelic football championship between Dublin and Kerry. Gaelic football is an amateur sport, but has a huge following. There were Kerry flags and colors (green & gold - go figure) everywhere. It was fun to be a part of the excitement for a bit. In case you're wondering, the game came down to the wire with Dublin winning in the last few seconds.
After lunch, we drove around the Dingle Peninsula. We saw the rugged Atlantic coast, the rolling green hills of grass dotted with sheep and cows and divided by lines of trees or shrubs making the landscape look like a patchwork quilt. We were very lucky with the weather on our drive. There was no sleeping on this drive with a narrow road that hugged the sometimes quite elevated coastline and also threw us a couple of hairpin turns.
We were very lucky with the weather on our drive. We had misty clouds for part of the time that made the landscape even more dramatic. But later the clouds broke and we had some sun and blue sky enabling us to see the nearby Blasket Islands and to snap some spectacular pictures of Duncuin, an area on peninsula with a rugged, rocky coastline and a sandy beach.
After our beautiful drive, we headed to Tralee and our hotel. We had a lovely dinner and some of us also enjoyed an Irish coffee after dinner.
We are excited because our changes in the itinerary are allowing
us to spend Monday on the Ring of Kerry.
We departed Galway and travelled to County Clare. Our first stop today was at the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. We were able to tour the inside of the castle and walk through the park that was made up of different buildings typical of the late 1800's representing different aspects of life during that time such as the homes, schools and farms.
We continued on to County Kerry and had lunch in Dingle. Here things were abuzz as everyone was anxiously awaiting the start of the all Ireland Gaelic football championship between Dublin and Kerry. Gaelic football is an amateur sport, but has a huge following. There were Kerry flags and colors (green & gold - go figure) everywhere. It was fun to be a part of the excitement for a bit. In case you're wondering, the game came down to the wire with Dublin winning in the last few seconds.
After lunch, we drove around the Dingle Peninsula. We saw the rugged Atlantic coast, the rolling green hills of grass dotted with sheep and cows and divided by lines of trees or shrubs making the landscape look like a patchwork quilt. We were very lucky with the weather on our drive. There was no sleeping on this drive with a narrow road that hugged the sometimes quite elevated coastline and also threw us a couple of hairpin turns.
We were very lucky with the weather on our drive. We had misty clouds for part of the time that made the landscape even more dramatic. But later the clouds broke and we had some sun and blue sky enabling us to see the nearby Blasket Islands and to snap some spectacular pictures of Duncuin, an area on peninsula with a rugged, rocky coastline and a sandy beach.
After our beautiful drive, we headed to Tralee and our hotel. We had a lovely dinner and some of us also enjoyed an Irish coffee after dinner.
We are excited because our changes in the itinerary are allowing
us to spend Monday on the Ring of Kerry.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Our arrival in Shannon & on to Galway
Finally had some time to get on the Internet to post an update. We had the shortest flight to Europe I've ever experienced. It was supposed to be 6 hours but we had a strong tailwind and made it in just over 5. That put us on the ground at 6:30 am. The Shannon airport is very small so customs was a breeze and we were on the road before 7:15. Since we got on our way so early and had some extra time, Joe, our driver/guide, suggested we rearrange our itinerary a bit and visit the Cliffs of Moher. We drove along the coast and stopped in Lahinch where we had a great view of the rocky coastline with big waves rolling in from the Atlantic. It was beautiful and even though I was pretty chilly, we saw several suffers in wetsuits making their way out into the ocean-pretty crazy!
We had plenty of time to enjoy the Cliffs of Moher. They are 750 feet high and we had a great view of them and the ocean. There was also time to have some coffee and look at the exhibits in the visitors center.
We intended to have a leisurely drive along the coast to Galway, but had a few wrenches thrown our way. The first was that we had a to stop because there was a film crew shooting for a French movie. The actors were dressed like Vikings so some of us joked that they were filming a Capital One commercial. Shortly after we finally got going, there was a detour that had us back tracking quite a bit so we lost some time in getting to Galway. We were all pretty tired so not the the best time to be delayed but all in the group were troopers.
On a positive note, our rooms were ready when we arrived so we were able to check in, freshen up and have a bite to eat.
After lunch, we headed into Galway City for our tour. Though Galway is not a super big city, it only has a few main roads leading into the city center and our not so good driving luck followed us and led us right into a traffic jam. It took us 20 min just to drive a couple of miles. Luckily we were able to "ring" our guide and he walked to our bus and we started our tour while we waited for the traffic to clear.
Once we got to Eyre Square, we learned more about the 14 "tribes" that founded Galway. We had s very interesting walking tour that included the St Nicholas church, the Lynch Castle, the King's Head Bar and learned about the history and meaning of the Claddagh ring that so named for the village (where it was originated) that was nearby.
After a very long day, we were ready to have some dinner which was topped off by celebrating some birthdays in our group. After so many hours without good sleep, a full night's sleep in a bed felt great!
We were all feeling much better Saturday morning. As it is getting late, I will post the update for Saturday sometime on Sunday, but will say we had a great day today.
We had plenty of time to enjoy the Cliffs of Moher. They are 750 feet high and we had a great view of them and the ocean. There was also time to have some coffee and look at the exhibits in the visitors center.
We intended to have a leisurely drive along the coast to Galway, but had a few wrenches thrown our way. The first was that we had a to stop because there was a film crew shooting for a French movie. The actors were dressed like Vikings so some of us joked that they were filming a Capital One commercial. Shortly after we finally got going, there was a detour that had us back tracking quite a bit so we lost some time in getting to Galway. We were all pretty tired so not the the best time to be delayed but all in the group were troopers.
On a positive note, our rooms were ready when we arrived so we were able to check in, freshen up and have a bite to eat.
After lunch, we headed into Galway City for our tour. Though Galway is not a super big city, it only has a few main roads leading into the city center and our not so good driving luck followed us and led us right into a traffic jam. It took us 20 min just to drive a couple of miles. Luckily we were able to "ring" our guide and he walked to our bus and we started our tour while we waited for the traffic to clear.
Once we got to Eyre Square, we learned more about the 14 "tribes" that founded Galway. We had s very interesting walking tour that included the St Nicholas church, the Lynch Castle, the King's Head Bar and learned about the history and meaning of the Claddagh ring that so named for the village (where it was originated) that was nearby.
After a very long day, we were ready to have some dinner which was topped off by celebrating some birthdays in our group. After so many hours without good sleep, a full night's sleep in a bed felt great!
We were all feeling much better Saturday morning. As it is getting late, I will post the update for Saturday sometime on Sunday, but will say we had a great day today.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Shannon here we come!
So far so good on our travel day. Continental did a very slick and quick group check in for us which was nice. After a short delay out of MSP (air traffic control) we made it to Newark.
The flight was uneventful, but hot. We welcomed the cool drizzle in Newark as as waited for the shuttle to take us to our terminal.
It looks like all is on time for out flight to Shannon.
The flight was uneventful, but hot. We welcomed the cool drizzle in Newark as as waited for the shuttle to take us to our terminal.
It looks like all is on time for out flight to Shannon.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Our Driver/Guide
Our driver/guide, Joe, called our office this morning to introduce himself. He is very professional yet sweet and I think he is going to be a great match for our group. He is looking forward to meeting us all at the Shannon airport early Friday morning. It told him we would be pretty weary but he said once we get a bit of the fresh Irish air, we will be ready to go.
Hard to believe we'll be off and running bright and early tomorrow!
Hard to believe we'll be off and running bright and early tomorrow!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Enchanting Emerald Isle
A group of 26 of us depart on September 15th for a 10 day tour of Ireland. My colleague Carrie is also accompanying the group. This is Carrie's first time to Ireland and it's been quite awhile since I've been to the "Emerald Isle" so we are both very excited about the tour. Look for more posts in mid-September as we embark on this next adventure!
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