Ireland Arrival

Salutations d'Irlande (Greetings from Ireland)!

Arrived about 5:30 am Dublin time yesterday. Flying into the airport was so unique for me because there were so many huge fields for so many miles of varying shades of green, then suddenly, there's an airport runway.

From the air, the few major roads looked like snakes winding their way north, south, and west.

Just like at home, arriving at the airport is like phase I of the journey because so many were traveling on to other Ireland destinations. Mary, a lovely grandmother I met in Boston, was heading back to Donegal. Home her entire life. So, after the long flight, and equally tiring clock change, she still had hours to go by bus or friends.

But, her spirits were up because the weather was so accomodating for us. Hannah, a cute six-year-old on the plane, was less than happy to be home. She expressed her "hate" for Ireland by supporting it with the rain that was her only real complaint. "You grown-ups may think it (the rain) is lovely, but I'm a kid. And, I don't like it raining all the time." Hannah got her wish yesterday; I don't think it rained here at all.

I could be wrong - if I missed it during the mini doze on the hop on-hop off bus tour I took.

On my own, I've made a new friend: Amy from Oregon, I bought stamps at the post office (home to the Easter Uprising of 1916), seen the "Bloke and the Poke" - local nicknames for the Larkin Statue and the Millenium Spire (though millenium was officially removed from the name because it took three years longer to complete and missed the 2000 deadline).

I've seen the River Liffey, its Ha'Penny bridge, wandered through Temple Bar area and found the National Photographic Archive and photography gallery, and laid on the lawn of Christ Church Cathedral for a fresh perspective of such a truly beautiful old building. I accidentally stumbled on to my first true Irish breakfast: 2 tomato quarters, poached egg, beans, sausage, ham/bacon, triangle-shaped fried potato omelette, which is how I met Amy - and had my first pub lunch: vegetable (corn) soup and ice water.

And, Amy and I wrapped up the evening at a local's pub - clear across town in the non-tourist zone, and experienced a fabulous live music session. It was so cool, how each musician just kind of showed up and began to play. Seemed like most of the four it was the first time playing together. Some, all playing a local favorite that inspired everyone around us to join in singing - sometimes, just one musician who knew a song the others didn't. Couldn't have planned a more perfect first day in Ireland.

Slan-che
Cheers...and safe journey!

(PS - Any errors can be attributed to my haste in typing, my lack of a dictionary or spell check, and this very different from our US keyboard. Sorry!)