Anyway, we finally arrived in Heathrow, and 5 long lines and hour later, we arrived at our Aer Lingus gate for our 10 am flight to Dublin. By the way, the geriatric tour group somehow all made it onto the B.A. flight and was with us at the gate in Heathrow. Just in case you were wondering.
The flight to Dublin was relatively uneventful, except for the fact that I fell asleep even before the plane took off. More amazing, there was NO Xanax or wine in this equation. It's amazing what sleep deprivation will do for you.
We arrived in Dublin, easily passed through customs, found our luggage and our rental car (a tiny Ford Escort--Bob's head about sticks through the roof, much like Fred Flintstone's). Finding our hotel was another matter altogether. We knew the hotel was on Swords Road, so we kept following signs that said "Swords". Unfortunately for us, these signs point to towns, not roads. So we ended up in the town of Swords, which, while completely adorable, was not our destination point. We headed back down towards the airport, and, after stopping at a gas station to ask for directions (Bob's idea--who woulda thunk it?), we finally arrived at the Regency Hotel. Our rooms weren't quite ready, so we bellied up to the bar and had ourselves our first pint of Guinness in Ireland. And another. Guinness is much tastier in Ireland, by the way. I'm told it has something to do with the water that it's made with.
Our room finally ready, we freshened up, bound for the Holy Grail of Guinness--the Guinness Storehouse! One of the travel mags I've read described the Storehouse as Disneyland for beer lovers, and I'd tend to agree with that assessment. An audio and visual assault, the Storehouse is 7 levels of how Guinness is made, culminating with the Gravity Bar at the top, complete with 365 degree views of Dublin. The free pint you're given there completes the experience.
After our Storehouse experience, we took a taxi back down to the Temple Bar area. It's a definite mecca for, as the Irish call it, stag and hen parties (bachelor and bachelorette parties). It's definitely chock full of pubs and tourist-y type stores selling overpriced goods adorned with the Irish flag. We had dinner at The Quay Pub. I had an amazing Beef and Guinness stew and Bob had the same. VERY tasty. But since it had been a loooong day, coupled with a few pints and glasses of wine, my tent was definitely starting to fold. We made our way back to O'Connell street and caught a bus back to our hotel. I was asleep in about 5 minutes and didn't move the entire night!
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Wednesday, April 16--We're off to Ireland!
We're off! Bob made me leave for Dulles at 12:00 pm, instead of the 1:00 pm he had previously told me. I think he was a little worried about getting there, since this was our first time to that particular airport.
No worries, though! We got to Aer Lingus' ticket counter at 2:30 pm, only to find out that it didn't open for ticketing until 3:30 pm. Bob staked his place at the head of the line (natch), while I planted myself near a window to read the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly. As I sat, a HUGE "geriatric" tour group approached and got in line. There had to be 60 of them. At this point, I'll admit that I was glad Bob made me leave extra early--we at least beat the tour group.
Finally, the desk opened. The first words out of the girl's mouth was, "There's a problem with the plane, so we've arranged for you to fly on a British Airways flight to Heathrow in London, then on to Dublin from there." Not a very auspicious way to start, but after hearing "there's a problem with the plane", I would've swam to get to to Dublin. Another plane was a definite plus.
God bless British Airlines. After we got on the plane--only an hour after the Aer Lingus flight was supposed to have left--I noticed that each seat had a little "goodie bag" of the following--a blanket, a pillow, a headset, eyeshades and a little tiny toothbrush and toothpaste. PLUS, each seat had it's own TV screen--with access to movies, TV shows, music, kids stuff and more.
The plane was packed, but I was able to sleep rather well--maybe 4 hours or so. I'm sure the two glasses of wine and 2 mg of Xanax I'd taken didn't hurt. But my God! Did they feed you! A HUGE dinner, complete with as much comped booze as you wanted (hence the two glasses for me). Quite nice. Then they served us a breakfast of muffins and yogurt around 6:00 am (new time). I'd fly with them again any time!
No worries, though! We got to Aer Lingus' ticket counter at 2:30 pm, only to find out that it didn't open for ticketing until 3:30 pm. Bob staked his place at the head of the line (natch), while I planted myself near a window to read the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly. As I sat, a HUGE "geriatric" tour group approached and got in line. There had to be 60 of them. At this point, I'll admit that I was glad Bob made me leave extra early--we at least beat the tour group.
Finally, the desk opened. The first words out of the girl's mouth was, "There's a problem with the plane, so we've arranged for you to fly on a British Airways flight to Heathrow in London, then on to Dublin from there." Not a very auspicious way to start, but after hearing "there's a problem with the plane", I would've swam to get to to Dublin. Another plane was a definite plus.
God bless British Airlines. After we got on the plane--only an hour after the Aer Lingus flight was supposed to have left--I noticed that each seat had a little "goodie bag" of the following--a blanket, a pillow, a headset, eyeshades and a little tiny toothbrush and toothpaste. PLUS, each seat had it's own TV screen--with access to movies, TV shows, music, kids stuff and more.
The plane was packed, but I was able to sleep rather well--maybe 4 hours or so. I'm sure the two glasses of wine and 2 mg of Xanax I'd taken didn't hurt. But my God! Did they feed you! A HUGE dinner, complete with as much comped booze as you wanted (hence the two glasses for me). Quite nice. Then they served us a breakfast of muffins and yogurt around 6:00 am (new time). I'd fly with them again any time!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Top 5 T-shirts Seen at the PSU-ND Game
In an homage to "Late Show with David Letterman", I humbly present the "Top 5 T-shirts Seen at the PSU-ND Game":5. "I snatch kisses and vice-versa."
4. "Notre Lame"
3. "Ann Arbor is a whore." (my perennial favorite)
2. "I beat anorexia." (seen on a very large man)
And the number 1 t-shirt seen at the PSU-ND game:
1. "I stole Charlie Weis' t-shirt." (seen on a 6X t-shirt worn by an average-sized college kid)
Juvenile and low-brow, yes. But it still makes me giggle.
Monday, September 10, 2007
The Perfect Rob Roy
That's what Bob's grandmother, Emilie--who everyone called "Gram"--always drank after a long day at Chris Henderson Realty in Wildwood Crest. She'd walk in the door at 5:00 p.m. and announce, "Time for a Perfect Rob Roy," then walk down to her vast wet bar and promptly make herself one. We all knew then that happy hour at Gram's house was in full swing!
Gram died last Sunday at the ripe old age of 88. In the past few years her memory began to fail and she'd been in the care of a local nursing home in the Wildwood area. But up until that point she still lived independently in her little Cape Cod in Wildwood Crest. Before that she'd spent 30 years living in "The Big House", which is what all of Bob's family called the house that she and Bob's grandfather, Len, built and then retired to in 1967. It was an awesome house, made for entertaining. Situated on Atlantic Avenue, right across the street from the ocean, it boasted the aforementioned wet bar, located in the family room, and a large living room with sliding glass doors that opened up onto a patio in her backyard.
Some of my fondest memories of The Big House and Gram center around happy hour. After she'd make her Perfect Rob Roy, we'd all make ourselves a beverage and meander out onto the front porch to watch the cars cruise up and down Atlantic Avenue. Gram would make herself busy inside fixing little plates of peeled, steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce and a side of saltines, making sure that each plate had exactly six shrimp and exactly six saltines. We'd then sit in chairs on the front porch while Toby, Bob's enormous furball of a dog, would run back and forth on the roof of the house, right above the porch. See, he'd found a way he could squeeze through the railing on the sundeck above the garage onto the roof. This fact caused great consternation to many people passing by, who'd invariably shout, "Hey! You know your dog's on the roof?!?" And Bob's dad would casually reply, "We don't have a dog."
Every time Bob and I visited Gram she'd always hug me and say, "Hi, doll!" I'd always felt completely accepted by Bob's family, and Gram and her hugs were a huge part of that. I know this is what many people will remember about Gram. The big hug. The smile. I know this is what I'll remember best about Gram.
Gram died last Sunday at the ripe old age of 88. In the past few years her memory began to fail and she'd been in the care of a local nursing home in the Wildwood area. But up until that point she still lived independently in her little Cape Cod in Wildwood Crest. Before that she'd spent 30 years living in "The Big House", which is what all of Bob's family called the house that she and Bob's grandfather, Len, built and then retired to in 1967. It was an awesome house, made for entertaining. Situated on Atlantic Avenue, right across the street from the ocean, it boasted the aforementioned wet bar, located in the family room, and a large living room with sliding glass doors that opened up onto a patio in her backyard.
Some of my fondest memories of The Big House and Gram center around happy hour. After she'd make her Perfect Rob Roy, we'd all make ourselves a beverage and meander out onto the front porch to watch the cars cruise up and down Atlantic Avenue. Gram would make herself busy inside fixing little plates of peeled, steamed shrimp with cocktail sauce and a side of saltines, making sure that each plate had exactly six shrimp and exactly six saltines. We'd then sit in chairs on the front porch while Toby, Bob's enormous furball of a dog, would run back and forth on the roof of the house, right above the porch. See, he'd found a way he could squeeze through the railing on the sundeck above the garage onto the roof. This fact caused great consternation to many people passing by, who'd invariably shout, "Hey! You know your dog's on the roof?!?" And Bob's dad would casually reply, "We don't have a dog."
Every time Bob and I visited Gram she'd always hug me and say, "Hi, doll!" I'd always felt completely accepted by Bob's family, and Gram and her hugs were a huge part of that. I know this is what many people will remember about Gram. The big hug. The smile. I know this is what I'll remember best about Gram.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Lemonade Stand
My daughters and their best buds next door set up a lemonade stand recently on a corner near our house. It was a blistering hot and humid day (after several cool rainy days), and the kids were relentless in their pursuit of potential sales. You could hear their mantra of "ICE COLD TEA AND LEMONADE!" five houses away. I was most impressed by the fact that the kids decided to donate all the proceeds to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts associated with the devastating floods in the Midwest.In the short span of two hours, the kids had raised $29.00--at $0.25 a glass! Granted, many people gave the kids $1.00 and did not ask for change. And all supplies were "donated" by my neighbor Wendy. But I was completely surprised by a few things:
- The kids' perseverance in selling, even in 90 degree heat. I remember as a kid having a lemonade stand and hawking my wares for about five minutes, then deciding that watching "Creature Double Feature" seemed a better bet and hanging up my pitcher. The only reason our crew quit selling is that we made them come in and have lunch!
- How many people driving or walking by completely ignored the kids, which was pretty hard to do since people walking by were almost assaulted by my 6-year-old. Not even so much as a nod or a smile by some passersby! How can you not smile at the first capitalistic venture of most small children in the United States?
- Thankfully, though, the number of generous souls outweighed the misers. Like I said, many people didn't ask for change. A fair number even pulled over in their cars for a drink and were treated to curbside service.
So thanks to everyone who helped our kids learn a valuable lesson about giving. And to those who were Scrooges? Bah! Humbug!
Monday, August 20, 2007
A Passion for Prose
During my book club discussion tonight, a few people marveled at how I can sit and read a book for hours--even into the wee hours of the morning--and not get distracted, or even tired.
I've always been like that. I remember reading in bed as a kid, long after everyone else had gone to sleep. I just love to read--to get caught up in a complete other world that's so unlike life here in good ol' Central PA.
I go in fits and spurts, though. At the beach I can go through four books during the week with no problem. But then once I get back real life sets in again and reading gets put on the back burner for awhile.
I always come back to it, though, like an old friend. So many books, so little time.
I've always been like that. I remember reading in bed as a kid, long after everyone else had gone to sleep. I just love to read--to get caught up in a complete other world that's so unlike life here in good ol' Central PA.
I go in fits and spurts, though. At the beach I can go through four books during the week with no problem. But then once I get back real life sets in again and reading gets put on the back burner for awhile.
I always come back to it, though, like an old friend. So many books, so little time.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Guilty Pleasures
I was just reading an article on MSNBC about their "guilty pleasures". I love reading about other peoples guilty pleasures, because then I don't feel so bad about my own freakish indulgences. So in an homage to MSNBC's staff, I thought I'd list some of my guilty pleasures:- Josh Duhamel, of Las Vegas fame
- People magazine
- Cheese curls
- HGTV
- America's Next Top Model
- McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
- High School Musical soundtrack
Tell me--what's your guilty pleasure?
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