Change In Plans

We have been in Ireland for the last eight days, learning expensve lessons about how to travel as a family. With the dollar so weak ($1.70 to buy a single Euro), everything is going to be expensive.

That said, by not really paying attention, we have gotten creamed.

The best example was at Ashford Castle up in Cong (which was probably a very luxurious hotel in 1988, which was the last time they updated the decor, service, amenities, etc), where our “family suite” got changed to “two interconnected rooms”. Each room was 495 Euros per night, multiply by two, and gross up by 1.7x, and you see that we were paying nearly $1,700 per night for nothing particularly special. I am very glad that we only stayed for two nights!

We have started a list of Top 10 Things to Bring on Vacation In Ireland:
1- Loads of money (see above) in cash (ATMs few and far between outside of Dublin)
2- Appetite for chips (lots of pub food, lots of fries)
3- Appetite for beer
4- Ability to keep track of incredibly complicated Irish history
5- Raincoats and hats and umbrellas
6- Nerves of steel for driving on the narrow roads
7- Appreciation for the beauty of the West, particularly County Mayo
8-
9-
10-

We still need three more.

Although Ireland has been expensive and rainy, we have seen a lot of cool stuff.

• Staying in the Ballyhannon Castle was special and unique.
• Going to the folk park and the medieval feast at Bunratty Castle was a little hokey, but fun.
• The Connor Pass, on the unbelievably long drive to Dingle, was pretty spectacular.
• The burren was cool to look at.
• Walking on the Connemara beaches, and seeing and inlets and mountains were all distinctively beautiful (best day of the trip).
• Listening to the group of friends playing Irish music at the pub in Dublin was amazing.
• Having a Guinness at Sean’s Bar in Athlone (the oldest pub in Ireland, and maybe the oldest in the world) was special
• Listening to an organ competition at Christ Church in Dublin was inspiring (standing next to the organ was awesome)
• Taking a falconry lesson at Ashford Castle was also something special for Zola and for me
• Going for a run at Ashford Castle, and going down into something called the “Pigeon Hole,” a 50-foot-deep, medieval-looking hole in the ground was flat-out creepy

Too many verbs and adjectives.

We are also learning about travelling together as a family. The kids have not quite adjusted to the time change, even after a week. In part, this is because it doesn’t get dark until about 11pm. Also, we haven’t established any kind of routine, and we have been arriving/eating late. In the real trip, we will need to move less frequently, and build in some down time.