The first 30 or so hours

Sallis delivered us to Memphis International Airport. There were more people there than I had seen in the last several years, but "International" is still a stretch, especially in comparison to Philly - we saw that airport humming. We had barely enough time to grab a bite in the lounge in Philly. Cody had to have a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich. 

Our previous flights to Europe have been on wide-bodied planes with at least 12 seats across the rear cabin. Not a ton of room, but two aisles, some space to stretch on occasion, and, if we were lucky, our own screen and a list of movies to watch.

This was not that plane. 3 seats to a side, and those sitting on the narrow aisle were guaranteed to get hit by each cart that went by. A baby sneezes on row 3 and a mother on row 26 says bless you. Actually less room than we had on the flight to Philly and not the way we planned to spend a long overseas flight. And I must say it was made even worse by the movie shown to everyone on a 14" screen: Into the Woods, a movie the three of us had seen but not enjoyed together previously. Add some turbulence, a lack of sleep, and no hot coffee or tea (due to the turbulence), and you have Zombieland. 

We nevertheless managed to get our luggage quickly and get our rental car and instructions. Vicki takes the wheel - the one on the right side of the car - and proceeds out into traffic. Within minutes, she has already made it through 3 roundabouts and passed multiple vehicles. She will own the road in a day or two. We get to Limerick without incidence, marveling at how green the country is, and, amazingly, our room in the B&B is already ready. Nap time!

We walk into town centre for lunch in a pub and take a hop on hop off tour. Limerick is lovely, and I have no doubt that there are sites to see, but we are done. It's mid afternoon and we are napping once again. 

A few shots from the tour:

I don't think we're in Memphis! One might think that the Irish speak English, but I sat in a moderately crowded pub this evening and didn't hear a single word I understood. The bartender was the only one - and he was only because he wanted to be paid. 

This is a remnant of the old wall that protected Limerick. Most of them were knocked down in the 1700s after sieges in the late 1600s. 

Lots of street art in Limerick:

Limerick is on the river Shannon, a river we will cross again in our travels.

I love European rooftops. They have character, and they are often growing things.

Finally, this is a copy of a painting in our room in the B&B. I labeled it "Gentleman on tired horse asking for the third time how to get to Hop On Hop Off Bus station." The three ladies are obviously locals and they earnestly believe they just explained quite clearly how to reach that destination. The streets in Limerick can change names in the middle of the block. In the course of less than 2 miles, Dublin St. becomes Clare St. becomes Locks Quay becomes Charlotte Quay becomes Bank Place. 

We have almost made it to 9:00pm. I'm done. Time to crash. 

Dan

And now, we drink...

For me, a lovely Irish cider...

...and for the boys:

Welcome to Ireland!!!

And now, we wait...

Driving in circles

Boys and girls, this is called a map:

For hundreds of years, these have been how humans have conveyed geographic information about the world. Maps are almost universally understood. In modern times, even in times before you were born, people traveling used printed on paper versions of these to get around in cities and countries they were not intimately familiar with. They served several purposes.

1. Knowing how to read a map would provide you with the route to your destination. 
2. After your trip, the map provided you and others an indication of where you had been, even if it was not your original destination. 
3. It was a source of frustration for one who could not refold it, a source of a feeling of mastery for one who could, and a source of entertainment for the children watching in the back seat. 
4. Old maps make great gift wrapping paper.

Many of you have never seen, much less used, a map. You rely completely on a GPS or your cell phone for directions. This generally works out well, but one day you will find yourself on a road looking for a spot that doesn't exist on your machinery, while a voice inside your GPS tells you that it is recalibrating or that you are an idiot for not doing a U-turn across 6 lanes of traffic. Paper maps don't verbally assault you. They are patient and will wait until they are needed. No batteries are required. In Ireland, we will use a map. For the uneducated or at least uninformed, the blue part is water. We will not be driving there.

So the map above is the southwest quadrant of Ireland, which is where we will be traveling. We land at the Shannon airport and head south. Vicki will be the one at the wheel. Not only is that wheel on the wrong side of the car, but she has to drive on the wrong side of the road. We will inevitably come upon a sheep who has decided it is his turn to screw around with the tourists. He will be in the middle of a narrow, winding road at the top of a cliff, daring us to try to drive by without him head butting our little car over the railing.  If I were driving, my natural reactions would likely not be suppressed in the critical moment, and I would immediately veer to the right into the path of an oncoming lorry or mow down the rest of the sheep and their shepherd.

So Vicki drives. I navigate. Stay tuned for the resulting stories.

So... we are headed out on another adventure.

This summer, the adventure won't be in a hospital (at least, not that we know of). This summer, it will be across the pond - in the U.K. In the spirit of "don't put off until tomorrow spending the money that you can spend today," and with the excuse of giving Cody a graduation (from Mississippi State University) present, we are all three headed to Ireland. We will spend our two weeks in the southwest part of the country, and then Dan and I will return to Memphis while young Cody continues his adventures in England, Scotland, and Wales. AND FUN WILL BE HAD BY ALL, DAMMIT. We hope that you will join us (via this blog, because we will be in one of those small, petrol-saving European cars, so your literally joining us would not be a good idea) (and I will be driving, so you probably wouldn't want to be there anyway)(and Dan will be navigating, so we may never be seen again).

We will be wheels up on Friday afternoon, headed for Philly and then to Shannon.

Sláinte!