(A) Our plane landed in Dublin this morning, and so we begin a week in Ireland. From the airport we took a taxi to the car rental place. Our cab driver, John, was a most decent bloke who asked us questions about where we’re staying and what we enjoy doing. He had several suggestions of places for us to visit, including a trip through the Wickland Mountains to Glendalough, where Druids and non-Druids alike would be celebrating the Summer solstice. We did manage to get out of Dublin (in a manual transmission car, driven on the left side of the road) and to Glendalough, but we didn’t feel up for the many-mile hike that would have been involved. We’re proper jet-lagged!
So we continued driving (well, Kim continued driving, bless her!) until we found a great place for lunch, the Wicklow Heather Restaurant and House. I’m almost certain that half of the tables there had people from the U.S. sitting at them. Of course, my eavesdropping skills might not be all they’re cracked up to be.
Once we’d had our fill, we got back onto the narrow, winding roads toward our rental cottage. On the way, we visited a little grocery store so that I could be sure I’d have some coffee in the morning. (The rental place provides tea but no coffee. And I’m not ready to switch!) Finally, we got to our house.
Kim and I just got back from a walk around the property our cottage is situation on. Our cottage is connected to another one just like it, and we met the lovely couple who are staying there - Kate (sp?) and Owen. They seem cool. We continued along a road and saw lots of sheep, cows, birds, plants, and neat old buildings.
I expect that over the next few days we’ll explore the area by car and by foot. The weather is expected to be lovely! For now, best that we settle in and catch up on the sleep we didn’t get on the plane.