Thoughts from the bus:

• Leaving Dublin today. We are told that Ireland is not a city country. The most beautiful part of Ireland is seeing the country side
• Off to Killarney today
• Will stop at the Blarney Stone
• Part of the attraction to this tour was that we would end it in Limerick. Our guide has told us that we will stay close to Limerick but not go into it as it is a not so nice place – a scrubby city or sometimes called Stabby City. 😳. Nevertheless, this morning as we were on the highway and I saw signs showing Limerick this way, my heart jumps a little. Yea! My hometown namesake! I believe Killarney is a street name in our little Limerick town and we will stay in Killarney for two nights. I guess it is the same geek in me that like staying in Lethbridge, Alberta and landing on Canadian soil from foreign trips This sounds like the beginning of a country song. 🙈
• There are so many cows everywhere here on small dense pasture land. This morning all cows are laying down, which is indicative that the rain is coming.
• Stopped for a Baileys coffee and an Irish coffee with sticky toffee pudding this morning. A nice little snack 😊
• Cars are registered here in a interesting way. The letter means where it was purchased. The first 3 letters mean about the year purchased.
• It is neat to listen to our guide as her vocabulary is very British. Her word choice is quite elevated. Examples: people have great “fervour”, some were “reticent”, “delighted”, “scholars”,
• Blarney. Queen Elizabeth I asked for Lord Blarney to come swear allegiance. He didn’t want to but he didn’t want to offend her. To give great flattery but not to give offence. She finally cried out, “oh Blarney, Blarney, he never means anything he says!” A new word was born into our language.
• We went to Blarney Castle and Allen and I both kissed the stone. Now we will have the gift of the gab! The guide kept warning us of the strenuous walk up the narrow staircase. It was nothing compared to Macchu Picchu! There was a man there to make sure you didn’t fall off the castle. Some of the men thought he had the best job as he got to touch all the women 🙈. It was a fun experience. We walked around the grounds afterwards which showcases incredible beauty. There was a poison garden that had cannibis growing in it.
• We had a chance to shop in a shop that had gorgeous woollen items. Good thing my suitcase is almost full.
• We are so close to Limerick, but not close enough to get any items with Limerick splayed across anything yet. Fingers crossed I can find something.
• The personalities keep being revealed by our fellow travellers. We have such a good fun group. Ed and Carol from Cape Cod, Martha and Eric from Ontario, Didi and Fred from Connecticut, Jim and Kim from Ontario, Roseanne from California, Mark and his daughter Kaitlin from Michigan(?) are all frequent dinner/drinking buddies. The talk is decidedly anti-Trump and how climate change is going to be the end of all of us. The Americans are surprised that we don’t love Trudeau as “he seems like such a nice man”. We smile and keep our conservative views to ourselves.
• We have checked into a beautiful Old Victorian hotel. Very charming!