Joe Clancy, our driver/tour guide was a true hero, especially on that first day as he tried to accommodate the needs of 15 tired Americans ranging from age 7 to 80! He kept the patter going throughout the drive, and didn't seem at all offended or surprised as we each in turn nodded off a bit. He was particularly thoughtful and attentive to Mom and Bill, which earned him a very special place in our hearts. Of course, by the end of the trip we were razzing him as much as we razzed each other, but at least for the first part of the trip we tried to be reasonably well behaved.
That first day we traveled from Shannon airport up to the Cliffs of Moher to see the amazing rock formations at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. We had some lunch (marking the first of many ham sandwiches Peter would eat, and the discovery that vegetable soup in Ireland is pureed) and toured a very nice exhibit on the cliffs where Anne-Marie and I squealed with excitement about the possibility of seeing Puffins! Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, so by the time we were ready to take on the stairs to the overlook, the light drizzle had turned into a wet, windy rain. We could see white birdlike shapes across the way, but I don't think either of us would commit to saying that we actually 'saw' puffins. Despite that we had a great time going up the stairs to the lookout tower. On the way back down the wind filled our jackets like balloons and made it difficult to make it down the stairs. I kept an extra grip on Peter because his joke that he might get blown away was a little too close to the truth! By the time we got back to the bus we were soaked and late (not for the last time) and pretty hyper. Did I mention that Joe was a hero...?
After the cliffs we wound our way down to the river Shannon and took a ferry across. The twenty minute ferry ride apparently saved us a three hour drive through Limerick, so in addition to being fun and interesting, it was practical too! We all enjoyed getting out on the Ferry to see the river and pick up some snacks - this is where we discovered that Pringles are very popular in Ireland.
The final leg of our trip to Kilearny took us through a number of small villages, many of which still had their original Victorian storefronts. Just looking in the windows of the butchers and bakers and cheese shops as we drove by was amazing! Joe told us a number of stories about the history of each town, slowly building up our knowledge of the history of the island - from Vikings to Celts to British rule to modern times. We all fought to stay awake, but were often lulled by the sound of his voice and the sway of his bus. Mom was a true champ, staying awake the entire time asking Joe questions that she probably knew the answers to just to make sure that whoever was awake was hearing something interesting.
My kids set up shop in the last two seats of the bus. They unpacked their backpacks so that their books, games, crayons and snacks were in close reach and that became their 'zone' for the rest of the trip. Wayne and I didn't obsess about making sure they were always paying attention because we knew a lot of it was going to be over their heads, but I was surprised at how much they were taking in. They asked a lot of questions and I'd often overhear them talking about what they were seeing outside the window and filling each other in on what things were. Of course they paid particular attention to the animals (I remember a long stretch where they shouted out 'cow, sheep, goat, goat, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep's butt, sheep' as we drove along) and to the fairy stories, but they also caught a lot of the history too. At first I was a little concerned about this set up, but in the end it allowed Wayne and I to spend time together with the other adults as well.
We made it to the beautiful Randles Court Hotel mid-day, but we were all pretty wiped out. The hotel had a lot of European charm with antiques in the hallways and actual keys that you turned in at the front desk each day. Our key was on this giant brass knob which cracked me up every time I saw it! Our room was well suited for our needs. It was one of the largest rooms, with a double bed and two twin beds for the kids. It wasn't luxurious, but it felt very homey and welcoming. The only thing that made me go 'hmmm' was the toilet, which seemed to require some 'priming' to flush. I was completely inept at this and usually asked Abby to come in and help me out with it. Across the board I found that the thing I missed about 'America' the most was the toilets...strange and sad, but true...anyway, on the other hand I loved the shower! There was a dial that let you set the actual temperature you wanted...that was nice, especially since it basically eliminated the normal back and forth with Abby about the shower temperature...it really is the little things in life ;)
That night we introduced the Randles Court staff to Domino's Pizza delivery! We had decided that we were too tired and soggy to go exploring in Kilearny and that the kids deserved some comfort food given that they had all been so good despite being so tired. At first the front desk seemed taken aback by our decision to order in, but they were very accommodating and supplied us with enough dishes for all 15 of us, which was very nice. It ended up working out really well because the kids were happy and the adults were able to chat and everyone got to bed at a reasonable hour.
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