On arrival in Southampton we were met by my daughter, Leah, who had been traveling around Ireland with only a very large backpack.
''Southampton - view from our stateroom"
So in addition to ourselves and our 942 pieces of baggage (well, actually it was 11 pieces), we had one more person and a rucksack. We were fortunate to snag a very large taxi to take us to a hotel. Remember, fellow travelers, travel light!!
We spent the night at the comfortable Jury's hotel in Southampton, and walked in the local municipal park, where we saw several memorials, including one to the Titanic engine room crew, who all went down with the vessel.
''Lisa and Leah at the Titanic Memorial, Southampton"
The next day it took two small taxis to get us to the car rental office at the airport.
Once again on our way (in a suitably large rental car), we headed for Shrewsbury to visit with my pen pal, John W. We had started writing to each other when we were 13, and only met for the first time in 1996 when he came to California. We found his home in a small English village near Shrewsbury quite charming.
'''John's home, Five Oaks"'
We were introduced to his friend Sue, and treated to a tasty traditional English meal of "bangers and mash" (sausages and mashed potatoes), followed by an extensive selection of cheeses and French bread. He persuaded us to spend the night, which we did in great comfort. He even brought us cups of tea in bed the next morning! Then we had breakfast with him before he went off to work.
''Sue, John, and Lisa"
Our next destination was Holyhead, Wales, to take the ferry to Ireland. Road signs in Welsh resemble "keyboard smash" on a broken typewriter nearly devoid of vowels. Lots of seemingly random letters, many of the consonants doubled, apparently provide clues to the native residents as to where things are situated. To us, the signs were decorative and mysterious, but despite our ignorance we managed to find the ferry. If you are at all familiar with the sound of a cat choking up a hair ball, you will be able to imagine what Welsh sounds like when spoken.
At the ferry terminal we were provided with luggage trolleys, and we purchased unfamiliar sandwiches and snacks while we waited for boarding time. We were allowed to take two pieces of luggage each on board, and the rest was tagged and checked through for us. Shortly after, we were en route for Ireland.
''Leaving Holyhead"
The crossing (by hydrofoil) was less than two hours, and soon we were on Irish soil.
We collected our baggage and quickly discovered that luggage trolleys are not provided on the Irish side. We laboriously brought our 3,425 pieces of luggage in relays to the Irish Tourist Board kiosk, and presented our challenge to a very helpful and efficient employee, Danae. She not only arranged hotel accommodation for that evening--she also rang several cab companies until she found one that had a vehicle large enough to take us and our increasingly burdensome luggage to the aforementioned hotel.
We had a restful night and an excellent breakfast in the Stillorgan Hotel (south of Dublin) before being doubly rescued by Enterprise Car Rentals. They picked us up at the hotel and squeezed all of us and our repellent 6,735 pieces of luggage into a car and took us to Finglas (north side of Dublin) where they kindly rented us a semi (well, actually a van), whereupon we started out for Donegal.
The trip from Dublin to Donegal would normally be easily made in a day, but we got a late start and then stopped for lunch at a converted Presbyterian church in Monaghan. The food was lovely and fresh, and the church was also an outlet for about 20 crafters whose products were on sale there. The knitted items were especially beautiful and well made with beautiful wools, many of them variegated, and ranged from baby items to matching scarves and handbags. There are some very talented crafters in this area (actually part of Northern Ireland). There were intricate pieces of handmade lace, but no quilts.
Traveling on, we realized we would not make Donegal that night as it was raining (again) and getting dark, and the roads were unfamiliar. Luckily, we saw a sign on the main road for a hotel and restaurant, and quickly signed on for a ground floor room. My husband struck up a conversation with a fellow in the lobby who turned out to be a piper, and they had fun playing with my husband's electronic pipes, which were a new concept to the Irishman.
We had a full Irish breakfast next morning, and taking a packet labeled "brown" from the arrangement on the table, I almost squeezed brown sauce into my coffee, thinking it was liquefied brown sugar. That would have been a nasty surprise!
Once more in the van, we headed through miles of wild and scenic country including the Glen Iveagh National Park. Here are some pictures of the area, near the lovely and picturesque village of Dunlewy.
''Dunlewey"
''Ruined church near Dunlewey"
We continued on towards Glassagh on the West coast of Donegal, where we arrived in the early afternoon (it was Wednesday). We got a traditional Irish welcome from the weather - cold, raining, and gusts up to 120 mph!
Our rental house is quite pretty, and has four bedrooms and 3-1/2 bathrooms. It is one of the first we looked at on the Web - a modern holiday rental that the owner decided to rent to us on a long-term basis for a reasonable rate. (It didn't hurt that he is a Gaelic-speaking penny-whistle player!) The house is in the heart of one of the Donegal Gaeltachts (which is the literal meaning of the phrase "Croi na Gaeltachta" in the address), and a few minutes from some of the most musical pubs in Ireland! You can view it on line here.
Here are some other views of the house and vicinity:
''Glassagh"
''Lisa and Leah"
We picked up the key at the hotel next door, and moved in with our 10,892 pieces of loathsome luggage. Then we went shopping in Bunbeg and Derrybeg, the two closest villages.
