Miss Amy picked us up about 8:30 a.m., Sunday, to drive us to the Salt Lake City airport to catch our 11:00 a.m. flight, first to Atlanta, then to Dublin. We could have called a taxi but imposing on the kids is fun and rewarding . . . . Amy is funnier than a non-english speaking taxi driver. Arriving in Atlanta on schedule, we decided to walk, rather than take the train, to the International Concourse E from our arrival gate in Concourse A. It was quite a walk, but we were entertained with some Atlanta history in the underground tunnel. After a quick bite to eat, we waited . . . about three hours for our flight to Dublin. Can't beat people watching in an airport on a Sunday afternoon.  

Good old Delta . On an international flight, we actually did get real food, that wasn't bad, for dinner. About the same quality as the homeless shelter. Breakfast, on the other hand, was an embarrassment, considering how many "foreigners" were on our flight. When we flew Air France to Jordan, we were given FREE Champagne and GOOD food. Air China to Viet Nam had the best eye candy! God Bless America! We think that for our international flights we will stick to airlines from other countries whenever possible. 

We arrived in Dublin about 8:30 a.m. -- 12:30 a.m. in Utah. We made it through customs, exchanged $$ for €€, found the #16 bus with one small faux pas, which dropped us off directly in front of the Portobello B & B. We haven't figured out why the mushroom name, but there is also a Portobello Street. This row house was built about 150 years ago. The proprietors, Eileen and Paul, are delightful. Paul has an Irish sense of humor that takes a little getting used to after coming from our sheltered existence in Utah . Every other word is "f _ _ _" or "Jeezus." He sold clothing on Carnaby Street in London during the late 60s so he knew all of the rock stars of that era.

After a morning cup of tea, we hit the pavement to walk off an eight hour flight and to get our bearings around this ancient city. With a good pair of walking shoes, this town is an easy hike, physically. But, like London, it is a disorganized mess. Coming from our orderly Salt Lake life, it is hard to get used to streets changing names every block or two, street numbers that have NO relationship to the numbers just across the intersection and, as a final test of sanity, the street names are very cleverly disguised or nonexistent. Daniel Boone was once asked if he was ever lost, to which he replied, "No, but I was a bit bewildered for a week once." We were bewildered for the whole afternoon.  

We did, however, find O'Neill's Pub next to Trinity College for some hearty pub grub . Needless to say, we also found Trinity College, the Book of Kells, and the Long Room, which is the historical collection of the college library and which is jaw dropping and not to be missed. Absolutely incredible! We happened to stumble onto Trinity on the orientation day for the Freshy class. Ah, to be a kid again! The green was filled with kids and club booths for the neophytes to sign up for any club imaginable. A fun experience that happens only one day a year and we hit it.  

Luckily, we managed to find our way home without me jeopardizing my manhood by having to ask directions. Finally, after 24 hours awake we took a break and a nap! Some blog time and a bed calls.