Our time in Scotland had come to an end, and to catch our flight out of Glasgow we had to get moving early! The crew, very reluctantly, rolled out of bed and made their way to the van for the one hour drive to the Glasgow airport. We dropped the car off at the rental car place (again with no damage, no problems, and a full tank of gas), and made our way to the terminal. This time around we were flying on Ryanair, a low cost airline that services Europe. And when I say low cost, I mean it. We flew six people and two bags from Glasgow to Dublin for a grand total of $128.00! I don’t really understand the economics of that transaction, but I won’t complain!
After a short flight across the ocean, we arrived in Dublin and collected our bags, all of which went off without a hitch. Then the problems started. We had purchased SIM cards when we arrived in the UK and I was assured that they would work just fine in Ireland. Well they didn’t. Using the airport WiFi I was finally able to initiate a chat with the folks at Lebara, and after messing with the phone settings we were finally able to get things working. With that resolved, we could go get our new car.
Only getting the car was a problem too. What I learned, at the rental counter, is that most insurance companies exclude Ireland from their coverage. In order to waive the additional insurance I would need a verbal confirmation from the credit card people or from my own insurance company. With the time change, it was 3 am in the US, and let’s just say the ‘A’ team wasn’t working at that time. When I called the credit card people they admitted that they didn’t really know anything and I would need to speak with Mastercard directly. They transferred me, and then the automated menu at Mastercard decided to hang up on me. No sweat, I thought, I’ll just call USAA and they’ll take care of me. Well, they were on a 15+ minute hold time. Didn’t the world know that I was in a hurry! I ended up reluctantly taking the Irish coverage.
We exited the airport and I immediately walked my family in front of a moving bus. The crosswalk displayed numbers that were counting down. In my experience that is how long I have to cross the street. Apparently here those numbers indicate how long before I am allowed to cross the street. Luckily the bus didn’t kill, injure, or maim anyone, and we caught the shuttle to the rental facility. We gathered our keys to the Volkswagen Sharan and as I walked around this van I noticed the entire left side was damaged. It looked like someone scrape the side of the car on a stone wall, which may very well be what happened! In my mind, this was great!! I could totally scratch the passenger side up, and it wouldn’t be my fault!! Finally something going my way today!
Our next Airbnb was all the way across the country, in the town of Galway, which was about 3 hours of driving. We got to drive on what I consider “real highways” for the majority of the trip, which was a welcome change. On the way we stopped for lunch at a restaurant called Supermacs, which is an Irish fast food chain that also carries the Papa Johns pizza brand. The kids were happy to eat pizza and chicken strips, and I was happy they weren’t complaining about a meal.
Before long we arrived in Galway to find our lodging for the night. The coolest thing about this place was the parking scenario. There was a bar across the street from the flat, and the owner has an agreement with the apartment owner. We parked the car in the lot, and then I went inside to find a man named Tom, who happened to be keeping bar when I arrived. He collected a little information and we were good to go!
After the long day of travel we decided to take a walk through Galway to see what was what. We found a cute pedestrian area where we could purchase all the touristy souvenirs that we could ever want! We ate dinner at a little burger and shake place, and by little I mean it was actually small. We barely fit in the place!
After dinner we did a little shopping, and the kids got me a Father’s Day gift. It was really cute as they all tried to distract me in the shop. Each one came up to me and asked my opinion on a variety of sweaters and hats. Since no one is ever interested in my opinion, I knew something was up and finally just asked them, “Should I just hang out in the back of the store for a few minutes?”
When we got back to the flat it was time for bed. Unfortunately, while the location was very near to the city center, that meant there was a lot of traffic – all night long. I ended up sharing the noisy front bedroom with Samantha. The earplugs I packed really came in handy. I also learned that in spite of her size, Sam takes up a lot space when she’s sleeping!
The next day we woke up with the intention of exploring Galway. We visited the Spanish Arch as well as the Galway Museum, where we learned about the history of Ireland. On this particular day, every school in Ireland was also visiting the museum, so we cut our visit short and set out on a walk along the longest seaside promenade in Ireland. After walking for bit, Charlie really had to use the restroom. We tried to use the toilet at the aquarium, but there weren’t any public toilets to speak of. After a little begging (and the threat of a 6 year old weeing all over the place) the attendant allowed Charlie into the aquarium to use their facilities. Crisis averted.
We continued walking, and looking for a snack. We’re usually pretty lucky in that regard, and today was not different. We found an ice cream parlor that had the kindest young man behind the counter. He patiently took care of the kids, with their endless sample requests. Then his elderly grandmother came in, and he sweetly attended to her as well. She grew up in Galway and we had a lovely conversation with her as we enjoyed our ice cream. While we were in the shop, we also got to make friends with a couple from Philadelphia. The gentleman was fulfilling a lifelong dream to set foot on the soil of his ancestors, something his parents were never able to do. Strangely enough, he also spends a lot of time in Wildwood, NJ, a place I’m intimately familiar with from my days in Cape May, NJ.
We headed out to complete the longest seaside promenade in Ireland! When we reached the end it was time to “kick the wall,” which is exactly what it sounds like. We watched the locals to see how it was done, and then each took a turn. With the walk completed, it was time to head back. On the way out we passed a small carnival looking area, and after listening to all the begging, we decided to check it out. We ended up buying some tickets, and each kid was able to ride two rides. The three girls opted for some spinning contraption. Everything started off pretty benign, but at some point the thing Leveled Up! The cars swung out 90 degrees, and Liz was afraid the kids were going to fly right out. They loved it!
For dinner we visited a nice Irish Pub where I enjoyed a picture perfect Guinness. Seriously, it was a thing of beauty! After we finished our dinner we walked back to the flat for our last sleep in Galway!
TeamLilla.com 