After disembarkation, we made our way through the Shannon airport. (Did you know that the first trans-Atlantic flights were to and from Shannon?) We met our tour guide, Mrs. Lynn Howard, who is, strangely enough, a Canadian German. Strange. Our bus driver is wee Mr. Shamus. When asked which part of Ireland he was from, his response was simply, "the middle of Ireland." While this is somewhat nonspecific, it is a perfectly acceptable answer due to the fact that Ireland's middle is altogether bland.
After about 45 minutes on our Lilliputian (but still nice) bus, we arrived at a tiny village all for the purpose of looking at thatched-roof buildings. There were three. Lucky for us, we also got lunch. Dad and I split an Irish Beefburger. I liked it. Dad...he wasn't so optimistic. But we managed. After "here's a menu for ye and here's another for ye," I was all game for this lunch. Our waiter looked to be about 14 years old and on his first day. As he brought our drinks out, his hands were shaking so badly you could hear the glasses clinking together. It was...pitiful but very effective advertising at the same time. Also, as a side note, there are a bunch of crows. It was creepy because in case you didn't know, crows only crow when it's quiet, cold, and gusty. I think they do it for effect. I love it. There are, by the way, many monastaries and old medieval castle ruins that were destroyed during the Norman Wars.
After a quick restroom break, we got back on the bus. We waited. What for, you might ask? We waited for girls from the other group who can't tell time. And to make things better, the entire other group is quite snobbish. They don't even talk to us, thank goodness. It's ok though because we outnumber them. If there is a battle, we shall be the victors. Anyway, we got back on the bus, and there we sat for 2 hours. I dosed. The tour guide rambled. I tried to listen. I failed. Wow, I need to vary my syntax. And so I shall.
Our hotel is called the Abbey Gate Hotel. It's on the main street in a moderately sized town called Tralee in the county of Kerry. We napped and grabbed some showers then went out exploring the downtown on our own during our down time. We went to the Supermart and got water and, strangely enough, floss. All I can say about that is silly Dad. 50m of floss cost €2.73 and 5L of water cost €1.50. Why, I do not know. Dad kept forgetting where he was going; good thing he had me. The downtown is all of 4 blocks. Difficult. We took a stroll through an inconceivably small mall and even found a GameStop. It seems video games will consume the collective human mind one soul at a time. Sorry Jon.
When we made it back to Abbey Gate, we refilled our water bottles then hit the sack again. My bio-rhythm is so confused, and I am unsure about when to take my medicines. Now that it's time to go to bed, I'm just ready to get up. Wooo Wooo! Par-tay! and there is traditional Irish music downstairs just to get things hopping a bit. Props to the man on the accordian and the other on guitar. Hmmm. Questionable. But that didn't start until after dinner. Dad and I both had Cream of 'Shroom soup for an appetizer and Ham and Turkey for the main course. There were mashed potatoes that, as expected, were delicious. We had a fruit medley jello whipped cream dessert dish. I thought it inventive that the chef had prepared the jello with what appeared to be Lady Fingers in it. This made for an interesting texture, but over all it was fairly tasty. And just to wash it down, how appropriate that I had a cup of tea.
So far it has been fun. Hopefully tomorrow once we get over our jet lag, it would be even more enjoyable. We don't have very many pictures yet, so you will have to wait for those to come later. Right now, I need to go check my email and figure out when Doctor Who comes on. We only have around 7 channels on our TV, so we may not even get it. Time only shall tell. More tomorrow. Goodnight. I think I will pitch off to bed soon. Thanks for reading even though I am longwinded. I love you all.
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