The End of Euro 2012

This will be my last posting between now and our triumphant return to the states. I’m writing this from the room at the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel. Tomorrow we get a 6:00 AM wake up call and head to the airport to check in and grab some breakfast before our 11 hour flight.

I soooo much look forward to giving everyone a big hug when we get home. I love you all, and can’t wait to see you!

The Smiths

Our visit with the Smiths was excellent. Their kids are very charming, and we had a great time sitting and chatting with them. We also had the privilege of riding along on their way to school, which was nice to see. Below are Spencer and Owen, although Owen is being camera shy. The picture of me and the kids is the best picture I have of Owen, who looks very much like a young Sam. Then of course is AJ, the most personality-packed 3-year old I have ever met.

The last picture is of Pauline and Laney, who got along very well with each other. Laney’s parting words to Pauline as she waved goodbye at school were “Buy a motorcycle!” I have no idea what those two had been talking about, but it sounds like they’re getting ready for an adventure.

We were so fortunate to have been able to see the Smiths during this trip. They will be moving back to the states soon, and it was just fantastic to be able to see their home and neighborhood during the short time they have left in England. Their hospitality is impeccable, and we are very lucky to be able to count them amongst our dearest friends.

Norwich

Pauline had promised to herself that she would one day return to Norwich. It had been a destination on her previous vacation, and held a place in her heart for its strikingly well preserved medieval structures and villages. During her last trip she wrote a note to herself and hid it in an arrow portal in the hopes she would one day return to retrieve it. It was still there.

After retrieving the note we went to the market square where a huge number of vendors are scattered about. Here we stopped at George’s Jacket Spuds to eat jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) with egg, cheese and sausage on them for breakfast.

Norwich was a very charming town and is known for being one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the country. There are medieval churches absolutely everywhere, and most are still standing. One gentleman told us there were 365 pubs and 52 churches in the city, which meant there was a pub for every day of the week and a church for every Sunday.

Connemara

On our last day in Ireland we drove through Connemara. This region in the West of the island has a unique landscape and is covered almost entirely by peat bogs. There is very little vegetation in the area, and the stormy weather gave the journey an eerie yet peaceful feel. We stopped by a lake to do some scavenging for rocks and artifacts. Pictured below are some pictures of Pauline wading around the shore and our chariot, the VW Golf. 

Along the way we stumbled upon a mother sheep and lamb. Upon seeing us they both ran away into the middle of the road. Not the best idea considering the oncoming car visible on the horizon. On top of this, the lamb chose to stop directly in the middle of the road to suckle. Evidently it was a nervous eater.

Food, Beer and Lack Thereof

Toward the end of the week in Ireland Pauline and I started to get desperate. Desperate for food that tasted like anything other than a potato. We found ourselves staring longingly at vegetable stands wishing we could just get a nice green salad. Everything in Ireland comes with butter, including most sandwiches that have no business being served with butter. There is literally no sandwich they will not put butter on. When you order a sandwich that is lucky enough to come with a few side salads, you get a sandwich with butter, cole slaw that tastes like butter and some lettuce that is doubly outweighed by the dressing in which it has been drenched.

It seems a great mystery that there are simply no herbs in the food. You’d think in a country where it is constantly raining and everything is green that they would be able to intentionally grow a few greens, but they don’t seem to manage it.

The one thing they can make fantastically well is soda bread. I just love the stuff and am going to try to make it at home. They also do scones well, but again, we’re talking about grains. If you like eating grains incessantly, Ireland is your place.

Oh, I almost forgot about the beer. Every bar serves the following: Guinness, Carlsberg, Budweiser and Heineken (listed in order of quantity ordered). When you go to a British pub there are scores and scores of beers to choose from. It makes absolutely no sense that Ireland, as much as they love grains, hasn’t figured out how to make good beer out of it.

Angel's Share

I neglected to mention an interesting factoid that Pauline thought I should make note of. I had written earlier that about half of the barrel of Jameson whiskey is evaporated over the course of its 12 year aging. The whiskey that is lost is referred to as the “Angel’s Share”. Evidently Angels love the hard liquor.

Damage Waiver

When renting a car one always has to consider whether to buy the supplementary insurance. The damage waiver in this case was a no-brainer. We stood a very good chance of returning the car damaged given we had no knowledge of the rules of the road before they handed us the keys. We also had no idea what the condition of the roads would be, and as I noted before, the roads turned out to be extremely dangerous. As predicted, the car was returned with a few scratches.

The first scratch came as a result of hitting an orange traffic cone that someone had put out about a foot into the roadway along the Ring of Kerry. Just as I went to pass the cone, which required that I drive partially in the other lane, a car came in the opposite direction, forcing me to slam on the brakes and swerve back into my lane. This resulted in me running over the traffic cone, completely shattering it, and leaving a nice scuff on the front bumper.

The second bit of damage came as a result of a poor suggestion from the Garmin. I had missed a turn, so Garmin recalculated a route that took me 2 KM down a private dirt road. Why Garmin had any knowledge of this road I have no idea, but it was 90% pot holes and the ruts were so deep that the car risked high-centering as we attempted to get through what was clearly someone’s private property. Not only did we know that we shouldn’t have been there, but so did the German Shepherd that was guarding a private driveway. Upon inching past the dog, it attacked the rear bumper, leaving a bite mark and claw scratch.