IRELAND, 1978

WE TOOK AIR LINGUS TO THE BEAUTIFUL EMERALD ISLE!....I LEARNED WHY IT IS CALLED THAT!...AS THE PLANE DESCENDED, THE GROUND BELOW WAS A BALNKET OF GREEN...........THAT IS JUST WHAT YOU SAW..........GREEN , ENERALD FIELDS BELOW...AND I TOOK SEVERAL PIX, AS WE DESCENDED!

ONCE THERE, WE WERE SO EXCITED TO HAVE ARRIVED IN DUBLIN!  WE HAD BOOKED OUR LODGING WHILE IN LONDON, AND THIS TIME WE DECIDED TO TRY A "B AND B."......THAT IS A BED AND BREAKFAST........OUR TRIP WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT EXPERIENCING ONE!

WE ARRIVED BY TAXI, AND FOR A MOMENT, I FELT AS IF I HAD STEPPED BACK IN TIME......

THERE WE WERE, IN A VICTORIIAN-SORT OF HOME THAT HAD BEEN COVERTED TO THIS B AND B...........IT WAS SO QUAINT....SO OLD-FASHIONED....I FELT LIKE IT WAS THE 1950'S...........IT WAS A QUIET, RESIDENTIAL, CLEAN   AND NEAT TREE-LINED STREET, WITH OLD HOMES LINING THE STREET....IT WAS SO PEACEFUL AND QUIET, ON THIS SUNNY AFTERNOON.

A WOMAN RAN THE B AND B...SHE WAS FRIENDLY AND POLITE........SHE SHOWED US OUR ROOM, AND THE KITCHEN, WHERE WE COULD HAVE MEALS.........

WE UNPACKED, AND RELAXED.  IN THE EVENING WE WALKED TO A NEAR-BY PUB...J LOVED AND ALWAYS DRANK GUINESS STOUT BEER....A VERY DARK AND HEAVY BEER....WE LATER PASSED THE FACTORY, AS GUINESS STOUT IS MADE IN IRELAND...........I  HAD A LAGAR, OR BEER,  IN A GLASS MUG...WE ATE IRISH STEW WHILE IN THE PUB, AND THEN WALKED BACK TO THE B AND B,  WENT TO BED.......

THE NEXT MORNING WE WERE UP EARLY.  WE BOOKED A DAY TOUR OF DUBLIN, ON A BUS.....SO, WE GOT A GLIMPSE OF EVERYTHING!......I REMEMBER STOPPING AT ST. PATRICK'S CHURCH, AND WALKING IN THE GRAVEYARD, LOOKING AT THE OLD HEADSTONES......

AFTER THE BUS TOUR, WE WALKED IN THE CITY OF DUBLIN...IT IS A BIG CITY, JUST LIKE NEW YORK, BUT IT DID NOT IMPRESS ME IN THE LEAST....THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE ABOUT BEING IN THAT CITY.....IT SEEMED OLD, AND DREARY, AND VERY POOR..........I REMEMBER AS WE WALKED IN THE STREETS, THERE WERE GROUPS OF YOUTHS, CARRYING FLAGS, AND DEMONSTRATING ABOUT THE WAR IN NORTH IRELAND............I TOLD J THAT I WAS NOT HAPPY THERE, IN DUBLIN, AND THAT WE SHOULD SOON LEAVE.........I WAS THANKFUL TO HAVE SEEN DUBLIN, BUT DID NOT WANT TO STAY.

SO, WE STOPPED ALONG THE WAY, IN A DINER, AND HAD SOME HOT SOUP, AND FOOD TO EAT....IT HAD BEEN A RAINY, DAMP DAY, AND THE HOT SOUP FELT SO GOOD!  I REMEMBER IT WAS STEAMY, IN THAT SMALL CITY CAFE.

WE WENT BACK TO OUR ROOM, AND CALLED TO MAKE FURTHER PLANS....TOMORROW WE WOULD LEAVE FOR SOUTH IRELAND, TO SEE THE BLARNEY STONE!

THAT NIGHT, SOME STRANGE, FUNNY THINGS HAPPENED TO US, IN THAT ONCE AGAIN, SPOOKY B AND B.........  ;)

THE WALLS WERE VERY THIN, AND YOU COULD HEAR THE PEOPLE NEXT DOOR ALMOST BREATHING...........WELL, WE COULD HEAR OUR NEIGHBORS TALKING.  FINALLY THEY SETTLED IN, AND ALL WAS QUIET...IT MUST HAVE BEEN AROUND 11PM.  SUDDENLY, IN THE QUIETNESS OF THE NIGHT, MY TRAVELLING ALARM CLOCK STARTS TO RING.......I FUMBLE AROUND FOR IT, AND SHUT IT OFF.......THE NEIGHBORS GIGGLED, AND THE NEXT MORNING AT BREAKFAST, MENTIONED THE HUMOR IN HEARING THAT ALARM CLOCK GO OFF.........WE NEVER TOLD THEM IT WAS US!

ALSO, AROUND 2 AM, I WAS AWOKEN OUT OF SLEEP BY A CAT OUTSIDE, SCREECHING....I WOKE UP STARTLED......J NEVER HEARD IT...............IT GAVE ME ONE OF THE ERRIEST FEELINGS TO HEAR THAT CAT!.........(later, when we arrived back home from our trip, i found out that our cat, Pudgy, at that particular time was mysteriously missing.  The person taking care of Pudgy had gone to all the shelters to look for her, and put up signs on lightposts outside.  Pudgy was later found to be hiding behind the stove...........I always felt that scream was Pudgy screaming out for me.)

SO THE NEXT DAY, BRIGHT AND EARLY WE TOOK THE TRAIN TO CORK AND KERRY!....ONCE AGAIN A BEAUTIFUL TRAIN RIDE, THROUGH THE GREEN COUNTRY-SIDE!

ONCE THERE, WE STAYED IN A VERY NICE HOTEL...THE NEXT DAY WE WENT TO "BLARNEY CASTLE."

THE BLARNEY STONE IS AT THE TOP OF THIS TALL CASTLE...YOU MUST FIRST CLIMB UP THE STEPS OF THE CASTLE, TO THE TOP.........ONCE ON THE TOP, YOU CAN WALK ALL AROUND THE ROOF...IT IS ALL OPEN.........SOME PEOPLE ARE KISSING THE BLARNEY STONE....A LOT SKIP IT!

ONCE YOU REACH THE TOP, YOU REALIZE THAT TO KISS THE BLARNEY STONE, YOU MUST LAY ON YOUR BACK, AND REACH IT BACKWARDS, KISSING IT........SOMEONE IS THERE TO HELP YOU, BECAUSE THERE IS A WIDW GAP, MAYBE A FOOT OR SO, BETWEEN THE BLARNEY STONE, AND THE CASTLE..................SO, NOT BEING PHYSICALLY FIT, I DIDN'T DO IT.............HOWEVER, WE WERE SMART ENOUGH TO BUT THE CERTIFICATES FOR SALE, THAT READ, "I KISSED THE BLARNEY STONE.".......MOST OF THESMART PEOPLE JUST BUY THE CERTIFICATE!.....................(as you may all know, kissing the blarney stone, gives you the gift of "elloquence"....that is, speech.)

THE NEXT DAY, AFTER STOPPING IN THE TOWN, TO LOOK AT ALL THE PRETTY KILTS, AND SCOTTISH PLAIDS, AND WE DID  A LITTLE SHOPPING, WE HEADED BY TRAIN NORTH.....

IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WE TOOK AN OVERNIGHT STAY ALONG THE WAY, AND WENT TO A PLACE CALLED "BUNRATHY CASTLE."

BUNRATHY CASTLE WAS A REAL MEDIAVAL FESAT, IN A REAL, GENUINE CASTLE.............ONCE AGAUN , WE HAD TO CLIMB THE STEEP STEPS OF THE CASTLE, TO THE TOP, WHERE THE FEAST WOULD BE SERVED.

ALL THE ATTENDANTS AND WAITERS, ETC, WERE DRESSED IN MEDIVAL COSTUME....WANDERING MINSTRILS,A ND ALL THE AUTHENTICITY OF A REAL MEDIAVAL FEAST.  WE EVEN HAD TO EAT WITH OUR HANDS, AS THER WERE NO EATING UTENSILS WAY BACK THEN!.....AND SO WE SIPPED MEAD, AND ATE THE CHICKEN WITH OUR HANDS.........A PHOTOGRAPER CAME AND SNAPPED OUR PIX, AS A GREAT REMEMBRANCE TO TAKE HOME!

WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME, AND JOLLY EVENING...THERE WAS QUITE ALARGE CROWD THERE THAT NIGHT, TO EXPERINCE THIS RENAISSANCE FEAST!

IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, WE LEFT THE NEXT DAY, FLYING HOMME TO AMERICA, FROM IRELAND..

WE HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME, AND MANY GOOD MEMORIES, ON THIS TRIP TO ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND!

ON THE PLANE TRIP BACK, I WAS ALREADY THINKING ABOUT WHERE TO GO NEXT...............I WOULD TAKE A 5 WEEK VACATION FROM MY JOB IN JANUARY 1979...,THAT WAS ONLY 5 MONTHS AWAY............

WELL, WE DECIDED ON "ISLAND HOPPING," IN THE CARRIBEAN.  SO, NEXT STOP WAS THE AMERICAN VIRGIN ISLANDS, (ST. CROIX, ST. JOHN'S ISLAND, AND ST. THOMAS)AND THE BRITISH VIRGIN ISLAND OF TORTOLLA.

...FRAN