Our Flight Back & Reflections 6/28

We got up at 5am to get ready and catch our Taxi by 6am.  The hotel called a "large" Taxi for us, so that we could fit our suitcases and all four of us.  The driver was there early and was very helpful.  There was no traffic so we made it to the airport in good time, easily there by 6:30am.

We were wondering why it had been recommended that we get there 3 hours ahead of time, when even in the US, it was generally ok to get there 2 hours ahead, especially since you don't go through customs until you get to the country.

Well we found out.... first the US Air counter took quite a while to get through that line.  Security the first time was very quick, I didnt even have to take off my shoes!  But then as we headed to the gate, we noticed we didnt have a gate number yet, and found an area that said "USA Prescreening"  Eric decided to check it out, and it looked oddly like a customs area.  Sure enough, we were supposed to go through customs at the airport in Ireland!  If that wasnt odd enough, we went through customs, they had photos of our bags, asked us a question or two, and sent us through... to ANOTHER security checkpoint... at this one, we didnt go through a personal screener (no metal detector or puffer) but they scanned our bags again, and this time we had to take off our shoes!  Bizzare!  None of it really made much sense... but I guess it was nice that we wouldnt have to pick up our bags and go through customs when we got to NC.  We made it to our gate with plenty of time, and our plane boarded on time, though left about 15 minutes late.

I have to say, overall I was disappointed in US Air.  Once we got to our cruising altitude, they spent a good 15 minutes on the speakers pitching their dividend miles mastercard... ugh how annoying.  Then they try and sell you $5 headphones for a previewed movie that they never showed.  Eric found a way around it though... if you bring two sets of headphones, you can actually get stereo audio!!

Not sure what you do with the extra earbuds though! :)

The food was actually not terrible this time Dennis & Dad were brave enough to try the chicken, Eric & I just went for the pasta, and both were actually decent for airplane food.  They did come around with water a fair amount, and we got two "meals" on the 7.5 hour flight.  But then 45 minutes before we landed, they cut out in the middle of the movie that was being shown (the second movie, but still not the one previewed), and never turned it back on.  I asked a stewardess, and she didnt seem to know it even happened or care at all.  Ahh well!  In the end, it was a decent flight, and we were happy to be on the leg of our trip headed home.

The last leg (NC to Boston), along with the T-ride and even the drive home from my car parked in Draper all went smoothly!  It was a little rough playing suitcase tetris again (trying to fit all our bags in my civic!), but Eric finally managed to make it all work :)

Overall it was an amazing trip, and had it not been so expensive, and had we had the vacation time or been retired, I would have loved to stay two months.  Oddly, even with all we did, I wasnt antsy to get home.  Sure we missed shadow & scrambles, but the trip was so amazing, we easily could have stayed longer.  Between the Irish Hospitality, and the shear beauty of the entire country, it was just amazing.  I need to check with the rest of the crew, but here are my initial impressions:

Favorite Part of the Trip:  Visiting Family!!  They were so much fun & so welcoming!

 Favorite Ruins: Ballycarberry Castle Ruins on the Ring of Kerry

Best Pub: Porterhouse Brewery in Dublin

Best Non-Irish Bar: Kiwi's in Portrush

 Favorite Meal: Max's Wine Bar in Kinsale

Best B&B Baked Goods: CloonLara Lodge B&B in Swinford
Best B&B Host: Eamon - CloonLara Lodge B&B in Swinford

 Best B&B Hostess: Rachel - Beulah Guest House in Portrush

Best B&B Brown Bread: Cois Li B&B in Tralee

And... I'll have to add more later :)

A huge thanks to Becca for checking on the cats while we were gone, as well as Sandy (& Jody & Sarah?!) for checking on them and the garden while we were gone!!  Everything was great when we got home (Shadow was definitely a little scared & missed us a lot, but is good now!).  We are working on adjusting back to real time!  Thanks to all who read the blog!!  I hope you enjoyed the photos & sharing our memories!