HOUSE HUNTING IN IRELAND

The flight from Atlanta to Dublin is really a killer. It is an 8 hour flight. My husband says it gets harder for him every time. They have plenty for you to do on the plane. Each seat has it's own movie screen and they have lots and lots of movies to choose from and it's all free. They even had kid movies like Kung Fu Panda and Kit Kittridge. We watched "Get Smart" and "Mrs. Pettigrew...." (can't remember the rest of it. The Mrs Pettigrew one we started about 1am but I couldn't watch the rest and went to sleep. Or at least tried to. More on this later.They have lots of games to play too, like video games, only you don't have a controller, but you just use your finger to touch the screen. I didn't play any of the games except one. I played the Trivia game. You play against other people who are playing on the same plane. You log in with a name or initial and it lists all the people who are playing and their seat number. They also have a place on the screen where you can track your flight. It shows a map and an airplane on the spot about where you are supposed to be at the time. They feed you dinner and are suppose to offer you a nighttime snack, but they didn't. My husband also said they come around with water and drinks more often on other flights than that one. Maybe this wasn't that great of a flight crew.

This flight wasn't full and a lot of people changed seats. Many people went up to the seats that were 3 in a row so they could lay down to sleep at night. I wondered if some had just bought 3 seats. It would be cheaper to do that than fly first class. My husband and I were in the 2 seat row, so we had to just stay put. I was surprised that not that many people got up to walk around. My husband was really complaining about his legs hurting. I kept trying to get him to get up and walk around - or just walk to the bathroom but he wouldn't. I made him get up twice to get something out of the overhead. We brought neck pillows and they were pretty good and at least we didn't get stiff necks. They also give you a pillow, blanket, eyemask, and earplugs. I didn't use the earplugs or eyemask. You really don't sleep, just doze off for awhile and wake up and then try to doze off again.

Here are some different things I've noticed in Ireland. The toliet in this hotel doesn't have a tank on the back. It also does 't have a flush handle. It has an oval metal thing on the wall that has 2 portions. You push the bigger part of the oval for a "big flush" and the smaller part of the oval for a "small flush," if you know what I mean. The shower has a glass door, but it only comes about 1/3 of the way along the tub. At first I thought it would splash water all over the floor, but I guess since you stand right under the shower nozzle, not much water goes past that. I noticed some drops on the floor, but not alot. I guess that way, you don't really have to open the door to get in, although you can if you want.

I think all Irish people look alike. Maybe that is what they say about Americans. I feel like I'm the stranger at some big family reunion. People look like they are freezing here. It's in the mid 40s or 50s here and I wear my raincoat and zip it up, only because it's raining. I'd like to take it off, because I'm hot. I wear sandals, but never see anyone else wear them. I think the humidity keeps it from feeling colder. Maybe I'm just getting used to the lower climate. They wear wool coats with scarves. It was just barely raining and when I left the mall, I saw one girl stop and put nylon pants on over her pants. I'm not sure if she was cold, or if she didn't want water splashed on her pants.

We are staying at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. This hotel has some interesting history. During the 1916 uprising, the Irish Citizen Army positioned themselves at St. Steven's Green, which is across the street. However, the British Army positioned themselves in The Shelbourne Hotel, from where they could shoot down into the entrenchments. The hotel owners were loyal to the Crown during the Easter Rebellion, but one hotel porter made regular forays up to the rooftop and signalled the movement of the troops within the hotel to the rebel forces across the Green. The hotel actually came under fire and the windows were sandbagged and shuttered; the entrance door barricaded. Within a few days, the hotel opened its doors to receive the injured, irrespctive of the side on which side they fought.