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Location: Blogs Simon and Melody's Blog |
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| Posted by: supersi |
Thursday, March 29, 2007 |
This past weekend we made a wee trip to Ireland. We wanted to hop over to see Jenna in the North and Paul and Melonie (Mel’s cousins) in the South before the impending “10 weeks till due date” travel ban. We caught the late flight into Belfast, and as it turns out Ciaran was on the same flight, so that was cool to chat on the way there – kudos to Ciaran for reserving us the emergency exit aisle! That’s about as close to First Class as you get with easyJet.
Jenna and her mum picked us up from the airport and took us to stay at their summer home in Port Stewart for the night. What a beautiful spot! A panoramic view of the ocean and just a short walk to the beach. On Saturday they took us driving through Northern Ireland. We visited a couple of ruined castles, the Giant’s Causeway, and had some lovely strolls along the beach. We also witnessed quite a few very brave surfers catching the waves. The weather was nice and sunny, but I’m sure the Atlantic was still frigid. On Sunday we visited with the Armagh meeting which was most enjoyable, everyone was so friendly to us.
It was really sad to leave on Monday morning. After spending just a weekend with the Agnews we felt like we’d known them for years! Jenna took us to the train station and after a sad goodbye we caught the train to Dublin. As we rolled south across the countryside, we reflected on the amazing people God has brought across our path during the last year and a half. This is certainly one of the things we have enjoyed most about moving here.
After 1.5 hours we arrived in central Dublin and took the metro to the station where we picked up our rental car. It was funny to cross a border into a different country, yet still be in Ireland. Unlike the North, the South is part of the EU but not part of the UK, and their currency is the euro instead of the mighty pound. I’m glad it wasn’t too hot, or I would’ve had to take off my sweater to reveal my Union Jack t-shirt underneath! Bwah hah hah.
Once in the car we drove three hours over to Galway on the west coast and then another two and a half hours down to Cork on the south coast. It was a nice drive, a bit more “barren” than what we’d seen in the North. We arrived at Paul and Mel’s and spent a very enjoyable couple of days visiting with them in Cork.
At first look, Cork might seem like any other Irish city. It has two cathedrals, it rains a lot and its townsmen once tried to overthrow the king of England (in 1491). But there was more to this place than met the eye. On our last day there we walked into a convenience store on our way to the airport, and our worlds collided. Right in front of us there in the little convenience store was a shiny silver automated Tim Horton's coffee machine. There was still no cream, and the donuts look like they were shipped via Express Post, but it didn’t stop us from shedding a little tear and having a family moment with Paul and Melonie. Even the cups said “Made in Canada” on them (and I’ve never been so happy to see French labelling on a Canadian item!).
As we talked old times with the coffee machine and had it pose for some photos, we suddenly became aware that a small queue had formed behind us. As one man raised an eyebrow and reached for a cup, I almost felt like grabbing him by the collar, jumping up and down and saying excitedly, “Do you realize what this is?? Do you realize what you’re about to drink?! We're not worthy!”
Instead we just smiled and said, “Uh, sorry, we’re Canadian.” :) |
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Re: Eire is for Ireland |
By kathleen on
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 |
| Doesn't Tim Horton's collect stories like that for their commercials? |
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Re: Eire is for Ireland |
By Peter on
Thursday, April 12, 2007 |
> Unlike the North, the South is part of the EU but not part of Britain,
The North isn't Britain either. It is in the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
I expect they allow you to wear green socks in Cork. |
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Re: Eire is for Ireland |
By supersi on
Thursday, April 12, 2007 |
| I guess I should have known that. It's on my passport, after all! |
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Re: Eire is for Ireland |
By supersi on
Thursday, April 19, 2007 |
| Photos are . |
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Re: Eire is for Ireland |
By Susanne on
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 |
| GREAT pics.. was watching for them after I read your blog on the wee trip the twos of ya took to the Emerald Isle! Your photos made the Giants Causeway look ultra impressive and I loved the castle shots.. find castles very fascinating myself. Dunluce has QUITE the history! Also, if you ever want to spend a few days in Belfast, my sister has a furnished house there where you could stay. Just let me know if you'll be needing it and I'll put you in touch with her!! |
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