Whats the dealio...

Im sure you are all just on the edges of your seats..at least until Jillian blogged last night. So heres my version of "our missing days".

Saturday morning we woke up to pack up our stuff, have our final breakfast in Quilty and bide Angela a heart-felt thank you! Angela is a sweetheart and I truly enjoyed staying on her farm. We headed to Ennistymon to attend (finally) a farmers market. We parked (by some miracle) and headed in. The sun broke through the stormy gray (or grey) clouds and the rain let up as we came across the market. My sister stood for a full 10 minutes looking at all the cheeses. I think there was even a point where i had to wipe the drool off her chin. She rattled off to me what all she wanted to try. The lady was very kind and patient with my sister. She pulled off portions of all different kinds of cheeses and i tried them as well. To me, cheese is cheese. Just like to my sister, one seal pretty much looks the same as another. But my sis couldnt decide which cheese- I reminded her that we left out of Dublin on Tues. She chose her 3 and left happy. In Ballyvaughn, there was no overflowing cheese table, but plenty of goods and people. I enjoyed the sights and sounds of the market and of course the tea and giant cookie.  We still had a few hrs before more torture in the saddle so we headed to Lisdoonvarna to pass time and catch up on postcards. Jillian had to catch up on postcards- I read my book.
 So we then headed to Mountain View for a 2 hr trail ride. I have no idea how I let my sister talk me into these things. There 6 of us in the group, me once again on Guinness and Jillian on Parick (?). The 2 of us brought up the rear. The 2 hrs was defnitely worth it. The views again of Galway Bay, the Cliffs and the landscape that is just simply Ireland was worth the sore body. Guinness threw a few curve balls at me when he kicked at Rosie. Not once but 3 times. Seriously. Kathleen (who was ahead of me) said I reacted well... I told her Im used to animals trying to buck me off. My girls in CA can attest to this. Although not one as large as a horse. Theres a first time for everything I guess. I havent felt that sore since 2009 just for the record.
 After deciding on Kinvarra for the evening's events, Jillian and I secured a place to stay and then decided we needed to eat something if we were to partake in a few pints. We then headed to the Pier House and met up with Peter, Francis, Amy and Anna. Let me tell you something, in Ireland its the rounds thatll kill you. After drinking a few ciders (my drink of choice as I dont particularly care for beer) we headed to O'Connells down the street and continued to get "pissed". We were well within walking distance to the B and B.
Sunday was relatively uneventful as we were both recovering from a night that neither one of us will repeat for awhile. After being treated to a full Irish breakfast we didnt do much but sit. We decided to stay nearby and drive to Dublin the next day as neither one of us (Jillian in particular) was not up for a drive across the country.
Monday morning, we decided to get an early start and begin our drive. The drive was uneventful and before we know it we were back in Dublin. We finally found the hotel and checked in and set out to shop and see (somewhat) the sights of the city. Jillian was not very happy with being in the city after spending so much time out west. I guess she felt a little cloistered. Which kinda surprises me as she enjoys New York City. Dublin is no New York. There are many differences. The architecture just humors me. There are some buildings that are built out of bricks, some that date back to medieval times (Dublin Castle) and then nearby there are buildings built out of steel and glass. A fascinating combination of old world and the 21st century. Its a city but a clean city. Even the alleys are clean and colorful...at least most are. There are statues and tributes to people and events all over. Bridges over the river Liffey, which seems to split the city. There are so many, named so many different things. The Half Penny bridge is so named because it used to cost a half penny to cross it. I like Dublin. Someday Ill explore it alittle more as Dublin isnt going anywhere anytime soon. We spent our last evening at our hotel, eating dinner, listening to a live band and watching traditional Irish Dancing. Perfect end.
Tuesday we made it back to the airport, turned in the Micra checked in and then began the painful process of going through customs. We were warned by our dad and others that getting back into the US is harder than getting out. So true. I had no problem as I filled out the entire form (Jill). She ended up claiming the cheese and getting her boots disinfected. Crazy. After 8 hrs (almost) we were both happy (so to speak) to be back in Philly. Jill spent most of the time between flights texting, answering emails and making phone calls. I spent most of it reading, listening to music and walking up and down the terminals as my tailbone was sore from sitting. But we landed safely and our luggage made it too. Our parents picked us up and after separating our clothes and souvenirs, I drove my sis back to Massillion. Upon getting in the car, Jillian kindly reminded me that we drive on the right side in the states. Hopefully she didnt forget that the next day...that would be funny.
     Slainte Kaitie