Farewell, Ireland; Hello, Northern Ireland

Wednesday, May 23, 2012--Dublin to Derry

We made a mistake in our planning for today.  Because there had been long lines at the auto rental office when we picked up our car, we were worried we would face the same problem returning it today.  Also, we knew we needed to be at the bus stop for our bus to Derry by 10:20 or we would have to wait another 3 hours for the next bus.  We set the alarm for 6:30 so we could get ready and be at breakfast by 7:15.  Everything went very fast after that.  It took no time to get to the airport.  Checking in the car took only 5 minutes.  The shuttle took us to the terminal just a few minutes later.  We were at the bus stop for Derry two hours early!!  We would have loved sleeping until 8:00 if we had known it would go so easily and fast.

While waiting for the bus, I had conversations with two interesting men.  One was a young man who lost his job  here in Ireland two years ago and left for work in Australia.  He was on his way back home.  He talked about living in Australia, about his plans now that he has returned home, etc.  He said he is really looking forward to having Christmas here after having missed it for two years.  He worked for Sky (Rupert Murdock's TV channel) as an electrician both here and in Australia.  He said he would like to go to America for a while, so he may see if Fox (Rupert Murdock's TV channel there) might hire him due to his knowledge of their systems they all use in common.

One thing we have seen here in Ireland is a large number of nice looking young men (late 20s through early 40s) sitting on sidewalks with begging cups.  Unemployment is a big problem.  And the people on the streets seem sincerely unable to do anything else at the time and quite desperate.

The other man at the airport also had an Australian connection.  His parents emigrated to Australia, and he and his 3 siblings were born there.  When he was 9 years old, his father got word that his mother was ill in Ireland.  He sold the house and moved the family back to Ireland.  The man told me about the children at school in Ireland huddling around him and his brother wanting to hear them talk because they sounded so funny.  Anyway, he stayed here until he finished school and then moved back to Australia.  He has been here for two years because of his mother being ill, but he is heading back to Australia next week and looking forward to seeing his granddaughter who is was just an infant when he left two years ago.

The bus ride was comfortable and took only 3 hours.  We had no problems finding the Abbey B&B where we had a reservation.  It's in the Bogside area of Derry which is a Catholic district consisting mostly of row houses.  The area is known for its murals about The Troubles as the problems between the Protestants and the Catholics (an greatly magnified by the then presence of the British Army) are called.

We've now got WARM weather as well as sunny weather.  When we left the B&B to explore the town, we left behind our umbrellas, our pullovers, and our coats.  We went out in shirtsleeves and felt perfectly comfortable for the rest of the day.

Derry is a very old city with a complete city wall.  We walked the entire distance around the wall reading the historical plaques that tell about events in each area of town near the wall.  The sunshine felt great.  After that, we explored the inner city within the walls and found a money exchange office to change our leftover Euros for British pounds which are used in Northern Ireland.  People were out everywhere.  We just wandered looking at the buildings and shops along the way and watching the people.

Because we were up so early this morning, we are both tired.  We've returned to the room to relax for the evening.  Wes is watching a show I've already seen on Masterpiece Mystery in America.  We'll go to bed early.