If All the Sheep are Black, then Who is the Renegade? – Day Five

A Travel Day

Day Five was planned as a travel day to get us from London to Dublin.  Earlier on line we found information about taking the train from London to Wales and then catching a ferry across the Irish Sea to Dublin, all for £29.  This is a great deal compared to the £120 or more to fly between the cities.  Plus this gave us a better opportunity to see some of the countryside.  We got up early and first caught the Tube from Victoria Station to  Euston Station and then we headed out to the bullet train.  This is a 125 mph train that is not only fast, but smooth and quiet, and passengers can walk about at any time, use the restroom and keep their laptops and cell phones on all the time. We travelled from London to Crewe where we changed trains.  The next leg took us into Wales—Sarah pointed out that this explained the Welsh when she read the signs…I countered that it explained the language, but it didn’t explain the Welsh.  Suddenly Sarah, who was facing forward said, “We’re going through a castle!”” and I looked up to see us passing under the parapets.  about five seconds later we came out the other side and I was able to snap the picture you see below.

Our seats were reserved in the general coach, but even at that we were all together around a table with plenty of room overhead and in a nearby luggage rack for our bags (sorry about the fuzzy picture, I thought I had enough light to go without the flash…obviously not). The landscape became hilly and very rustic.  We saw many flocks of sheep…including the occasional whole family of black sheep. The picture to the left doesn’t do the speed or the scenery justice.  For a little feeling of being on the train click on the small picture just below.  Quickly look to see the family of black sheep to the right as the video starts. From UK 2009

The train took us to Holyhead in Wales where we had a layover of about 90 minutes waiting for the next leg.  This was just enough time for a coffee and a sausage stick—the equivalent of a ‘pig-in-a-blanket only it is a large sausage and the pastry is flakey like a really good pie crust. 

Part II – By Sea The weather wasn’t great, but that didn’t keep me and Sarah from heading out to the Promenade Deck to see England disappear in the background.  There were some pretty good swells, as you can see in the picture of Sarah below, but the ship plowed right through them.  I also got a good shot of the point of land marking the last point in England.

In Holyhead we boarded the Ulysses which would take us to Dublin.  The freight drivers and the people driving cars were able to load before us so most of the porthole seats were taken, but we did find a comfortable table near the bar and settled in to read for the crossing of the Irish Sea.

Unfortunately, our approach to Ireland was in the rain, so you really can’t make it out too well in the picture looking through the forward porthole.  Suffice it to say that we came into the port of Dublin the way the our Viking ancestors did many times in the past…with stealth and cunning, and we were preparing to conquer the city in a short time.

However, our first problem was getting from the ferry terminal to our bed and breakfast.  The owner had told us earlier in an E-mail that taxi fare from the terminal to her house would be about €5 (Euro’s).  Of course we believed her, but since there was a city bus right there it wouldn’t hurt to ask the driver.  When told what road we wanted to reach he said it would take about 20 Euro’s and that the three of us could ride the bus for €7.50. 

Now some of the members of the traveling party are quick to save any amount—regardless of what the E-mail had stated, so we boarded to the bus to the central bus station.  One of the things we hadn’t counted on was the end of a hurling game (an Irish sport that is a cross between lacrosse, field hockey and baseball—fast, bloody and exciting) at the City Stadium, which just happened to be between the central bus station and the ferry terminal.  What should have been a five minute ride turned into about 40 minutes.

The driver then told us which bus to pick up next and luckily it was at a stop right next to the station.  We got onboard and I asked the driver if they go to Upper Drumchondra Road.  He grunted and said €1.60. At this point my brain froze and I couldn’t figure out a simple math problem…”if bus fare is €1.60 and three people want to ride the bus, how much money should you put into the box?”   Twelve years of school, a degree in Engineering, an MBA degree and I couldn’t come up with an answer of €4.80…all that time wasted.  So since I had a pocket full of Dollars, Pounds, Pence, and Euro coins and I did what most ugly Americans do…I started dropping in coins until he said stop.

He still hadn’t told us that the bus goes to Upper Drumchondra Road, but we figured it would be like the London bus and we would see each stop clearly marked and all of the streets identified.  We started out and quickly realized that none of that was true.  We did see some street signs, but nothing that matched up with what we thought we knew and the bus stops were not identified by street names or locations at all.

After riding for about ten minutes and making a few turns I went to the driver’s window and asked if he could tell us when we are on Drumchondra Road, at which point he says, “This is Drumchondra Road”.  So we start looking for #67 and see that we are in the right block and get off at the next stop.  We hauled our bags down and across the street and find #67 Drumchondra Road, only it isn’t a B&B.  I pulled out my blackberry, went to the web page, looked at the picture of the B&B posted there and it didn’t match up.

So, I called.  It turns out there is a Lower Drumchondra Road (where we were standing) and an Upper Drumchondra Road (about a half mile away).  We dragged our bags and finally found ourselves at a great B&B—The Azalea Lodge.  Bernadette met us at the door and offered to put on some coffee or tea for us, but we decided we just wanted to drop off our bags and head out for dinner soon.  She recommended some local restaurants and we found a great meal at The Ivy House.

It was early to bed and the end of a traveling adventure.  Next up…our storming of Dublin.