Ian and I spent a very long Friday in Dublin last week, taking a 6 am train and arriving back in Cork just a few minutes before midnight. In foresight, this was an ambitious plan. And in hindsight, running on between 3 and 4 hours of sleep, doubly so. We should have been in Dublin back when we first arrived in January to obtain Irish Residency Cards so that we could legally be let back into the country after our upcoming break. But in bureaucratic efficiency, the earliest appointments available were in late March, when we are closer to heading back than arriving.

The train ride to Dublin was two and a half hours of stunning scenery with only very occasional glimpses of towns, cutting across the entire country with no stops. Now Dublin as a whole has a mixed reputation, especially in the rival Cork. Claims are made that it's too big, dirty, they talk funny, and whatnot. Similar to any other rural or small area next to The City.

To be continued tomorrow but I need to fix the website right now ....