Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Waiting in airports

This part is usually not fun, but it's necessary. Our first group all made it through checkpoints without any annoying searches, although one person had to discard the suspenders and another had to have her fingers tested! I had not heard of the finger scan. Two more group members are behind us on a nother flight but will soon pass us and get there before us. Meanwhile we wait to board, checking out wifi access and making last minute phone calls.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Updated Forecast

The weather forecast for Ireland is improving. Drizzle is still forecast for our arrival in Shannon and our first day in Killarney, but temperatures are predicted to be slightly warmer by our second day, and a pleasant 65 with sunny skies by the time we reach Dublin! The forecast for Wales is partly cloudy skies and upper 60s! Let's hope these forecasts hold. Of course, we'll be in Ireland and England, so we can expect a shower any day. London's forecast includes 70s and sunny on the day we arrive, followed by drizzle on our first full day in London. We can hope that changes, but if it doesn't, as Jamie Cullen says in song: "Will you let me romanticize the beauty of our London skies?"

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Forecast

The forecast for Shannon and Killarney our first day is drizzle and highs in the upper 50s, but the forecast improves as we travel to Dublin later in the week to partly cloudy skies and highs in the lower 60s. Be sure to pack that rain gear!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Good news and Kings of Leon

This is news we like! See this news story from the IrishTimes that predicts no closing of Irish airspace! Yeah! Of course, this is assuming that there are no new eruptions!

If you dig a little deeper into this newspaper, you will discover a story about a band with Tennessee roots that is VERY popular in Ireland and in my iTunes folder. The band is staging a concert this Saturday. Ohh! We're too late for this one!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Cashel

This and other
Cashel photos available at this website for the Cashel Chamber of Commerce.

Map of our Route in Ireland

Here is an approximate route for our time in Ireland. You can zoom in/out on the map, or you can click on the link just under the map for a larger version with more options. By way of explanation, Point B is the same as Point F, Killarney, and I'm not really certain about Point C. I'm still tweaking this!



View Ireland & England 2011 in a larger map

Monday, May 23, 2011

The ash cloud

Ugh! Check out the latest news. I'll be talking with EF about what happens if this impacts our flights. Check out this story about flights cancelled and this AP update.

Walk on Waterville Beach


Included in our tour itinerary for Day 3 is a walk on Waterville Beach. Isn't this quaint? The photo is said to be from Google Earth and comes from panoramio.com. Check out the link for other photos from this area.

Forecast calls for a chilly start!

We're close enough to departure that we can start looking at weather forecasts. For our departure date, it looks like Ireland is forecasting highs in the mid to upper 50s (about 12 degrees Celsius) and lows in the mid to upper 40s (about 8 degrees Celsius)—with rain, of course! So we'll start out a little on the cool side. Prepare for that! Daily average for Dublin in June is a high of 63 degrees (that's 17 degrees Celsius). And the record high for June 1 in Dublin, according to one weather web site, is 68 degrees! That's not even warm in my book!

By the time we arrive in London, I'm expecting warmer temperatures. The average for London in June is 73 degrees (21 degrees Celsius).

Following in the footsteps of . . .

We'll be following the footsteps of a couple of prominent people when we visit Dublin. If you've been watching the news, you know that the Queen was in Dublin for an historic visit last week, and today President Obama is there. Check out the links for views of some places we'll likely visit. Frankly, I'm glad their visits will be completed before we travel!

Trinity College/Dublin

I'm really excited about the opportunity to visit Trinity College and view the Book of Kells. My English literature textbooks always had photographs from the Book of Kells, and they fascinated me. The Book of Kells was created in the 9th century and is an intricately and colorfully illustrated manuscript of the four gospels and the New Testament. Click here for a link to a Youtube video that explains the significance of the Book of Kells.

We'll also visit the Long Room, fascinating for its architecture and its 200,000 volume collection of books. Check out this link to a panorama of the room by Darren McLoughlin.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Packing tip for wrinkle-free clothing

Here's a packing tip that I've used numerous times. It really works!

To avoid wrinkles in your clothing, layer with dry cleaning bags, making sure there is a layer of plastic inside every fold. I don't mean that you put the clothes in the bags; put the bags between clothes, especially where you have a fold. With a little practice, you can usually pack everything with four or five bags, adding basically nothing to the weight. When you arrive, unfold and voila! No wrinkles!

Also, here's a link to a diagram from Doug Dement and onebag.com that will help with packing. Scroll down on this page; then click on the diagram to see a larger picture.

Volcanic Ash from Iceland

This is not really something I want to read about right now, but the news is so far not bad. The volcanic ash from the latest eruption in Iceland is not expected to reach the UK or halt air traffic there. Let's just hope the volcano cooperates by going back to sleep! Here's a link to a story about the eruption.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Tour Expectations from EF

Check out this video from EF that gives you some tour expectations. Most of it we've talked about, but there might be something new for you here.

What to pack

Here are some essentials for the trip. This is not an exhaustive list but just some things I've thought of that you might be happy to find in your bag.

adhesive bandages
umbrella and/or lightweight raincoat
alarm (which most of you will have on your cell phone)
chargers for phones, ipods, cameras
power converter
PASSPORT!

Remember that you need comfortable shoes—at least two pair—that you've already broken in. Layering is better than heavy jeans or jackets.

Call your bank and credit card companies

Just a reminder that you need to give your bank and credit card companies notice that you will be traveling. Otherwise, you may find that your ATM or credit card doesn't work!

Managing your money

In Ireland and France, we'll be spending Euros (€). The current exchange rate? €1 = $1.42, so if it costs you 1 euro or €1, you are actually spending $1.42. The denominations of the money are paper notes of €5, €10, €20 and up and coins of €2, €1, .50, .20, .5, .10, .2, and .1. Denominations of less than €1 are referred to as cents.

In England, we'll be spending the British pound (£). The current exchange rate is £1=$1.63. If you buy something that costs £1, you are spending $1.63. The denominations for the pound are similar, with paper notes of £5, £10, £20 and up and coins of £2, £1, .50, .20, .10, .5, .2, and .1. But in England cents become pence. You will be given pricing like this: "two pound twenty." If I remember correctly, we seldom heard "pence" used except when the merchant realized we were not comprehending.