Dublin, at last

Sept 29

I have escaped, sorry, I meant I have left the Czech Republic.

I did not have a good night's sleep. I was awake more than I was asleep. If I can't get the luggage today there are no more plans!

Luckily my hotel is steps from the ticket station where our luggage is kept captive. Promptly at 7 I was there. I must admit my knees were shaky as I turned the corner.

The first thing I noticed was it was indeed open, and as I walked by I did see our bags.

What a relief.

I went back to my hotel and had a bountiful breakfast, a real feast, eggs, fruit salad, good coffee, bread, buns, cheese, and ham. There was even cake.

I checked out, and went to retrieve the luggage. 

Here comes the kicker. 

I had checked on the cost of a taxi to the airport; my overnight bag, and three pieces of luggage made that decision for me. The taxi would be 36 dollars, so when I ate last night I made sure I had 36 dollars left for the taxi.

The Kicker? The lady charged me 20 dollars for storing the luggage, including the time they were closed. I was stunned. I am not a vicious man, but I really felt I wanted to hit someone.

I bit my lip, and paid.

I now faced a new dilemma. I didn't have the money for the taxi anymore, so I would have to get money from an ATM. The problem there was that I didn't know where I could find an ATM, and I would have to drag all the luggage while I searched. 

The other option was taking public transport. I could take the subway to the end of the line, and then get on a bus directly to the airport. The only difficulty to do this was how to get all the bags to the subway platform. It actually wasn't hard, except I would have to manage all three bags, and my overnight bag down a fast moving escalator. I solved that problem by asking someone to help me. A lovely young lady volunteered, and I managed to get everything down to the subway in one trip.

The subway trip worked well. The next step was getting everything from the subway up to the surface. Fortunately, I had noticed, on one of my previous trips to the airport that there were a lot of steps up, BUT also an elevator. Presto, I was at the top, only 50 m from the bus stop. Nothing to it; no steps, and, because I am over 70, no charge. So now I even have money to get a coffee.

I am starting to get paranoid. I didn't relax until I had collected the bags, and was in a taxi to our accommodation. The taxi driver, Tommy, was fantastic. He knew all about our problems, and refused to accept any payment for the ride. What a great guy. Already I love Ireland. 

The place we rented is a townhouse, near the centre, and it's beautiful. Hazel has a beautiful garden. It's hard to believe, but the weather in Dublin has been perfect, lots of sunshine, and temperatures in the middle teens.

We spent our last night in Dublin, in a pub, of course. A lovely place, and good food. It was more lively than any other restaurant we've been to, on this trip.

Tomorrow it's back home.

Photo 1 no comment needed

Photo 2 Hazel's garden

Photo 3 our last night in Dublin