There's a Green Hill Far Away ... But I Can't See It Because It's Too Dark!

To quote Barry Manilow, "Looks like we made it." And we did.

John and I pulled up to the curb right behind the choir bus at Newark's Terminal B, and we had plenty of time to spare. It was just after noon, and the Aer Lingus check-in didn't open until 1:45... and our flight didn't leave until 5 PM... But it's better than getting a speeding ticket or running through the airport with no guarantee that you're going to make your flight.

Evan found his Irish doppelgänger in the terminal. There was much chit-chat about this in the airport, but when we we ended up directly behind him in line on the jetway, Evan introduced himself and asked for a photo. The bloke (because that's what I call all males now) was delightful. His name is Alastair (of course it is) and he an Evan talked about fashion and hairstyles and whatnot in their brief chat.

Aer Lingus was perfectly adequate, and I have to say that Dana Carvey's description, while hilarious, is not quite accurate. Dana says there are no seats, just rows and rows of benches with lengths of yarn to strap yourself in. Dana also says that there's a personal keg of Guinness beneath each seat, and that's just not true. There was exactly zero Guinness to be had in the main cabin.

A couple of years ago, while flying internationally, my dad clued me into the very civilized practice of ordering the "special" upgrade meal, so I did that as a treat for myself. Because it seemed like the right thing to do, I also ordered a special meal for Evan and for Russ the Choir Director (because they let me tag along on this trip). I had salmon (delicious - and HOT), Evan had chicken, and Russ had steak. The regular meals choices were chicken and rice or shepherds pie. By the time they got to row 30, it was only shepherds pie. My dad is smart.

Also, the special meals came with wine. On Aer Lingus, there is no complimentary alcohol. Dana led us astray there, too.

Seriously, Dana Carvey, Straight White Male, 60. Watch it on Netflix.

The flight was short and uneventful. We had a tailwind, so we arrived in Dublin at 4 AM. It was dark and cold and raining. (Hmm, it sounds a lot like Tel Aviv...)

Without any unplanned delays, we loaded on to our bus for the 2 hour drive to Belfast, in the dark, arriving at about 7 AM. We made a stop at one of the places the choir will be singing on Sunday, Clonard Monastery. It is a beautiful venue with very live acoustics. The sound just rings in there.

This is one of my famous accidental photos (the kind I take when I hit the button without realizing it).  I kind of love this picture.

We climbed back on the bus to drive to the city center for ATMs and breakfast. Did you know that even though Northern Ireland, as part of the UK, uses the British pound, their banks print their own notes? Glad I don't have to sort that out.

We walked the short distance to St. George's Market (Belfast's version of Lancaster Central Market). So much meat. And live or nearly live sea creatures. And art. And bread. And produce.

And coffee (which is what I really needed).

The banks may not have been open at that hour of the morning, but the pub was! And you know that old saying: It's Ireland somewhere! We felt obligated to have a Guinness. (Also, Evan got a hat.)

Back on the bus... Ada (the other mom) (who is awesome) and I were dropped at our hotel before the kidlets went to their homestays. Our hotel is just off the motorway exit, and it's kind of a cross between a Motel 6 in communist Russia ("So sorry... the heat is turned off during daylight hours; I'll advance it for you, Love.") and a truck stop. There's a fairly nice restaurant, a gas station with a well-stocked convenience store, and a tiny strip mall with a chip shop, a Chinese restaurant, a pizza place, a gift shop, a smoke shop, and a wine shop.

I'm never leaving. I have everything I need right here.

So, while the kids were meeting their families and traipsing trough churchyards and whatever kids do on these trips, I was napping. (I know. I know it's not how to to this, but it happened.) And then I had a lovely dinner with Ada and we got to know each other a bit... and now, I'm going to bed. Tomorrow, we're back in Belfast for mass in the morning and a concert in the evening.