Leaving Frankfurt, we flew Lufthansa Business Class to Dublin. “Business Class” was used very loosely as the only thing different between Business Class and all the other seats was a tissue-thin curtain that kept those in the back from seeing we were given a fresh croissant. The seats were exactly the same. That was a bit unexpected, but the staff was very nice and hovered over us the entire 2 hr. trip.
We arrived in Dublin, Ireland, a smaller airport than what we expected, but the ease of getting to downtown was welcome.
Well....except for the fact that I asked Traveler #2 to find us the Dublin Express Bus to the train station where we would head out to Tralee (Tri Li). It was the one thing I asked him this whole trip. Just one task. Here is how it went.
I see him heading toward the Dublin Express and see him talking to the driver who sells him two tickets. He waves me over and we board the bus the driver points to. We weave our way through what I would describe as the south side of Chicago. Buildings are tagged with graffiti and look run down. Seedy-looking people are clinging to telephone poles. We have to make several stops before the driver tells us we are “here.”
“Here” turned out to be somewhere downtown about 2 miles from the train station. Not near the touristy area of Temple Bar, but somewhere that a crowd of nere-do-wells looked at us like fresh meat.
Seems Traveler #2 did not understand the very thick brogue of the driver who thought Traveler #2 was asking for Bus 784, not 782. It sounded the same to Traveler #2. “Teven Eeety Fooo,” the driver said. Traveler #2 did not have his hearing aids in.
He would not be trusted with any other task on the trip for obvious reasons.
A taxi ride and a half hour later, we arrived at the train station and met a wonderful old Irishman who helped us get on the train to Tralee, a 4-hour ride across this beautiful country. He called me “love” about a hundred times. I could have taken him home with us.
No more cities for us! The train ride was awesome. We watched the landscape change from flat plains to hills and winding roads that cut through the emerald-green countryside. We arrived safely in Tralee for a great night’s stay. Good thing they had a “lift” to our room, as we got a nosebleed from the ride upward. If we had had to climb the steps, I would have had to leave traveler #2 on the first floor. It would not have been pretty.
But, a good meal, a comfortable bed on the overnight stay in the Tralee Townhouse, and we only had a short walk back to the bus station for the trip to Dingle.....
See? Older people can have a great time everywhere they go!
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