13-14 November: The first two days in Ireland

[ailbhe]

Thursday, 13 November 2003

I got a plane to Dublin, where my mother met me at the airport. She seemed inordinately pleased to see me; pregnancy is a great way of becoming instantly popular with your relatives (note: she's always pleased to see me, but this was extreme). We got a bus to the city centre, including a brief argument about who got to sit down she hurt her ankle not four weeks ago, and is considerably older than I am, but after all, I'm pregnant. We exasperated one woman so much she stood up and told us both to sit down. This was embarrassing.

We had a quick wander around the city centre, especially the north side I hadn't seen much of O'Connell St for years, and we looked at Roches Stores and Arnotts and a few other places. I think we had tea in Clery's. Dublin has gone sort of upmarket there's a lot of high fashion around, and not much in the way of ordinary good-quality stuff such as I might want to buy. It was all very like a UK high street. Arnott's bargain basement was ok, though; lots of bedding and towels and things.

We got a bus home, and Mum cooked lamb for dinner.

Friday, 14 November 2003

Mum insisted on accompanying me to the Busáras (lit.: residence / hall of the buses). We tried to look for fabric before going in but Rainbow Fabrics bridal dept was closed. So I bought a couple of seabands (acupressure anti-travel-sickness things) and we had a cup of tea before I got on the bus.

I lasted until Ballyjamesduff. Then I was sick. Luckily, I'd packed my toothbrush in a ziplock freezer bag, so I was able to unpack that and use the bag as a receptacle. Unluckily, it had a small hole in one corner. Luckily, I had a tissue handy. Unluckily, I had to sit there stopping the leak with the tissue in my hand until the bus stopped in Cavan, when I was able to stagger off the bus and drop the lot in a bin. Then I staggered back on. By then, the slight spillage had dried into my jeans and the seat. I scraped most of it off with tissues.

About half an hour later I asked the two women in the seat behind me if they had a plastic bag. They said no, then one of them remembered that she had I knew she had, I'd heard it rustling and gave me a bag with some orange peel in it. So I got sick into that for a bit.

The bus driver came up and asked if anyone had been sick. Easily three people pointed at me and howled "Yes!" He asked me if I was alright. "Apart from being sick, you mean?" I said, somewhat stupidly. He led me off the bus for some fresh air, and bought me a pack of tissues and a plastic bag (plastic grocery bags are subject to a 15c. tax in Ireland, which has had an excellent effect on the nation's landfills and general litter-levels) and told me I could get off whenever the bus stopped, for some air.

I was sickest just before I looked up and saw a shop labelled Donegal Camera Shop. It was less than 2 minutes away from the terminus. I staggered off the bus, put my bag in a bin, and my phone started to ring. It was Gráinne, who thought I sounded dreadful, and left work immediately to come and get me. I only had five minutes to wait, and I managed to use the time to brush my teeth and drink some tea.

We went back to her house, which is gorgeous white paint and golden wood and then bought groceries and ate nice, easy food. I think we went to bed early.

Comments

[sshi.livejournal.com]

Travel sickness, blah.

What did you think of our new Spire?

[ailbhe]

"Oh look, it's a spire."

Closely followed by "I wonder HOW MUCH MONEY it cost?"

[sshi.livejournal.com]

Lots and lots, especially if you were paying taxes in Ireland about three or four years ago.