Ireland Travel Log Day 1

For anyone interested, here are my thoughts and observations about Ireland. We flew in Monday morning, and as we arrived over Dublin, the sun was shining and we were looking forward to our vacation. But after getting sent to the basement to pick up our rental car, taking a bus to get to the car, finally getting the car and pulling out of the airport, the sun was gone and the clouds greeted us as we drove the three hours to Cork where our vacation would begin. We made a pit stop for a quick bite, and despite me programming the GPS to avoid all tolls, still ended up on a toll road. So after reversing out of one place to get to a booth that had someone who could change a bill, finally got to Cork and to our first hotel, Hayfield Manor.

Um, wow. I booked this online thinking it would be a nice resort somewhere in the country near Cork. It turned out to be a 5-star resort right in Cork, where we could walk just about anywhere we wanted. We were a little bit early for our check-in, but seeing that we hadn't slept on over 24 hours, they led us to the smaller dining room so we could eat while the room was prepared. The bell boy took our car keys to get the luggage, and proceeded to unload the car, take our bags to our room, and leave our car keys at the front desk. And our room key was actually a key. A key that you left at the desk when you left, like in old movies. Yeah, it was cool.

So we ordered a late lunch, and after 45 minutes or so, someone noticed we still hadn't received our food. Yes, the cook and somehow misplaced our order. I still think they forgot about us. We place dour order again, and they gave us some free soup as an appetizer and coffee and tea for a dessert. Two hours later, we made it to our room. The wife went to her spa appointment while I laid on the bed and turned on the TV to relax for a few minutes. And promptly passed out for night.