Rosslare, Ireland

Thursday, May 29, 2014

After a very expensive breakfast on the ferry (the food was not very good), we made our way to the play area and hung out until the ship docked at Rosslare, Ireland around noon. Once we exited the port, we looked for a taxi but there were none. The ladies at Irish Ferries desk helped me call for a cab. It was just a short drive to the Old Orchard Lodge Bed and Breakfast. As we drove by, the road was lined with B&Bs all the way to our destination. Despite our early arrival, our room was ready and Kay welcomed us with tea, cake and cookies. The room was very nice and we took a little bit of time to settle down and figure out where we go from here.

This was the last reservation I made while we were still in the Czech Republic. I was relieved that everything clicked and worked out but now we had to plan again. We decided to spend 3 days in Ireland (in the south-eastern county of Wexford) and then take a ferry to Pembroke Dock in Wales. We were lucky because Kay had our room available for another two nights as well.

We determined that we would need to rent a car (and drive on the left!) in order to get around. Kay called the rental car company at the port and we made arrangements to get the car in the morning. Anne from the rental company said she would pick Steve up at 9 AM the next morning and drive him to the port to pick up the car.

Kay recommended a couple of places to see nearby. We chose to go to the Irish National Heritage Park near Wexford and to the Dunbrody famine ship in New Ross.

Once all these decisions were made, we walked across the street to the pub to eat dinner. It was nice to be in a restaurant where they charge just one charge for the meal and it includes a side and any condiments. They also served free jug of water for the table. Of course, the meal was still in the European price range (about $60) but at least they were not nickel-and-diming everyone.

We walked to the playground after supper. This probably was not the greatest idea as we walked quite a while on the shoulder of a busy highway (although we obviously survived). It was also not uncommon for people to walk along the highway in this area. It was windy and Hannah was cranky in the stroller. Eventually she fell asleep. We thought we should be at the playground soon but when we asked someone, they told us it was another 10 minutes walking. Since we have walked for about 30 minutes already and Hannah was asleep, we decided to turn around at that point.

We walked to a coffee shop on the other side of the highway to get some coffee and to warm up. Afterwards we went to the grocery store next door to get some snacks for the evening. Refreshed we walked back to Old Orchard Lodge to relax for the night.