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. 

Cherbourg, France to Rosslare, Ireland

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

We got in the car and drove back to Cherbourg. We stopped at McDonald’s for dinner about half way between Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer and Cherbourg. The kids played at their playground and had lunch.

We got back to the rental car company in Cherbourg around 4 PM. The lady from the rental car office drove us to the port in the car we rented. This was a big help as otherwise we would have had to take a taxi. We checked in and went through passport check exiting France.

The officer who checked our passports noticed that it was Stevie’s birthday and wished him Happy Birthday. Stevie’s response was excited “you speak English!”.

We waited about another hour before the bus took us to the ship. We were taking Irish Ferries’ Oscar Wilde to Rosslare in Ireland. The ferry was scheduled to leave at 6 PM and arrive at 11:30 AM the next day. We booked a small cabin with 4 bunk beds.

We were waiting on the bus in the port for quite a while and started getting concerned about missing the ship. But in the end, the bus took us there just a few minutes before the ferry sailed.

We settled in our cabin and went to explore the ship. They had a small padded play area for the kids which the kids enjoyed as they could literally bounce off the walls.

We had dinner at the self-service restaurant. It was very expensive (came to about $80) but at least it was decent food. After dinner, we went back to the little café next to the play area and visited with a couple from Illinois we met on the bus while the kids played. When Stevie realized they spoke English, he wanted to sit with us and speak with Cindy. We have never seen Stevie carry on such a long conversation with an adult (usually he is pretty shy) but he was simply excited to speak to someone who understands him.

Settling for the night in our cabin, the boys took the top bunks and the girls took the bottom bunks. The kids slept well, the grown-ups not so much. The beds were comfortable but neither Steve nor I slept well that night. It may have been because we slept 12 hours the night before (after being completely exhausted from the night on the train).

Surprisingly, the ferry ride was pretty smooth. We were expecting more waves but the weather was good and it was smooth sailing.

Omaha Beach

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

We thought we set the alarm clock for 6:30 AM to pack up, eat breakfast and go pick up our rental car at 8 AM. But when we woke up, it was already 8 AM! We slept 12 hours – that tells the story of how little sleep we got on the train the night before.

Steve got up and walked to the rental car office to get our car while I tried to get the kids to eat breakfast and pack.

When Steve returned, we were pleasantly surprised with a free upgrade to a larger car (which was really needed to fit our stuff). The vehicle itself was very nice with all the latest bells and whistles, option to use manual or automatic transmission, and a hybrid diesel/electric engine. It was really nice and we fit well. The rental car office was about half way between the hotel and the ferry port and the lady at the office said she would give us a ride to the port when we got back.

We loaded up, Steve got a quick bite for breakfast and we headed to Omaha Beach. There was really just one main road going that direction but if you pulled up the directions online, you got 2 pages of directions. We decided to wing it and it worked out just fine. As we approached the beaches, everything was well marked.

First we stopped at the Omaha Beach Memorial Museum. We walked through the museum and then watched a short documentary about the D-day invasion. From there we moved a short distance to a parking lot near the memorial on the beach. We got out, walked on the beach and took photos.

After the visit to the beach, we followed the signs to the American Cemetery that is the final resting place to 9,387 American Soldiers killed in Omaha. Preparations were going on for a big event on June 6 which marks the 70^th anniversary of the event. Many world leaders are coming to Normandy for the event and we were glad we got here now when it was still possible to visit the sites.

The cemetery area where people are normally allowed to walk among the crosses was blocked off. On the way out we saw the cemetery map and realized we saw only a small portion, the first lot.

A choir was practicing singing the national anthem and other songs for the event. We wished we had more time to listen to them but we had to head back to catch our ship.

We stopped at the restroom at the end of our visit and have seen something we have not seen since we left the US – a water fountain. Even the kids noticed and had to use them right away. 

Eggs in a Blender

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

   The kids seemed happy to be have a little time in their own space and dumped a bunch of toys on the floor. We all took showers and rested for a little while. Then we decide to venture into town to find a place to eat. We were unable to get any recommendations at the hotel as the lady at the front desk did not speak any English.

   We stopped at a tourist information office a couple of blocks from the hotel and asked for a restaurant recommendation. They marked a few in the guide book and we set out to find them. We found one and were excited to get inside, sit down and enjoy a meal. Unfortunately, we were told that they serve dinner only after 7 PM (we still had more than an hour to go until 7).

   We continued walking through town while Hannah whined that she was starving. We saw a grocery store and decided to buy food for dinner and breakfast. The hotel offered breakfast for 6.50 Euros but it did not include any eggs or meat that Stevie could have.

   On the walk back to the hotel we saw an open pizza restaurant and decided to give it a try. The waitress did not speak any English but I still had a note on the piece of paper saying “my son cannot have gluten or dairy” in French. She pointed us to eggs on the menu. It was decided that Stevie would have eggs and bacon for dinner. We did our best impression of making scrambled eggs in an effort to get scrambled eggs for Stevie. We ordered American pizza for the rest of us.

   Our food arrived very quickly. Stevie’s eggs arrived sunny side up. We tried to explain again that he would like them scrambled. The waitress said “Ah, mix!” She took Stevie’s plate and a moment later we heard a blender. Our fears that Stevie was having eggs and bacon puree were confirmed when the waitress reappeared with his plate. It looked like a pile of regurgitated eggs and bacon. It tasted the way it looked - NASTY! (The ham on the plate is one we bought in the grocery store, it did not come with the meal.)

The kids seemed happy to be have a little time in their own space and dumped a bunch of toys on the floor. We all took showers and rested for a little while. Then we decide to venture into town to find a place to eat. We were unable to get any recommendations at the hotel as the lady at the front desk did not speak any English.

We stopped at a tourist information office a couple of blocks from the hotel and asked for a restaurant recommendation. They marked a few in the guide book and we set out to find them. We found one and were excited to get inside, sit down and enjoy a meal. Unfortunately, we were told that they serve dinner only after 7 PM (we still had more than an hour to go until 7).

We continued walking through town while Hannah whined that she was starving. We saw a grocery store and decided to buy food for dinner and breakfast. The hotel offered breakfast for 6.50 Euros but it did not include any eggs or meat that Stevie could have.

   On the walk back to the hotel we saw an open pizza restaurant and decided to give it a try. The waitress did not speak any English but I still had a note on the piece of paper saying “my son cannot have gluten or dairy” in French. She pointed us to eggs on the menu. It was decided that Stevie would have eggs and bacon for dinner. We did our best impression of making scrambled eggs in an effort to get scrambled eggs for Stevie. We ordered American pizza for the rest of us.

 

   Our food arrived very quickly. Stevie’s eggs arrived sunny side up. We tried to explain again that he would like them scrambled. The waitress said “Ah, mix!” She took Stevie’s plate and a moment later we heard a blender. Our fears that Stevie was having eggs and bacon puree were confirmed when the waitress reappeared with his plate. It looked like a pile of regurgitated eggs and bacon. It tasted the way it looked - NASTY!

 

Our pizza looked different than any kind of pizza we have had before (it had ground beef, fries and some type of a creamy, mushroomy sauce). But it tasted good. The kids ate French fries and peanut butter we bought at the grocery store.

 

   After dinner we walked back to the hotel (less than 2 blocks away) and crashed for the night.

Paris to Cherbourg

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

   We were excited to arrive in Paris and get off the train. We had about a 25 minute delay but it was not a problem as we allowed plenty of time to transfer from Paris l’Est to Paris Saint Lazare train station.

   I wrote down two different ways to get to the Saint Lazare station and I am glad I did. While we saw the metro line 4 listed on signs, we did not see the direction we needed to go. Therefore we chose to take metro line number 7 for 5 stop and change to line number 3 at the Opera station. From there, Saint Lazare was only 2 stops away.

   We found a place to buy the metro (subway) tickets but then struggled to get through the turn stiles with luggage and a stroller. It was clearly impossible. There was a gate behind the turn stile that opened only once you went through the turn stile. There was no way to slide a suitcase under the turn stile. Steve went through the turn stile first and we were trying to get the suitcases over to him when a French speaking gentleman came by and showed us a gate for people with strollers and luggage. It was locked and he called someone. We had no idea what they were saying but it sounded like they were arguing. We got the impression they did not want to come unlock the gate. But a man showed up to unlock it and let us through. Once they unlocked the gate, the man who called for help just said good bye, we thanked him and he walked away.

   We took the escalator down but further down we had to walk down regular stairs. Someone stopped and helped me carry the stroller. At first we were apprehensive about this since our experience with the gypsies in Rome but no, this guy was just simply being nice.

   Our train arrived and we had hard time getting everyone on fast enough. A couple of people helped hold the door open while we got on. It was surprising to get this much help in a large city. We certainly have not experienced nice, friendly people like this in Rome or Prague (rather otherwise).

   We made our transfer and arrived at Saint Lazare station about an hour before our departure. The only sit down place to eat we could find was again Burger King. So we had another hamburger lunch. It was conveniently located right across from the platforms and we found a plug so that Stevie could play his game for a little while.

   Our train was announced about 20 minutes before the departure time. We got on and found our seats. This time the train was opened and we had 4 seats facing each other. We also had power plugs so the kids could watch a movie and play on the ipad.

   We enjoyed the view of the French country side and arrived in Cherbourg at 3:25 PM as scheduled. Our hotel was supposed to be right across the street from the train station and it was. The room was basic, but clean and comfortable. Compared to the last night on the train, it looked like heaven.

The Night Train

Monday, May 26, 2014

   It took our train 6 hours to get to Munich. We missed not having a power plug because Hannah cold not play her movie on the computer to stay entertained. But despite the lack of electronic entertainment, the ride went well and we arrived in Munich on time at 7:15 PM.

   Our next train was not scheduled until 10:50 PM. We found an Asian place to eat and then made our way upstairs to a waiting room. We bought some fruit and drinks to take on the train with us. We spent at least $10 going to the bathroom. It was really nice and clean. However, as it was late in the evening, bunch of unsavory characters were milling about the train station.

   Eventually, our train arrived and the platform was announced. It was a tad confusing as the signs showed our train number and destination as Paris l’Est but it also showed another train number going to Amsterdam. We found our car number and our cabin. We paid a little extra to have a 4 person cabin but the way it was set up was that there was one bunk on the bottom, the middle bunk was lifted up and we used it as a shelf for some of our stuff and then there were two bunks on the top. The top bunks were smaller than the bottom bunks and they were definitely too high for the kids to sleep up there. We decided that Steve would sleep on the bottom bunk, the kids would share the other bottom bunk and I would sleep on the top. We used the other top bunk to hold our large suitcases.

 

   The kids were very tired and cranky but soon fell asleep. They were the only ones to get any sleep on the train. A few hours later, Hannah woke up, I climbed down to get her back to sleep but I did not feel like climbing all the way back (it was a tad scary). So I just grabbed my blanket and pillow and settled on the floor. It was just as hard as the bunk except I did not have to worry about falling down.

   Steve had hard time sleeping too and since there were no power plugs, he was not able to use his CPAP.

   When the conductor came to check the tickets, we confirmed that we were on the right train. Apparently only the first three cars were going to Amsterdam and at some point our train split into two.

Last three days in the Czech Republic

Saturday, May 24, 2014

   We spent the day getting ready for our departure. We went to Oaza to buy some groceries for the trip and the babi paid for the kids to ride the horses in Oaza one last time. We started packing our suitcases.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

   Steve and I got up early and started getting more things ready. I cooked pasta sauce and got the salad ready for lunch. Vlada and Blanka were coming to visit in the afternoon one last time. By the time they got there, we were pretty much packed and could visit without stress. In the evening, we washed the last batch of laundry hoping it would be dry by the morning.

Monday, May 26, 2014

   We gathered up the last few things in the morning and were just waiting for Pepa to come pick us up at 10:30 AM. He arrived early and we had plenty of time to install car seats and put the luggage in the van. We left Kladno at 11 AM while babi waved good bye from her balcony.

   Pepa dropped us off at the parking lot in front of the train station. We said our good byes, thanked him for his help and off we went. We were early and decided to have lunch at Burger King while we waited. Burger King also had free wifi so the boys could play Clash of the Clans while we waited.

   We talked to a young couple from Brooklyn who were sitting next to us in the restaurant. 

   Our train was at the platform about 30 minutes early and we made our way there. We reserved seats but we could not find out car number. We found an open compartment/cabin and settled in. The train conductor told us that the car we reserved was not there today but they did reserve seats for us in another. Since we were already seated, we told him we would stay where we were and he freed up the seats in the other car.