I know this is out of order but before going to Lourdes we flew into Biarritz, France and spent two beautiful days there. Being in culinary exile here in Ireland (did we mention the food here was nothing to write home about? That's why we haven't written home about it.) France was a dream come true. The coffee, the croissant, the baguettes... , you get the point. The beaches in Biarritz are spectacular. Apparently it is a magnet for surfers. We thought since we had rented a car we would take a drive either to San Sebastien in Spain or through the Pyrenees. We enjoyed Biarritz so much we stayed there the whole time. Our hotel had a rooftop pool which was a bit too cold for us but which the kids were thrilled with.

We took the kids to two museums, one was definitely worth the trip the other not so much. The former was Le Musee de la Mer. It was a delightful aquarium with many fish. a seal tank and a shark tank. Lori did her best to take one of the seals home with her. Unfortunately we couldn't get him through customs! The latter was Planet Musee du Chocolat. Purporting to be a museum of chocolate making (what could be wrong with that?) it turned out to be the worlds most expensive "free" cup of hot chocolate on the way to a mediocre chocolate shop. Oh well, at least the hot chocolate was good.

On one of our several walks the kids decided to "put their feet in the ocean" not having their bathing suits with them. You can guess how that turned out. Let's just say its a long walk back to the hotel in wet pants. This is a place we are going to try and check out this summer when the weather is warmer and swimming in the ocean will be a more planned affair. Au Revoir!

Slideshow at:

http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/irishlori2/Biarritz/?albumview=slideshow

Lourdes

What can one say about Lourdes? It is a strange combination of quiet reverence and Hampton beach kitch. The commercialism all but screams at you when you drive into town.

We got there at 9:10 which meant that we could not get breakfast at any of the hotels as they have a strict 7:30 to 9:00 breakfast schedule. Weird. Our hotel was right down the road from Father Ray's and we left word at the desk for him to call us when he got back. We set off to the sanctuary of Lourdes. It is very strange when you cross the gates and leave the craziness behind. The grounds are beautiful and very peaceful. We visited the Grotto where St. Bernadette saw Mary. You wait in line for a turn to walk in the cave and see the spring that Mary instructed Bernadette to dig for. We were so impressed with the quiet of the crowd as everyone waited their turn. Ian and Emma were so respectful during the long wait. There was also a school trip behind us and all of the children were silent. We walked through the Grotto and experienced such a sense of peace. We washed at the water as Mary asked all pilgrims . It truly reaffirms your faith.

The rest of the day was spent exploring several museums and the basilicas. 1 day is just not enough time to visit all the places we wanted to. We met up with Father Ray and Father Paul for dinner. It was so nice to see faces from home and hear familiar accents. We had a wonderful nice long visit with them. It felt like being at home with family. Emma and especially Ian were thrilled to chat Father Ray and Father Paul's ear off. We learned that Father Ray, like Ian is a very picky eater and that Father Paul does not approve of swearing. (Ian had told him that Pepere swears all the time) Emma's addition to the evening entertainment was to ask if anyone knew what the holiest animal was. (A chip....monk...!!!!) Very cute.

We went to the candle light processional a little late because we were chatting with Father Ray. It was very hard to see because we were way in the back. Much to our surprise, we were directed up front to the steps in front of the Rosary Basilica where we could see everyone praying the Rosary. What an incredible honor. I am not sure why we were chosen, but we were humbled and grateful.

Our final activity of the night was Mass at 11:00 pm in the Grotto. (In Italian.) We were flying out the next day and wouldn't have a chance to go to Mass. Needless to say, everyone was exhausted. Poor Emma fell asleep on my feet on the cold cement ground. Mass was beautiful.

Check out the slideshow of pictures at:

http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/dd344/irishlori2/?albumview=slideshow

Cork

Today was actually a beautiful sunny day here in Ireland. It didn't rain. Not even once!! We drove to Cork which is one of the largest cities here. The city has tons of places to shop and many cute places to eat. We finally had a decent meal at a restaurant. It wasn't pub food, shocking..!!! It may come as a surprise that the food quality here leaves something to be desired. We were happy to find the exception. (Name of the rest. was Scoozi's) The kids were thrilled to order dessert from the grown up's menu. Considering that the dessert that came with their meal is ice cream and jello. In the same bowl. Yuck. Gordon Ramsay has nothing to worry about. As you can see from the pictures, they were satisfied with their choices.

Our intent was to have lunch in Cork and go on to Cobh (pronounced cove). This is the last port of call for the Titanic. It is also where the victims of the Lusitania are buried. It has a great museum that Ian and Emma were looking forward to seeing. Not so much. We couldn't find it. We tried. We failed. Maybe Cobh, like the Titanic, is somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. So we drove 2 hours for lunch. But it was a good lunch.

Dog sitting

We are watching a dog for some friends of ours who are traveling. He is a ginormous 8 year old rottweiler named Rambo. He is the most laid back dog ever. We have discovered that Rambo has an active period during the day. It lasts about 3 minutes so you have to be careful to catch it. The rest of the time is spent sleeping on whatever surface he can stuff his body on. He is not supposed to go on the furniture, but you can see how well that turned out. Would you move that?

He is also the only dog I know that purrs. When you pat his head, he makes this noise that sounds like he is about to tear your head off. His mom Paula has assured me that this means he is happy and not about to kill you. So far...so good.

Rambo has discovered that he is the long lost member of the cow herd in our backyard. Normally, the girls are skittish and take off when we are around but they were fascinated by Rambo. They followed him when he was outside and gave him kisses. Perhaps he looked like a calf? He is about the same size!

We also discovered that Rambo and the pony CANNOT stand each other. They circle each other warily looking for an opening to nip at each other. Dunkin the donkey just watches them and honks at the top of his lungs egging them on. It is very noisy here on the funny farm.

Holy Family School

Ian and Emma started back at school on Wednesday, August 27. The school is called Holy Family School and it is in downtown Ennis (http://www.hfss.org/) It is split into 2 different schools. The junior school is from pre-school to 1st class. (1st grade) We are part of the senior school which are grades 2-6th class. The school was run by the Nuns for many years. Mrs. Cooney, the principal is the 1st lay principal at the school. There are still a few nuns who help with religious education.

The schools here in Ireland don't believe in getting up early so they start at 9:00 and end at 2:45. The kids must wear a dress uniform or a school track suit. They also have to take hurling (for boys) and camogie (for girls.) This is a sport where you hit a small ball with a really big stick. It is very popular over here. I haven't a clue how it's played. All I know is you are required to wear a helmet which quite honestly, scares me!!

The kids seemed to have settled in quite nicely. Emma made a friend in about 10 seconds and Ian is starting to warm up to some of the boys. They still miss their friends from home, however.

The funny farm

I never in a million years thought I would live on a farm. I guess that is why we can't stop feeding, watching, and generally just obsessing about the cows, the donkey and pony.
Dave rotates the animals every 2-3 weeks so we never know who is going to be under our window the next day. Mostly it is Dunkin the donkey and Dudlee the pony. We buy groceries now for ourselves, Dunkin and Dudlee. They have taken to "wandering" near the electric fence while we are having supper. They learned pretty quickly that they get carrots and apples that way. Dunkin starts braying as soon as he sees the food. (Emma calls it honking, i.e., "why is Dunkin honking at us"?) Dudlee just trots over. I have to mention here that Dudlee is the world's ugliest pony. I say that with affection. Dave cut his hair so it looks like a mullet. He has a disease called sweet itch that makes his skin all scabby and bald in spots. He also has these weird growths on his knees. All in all, not an attractive sight, poor thing!!!

When the cows are in our field, we watch them and moo at them. Dave and Mary must think we are insane!!! There are 7 cows; 3 brown and 4 black. The alpha cow is Beryl and she bosses the other cows around. Last night, one of the black cows broke the fence around our house and was munching contentedly under our living room window. Bad Cow!!!

The last animal is Toby the dog. Toby thinks he owns us and our house as Dave used to live in this house. Toby is an outside farm dog and is not allowed in Dave's house. So of course he comes in our house and gets spoiled. He was never given a bath before I got here. He cried and fussed too much. Well, he has now had 4 baths and smells like Pantene! Toby's favorite past time is barking at Dunkin and Dudlee. One of these days, he is going to get punted!!!!

Going to Galway

We decided to take a ride out to Galway. The day was beautiful and so was the ride. We arrived in Eyre square, think Boston Common only about half the size. Being the courageous culinary connoisseurs that we are, we settled on Supermacs for our repast (just like McDonald's only not as healthy).

Just as we were getting ready to explore this beautiful city, you guessed it, the skies opened up. Good thing there was a bookstore nearby. After a mere twenty minutes of torrential downpours we saw the sites. Galway reminded us of the old city in Quebec. Lots of outdoor cafes, shops and surprise... PUBS!! The remnants of the old city wall are preserved within a two story mall. A perfect co mingling of the old and new. The arch in the picture is called the Spanish Arch and I'm sure there is some historical significance there but I can't for the life of me recall what it is. Suffice it to say that its really old and cool looking. (Can you tell we are really getting the most out of our time in Ireland?)

Emma purchased her 942nd stuffed animal. Because you always need one more. Ian bought a book and Lori finally bought a coat rack. I say finally because you wear a coat here EVERY DAY!!