Day 10

The noise outside the YHA does not abate and finally the alarm goes off at 5.45AM.
We pack up get organised and Billy sets course for Edinburgh Airport. The traffic at that time in the morning is light and we get there in good time. Just as well as the drop-off for the car isn’t obvious and with a few misses we finally get there.
Security at Edinburgh is slightly different than most places. I have to take off my shoes and watch. Never done that before.
We almost miss the plane, as they call it early and there is confusion between the Ryan Air flight and the Aer Lingus. To make it more confusing they have changed the aircraft so the seating is different. I sit with an American with a Kindle which we talk about briefly. My conversational style is riveting, she falls asleep.
Sue is having better luck with another American across the aisle who is going home after 2 weeks in Scotland and devastated. Sue averts a flood of tears.
The flight is short, one hour, and we are at Dublin. Well the airport at least. Immigration is slick, customs non-existent and we are out looking for our car.
We have a VW Polo. What a heap of shit after our Ford Focus Titanium. It’s petrol, no A/C and no cruise control. But it is new and goes well.
At this point Billy lets us down badly. He won’t recognise any Irish names, not one, not even Dublin. He displays the correct map and streets, the right speed even the correct speed limits for where we are, but simply doesn’t know his ass from his elbow when it comes to places.
Well it’s back to basics with the map. We float around Dublin on our way south towards Waterford, of the crystal fame. It’s by the seat of our pants stuff this; however we manage to get 30km south of Dublin to Wicklow. I pull over and try and sort Billy out. Could I have just bought the maps for UK, but not Ireland? The ICN show Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland so we should have the right maps.
Sue then sees that there is a Union Jack on one side of the screen pokes it and it magically offers it the flag of the Republic of Ireland and suddenly Billy is cool.
Intuitive it ain’t.
Gorey is the next stop and we have lunch there. Great BLT, terrible coffee.
Wexford the next stop further down the coast heading south. Nice coastal village with very helpful Tourist info place. From there we book the YHA in Tramore.
Waterford is on our way and past the factory though I gather they don’t make it there anymore. We probably should go back and have a better look.
Tramore is another quaint village with a summer amusement park, all closed down now. The main street stretches from the sea to high on the hill. It has an Indian restaurant, though I doubt there is a village in the entire UK and Ireland that doesn’t.
Our YHA is converted into a B and B for an extra 10 Euros.
Tramore provides us with quite a nice meal, however we immediately note that food here is at least 25% more than the UK.
The food however is good. We meet a couple from Texas who are here holidaying. The wife does something in music however she studied in Baulkham Hills in Sydney, not far from where I lived. We chat for a while.
The maitre de is our classic Irish man, rather over the top friendly, amusing and charming. Chatty, what Irish person isn’t.
We have a good night