Well, the flight was smooth and on time and the luggage arrived with me. I got the rental car with no problem, and then the fun began.
Before leaving home, I thought I had purchased a phone, text, and data plan for my cell phone using my Irish SIM card. I am able to use the same number as last time because it has been less than six months. After some initial struggles, I was able to get on the Dublin Airport Wi-Fi, set up Google Maps to get me to Carnew and get underway. It's a good thing it downloads the maps.
It's not that I don't know how to get to Carnew, where I'm staying. The problem is exiting from Dublin Airport and knowing which lane to be in for the several roundabouts that finally spill you onto the right motorway leading (hopefully) to your destination. The roundabouts are so large that they have traffic lights and go madly off in all directions. With Google issuing instructions, it's not a problem. The real problems were yet to come.
Picture this - I left the airport in my unfamiliar but spiffy rental car at 8 am. This is a large city. Yep, first gear was all I needed for about half an hour. I was on the right road drifting slowly along until we got to the exit for Tallaght. Traffic speeded up to normal then. If you are that curious, or bored, ask Google where it is and how far it is from Dublin Airport.
Subsequently, the only hiccup on the drive was the weather. It was alternately pouring rain, drizzling, stunningly sunny while still raining ... well, you get the picture. The windshield wipers are exhausted.
Having arrived at my destination - to see Mary Harte at Carnew Community Care Village - I had to exit the car. The seats of this little beauty have raised "lumps" that one has to surmount to perform that exit. I was tired after a totally sleepless night, stiff from so much sitting, and parked at a slightly tilted angle so that I had to get out "uphill." I did a quick visual survey to be sure nobody with a smartphone was filming this little episode to entertain others on YouTube or whatever. The coast was clear, so I clambered up and out. It only took a few minutes.
After a nice visit with Mary, a couple of slices of toasted brown bread (yes, THAT brown bread) and a cup of coffee, I got instructions from my host, who generously lent me her home for my stay. The key was under the mat, as I'd been told. It turned easily in the lock. But the door wouldn't open. This is particularly fun on a rainy day with a suitcase now sitting on the ground. Eventually, although I didn't know why at the time, the key magically worked.
In the past, I've been baffled by the locks here. They are very secure. They've kept me securely outside of my accommodations on many occasions. The secret to this one is you have to make more than one turn of the key as it clicks over, twice, and then a tiny little extra turn before you gain entry. But now I know. And the suitcase didn't leak while it waited patiently.
Mary had provided a Wi-Fi hotspot, which worked a treat for my phone, but the laptop would not and still does not, connect to it. Unless on Wi-Fi, I could not use the phone.
Insert hours of frustration on a support chat from Vodaphone, typing first to a robot who offered a nice selection of issues, none of which covered my basic problem. I'll spare you the details, but after a very long time, it was determined that my payment had not gone through when I'd topped up the plan from home. By this time I had a live human being on the other end of the chat line, and he provided a link to do the top-up. The robot probably went back to tormenting other people whose issues were not on its approved list. All good until the final step. My VISA requires two-step authentication for online transactions. Very safe. However, I had the Irish SIM card in my phone and VISA sent a verification code to my Canadian cell number. It was not set up to give me the choice of text or email to verify. I can't do anything about that from here. How was I going to use the phone when out and about? How could it provide a hotspot for the laptop?
Off I drove to Coolruss to ask for suggestions and maybe pay them to use a credit card. It turns out that all I had to do was go to a shop about 200 yards from my current "home", give them €20, and I'd be good to go. That's done now. All good with the phone.
But then, when I tried to use it as a hotspot for my laptop, the darn computer wouldn't accept that hookup. I've done this many many times at home. Arrrggghhh. However, my phone gave me an alternative - just connect the phone and laptop by a cable and Bob's your uncle. Done now.
I retired early, brain-dead by that point, and slept for a long time. My bed has an electric blanket. I've never had one and I think I'm in love! It was perfect, and being on a timer there was no danger of being fried alive while I slept.
After a refreshing shower and a cup of coffee, my day has begun. It's closing in on noon, and of course, it's raining. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry, so it's time to make a plan that involves the outdoors.
So, I'm catching up on email and generally hanging around the house today. The rain seems to be taking a break so I'll go for a short walk. I've done my grocery shopping and will be well-fed. The long-term forecast indicates that the waterproofing on my jacket will be worn out by the time I get home, so every day, I will have a plan A and a plan B. Stay tuned.
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