Week 7 - Ireland and Germany
We traveled mid-week this time, because after leaving our cottage on the Dingle peninsula, we stayed in Dublin with my college roommate for a few days before flying out. On the way to Dublin we stopped at the Blennerville Windmill. The windmill was under repair so we weren't able to go up inside it, but the visitors center has an interesting exhibit on emigration during the famine years, so we got a little more 19th century history.
We're pretty sure the kids' ancestors on J's side left Ireland during this time, so that was meaningful to them. There were also exhibits of model trains and antique farm equipment which the kids enjoyed.
Our time in Dublin was incredibly special. I've always been one to have just a few close friends and they mean a lot to me. D and I lived together for our first two years of college, so we figured out adulting together. We jokingly said we were each other's first marriage, except rather than breaking up we just ended up geographically separated. I stayed at Antioch and D transferred to Evergreen and ended up on the west coast, then moved on to Ireland. We were able to get together a couple times after she transferred, but not since her move to Ireland 20 years ago. We've kept in touch sporadically at best, but always seem to be able to pick up where we left off. I was a little nervous though, after so many years and changes and with families in tow, I wasn't sure it would be the same. I needn't have worried. D's husband and kids are lovely and welcomed us warmly. The younger kids particularly hit it off, which was particularly good for my kids who, between pandemic and travel, haven't had much social time. D and her husband, L, did show us around the Dublin area, but I forgot to take pictures. There is a lot to see and we barely scratched the surface, but it seemed more important to enjoy being together than try to cram in a lot of sightseeing.
We were sad to go. I purposely only planned for a couple days because I know hosting five people really turns a family upside down, and I had no idea how the kids and husbands would take to each other. We've already decided to take any further opportunities to get together that come along. My kids' biological cousins are all much older, so friends like family are very appreciated.
So on to Germany. We're still figuring out how to get around here. The kids have colds and we haven't really been out much, so I haven't been taking pictures yet. We're in the far northwest corner, almost to the Netherlands, in a region called Krummhörn. It's rural and nice, flat like northern Ohio. We're staying in a barn that's been converted into apartments. It has a really nice character. Two things make Germany more challenging, for one, we don't speak German and while many people speak English, it's not quite as universal as it was in Iceland. Second, we've heard great things about public transportation in Germany so we decided not to rent a car. It's true, even in this rural area we can catch a bus at the end of the driveway, it's just a little challenging to figure it out since we don't speak German. So our first few days have been a learning experience and interesting, but more focused on everyday logistics than seeing the sights.
Tuesday, our travel day, was a long one. We got up at 2:00 in Dublin after not sleeping much, because I never sleep well when I know I have to get up early for something important, I'm too afraid I'll miss the alarm or something. We left for the airport by 3:00, on the plane by 6:00. Everyone napped a little, but it was a short flight, so not much sleep. We had to change planes in Frankfurt and the immigration line was very slow, so we missed our connection to Bremen. Not a big deal because we had flexible tickets and could get a flight out around 2:00 pm. We'll probably go back to Bremen, we have some distant relatives there we could meet, and I think it's good to actually get to know people in the countries we visit whenever possible. Tuesday, however, we just needed to get to our apartment and crash, so we got a taxi to the train station and then got a train to Emden. Getting on a train with five people and a lot of luggage isn't easy. In Germany, at least, there is a car that has just one step over the gap as opposed to steps up, and that's the one for bikes, strollers and things like the collapsible wagon we had loaded with the smaller bags. Of course we couldn't find that car, so we were putting everything in the regular car. Someone came to help and pantomimed J and big C in the right direction with the wagon, but the boys and I with the rest of the stuff were already on, so we ended up in two separate cars. There really was ample time at the station, so next time we won't rush to get on, but take a little more time finding out where to go. It was kind of fun walking through the cars to visit each other, and of course you can see more from a train than a plane so I think we'll do this more often. When the nice lady who helped us on to the train came by to check our ticket she questioned where the other two passengers were, "Eins, zwei, drei…?" I know that much thanks to my first generation great-grandmother, but that was a long time ago. I answered by pointing to myself and the kids counting, "Eins, zwei, drei…" then pointed twice in the direction of the car big C and J were in and counted, "vier, fünf." Understandably, she looked at me like I was nuts. The woman beside us had seen all the boarding chaos and, I assume, explained it all. I said "Danke," and everyone laughed. After that, big C joined us and my new friend came through checking tickets again and repeated the count as a joke. Funny how few words you need for humor.
We made it to Emden and took a taxi to the house, it's not far, but required two trips. The little boys and I were first, and for my next challenge, I had to figure out the keypad on the door. The landlord sent directions, but naturally, in German. Lots of typing into Google translate and several attempts later we finally got in. By this time it was 8:00 PM, so we were on the road for about 17 hours. Then everyone had to be fed and bathed, and then I had a Zoom meeting at midnight our time (6:00 pm in the states), which lasted a couple hours, so it was about a 24 hour day. I actually fell asleep in my chair typing up the minutes after the meeting.
A couple more complications had to be worked out on Wednesday and Thursday. We ordered groceries for delivery to the apartment from Ireland, but only the refrigerated items arrived Tuesday. I guess that's just how it works, because the other stuff eventually arrived Thursday evening, but we didn't really know what to expect. Another issue, little C broke his glasses back in Iceland and J ordered frames and had them sent to Scotland. They didn't arrive until close to the end of our time in Ireland so we had our hosts from Scotland (very nice people) ship them here. For whatever reason they weren't delivered, but we got a notification to pick them up at the post office, a couple of little towns over. So Thursday, since the kids were under the weather, I set off on a solo adventure to try to retrieve the glasses and find out about the groceries. The bus driver was quite friendly and knew a little English. I soon learned his favorite word. He asked why I was going to town and I said my son broke his glasses in Iceland.
"Oh shit."
I explained that they didn't arrive in Scotland.
"Oh shit."
I explained my second errand, which was to go to the grocery I had ordered from to find out why only half my order was delivered, not including my husband's beer.
"No beer! Oh shit!"
I was laughing and enjoying the ride, but not really paying attention to landmarks which was a bit of a problem later. I got off the bus and found the grocery store, about a ten minute walk. There are bike paths everywhere so you don't have to walk on the road which is nice.
At the grocery, I tried the customer service desk, lots of Google translate and a pretty annoyed and impatient employee later, I had no answer, but a number to call. I knew I couldn't handle a phone conversation in German and in the store, so I went to pick up a few things to get us through the night. In the bread aisle I saw a woman in a hijab. I soon heard her speaking Arabic to her young son in a way I could understand, so probably Syrian. Seeing an opportunity, I did a pretty good job of explaining my problem to her in Arabic, until I got to "online order". It later occurred to me that I couldn't remember those words because there was no such thing in the nineties when I was last in Syria or Lebanon. She understood that part in English, and graciously agreed to call for me. Unfortunately, they told her to call someone else and she didn't have time because she was late to pick up her daughter. At one point, she walked away from her cart while on the phone to hear better and her little boy started crying, so what did I do? I sang Arabic nursery rhymes. He cried harder, who could blame him, but it's kind of funny that I was singing Arabic baby songs in a German grocery. On the way back I missed my bus stop and ended up taking a taxi, but it was still a good day.
So that was yesterday, today I did several loads of laundry, now that I have detergent, because naturally that was with the non-perishable groceries, and took a walk into the closest village. I found out that there's a restaurant and beach within walking distance, and in the other direction is another village that I'll check out tomorrow. I'm trying to find somewhere to get just a few groceries without a bus ride every time, though the bus driver suggested another grocery that delivers. I figure when the kids are feeling better we can take them to the beach as long as we keep them away from other people. I'm pretty sure they just have colds, but still want to be careful. In the meantime, I kind of like exploring on my own, walking as fast as I like and not worrying about tired, whiny kids. Seeing their excitement is always great, but doing things on my own is nice too, and far less common these days.