Rochestown Lodge Hotel Conference And Leisure Centre Dún Laoghaire

... God for Erica. I felt like I new what I was talking about for the first time in my life. My host parents are big Obama supporters and Clinton lovers which made for good conversation. Afterwards, I headed up to my room to unpack and take a nap. Lunch was served at 2 and it was quite an affair. Their eldest son Will and his girlfriend Deirdre were over. Will's a policeman and had worked the night shift and had slept here after work. They were ...

... fact. Oh well, we were able to take photo's of the place and of each other standing near it, plus we were able (oh, the joy of being better informed!) to tell some other tourists that the place was closed until May! We were wondering, then, if we would find the Irish Jewish Museum to be open, and were happy to find that it was. It's a small place; it used to be a home (actually two adjoining homes) and then was converted to a synagogue around the turn of the century. It ...

... our Australian travelling companion, so the Bunk guy had suggested we drive towards Swords. We found Swords, but for some reason had a problem leaving it, and ending up driving around different parts of it for the next few hours. We did find a shopping centre though, and we all bought what we needed. I was feeling decidedly seedy by this point (I think it was jet lag), so had a wee rest in the back while Allanah drove us into Dublin.Our plan was to visit the ...

... to electronic music events. It's obviously still not Paris but you know, it's good enough. Slept way to little and hung out at the boys place all Sunday hiding under my blanket and hating the fact that it was ridiculously sunny and I should have been out enjoying the day. Finally walked "home" in the evening and went to bed real early. Monday swoshed by, nothing to interesting, Tuesday had drinks after work with Sophia and Maarten. Niceish mellowish ...

... showers would remain light. ... We were wrong on pretty much all accounts. But, you know, a good attitude makes all the difference and what could have been a horrific start to the trip turned in to a fun filled, chilly, wet adventure through the streets of Dublin. Drenched head to toe, we took a break and stopped in to a bank to make change. We got lost. We ducked in to a church to shield ourselves from the rain. And after 20 ...

Whilst in the UK, I developed a healthy obsession for Guinness and downed 11 of them on my first night there to the point where I could communicate only in writing to the people around me. Dublin is cool, it possessed the weather and some of the culture of the UK without the chain stores and lingering depression. Dublin oozes culture and pizzazz and I only wish I could have seen more of Ireland.

... which have been developed in the last four years) this town would be untouched and unique. We take a walk along the water, and find a ruined church and grave yards- the oldest grave dating back to 1870. There is the last part on a ruined castle just of shore, which is accessable by walking. Soren 'the exhibitionist' steps outside his comfort zone and makes a brave move by doing a nude shot. (remember it is very cold) but perhaps a story to be told ...

... ami de la nouvelle-zelande avons bien rie!! le lendemain je suis aller le perdre dans le port et dans les quartier pour voir les maison, les gens les voiture un peu de tout qui netait pas tres touristique mais interessantpour reprendre mon avion vendredi matin a 6h30 et jusqua mon retour a mont de marsan samedi matin! jai peux etre trouver du travail a dublin donc je vais pe y retourner sinon je prend la direction de munich trouver une job je me croise les doigts!!

... is nothing next to the rewards of the work. Or so I hope of course. This will be my longest voyage aboard these ships and by far my longest time away from land so I can only guess who I'll be feeling about it all by the time I reach the other side. Speaking of which, as I won't have access to a computer aboard ship, this will be my last entry for over a month and a half. This, then, is goodbye for sometime. Wish me luck.

... were taken for the evening. I was beginning to get the same feeling that I got when trying to get a room in Cardiff. It turns out that, much like Cardiff, all the rooms in town were taken because of a function (in this case, a wedding). However, the "B&B Grapevine" existed here just as it did in Wales. We ended up being referred to a B&B in Bettystown, a small village just southeast of Drogheda. This place had a room, which we immediately booked.

With our ...