2004 Europe

Diana with the 3.5 oz. Can of Cola on the Virgin Train



June 23 – We got up early this morning to catch the train to Dublin for the ferry. We didn’t see anyone from our group as they all had to leave very early for Shannon Airport. GW is coming here on Saturday and the security has been heightened. People are being advised to arrive 5 hours before their flights to give time for the normal security measures and the additional road controls in effect. That means that the bus to the airport left the hotel at 5:30AM. We didn’t get up until 6AM so they were all gone before we were moving around.



After a very light breakfast, the hotel restaurant does not open until 7:30AM we got a taxi to the train station and were on the road, or rails to be more accurate. We are taking a commuter train to Limerick Junction where we will transfer to the more comfortable train to Dublin. We arrived a Dublin on time, about 1PM and took a taxi to the Irish Ferry terminal. Unfortunately the weather has been bad with very high winds and the ferry we were to take to Holyhead was cancelled. It was supposed to leave at 5:30PM. The next sailing was not until 9:45PM. I found out that the other ferry service to Holyhead, Stenna, has a boat leaving at 4:05PM but the terminal was about 10 miles away. It was only 2:30 so I figured we could make it and called for a taxi. I called 8 different taxi firms and no one would send a cab. I guess the word of my tipping generosity has not made it to Dublin. I was beginning to think we were doomed to sit in the Irish Ferry terminal for 7 hours when Diana ran in saying she had flagged down a cab at the front of the terminal. We hustled our bag out and jumped in. It was now 3PM and we had to check in at the Stenna line by 3:30PM. The cabby raced across town, pausing only at red lights and had us there by 3:25, just in time to check in and board the ship.



I expected the ride over to be very rough; since that was the reason the Irish Ferry had been cancelled. It was not. The boat moved a little but nothing violent and not really much roll. We arrived in Holyhead earlier than expected because the left on the earlier ferry and went to the Boathouse Hotel to check in. The Boathouse is rustic place we stayed in on the way over. This time we got a bigger room and that was nice, but it was still the same small double bed as the last room. Diana takes up a lot of space in a bed and I was left clinging to the edge like rock climber on a negative pitch face. I do like sleeping on the edge of the bed, seems to be cooler that way. I’m warm most of the time anyway. I couldn’t get the heat to work and it was only 64 degrees in the room so I went down to check on the problem. They said it was on a timer and would come on at 7:30PM. As it was 7:15 I figured it would be ok in a few minutes. At 7:45 it was still not on so I went down to the desk to check on it. There are no phones in the rooms, did I mention that the place is rustic? When I got there someone remembered that they had had a power outage the day before and that the timer clock might not be properly set. Sure enough when they reset the clock the heat came on. That made Diana happy. Thus endeth another exciting day of travel.



June 24 – Didn’t have to get up too early today, 7AM. We had breakfast at the hotel, took a taxi to the train station and boarded our Virgin train to Euston Station, London. They are serving a light breakfast on the train, cereal, toast, fruit and drinks. That’s it, it’s official, I am current again. As I am typing we are on our way to London. It’s somewhat ironic that while it was spring, the weather was sunny and warm unless we were at high altitudes. Ever since June 21, summer, it has been cold, windy and rainy and today is no exception so far. In addition to breakfast they come around offering snacks and refreshments every now and then. The biscuits (cookies to us) are good as are the other munchies. The only odd thing is the size of the soft drinks. They come in 3.5-ounce cans (above)! That’s not a huge glass (below) in fact it’s a small side water tumbler, it’s just that the can of cola is tiny. If you remember when Coca Cola came in the small 7.5-ounce pony bottles, this can holds less than half of that amount. They’ll give you as many as you’d like so I’m not sure of the economic benefits to Virgin of processing so many small cans. It would take 4 of these things to make a regular can of Coke.



Live update…. The train we were on got as far as Rugby, two hours from London and broke down. Fortunately we were in Rugby station and another train to London was arriving on the other side of the station. We got our baggage and sprinted across the platform just in time to continue our journey south. This new train originated in Chester and is much more modern rolling stock than the Holyhead train. In fact it seems quite new. It is certainly quieter and smoother than the last train. There are a lot of men in suits and ties on this train and most are reading the newspaper with the bored look of commuters. Seems very strange, as this is 1:35 in the afternoon. They all look quite professional and their suits have a Seville Row look to them; very posh, if you know what I mean. Sorry, the Brits are starting to rub off on me. The bottom line is that we are once again making good progress toward our goal.



The new train got us to London just a little later than the original one would have and we caught a taxi to our hotel, the Royal Garden - Kensington. It is definitely a nice hotel. The room is two level with the bedroom first, then a raised sitting area with love seat and chair (below). The TV is in between the two and swivels to be viewed from either place. Most importantly the air conditioning works great. We went across the street to a small Italian restaurant for dinner. I couldn’t pass up the bangers and mash, excellent. After that it was to bed.

(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger