Weathered wings

Sitting in the hotel room in Bray, Ireland, I'm emailing how exhausted I am. But it's a good exhausted. Maybe I'll regret not going to bed earlier, but you live and you learn. I choose to learn later.

My flight from Green Bay to Chicago was fast, but I can't say the same for the Chicago to Dublin flight. Seven hours. But it was delayed over an hour due to cargo door maintenance. I suppose it's important for suitcases to not fall out of the plane into the Atlantic? I arrived in Dublin around 8 a.m. and quickly went through immigration with a friendly "how long are you staying?" before I was off. I was met by our tour guide and one of our journalism professors, who led us to the coach bus. There, the whole group boarded the bus to the Wilton Hotel in quaint Bray, Ireland.

Once there, we were greeted with warm scones and hot tea. Sooooo good!!!!! My friend Kayla and I later tried to find Tesco, which ended in blisters. No where to be found. Dang you, Tesco. However, we did find a local cafe, Coffee Delights. I indulged in chicken salad sandwich for 4 euro. Total steal and totally worth it, especially with the mountain of fresh veggies stuffed between the bread.

At night, the whole group of about 25 people went to Killruddery house and gardens for a tour and dinner. Killruddery estate is home to the Earls of Meath (and has been since 1618; well, they're not THAT old, it's just been in the family since then). After touring some rooms in the estate, we were treated to a fancy dinner. Beer, lamb chop, salmon, greens, mashed potatoes and Irish soda bread occupied my whole being.

After dinner, we explored the gardens and the estate, which was a filming location for films and TV shows like "The Tudors" and "Ella Enchanted." A very luscious land, billed with beauty and hope at every glance. 

Now I'm extremely tired. Can't wait for what tomorrow brings in Dublin!

Cheers!

Kelli