Dublin at last

Forecast-
Rain with outbreaks of heavy drizzle
followed by long periods of low cloud,
poor visibility and downpours
Outlook: wet
ha! Welcome to Ireland. We have arrived.

Not hard to get up and out of the Heathrow Hilton, Terminal 4, this morning. A beautiful modern hotel but the rooms and everything in them - a bit small. Very narrow twin beds on WHEELS with thin white covers, like a gurney (adds a nice nightmare feature to the jet lagged).
Aer Lingus flight was ez even with gusty winds. Hassled a bit at Immigration but Customs for both countries was non-existent. Our first 'native' encounter with cab driver very positive. Long, expensive ride for us tho -$70ish.

'Ballymoss Road Apts.' (our new home for 3 wks.) are fine. All mod cons and giant supermarket nearby. A wee business- park-like with captains of industry building more and more all around us.(Microsoft, IBM, etc.)
Dunne's market was packed with locals and Irish food. More friendly people. Pretty fancy and organic but prices should help us slim down! CA wine selection is truly sad but the French stuff looks ok. We cooked pork medallions with artichoke/leek sauce, baby cauliflowers (with grower's name on them!) and, of course, potatoes. Nice to have a real kitchen - full sized: fridge, dish washer, washer/dryer.

No real rest for the weary as strangeness and time warp set in. On top of landing in the midst of a three-day holiday weekend, it's also their daylight savings, so we have no idea what time it really is! Geeks and couples up late on balconies smoking and drinking didn't help the sleep factor. Ah well, two days to recover.

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