10-17-18

We had a wet but fun evening seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle last night. We left the boat this morning and will fly out of Orly tomorrow morning for home.

It has been a great 5 weeks and had many experiences good and a couple not so good.
Jai drove 1,740 miles in Ireland on the otherside of the road, other side of car and manual. The roads are small, smaller and oh really this is a road?? We met many tractors and lorries (semis) abruptly but no accidents and yes we let them come thru. In the UK he drove 1408 miles also otherside of road, car and manual. The GPS he bought was great since it had Ireland and UK maps and he programmed all of our AB &B reservations into it.

We had great luck with all accomdations but one that was not up to standard we felt it should have been. But like hotels they varied, some had great spaces, furnishings and offerings along with hosts that were so helpful and welcoming. One thing we found out is that none of the place's we stayed including the boat do not have top sheets which of course we were not used to. A duvet cover/comforter was your top sheet.
The towels except on the boat are all "hard." It seems they hang everything outside to dry no dryer to be seen. Also pillows are flat. Bed sizes in Ireland and UK also differ. They are more like double than queen and only one king. Cultural things I'm sure just things we noticed.

In Ireland and UK we ate at local pubs/restaurants either on way to next evening or after we stopped for the night. All of the meals were wonderful, used local food sources, so fresh and I stepped outside of my comfort zone. I have not been a fish/seafood person but made a choice that I would try to eat some on this trip. Much to my surprise I did try and like mussels, clams, scallops, smoked salmon and a few fish dishes. Never say never. Of course the food onboard the ship was wonderful and fresh. Eating food that is not processed for past few weeks has been great. Now I just need to get back to less good food.

The cruise was wonderful and we will do another in the future. What a great way to see the sights and not have to pack up and drive. Jai of course liked this the best since he was designated driver for the month.

Hope you enjoyed traveling along with us on this wonderful trip

Only 6 weeks before we head out in Mystic Explorer for the winter.