Farewell Ireland

Tuesday was our last day with the tour group (we already miss Bernard and Jimmy!). First up was touring the Waterford Crystal factory, which made us both feel like broke college kids again. We got to see the intricasies of crystal making from start to finish: mold making, glass blowing, cutting, sculpting, and firing. We saw some of the most incredible finished pieces--even the men on the tour loved it. The showroom displayed the latest Irish Open trophy, huge chandeliers, and a piece called Cinderella's Carriage worth $51,000. Pocket change for us, of course. 

Then we moved onto a city called New Ross where we toured the replica of a ship that would have crossed the Atlantic during the Irish Famine. Apparently before the famine hit, a grown man would eat 45 potatoes a day--and we thought WE had eaten a lot of potatoes. The ship was eerily accurate, down to the wax figures of starving passengers and "sick bowls" (don't ask). Needless to say it made us appreciate our lunch that day. Tuesday night we ate our farewell dinner with the group, and sang the Ballad of Molly Malone for about the 30th time.

Yesterday was our last day in Ireland, so we went out the right way: with a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. Some of the highlights were: watching old Guinness commercials from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s; learning how to pour Guinness correctly; and drinking that Guinness on the 7th floor bar made of all glass. The view was really incredible. Later that day we saw the Book of Kells in Trinity Library, and, oh yeah, Colleen got a tattoo!! It is the outline of a small shamrock with an evolving celtic knot as the stem. It only took about 15 minutes, which was a good thing considering the faces she made while in pain.

Now, we're on a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead, Wales. The ship has a movie theatre, cafe, bar, gambling, and a gift shop. However, after going to three different exhibits on the Titanic this past week, we'll be happy to land on solid ground again. Once on land, we will be taking a train across to London to find our first hostel!