So the last update was day’s ago and this after promising updates every few days until I reached Spain. Oops. Since I got to Dublin and then headed north there has been little or no wireless access. Very frustrating. Plus the phone card I bought does not seem to work. If I had internet access I might figure out why the phone card is not working up alas it is just a big circle.

I will try to work backwards (just to confuse issues the photos are of course forwards). I have had a very nice glass of wine tonight so I will blame the confusion on that. Apologies to Mom and Dad for not getting to you either by phone or computer but these are the challenges of travelling.

I am now in Northern Ireland in a beautiful town called Newcastle. Right on the Irish Sea and in an area that has a very ancient history and the Mourne Mountains. Yesterday I visited a great museum about St. Patrick. For all of you non Catholics he really is a Saint. Not just green beer on March 17th. So Silvana and Caroline I will leave it up to you to explain……..Ok let me have a shot at it.

“Patricius” as he was called lived in Ireland during the 5th century and was a missionary that brought the Christian (Catholic) religion to Ireland when the Roman Empire was in decline. Patrick is first captured in Northern England or Scotland and taken to Ireland as a slave. He is “employed”, by his captors, as a shepherd for six years and then he escapes back to England or Scotland but a few years later a vision comes to him with a message that he is needed in Ireland. He returns to Ireland and converts the druids and non believers until his death in the period 460 to 490 (they are not sure exactly what year) on March 17th. (What day is St. Patrick’s day you ask……March 17th.)

I saw his grave site today. Very surreal when you think that this Saint died 1,600 years ago! Wow! They say that his bones are probably under the church that was very close to his grave stone (see photos in the Northern Ireland album). Gave me tingles even if I am not Catholic. It is believed that he used the traditional Shamrock plant to explain the trinity. The three leaves represent the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; all connected by the same stem.

I have been staying at a nice hostel right on the water and have just had one other girl in my room but yikes, I am ready to move out. She is driving me nuts. Always talking and worrying. I’m not sure why she is travelling by herself when she fully admits that she doesn’t like to be alone. Aaarrggghhh. I have booked one more night here so that she will leave before me. We are both travelling in the same direction but I just can’t do it with her. I don’t want to be mean but I can’t take much more of her. She is driving me nuts and I have known her for less than 48 hours. And everyone that knows me knows how hard it is to get me going. If fact I have asked the hostel manager to tell her that there are no beds available is she asks for tomorrow night. How bad am I and after just visiting St. Patrick. Yikes.

So jumping back a few days while I was in Dublin I met up with Ross and Kelly for dinner and a glass of wine. Ross was my mentor at Silver Standard before he retired. They were heading back to Canada the next day after having travelled 3,700km in three weeks in a rental car. One shredded tire later they were on their way back. Thanks for dinner Ross and Kelly. It was great to catch up with you both. I hope my travels are as enjoyable and as uneventful as yours were.

In Dublin I was treated to a night out at the theater to see “Riverdance”. The real thing in the real place. Great night out, thanks Mark N. Dublin was OK but only OK. I am so not a big city girl. The town is beautiful and old but just not my style.

The shops were great. The fashion was pretty amazing but very expensive. Dublin overall was expensive, noisy and smoky. There are lots of smokers in Ireland and no one seems to mind if they smoke around their kids. Don’t get me started on the litter in this country. It doesn’t matter where you are there is garbage. The beaches, the city, the parks, the graveyards it doesn’t matter where you are there is garbage. Did I say that more than once? It is very surprising and not very nice to see all the rubbish.

So for those of you that are going to jump right on and look at the pictures please give me a couple of minutes I need to get them uploaded and that take a bit of time. Signing off for now. More soon.

Please send some of the sunshine from BC. I have not had a day without rain yet.

Take care. Tove