One of our extemporaneous plans was to visit our friends Betty Lacey and Josh O'Shea in Dublin, Ireland. After a fun-filled birthday week in Bolzano, back in late September, we could not resist an invitation to explore a fantastic country with lovely locals. Thusly, we flew from Milan to Dublin on the same morning that Nickie left us (Flights were affordable and quick), and Josh kindly "collected" us at the airport.

Betty and Josh were gracious in hosting us at their 'gaffe' showing us the local pub with the finest Guinness pour in the hood. (The word 'gaffe" means abode, or crib:) Over the next two days they arranged a visit to the Lacey childhood town of Kilkenny. This is where Margaret, Betty and John Lacey grew up, and is home to the original Smithwick's Brewery, Kilkenny Castle, at least a dozen historic pubs, countless quaint shops, inviting restaurants and late night "chippers.' (A "chipper" is a place for fast food, where fries or "chips" are predominant:) Kilkenny City also has a new, well-designed museum, The Medieval Mile. It was notable for many interesting tidbits including, "there are more than 100,000 dead bodies buried under the city streets", which explains why there are so many steps in the city, as streets kept going UP over the bodies. (Wow!)

Before we left Kilkenny, we made a final stop at Finnan's Cemetery, where some of Margaret's ashes have been laid next to those of her mother and father. This was an emotional experience for us, as the finality of her death set heavy upon us. The haunting beauty of the place, where she ran among the hills as a child, broke our hearts. It is a beautiful place to be from, but I could see why it wasn't big enough for Margaret. She will always be missed.

We returned to Dublin, and our days included a meetup with our charming friends from Bolzano, Anne, Helen and Fiona. Cheers Ladies! It was delightful. (Please see photos). We hit the Merrion Hotel Cellar Bar (complete with a thick Christmas vibe and traditional Irish music), the Potato Famine Memorial along the River, the Oscar Wilde statue in Merrion Square, and a visit to the National Gallery, where we saw Picasso, Renoir, Monet, Manet, Singer-Sargent, and even an early Van Gogh. We also went to "The Little Museum of Dublin", which was a unique place that told the story of Ireland's independence through the use of song, poetry, and storytelling. We also rode the LUAS (city train) new tram line connector on opening day. This was a big deal for Dublin, after 4 years of construction, and we were happy to be part of a local experience. Obviously, throughout, we visited innumerable pubs, which we thoroughly enjoyed. A huge shout out to Betty and Josh for being AMAZING hosts.

And now, on to Amsterdam, our final European destination, prior to embarking home!