I have no idea where to start in describing our experiences yesterday, Sept. 29, 2024.
It was definitely a day of the best and worsts of times.
We were upbeat in the morning, knowing that we had arrived at Lisbon Airport early enough to stand near the front of the line at check-in.
All went well there once the Aer Lingus staff arrived.
From check-in, we moved on to a fairly fast-flowing but packed TSA line.
Then, thanks to advice from Annie's friend Christy, we moved on to customs. Again, all went well.
Once we reached our gate, I couldn't believe that I stood first in the general boarding line. When first class had gone through, the agent checked my passport and boarding pass and motioned me around a corner.
And, that's where the excitement began. Instead of going to a plane, we boarded a bus with very few seats and a lot of straps to grab and hold on to while standing.
I moved to a corner of the bus with railings, while Bill and Annie opted for the straps.
Apparently, our bus would take us to the airplane.
It didn't. It sat there for 45 minutes packed with people, as the sun beat many of us relentlessly through the windows.
About 40 minutes into this grueling experience, an agent came with an apology.
The plane coming from Dublin to Lisbon, which we would eventually board, had an onboard emergency.
Someone had spilled hot coffee on a 3-year-old, which first required medics, followed by an ambulance and also customs officials.
This after-effects of this unfortunate mishap all took time, and, after the agent's report, he said we may be waiting another five minutes. It turned out to be more like 10.
Eventually, we arrived at the plane, where we sat for another hour as busloads boarded and another glitch had occurred. There was a mix-up with someone's bag, and it had to be resolved.
Our eventual arrival in Dublin ended up about two hours late, which meant that Annie had missed her flight to Seattle.
After some dark and disappointing moments where we could see that the weather outside matched the mood, Annie retrieved her bag and learned that the airlines would put her and others up in a hotel near Dublin. She also received vouchers for dinner and breakfast.
To say she was disappointed that she would have to wait another day before arriving home after a six-week absence would be an understatement, especially because she has to fly out of Seattle on Wednesday for a work trip to Georgia.
Later, when she sent photos of her room and a sumptuous meal with a Guinness, we felt better about her situation. Not ideal, but the airline came through sooner rather than later.
Our next challenge was to try to make a dinner reservation in Stoneyford, which is about 90 minutes from Dublin. We knew we would be late so we let both the restaurant and Mark and Ann-Marie here at Lawcus Farm Guesthouse know.
We also had to make a quick run to Kildare and Silken Thomas to pick up a suitcase we had left on purpose last week.
It was truly nip and tuck, down to the final seconds, as the restaurant stopped serving customers at 8. I think when I walked into the restaurant while Bill parked the car, it may have been 7:59.
But that didn't matter. A young server with a big smile on her face welcomed me and then told me they had our table ready.
I turned toward where she had pointed AND there sat Willie and Debbie!
Ultimate surprise, to say the least. They had planned this a couple of weeks ago---to stay at Lawcus Farm and to surprise the heck out of us.
Instead of a day later, they had arrived in Dublin long before we did yesterday, had rented their car and moved on to Stoneyford.
Annie knew the plan and was extremely disappointed again that the late plane had not allowed for her to see Willie and Debbie.
And, so here we are. It's early morning at Lawcus Farm, and I hope to go out and snap a few photos to go along with this post.
All did not work as we had expected yesterday, but we are thrilled with our surprise and grateful that the airline made a bad situation a little better for Annie.
We'll move on from Stoneyford to Kenmare today and will spend two nights in one of our most favorite Irish towns. Willie has lined us some interviews from Irish basketball folks for his podcast, so he'll be spending some time working with his basketball passion.
Soon, we'll go to have what's always an unbelievable breakfast prepared by Anne-Marie and Mark, and we'll have fun getting to know the other guests.
The Ireland adventure (No. 10 for me and No. 9 for Bill) has begun.
Happy Monday.
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