The 2007 Artpoints Tour of the United Kingdom continued
We travel overland through Wales and board a ferry for Rosslare, Ireland
 The view from our hotel room
June 19, 2007
The stress of travel and a long day of driving have taken their toll on both of us. We were forced to cancel a long-planned meeting with Detta Lange, my teacher from Immaculate Heart College. The weather was rainy and I had a very upset stomach. We rested and read all day. Tomorrow, we go to Ireland by train and ferry.
June 20,
We had our English breakfast early and walked the few blocks to the Bath Railway station for our 9:25 train. A note here about booking rail journeys in the UK, the BritRail site has links to the independent train carriers that now operate trains in the UK. We were able to book our rail-ferry journey from LA at a price of about $50 each and picked our tickets up at a machine in the Bath train station.
Train travel causes far fewer carbon emissions than air travel especially for short-haul trips, so many European environmentalists are advocating for increased use of railways. Excellent information on British and European train travel is available at http://www.seat61.com.
The train trip through the English and Welsh countryside was beautiful and relaxing. We changed trains once at Cardiff and were delivered on time to the ferry terminal at Fishgard, Wales. Our vessel was a large truck and car ferry operated by the Stena line. The ship had a cafeteria, plenty of passenger seating and duty-free shopping. (Do people really buy that much perfume?) Our crossing of about three hours was smooth and enjoyable.
The Irish Sea was deep green, in contrast to the deep blue of the open Atlantic.
We arrived in Ireland Rosslare harbor at about 5:30 PM. Hotel Rosslare was visible from the docks, perched high on a cliff overlooking the harbor, As short cab ride took us there.
The view from our room in Rosslare
Our room faced the harbor with a stunning view through picture windows. In the bathroom, we were delighted to find a bathtub in which to soak away the aches and pains of travel.
Downstairs, were a pub and restaurant, both with beautiful views of the working harbor with ferries , trucks and cars coming and going. We had a delicious dinner in the pub-fish and chips for Jim, and my first salad since leaving California.
The next morning, Jim collected our rental car at the ferry terminal and we were headed for our B&B in Mallow.
A drive through Southern Ireland
We decided to take the coastal route through Cork city and much beautiful countryside.
A note here on currency exchange - England is a member of the European Union, but has retained her own currency, the Pound Sterling. Ireland has adopted the Euro. The EU has been very good for Ireland's economy - now called the "Celtic Tiger". Everywhere, we could see construction sites signaling Ireland's new prosperity.
We have had no difficulty getting local currency. ATM machines (called cash machines here) are plentiful and work with our cards and PIN codes. We did bring some travelers checks, but have found the ATM machines more convenient.
 The Dunbrody
We stopped in New Ross to see "The Dunbrody" a reconstructed "coffin ship" from the first great wave of immigration from Ireland to North America in the late nineteenth century. JFK's grandfather came from this area of Ireland. When the president returned to Ireland in 1963 he was given a hero's welcome. The reconstruction of the Dunbrody was partially funded by the JFK Trust.
The rainy weather created the proper atmosphere for imagining the hardships endured by emigrants. It was difficult to believe that anyone could survive for a six to eight week journey on the bare wooden shelves in the "steerage" hold.
After a long day of driving, we arrived in the small town of Mallow and after a few detours found Rivervale Lodge, our home for the next two nights. Our room was large and immaculate, and the shower was the best we had enjoyed since leaving home. We later discovered that our host was also a plumber.
Our reason for coming to this part of Ireland was personal. My Father's parents both came from neighboring towns. I wanted to see the land that they
both left behind.
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