The train ride from Conwy to Holyhead was scenic, as we continued to follow the Welsh coast westward. With the water to our right, the hills to our left, and the train tunnels, the roughly one-hour rail ride did not disappoint. We arrived in Holyhead and left the station with luggage in tow, heading across the Celtic Gateway Bridge and into the town.
We had secured a night at the Hut Seafront Inn - nothing fancy, but certainly in a good location very near to the Stena ferry for tomorrow's crossing to Dublin. Holyhead was rather more "industrial" than Conwy, and had the run-down feel of a port town. Once we dropped our luggage, we wandered the downtown to witness the many closed or vacant shops, while stopping for a pint at the very authentic George Hotel.
Returning to our room, we opted for pizza and several beers for dinner downstairs at The Old Shipping Office pub, where we were pretty much their only customers. Once again, the common refrain from many bartenders on the trip was "Are you OK?", meaning "do you need anything?". After a pleasant stay, we turned in early without unpacking anything, in preparation for the morning's ferry crossing.
We left early the next morning to walk to the nearby ferry, only to discover that you can't actually walk to the boat due to port security, but rather have to walk all the way back to the train station to catch a shuttle bus back past the Hut Seafront Inn to the boat. Luckily we left ourselves extra time, as in the end we needed it. We grabbed our first coffee at the train station and Jane regaled the staff with details of her knee replacements as we passed through the security checkpoint - given that we were transiting from post-Brexit UK back to the EU.
Once on board the ferry Stena Adventurer, we found the cafeteria and shared a nice breakfast as the vessel glided away from Wales. We moved to the forward lounge to enjoy the sunny crossing as we traversed the becalmed Irish Sea. I even had a Guinness to celebrate our triumphant return to the Emerald Isle.
We passed through a long breakwall that corralled us into the River Liffey, and the very busy port of Dublin. Disembarking the ship, we quickly found a taxi and were whisked by a very friendly driver (distant cousin to Mark Carney no less) to the Metro Hotel Dublin Airport in Ballymun, our last stop of the trip.
We checked in and unpacked EVERYTHING, to re-jig, organize and repack one last time for the flight home. Jane used the vacuum bags to minimize as much bulk as possible. We also crossed the street to grab a few travel snacks at a convenience store/pharmacy (Dealz), including stumbling across Walnut Whips for our cat-care lady! With the bags sorted, we went downstairs and had a nice dinner at the hotel restaurant....and returned later in the evening for chicken wings and one last Guinness in Ireland.
The next morning saw light drizzle, literally the first real rain of the entire trip. The free airport shuttle hit a mechanical snag, but the hotel called us a taxi at their expense, and we shared a nice ride with a Galway girl and a German tourist who occasionally pet-sits on Vancouver Island. Arriving at Terminal 1, it was "suggested" that we check at least one of our carry-on bags, given that the flight was full.
Airport security was very hectic, with little room to collect oneself afterwards with no belt and no shoes. Both of our personal items (very small backpacks) triggered a closer inspection - Jane's because she forgot she had a bottle of pop in hers, mine because in th words of the older Supervisor, the young staff working the screening machine did not recognize two odd devices - my point and shoot digital cameras.
Once through security , Jane hit Duty Free for some souvenir Irish liqueurs for John (Coole Swan and Five Farms) and an Irish whisky sampler plus the obligatory Fruit & Nut bars for Heather. We ended up checking our other carry-on at the gate, since we already had to collect a checked bag.
We loaded from the tarmac into the rear of the Westjet plane (seats 29 A,B) for a pleasant 7-hour flight home, landing in Toronto in early afternoon local time. Once on the ground, roughly half the plane unloaded before someone apparently fell in the gangway, causing a 75-minute delay for a medical emergency. Customs was smooth thanks to the ArriveCan app. Due to the delay, our bags were waiting for us and we quickly boarded the airport tram back to Bucky Dent waiting in the Viscount lot.
Other than a bit of traffic in the GTA, the drive home was uneventful and after a quick dinner stop at Mary Brown's in Woodstock, we arrived home around 7pm (midnight for us!). The cats were happy and the lawn was out of control, as the guy we had hired to cut the grass in our absence clearly had NOT.
On the whole, what a truly memorable experience to celebrate our 25th Anniversary!!! :)
Posts
