In just a few days...

I shall be going to Ireland for a week with my friend Diana! We'll be based in the southern half in a little town called Adare, and then driving out to visit a number of other towns and sites from there. If you'd like to check out where we're staying, it's here: http://www.adaremanor.com/ We are not staying in the manor "proper," but in one of the self-catering condos on their property (which they call a "villa" under their "accommodations" category). Before you start making assumptions about my financial assets, you should know that we got an unbelievably fantastic deal this spring through Sceptre Tours that includes six nights' accommodations at this condo, round-trip airfare, and car rental for the entire week for only a few hundred more than the average round-trip plane ticket (in peak season) to Europe costs. I heard about this deal through the New York Times Travel e-newsletter, but I've seen the same deal offered on TravelZoo. It's such a good deal that I'm almost expecting someone to sit us in a room with a powerpoint once we're there and try to get us to buy a timeshare, but reviews I've read online indicate that many others have enjoyed this same package in past years and there's no trick once you get there.

What could be tricky is making our connection in New York on Sunday night (we have only 45 minutes between flights) and figuring out how to drive on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road, particularly when I'll be sleep-deprived and jet-lagged. I'm sure the excitement of being there will help perk me up, though, and if it doesn't, then the sheer terror of seeing oncoming traffic if I get into the wrong lane probably will.

We'll be arriving in Ireland on Monday, so more posts then.
Cheers!