I left Roanoke on the smallest plane I'd ever seen, in tears (who knew?) and convinced the lady beside me thought I was nuts. She probably really did, despite her saying the contrary, but it didn't matter because soon I was on a shuttle to my next connection, seated by a Jewish man from New Jersey with 7 kids.
New Jersey didn't last long, and our flight to Ireland took off on time thanks to a Dr. Somebody or another who had connections. I sat next to a man named Dan, from Cork. On the other side was a lady from New Jersey (I think?) who wasn't having the best of days. Our flight attendant had just had her nails done and when I left the plane she called me Miss Sassy though I'm not sure what I did to deserve that.
A note on things learned from my flight:
- "Letters to Juliet" is as bad as it looked
- the chicken entree looked worse than the movie
- I love Meryl Streep
- and Tina Fey
- It is entirely possible to sleep sitting indian style with your knee as a pillow
So back to that nap. Upon arrival to Shannon and a farewell to Dan and the adorable toddler from Portland, OR, I stand in line with a gaggle of American undergrads. They've all packed at least two 50 lb. suitcases for their 3 month stay. The one exception is the tall quiet kid in the back who couldn't (and didn't want to) explain to the blond Jersey Shore hopeful why one bag was good enough. I get through, apparently being the only post-grad, and find my luggage has been delayed. No worries, it should be here in two hours. Seeing as how my bus doesn't leave for another 5, I'm okay with it. I'm still tired, a little emotional and unsure of my next move. There is one cafe here. This airport is smaller than Roanoke. The cafe advertises itself as a coffee company but sells only espresso. I can live with that. One very bitter latte later, I'm sitting at a lime green table, contemplating another (funny how sugar improves things) and watching people hold up signs for someone they've probably never met. A man and his grandson wait for someone over hot chocolate, email and gameboy. I'm beginning to perk up. I have 4 more hours to go. There's a Cliffs of Mohr gift shop booth giving out chocolate and wine samples. I think I'll head that way.
