BIG stuff. .

Whew! So if you’re looking at the last picture I’ve uploaded I’ll give you three guesses about what’s happening first and foremost in the always mobile Koogler household. Yup, we’re going to be parent! Baby Koogler is due June 30 and we can’t wait. Actually, we have some settling in to our new surroundings to do before we will be ready for our little one! Yup, we’re in Ireland!!!
Since I have limited Internet access, I’m having to do this blog in several parts, and I’m not so sure how it will work out in the end, so bear with me. . .
We arrived Wednesday morning around 10AM or so at the Cork airport here in Ireland. It was incredible as we touched down to see all of the farms and just GREEN all around us and all the way up to the runway. Of course, what do you think it has to do A LOT of to keep this place so green? RAIN. Yes, we deplaned (onto the tarmac) in the rain and walked to the terminal. It’s a very small airport!!!! Since we were the only flight that arrived, the passport check was pretty fast—of course John and I took longer than all of the 75 EU passport holders because the passport official was not too thrilled that we only had a copy of John’s work visa. He eyeballed us for about 15 minutes before letting us through to baggage claim. A few minutes later we were through to customs where the shocked clerk looked at our mountains of luggage and was like “Um, business or pleasure?” She seemed reassured that we were moving in and would be helping the economy, etc. etc. Then on to the rental car.
Have I mentioned that it was about 40 degrees and raining this whole time???
We have the equivalent of a Nissan Sentra, and I was first impressed that we could pile all of our luggage into it. I was also shocked that even this small of a car is pretty large by Irish/European standards. We see a lot of Toyota Yaris and Ford Fiesta-types and these do not look small. About the largest car you can drive is the size of an American RAV 4. The roads are just not that big and the parking spaces. . whew!!! Those of you who have parked in Austin know about small spaces, but subtract about 20% from those postage stamp-size spots and you’ve got an idea of what it’s like over here.
Anyway. . .John drives because I am just trying to get the hang of things on the left-hand side. Crossing the street is slowly becoming more natural, but that’s only because the Irish are patient and kind drivers. They still drive like they’re being chased by Lucifer himself, but they will come to a screeching halt to avoid running you over.
We made it to the hotel in just 10 minutes from renting the car, and it is very swank. Unfortunately no rooms were ready when we arrived, so they asked us to have some tea and coffee in the little restaurant while we waited. Fortunately, John ordered some food (some sort of breakfast sampler) so we could eat something to try to keep us awake (neither of us slept well on the flight and I will honestly need more time to forget how miserable I was on the flight before I get excited about my planned return in late March/April!!!) As we waited and feasted on biscuits, scones, Danish, and croissant with our nice warming tea the dining hall filled up with these obvious society women. We were puzzled as to the event they were all attending so we decided to come up with our most creative conference titles. John’s was the Irish Big Game Hunters’ Association (many of the women were wearing furs, I’ll give him that). Mine was Cross-Dressers for Animal Rights (there were a lot of masculine women as well). The waitress informed us that it was a charity luncheon for 400 women for Enable Ireland—still don’t know what that is, but that’s okay.
Finally we were given a room and lugged up all of our luggage—it took several trips. Still in the rain, keep in mind. I dropped off for a short nap and John headed down to the gym for a workout. Apparently the hotels here all have ritzy gyms and spas that attract locals instead of places like Bally’s and 24 Hour Fitness. It’s a really nice gym with heated pool, etc.
After my not-long-enough nap we headed out in the car to the Douglas City Centre. (We are staying outside Cork in a little village called Douglas at this place called the Maryborough Hotel) We visited the mall—small and with a crazy Kohls/grocery store in it. Very good produce and meat selection. There is also a butcher and a produce store in separate sections of the mall. Other than that, it’s pretty normal. Across from the mall is McDonald’s where we had our first Irish meal. We were just too tired for the lengthy meal service that is common here. Other than being pricey, it’s pretty much the same as inn the states. For most items (not McDonalds—it’s just expensive) the price is about the same as you would expect in dollars. The only catch is that it is really in Euro so it’s about 25% more. But that’s okay. . .it could be a lot worse!!!
We retired after dinner to watching some TV—lots of nature/history/geography programs about Ireland/England/Scotland which are cool. And lots of Judge Judy. Just interesting. Then we slept for like 13 hours straight!
John went to work yesterday and since we had a sunny day I took advantage. It was still cold! John had to scrape ice off his car when he headed to work. I’m guessing the Irish experience would be all that unusual if we were used to some cold weather, but since we aren’t we are pretty amazed by just about everything.
I piddled around and then walked down to the city centre (about 10 minutes from the hotel). Downtown Douglas has a ton of shops and restaurants (at least 3 Chinese take-away; 3 Indian food restaurants; one Thai; a pizza shop). Lots of options. I managed to not get too lost and I came upon St. Luke’s church, a Church of Ireland church. I’m not sure what distinguishes the Church of Ireland from other churches, but from the sign it looks like they take communion a lot! Then I stumbled on the city park—in the picture you can see how the leaves have changed. We have no idea what we’ll be in for when the actual winter sets in!!!
After my adventures in town (nothing too exciting—I bought toothpaste) I headed back to the hotel and swam at the pool. Heated, yes, but still really cold at one end.
John and I had some adventures trying to find a converter that would work for the laptops. I had purchased on at Best Buy in the laptop accessories section (grrrr) that was specifically for laptops but turns out it did not have enough amps to actually make it go. After two trips back to the hotel to try to get something that would work, John took me to the mall where we found the right converter. At least we have several that will work for toothbrushes and shavers!!! We had dinner at a place called Bully’s that is famous for the burgers, but I had a salad and John had the fish and chips. The Irish make the best fish and chips!!! Even in England the dish can be funky!!! The atmosphere was really nice and relaxed. Here people say things like “lovely” and they really mean it! Hah!
We are trying to make plans with our realtor to find a home ASAP. The hotel is nice, but it’s still a hotel. She e-mailed John a place she found owned by dog-lovers who would love us to live there with our dogs. It’s on an island out by where John works. Looks pretty cool! Hopefully we can get into something nice like that!!!!
I’m sure this is getting pretty boring and I am forgetting all the things that might be interesting, but that’s okay.
So far we really like the Irish. They are very nice. We are trying to get used to walking on the left side of the street as well. This has caused several near-run-ins. We are also getting used to the cold and wet, but it’s not as bad as it could be. Ask me about this in December or January and I may have a different opinion.
I’m uploading pictures, so I hope you enjoy them. Here are their descriptions:
cute baby stuff from our awesome neighbors
St. Luke’s Church of Ireland
Douglas city park

the pictures took an age to upload, so I only did a few. Oh, and I had my first sandwich today with coleslaw on it. Very good, especially since I do not like coleslaw! Enjoy!