I Came, I Saw, I Didn't Find Any Leprechauns

For all you naysayers.....ha ha! I told you so! See??? I'M STILL ALIVE.

Seriously though, thank you for your concern, I would have called any of my friends batshit crazy if they pulled the same stunt that I just did. But it all turned out ok. Better than ok, the trip was wonderful.

First off, Ireland is very green. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. And it rains a lot. Now, just to clarify again, I went to NORTHERN Ireland, which is in fact an entirely different country than REGULAR Ireland, also known as the REPUBLIC of Ireland. Everyone got that? Northern Ireland is actually part of the UK, along with England (obviously), Scotland, and Wales. Or maybe they just call it all "Britain" now. Who really knows.

I took CT Limo (don't be fooled, it was a van) to Newark Liberty International. Don't ever do that. Just drive. It'll be less bumpy and be less waiting. And probably cheaper. My flight took off a little after 9pm, a couple hours after which dinner was served. Then it was bedtime for a couple hours, then voila! Breakfast time. We touched down around 3:15am, otherwise known as 8:15am. Upon arrival, there was a lot of walking and waiting in line for my turn to be scrutinized by a British equivalent-of-Homeland-Security official. The conversation went like this:

British Equivalent-of-Homeland-Security official: Purpose of visit?
Me: Visiting a friend.
BEOHSO: Duration?
Me: One week.
BEOHSO: And how long have you known this friend?
Me: (big hesistation, flushed) Um, since June. Three months?
BEOHSO: (looking at me suspiciously) Where did you meet this friend?
Me: (embarrassed, prepared for a scolding or worse) On vacation.
BEOSO: On vacation where?
Me: (wondering if I'll at least get to stretch my legs before they deport me) In the Bahamas.
BEOSO: On vacation in the Bahamas....right. Now your passport says you're a student, what do you study?
Me: (quickly, eagerly) Accounting!
BEOSO: School must be starting again soon, when do you go back?
Me: Monday the 11th. Right when I go back home.
BEOHSO: And you have a ticket back to the States?
Me: Yes I do. (at this point I realize that while I did purchase a round-trip ticket, I don't actually have a paper copy of my return ticket).
BEOHSO: Right then, there you go.
Me: (takes back passport and runs to baggage claim)

At this point, I have two other helpful observations to any would-be Belfast travelers.
1. Use the restroom before landing, because there isn't much in baggage claim if you wanna go before you get to the arrival area, and
2. Don't use Travelex at the airport to exchange money. Don't. DON'T. Use your credit card when you can, and withdraw from the ATMs there. Yes, you can do that. The extra fees are peanuts compared to the horrific exchange rates and commissions you'll face at the airports.

So I have my suitcase, I've nixed any thought of using the ladies' room before seeing Jonny, and I've given up some hard-earned cash for less than half the volume of what I had before, and I don't quite believe that they really use these funny, pink pictures of the Queen as currency. I take a deep breath. I find my way out of baggage claim, through a hallway, and face the only part of this trip that really had me worried: finding Jonny, who I hadn't seen since early June. I walked out into the arrival area, into a sea of anxious faces, and none of them was him. I knew he HAD to be there....I walked a little further, and there, sitting on a bench, leaning forward with a "I'm so anxious I'm about to throw up" look on his face, was my Jonny. Our eyes met, he stood, and we each found our way through the throngs of people to each other and.....ok you don't need to know the rest. But it was nice.

The sun was out the day I came, and apparently it left the day Jonny drove me back to the airport. Poetic, eh? The problem I have now is the one everyone could see coming from 5 miles away.....sigh....I like him.