There is a definite advantage to arriving in a foreign country at 4:30 am. A quick pit stop and by the time we hit passport control there was no one, absolutely no one, in line. Breezed thru that and got to customs, and not only was no one in line, the customs officers weren’t even there. 

Of course the disadvantage is that by Jacksonville time it wasn’t even midnight when we landed and of course neither of us had slept on the plane, nor did we get much sleep the night before. So between sleep deprivation and the rainy cold weather we didn’t feel much like going on city tours in Belfast. In fact we didn’t much feel like driving in a big city either, so we spent the day exploring the back roads of Northern Ireland.  (After all we ARE the drive by tourists!)There is nothing except the maps to tell you where the border is, and the only visable difference in the two countries nowadays, is the currency. 

We are staying at the Lough Eske Castle, but I can’t honestly say that we fit in. Could be the heliport . Or perhaps it’s the Maserati parked next to us. But trust us to blow something and embarrass ourselves! In this case it was the fuse that controls the power in our room. 

The hotel engineer was able to fix it and reassure us that the power strip we tried to plug in was a bad unit, and that we hadn’t done anything wrong. Best of all,  he knew where to send us to get a replacement. We hopped back in the car and headed for the town of Donegal. Thanks to GPS, Cassidy’s Electronics was easy to find and we were able to get what we need to charge things at the various places we will be staying.

Three things that we’ve noticed— parts of Donegal remind us of New Zealand; yes, Ireland is very green and very beautiful; and we are truly having difficulty understanding everyone. It may be English, but not even Google translating works. 

It’s early, but our bodies are still confused so that’s it for now.

Lough Eske Castle Hotel, Donegal Ireland