Hello France

Sorry things are out of order. I keep forgetting what I have and haven't posted and up until now the internet has been spotty and short. On my last day in Ireland I went to the Guinness factory. The whole tour was really interesting and at the end I had lunch at the top of the building. Here is a photo of my mouth watering Guinness stew.

When I I get back I think I will have everyone over for dinner and attempt to recreate this little dish along with whatever else I find.

After that I walked around trying to find the war memorial. Never got there but I did go see Dublin Castle, walked along the entire River Liffey and checked out St. Patricks Cathedral.

Yesterday was a long day.

When I went to the bus there were hundreds of revelers still out: dancing, singing, puking and peeing in the streets. The spontaneous group singing was amusing to say the least. The middle of the night bus to the airport was more like a coach so that was a pleasant surprise.

From my last post you know I got to the airport early so I caught a cat nap there and on the plane. They didn't weigh my bag but it feels lighter than when I left so I think I'm still good.

I wandered my way to the metro station and bought an all day pass to the main line running through most of the tourist stuff. I went to the Arch de Triumph- stunning then walked the tuileries which are a series of gardens with scultptures and ponds and such. At the end is the Louvre, which greatly exceeded my expectations. I could have spent all day but had to kind of rush through in just a couple hours. I saw Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Cupid and Psyche, Hammurabi's Code. I can't remember it all but I have photos!

The trip from Paris to the Villa was long, and a long story- that ended with wine and pasta at 4 in the morning. I'll save that for later.

The good news is that I am here now, there is wireless internet, and there is a pool and fresh food from the farmers market waiting for me outside.