So , plan today was to train it down to Waterford and back as trains supposed to be “ back on track” at 0900. They are not and so our plans lay shattered on the floor like a smashed 14th Century Ming Dynasty Chamber Pot. Oddly here at Rosquil breakfast only starts at 0900 on weekends or as we call it back home – lunch! Thus on the good news front we do indeed get to have one last full Irish breakfast here . Little optimist me .
Like a snowball rolling down a hill gathering abandoned rail tickets our plans are also of the rolling variety and likely to change as day progresses. First update is
0800 – have booked pm train to Dublin and a hotel in Dublin thus forfeiting our last night in Kilkenny. We now await Irish Rail update at 10am to see if in fact train is running . I feel like I am in prison and certainly have the Blues, just hope I hear that train a coming soon or I may just have to shoot a man
What a fookin nightmare . Everyone directs you to check online. Online keeps saying another update at x.xx . It comes and goes with little helpful info especially for foreigners who strangely enough don’t know every hick town in Ireland. Very annoying Bus Iran ( yes deliberate nickname ) take nonrefundable bookings online for routes that will never run. With no updates easing our minds decided to walk down to station having already told our host we are leaving today. It was closed
Bloody French! So a group of 3 Frogs were also there with luggage and Tony the Taxi boy was doing hard sell on them. They also needed to get to Dublin. By now we were told no trains today. He would take them for 170 Euro. I suggested if we could get a maxi we could share cost . Oui. Tony only take 4, we needed 5. No other taxi company would go so didn’t feel like we could take the taxi ourselves and leave Frogs behind. In meantime Tony decides he just spoke to mate near Dublin and he wouldn’t get there by taxi even. Take us back to B&B then please. On way back he says” I may have someone who would do it, let me check” Back at B&B and I smell the old taxi shim sham happening . He gets out of cab, makes phone call , or at least pretends to, and comes back and says he will do it but it will be 220 Euro. And what is your cut Tony? Look we were getting ripped off but at this stage past caring. We had been frugal last few days and just wanted to get out of Kilkenny .
Good run up to Dublin on Highway but streets are dodgy in the city . We made it though and the Ashling looks great once you get past all the people sitting in lobby with suitcases!
As luck would have it only a 10 minute walk in the slush to The Brazen Head, home of the worlds best Irish Coffee. Or so we thought . It was crap this time and only cost us 400 Euro to get there 😰 Had a nice Guinesss stew at least and then time to head back to room
So, today’s particular version of Hell on Earth was drawing to a close . Once again if we had not been proactive and walked to train station and met up with Two Taxi Tony we would probably still be in Kilkenny. Mind you we havent left Dublin yet . Snow has finished but very cold and a bit wet so roads a mess. Still have to get to airport let alone board a plane that is still leaving
What possible new joys could tomorrow bring ?
flashman181 