Arrived in Ireland

Hi Everyone,

We have made it to Ireland...been here for about two days now. The queen decided to visit at the same time as us, so Dublin was packed and locked down, but otherwise we arrived uneventfully. We are staying at a 14 acre garden about an hour southwest of Dublin...it is the kind of place where you would have weddings or music festivals and it is really incredible. We are being put up in a very nice accommodation, the host is great, and the work looks like it will be varied and interesting....we think we'll have a great time here. I feel sort of like a broken record, but the bad news is that an internet connection has not yet been extended to the garden, and as such we don't have regular access. Right now I am connected through a tether from our host's cell phone, but the phone is usually with him and not here in the kitchen. Even when we can get it, this is a very bandwidth limited connection and so unfortunately uploading photos is pretty much out of the question. We'll still be taking them, but won't be able to post for a while. As for voice calls, the next time I get into town I am going to see about getting an international calling plan for our cellphone...but I am suspecting that this might be expensive. If it is reasonable, then calling will be much easier. Finally, thanks for all the email and for keeping in touch...we'll both be trying to reply as we can...when the phone is in the kitchen :)   Talk to you soon...