Mrs Bear concluded her 44 year medical career on May 31st… How to celebrate??? Get on a plane the next day for a revisit to Ireland. We initially visited about five years ago, before I started to record these blog entries. This time, we are starting our visit here before meeting up next week with family for travel to Scotland’s northern islands.
So let’s start off with a few reflections about getting here. My brothers still privately question why I abandoned a life on the Left Coast. But from our Pennsylvanian home, it is easier to fly to Ireland than SFO or LAX. The flight from Newark was six hours and change, slightly longer than a transcontinental flight. But once in Dublin, we whisked through customs, baggage claim, and car rental in less time than it would take to exit these California airports. And no need to fight our way into these cities on choked Interstates. We turned south for 30 minutes and found ourselves in beautiful County Wiklow.
A couple walks through the countryside to manage the five hour time change and we will be ready to hike the mountains, play some golf, visit the churches and castles, and last but not least, drink some Guinness.
The Adventures of Barry Brink 