Trip to Ireland and France - Day 13, Tuesday February 24th

Most of Tuesday was given over to packing for our flight home. However, Gordon and I went to lunch with a friend of mind, Lidia, with whom I worked when I lived in Germany. We drove into town and parked near the South Docks, which has changed so much over the years. In the past, it really wasn't that safe to be in that area, but now it has been heavily developed and is home to the Point, now renamed the O2, a major concert venue in Ireland. We enjoyed walking in that area to see some of the newer buildings. We had lunch with Lidia at Cafe En Seine, on Dawson Street. It's a lovely building. Neither Lidia nor I could remember what it was before we had the boom, when the economy could support restaurants like this! I must say, it had the best bathrooms in Dublin. Gordon wandered out and found an interesting Irish whiskey shop where I am pretty sure they let him taste many shots of whiskey. Lidia is now a PhD student at Trinity, an archaeologist working mostly on digs in Israel. In fact, she had just returned from Israel. She also told me a story about a mutual acquaintance, a German woman who worked with us for the US Army in Germany in the early 80s. Apparently 3 or 4 years after Lidia and I both left Germany, this woman was arrested as an East German spy! That combined with the harp-kidnapping guy would seem to show that I have met some interesting characters in my past!

That evening, we went over to visit even more college friends! It must have been the day for connecting with old friends. Also, all my sisters came over to my mother's house that evening to say goodbye. It was bedlam! There must have been 20 people in the house. But it was very good to see so many friends and family on the trip.