April 14, 2012, Saturday -- It was a good long day of travel.  To the Manchester airport, drop off the rental car, a fiasco getting through security (never ever will I forget about the water bottle in our luggage again), a 7.5 hr flight to Philadelphia, extensive line-waiting to get through customs (how many times do you need to see our passports--gee wizz) but otherwise painless, a short hop to Norfolk VA, another hop to Charlotte, a lost suitcase, finding our car in long-term parking via the day-parking shuttle (thank you to the buss driver who broke the rules to get us to the right place), a return to Terminal C to pick up the lost-but-now-found suitcase, a 2 hr drive to Asheville after fumbling around with the GPS that doesn't know sh%t, a sorrowful parting hug-and-kiss to our lovely daughter Kerrinh, another 2 hr drive home.  We arrived safely at home at 12:40 AM.  Because the kids slept the entire car ride home, Shane and Nicole were up good and early at 6:30 AM Sunday morning.

Apologies for the lack of photos on the homeward trip--we were not so inspired. 

In summary, we succeeded in enjoying almost every bit of our solid two week journey over 6 different countries: America, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, The Republic of Ireland, and Wales.  We learned that we needed many more weeks/months/years to really get to know any of these places.  We learned that our credit cards did not like going over seas, and our wallets now have remnants of 3 different currencies (remnants is a key word here).  We spent much of our saved American dollars, much  more valued British pounds, and a few shrinking Euros.  We could not have done this journey without the accommodations of our loving family and friends who we so appreciate and indebted to for their generosity, care and company.  Much thanks to all our loved ones that supported and assisted us on this journey.  And thanks to the strangers who aided and tolerated a traveling Hanlon family ("wake up Jeffery".--remember Bill Cosby's stand-up on screaming Jeffery on the plane).  Actually, despite some of our moments, the kids did exceptional well.  We are grateful for their adjustable and resilient nature.  We hope and pray that they remember and hold dear their experience and grow to know the world is a much bigger place than the microcosm of their sheltered small piece of America.  We hope they remember and nurture their relationships to their overseas family and friends and maintain the connection.  We also hope and pray that they become educated and make much more money than their parents.

April 13, 2012, Friday -- Got the kids up early in Dublin to catch the 8:00 ferry across the Irish Sea to Hollyhead, Wales (Gall).  This time, the Ferry is a smaller stealthier model and it hauled @$s; we were shocked at how fast it moved.  We stopped over at Conway Castle on our way to Manchester; what a spectacular place and a cool bit of history.  The castle was built in the 1280s for King Edward something.  The castle was impossible to take siege of from the outside because it was so well constructed.  However, a group of 48 rebels took over the castle by sneaking in on a Sunday when all but two guards were at church.  The history goes on, but too much to detail here.  After a little lunch, the Hanlon family left for Manchester to visit Uncle Tom prior to their departure for America scheduled for 11:00AM the following day.  Just prior to our arrival to Uncle Tom's place, his house was broken in to and his TV stolen, while Uncle Tom went into town to pick up some groceries for his invited Hanlon family guests.  With all the police activity, Tom's neighbor, Beth, invited us over for dinner and a quick swim in her indoor pool.  It was good to stay and visit with Uncle Tom during such a unnerving criminal incident.

A photo of the Hanlon family on the Conway castle wall that surrounds the town.  Note the new member of our family on left; a confused by-passer--thanks dude.

Of course other life forms enjoy the nooks and crannies of the stone haven.

The idea of the wooden guard has so far proven ineffective because they do not respond (unlike Pinocchio) and they are easily burned.

 The castle in its functional form must have been awesome, but even in its ruin form, it is quite beautiful.  I'm not sure modern architecture has given us that much more sophistication.  The engineering that went into this castle was quite impressive.

The views are spectacular.

Imagine the disappointment on Cedar's face when we told him we had no room on the plane to bring the armor home.

Thanks Beth for the evening dip.  It was a great way to top off our vacation.

April 12, 2012, Thursday -- Our plan was to get on the road for Dublin just after lunch.  But we just could not leave our friends, the Boltwoods, and their fabulous town of Portsteward.  We hit the nearby beach for a "quick" walk, but the kids has entirely too much fun.  And it was a gorgeous day--why spend it driving.  We hit the road around 4PM and found our pad in Dublin around 10PM.  Pretty much all we got out of Dublin was horrible directions (no real street signs to speak of), a few cobblestone streets, lots of sirens, and partying youth (how dare they have such a good time).  Shane's initial plan was to sneak out to the nearest pub just after the kids got into bed, but he was dead exhausted and we needed to get an early rise to catch the 8AM ferry to Hollyhead.

Even at the near end of their vacation, a still in love couple.

Cedar Kai, a proud carrier of the plastic shovel.

A lone sand sculpture who tells us that he came to Portstewart for a 3 day vacation and 24 years later, he is still there.

Unlike in the US, the dunes at the Portstewart beach, although part of the National Trust, are unprotected.

Nicole desperately trying to shake this kid in the dunes, but he continues to keep up.

The erosion at a popular sand sliding spot.

With the exception of a very small corner of the beach, autos are allowed to dominate what would be pristine.  We still can't get our heads around this idea, particularly when the beach is so accessible by foot. 

April 11, 2012, Wednesday - We hung around Portstewart at the Boltwood's place, attempted crabbing, picked through the tide pools, and walked into town via the cliff walk.  The weather was excellent, but still chilly enough to wear a sweater and windbreaker.

April 10, 2012, Tuesday - The Giants Causeway--it's hard to imagine that such a place exists.  Even amongst the hundreds of other tourists, the place is magical.  We had rain on and off in the morning, but then the sky cleared in the afternoon; it was magnificent.  Scott and Shane had a great walk back to the car while the wives and kids took the train (believe it or not a train named Shane--pronounced shean in this part of Ireland).  Later in the evening, we had dinner with friends of the Vachons, the Maileys, at one time probably the O'Maileys.  They fed us well.  It's lovely having friends over here.

Karen, Eamonn's wife, and Raynna.

Eamonn and Shane sharing a common disease.

Nula, Emmon's mum and Nicole.

April 9, 2012, Monday - Got the kids in the car early in the morning with their PJs still on, gave our goodbye hugs to Gran and Auntie Kate, and we were off to Cairnryan, Scotland to catch the ferry across the Irish Sea Larn, Ireland.  The Boltwoods greeted us immediately off the Ferry and we travelled the Northeast coast of Ireland together up to Cushendun for a stretch on a beach and some Fish and Chips at the local pub.  We are spending time in Portstewart where the Boltwoods have been hiding out for almost a year now as Scott works on his research.  It is very good to see them.

April 8, 2012, Easter Sunday - The kid woke to a modest basket of chocolate in its various Easter bunny and egg forms.  We had a big feast with Gran and cousins.  Gran's garden is the perfect place for an Easter egg hunt.

Kerrinh, Raynna, and Cedar with their Easter morning find.

Another egg hunt with Cousin Noah.