DAY 82 FRIDAY JUNE 15 DUBLIN TO CARDIFF

Whenever we arrive in a new place people always assume we have come from the airport, and that leads to a discussion of how to circle the earth without flying.  When we mention a container ship we always get a surprised look and people are curious to know more.  We packed up this morning and crossed the road to Connolly Station (was it named after Sean?) where a girl was handing out free samples of breakfast biscuits. As we had delayed buying breakfast we accepted one each.  When I said to her that we were leaving Ireland for ever today and that was sad, she grabbed a handful for us and wished us well.  We loved our time in Ireland and found most people very willing to talk frankly about its customs and history.  In spite of the bad economic situation they were positive and proud to be Irish. We caught the DART train to Dun Leary (anglicised spelling) and found the Stena office not yet open so we settled down in the nearby Insomnia Cafe for morning tea and Wifi.  When we registered at the Stena counter and showed our Britrail Passes the nice man organised a refund of the 74 euros we were charged on the website. So we travelled all day for nothing on our train passes. The crossing was quick but because of the weather the cat Explorer rolled quite a bit and people were having difficulty moving around. We sat near a little boy who looked very pale and miserable.  The train from Holyhead to Cardiff took five and a half hours with a change of trains halfway at Shrewsbury. The Arriva trains were comfortable but crowded because it was Friday peak hour.  We found the hotel and were checked in much more efficiently and cordially than in Dublin so hope that is a good sign of Welsh hospitality.

TOOK NO PHOTOS TODAY BUT THIS IS ONE OF OUR FAVOURITES. WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF THATCH