We had McDonald's... research purposes only!

I think Kalee wrote about our plane extravaganza. So here we sit, trying to figure out these strangely different keyboards. After the plane landed in Shannon, we figured out (using only skill, no luck at all) how to find the train stop to Limmerick, at which point we were going to have to transfer buses to get here to Killarney. We met this great couple at the bus stop in Shannon ('our grandparents') and they were super friendly, sharing all sorts of Irish knowledge with us. They moved to Chicago 50 years ago, but come back to Ireland for the summer months, so they were able to point out all the differences to us, and 'Grandma' was so worried about us switching buses in Limmerick. As we got off the bus, she made sure to point out that our bus was in space number 6. So Mom, I'm not sure how much you paid to get this older couple to help us out, but good work!

We got to Killarney around 2 PM Ireland time and we were STARVING. And there they were, just over the horizon, the Golden Arches. How terrible is it that the first place we ate in Europe was Mickey D's? I know, I know, pretty terrible. BUT, the portion sizes here are incredible! very nutrition conscious. They still serve their small fries in the little bags, and the large sodas are the sizes of the mediums in the US. PLUS, the happy meals come with a banana. How great is that? And they recycle the trash, which is so great. Except, Sandy of course didn't see the big sign saying 'RECYCLING' and chucked all our ketchup packets, leftover fries, and wrappers in the recycling can. You know us, the stupid Americans, ruining a perfectly good recycling effort. We feel like we did our dietitian duties by checking out fast food here. And we made a pact that we are not at all allowed to have American food here again. The fries taste the same though, just no salt. In case you were wondering.

My email isn't working at this internet cafe, so I'll be able to check that tomorrow hopefully. Just a heads up in case you emailed me something incredibly important. Riiiiight. We're off to fnid a pub for dinner, we'll catch you tomorrow!