... well, dear friends ... as I've been crafting these little messages to you, it occurred to me that you might (but you'd be wrong!) think that every day has been Paradise. Our travel days are always a lot of fun ... and now we have double the fun, accompanied by John and Jean. And for me ... not having to drive OR read the map certainly makes the travel in Europe far less stressful. But ... I do have a tendency to lose things ... as many of you know ... or at least misplace them ... and this trip is no exception. No exception at all. Although, as my mom is wont to say ... "Nothing is truly lost. It just hasn't been found yet." And the last day in Dublin was no exception to her rule. But again ... I get ahead of myself.
We are sharing all expenses with J&J ... and Jean is the recorder of it all. John, Rob, and I get out our credit cards (oh, don't even get me started on the need for a chip in our credit cards ... but we were ready this time!) and pay for things in a non-orderly fashion ... knowing that Jean will sort it at the end of the trip!
So when I reached for my credit card after dining at one of the "posher" restaurants--and couldn't find the card anywhere ... I didn't exactly panic although Rob did. (He knows me too well.) But, after nearly emptying my purse on the table of this posh restaurant (so very ladylike of me!), it was clear that there was no credit card to be had.
The conversation went downhill in a hurry! Ha. It went something like ... "WHERE is it?" (Rob) "If I knew that, we wouldn't be having this conversation?!" (Me :)). After wasting some time in this vein ... Rob wanted to walk back to our hotel (probably a 20 minute hike) to look for the card while the rest of us went onto the Guinness Storehouse. Several more minutes of me insisting that it should be I who went back to look ... Rob arguing that I would get lost (me, becoming very indignant at such an aspersion ... ha). Then we started talking about where I'd used it last ... which, as I alluded to ... was difficult to pinpoint since paying was so haphazard. Finally we decided it was the pub ... and that I should stop there if I were returning to the hotel. And then the light bulb went on ... before Hugo's, I'd been at the gift store attached to the National Museum of Archeology (of course I'd been at a gift store ... has there ever been a museum gift store that I've missed?). The clerk (pronounced "clark" here, of course) took my card away to fill out the VAT forms (so yes, more than just a few pencils were purchased!) ... and I had no recollection of getting it back!
In the meantime, Jean had been in the lower level of the restaurant, making a call back to the States ... and she'd missed the whole exchange!! She said later than when she emerged, she was surprised to find us gone. We were tearing back to the gift store, throwing instructions at John to wait on the corner where one would turn to go to the Museum. John wasn't sure that he would know the corner ... but Jean is like a very tall, good-looking google map app and I knew she would. And yes, of course the answer was that the credit card was still at the Museum ... in an envelope with my name on it. And, being Irish, they were incredibly apologetic ... despite the fact that all parties knew that it was my fault and my fault alone!!
I'd say that all's well that ends well ... but we have 8 days left for me to lose my card. I'm bound to succeed at some point!
So on that optimistic note ... I bid you g'night. We had an awesome day in Kinsale today ... but more on that anon ... or ... later tonight if I can't sleep. We start early tomorrow because we're going to a market in a nearby small village ... and expect great finds.
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