Stateside

Obviously, we never got the internet in workable enough condition to finish posting photos or update you all on our last few days from Dublin. However, now that we've landed safe and sound in NYC, I can at least report that much.

This last day in the city was madness. Not only was the queen in town (yeah, that one) but there were some 25,000 Portuguese soccer fans in the city for the Europa Cup final at Croke Park tonight. Our ten minute cab ride took over thirty and meant we didn't get to the airport until our gate was closing. It felt frantic at the time, but things turned out just fine. However, the hubbub about the big soccer game had me gravitating towards the sports bar near our gate here in JFK. While everyone else was literally hooting and hollering over some NBA game I could care less about, I immediately gravitated towards the screens showing soccer. I knew the game would be over but was looking for highlights anyway. They were instead showing some American game, so I got the iPad out to check things out one we got seats at the gate. Porto beat Braga 1-0 in case anyone's interested.

Ok. Well I've got tons more i want to tell you all about. We got take-away. We hailed cabs. I participated in a (sort of) formal whiskey tasting. I bought whiskey! Feel shocked on my behalf, won't you? Because, before today, my only experience with whiskey was trying to cook with the stuff and eat it in ice cream in Dingle. I'm taking big steps here, people. We had a lot of fun and we already want to plan our next trip back. (I'll get a trip to Italy in there somewhere!) But now it's time to pack up and get ready to board our only slightly delayed flight to Pittsburgh. More stories, observations, and photos to come to wrap up the trip. See you all again soon!