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Joined: May 2000
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Layers
Raincoat (necessary)
- prudent and practical though not always necessary
Comfortable shoes - definitely. Sneakers/runners/gym shoes and good walking shoes/boots.
Jacket for cool nights--combine the raincoat/jacket, she suggests - Mmmm... the nights can be quite mild in June but it is definitely still a good idea. Don't pack winter wear whatever you do!

She didn't say whether heavy sweaters would be necessary for nights. - I wouldn't bother. A light jumper/sweater should be fine.

Now, I know this is probably of little interest to anybody, but I tend to have the worst instincts when it comes to packing for long trips.
Always carry too much, which I can't stand. So I am going to make a big effort here to pack economically. And, if there is a sympathetic
British ear out there who will help, thanks very much in advance.
- Go out light/Come back heavy is my motto. This isn't Iceland here and you should pack sensibly otherwise you'll be lugging around jumpers and heavy clothes all week. Bring light to medium clothes or else wait for a week before you leave and I'll let you know how the Summer is looking. We tend to get few surprises here when it comes to the weather. It is either incredibly beautiful or absolutely torrential but the temperature never goes below 15 degrees C in June. Even now it's 13.6 degrees outside my office window.

1. Will jeans pretty much do it? - Yup.
2. Are heavy sweaters probably necessary at night for those of us who shiver easily? - Nope. Bring lighter ones. A light jacket can make up the difference.
3. Lights-weight tops: Any sense in taking them at all that time of year? (IN other words, should I just leave my sleeveless tops back in the US?) - No. Bring them. But check back with me about the weather in early June.
4. Bathing suits, I would guess, would be pretty much out of the question. - Why? It can be wonderful in the sea at that time of year.

"Maybe I should just carry an empty suitcase and buy everything over there as needed." (I was just kidding, but, if I had a limitless budget--I don't--I'd almost be tempted.)

One thing you should buy is an Aran sweater. I have one for the past two years and wore it most of this winter and, yes, it is very warm. Good for those of you who live in snow and ice zones in North America. I think they cost about $60-70 but you get tax back (21%) at the airport and they should last you a lifetime. You can also get wool socks, caps and gloves. I'm saying nothing about the souvenirs.....


Joined: Jul 2000
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The tenth was a typo or wishful thinking, I don;'t know which. I have my calendar clearly marked and just spaced it while I was typing.

I saw part of Donegal when I was on my bike trip some years ago, but decided to head on back to where the cycling was a bit easier!

As for packing, I learned a rude lesson in Ireland. I weighed my bike with all the gear on it just before I left, and it was an amazingly heavy 110 pounds (50 kg.) Coming from here in Denver area, I had not one but THREE water bottles attached to the bike. Several times throughout my trip people brought to my attention the fact that water really was readily available throughout Ireland and it wasn't necessary to import it. I actually only used about a quarter of the gear I took with me, and could have gotten away with less than that except I like clean clothes in the morning! I had intended to camp out but found out that hostels are the way to go when trekking around the country. I'll never forget the little German woman in the hostel on the Aran Islands . . . . well, more about that some other time.

I was in Ireland for the entire month of June, cycling almost every day, and I only experienced three days of wet weather (one soft day as I went around the Ring of Kerry, another as I did a loop through the Gap of Dunloe, which is one of the most beautiful places on earth, particularly when the rhododendrons are blooming, and then a gentle rain on the last full day as I pedaled from Spanish Point to Shannon to catch a plane home.) BTW, the rhododendrons blooms start to peter out about mid-June, or at least they did the year I was there. There were several places where I was cycling slowly through tunnels of rhododendron, with occasional gaps through which I could see people fishing for salmon in the river along which the road ran. And everyone, everywhere, was quick with a greeting; it seemed as though every person in Ireland was happy, at least happy to see me. One of the oddest things I remember is noticing that men would greet me with a quick shake of the head to one side. I first thought it was a sign of disapprobation, but it finally dawned on me that it was the Irish equivalent of a USner's head nod.

I didn't buy an Aran Island sweater, opting instead for one that I had knitted for me and shipped to my home. It was a major error, as the quality of the knitting was poor and the thing fell apart within five years.

I did buy an off-the-rack sweater that I wore early in the morning to ward off the cool until the sun had risen well, and that is as good now as it was in the store. And I don't think I spent more than 10 or 15 punt on it. Around $20. I do intend to get an Aran Island sweater this time! They are beautiful and each one's unique, according to what I read about them.

Among things on my itinerary is I need to get a refill from the Blarney Stone. Peggy suggested the other night that the Irish would pay me to come back and recharge the stone; I resembled er resented that remark.

I also want to go back to Dublin to spend more time wandering through Trinity College and looking at the ancient books on display in the library there. Perhaps I'll stretch the trip out to a whole month! Or maybe I can talk Peggy into moving there.

Gosh, I can't tell you how excited I am about meeting everyone and getting to see Ireland again all on the same nickel.

TEd



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Thanks very much for the information and suggestions about what clothing to take.

I think Rubrick's idea to wait a week before the trip to make final decisions is a good one. I do remember reading in the description of the cottages that there are washers and dryers, so that's good. Could just wash the same couple of pairs of jeans. I am *so* determined not to overpack this time.

One other thing. Blow dryers/curling irons. I know ours from the US won't work over there. Is there some kind of very inexpensive place--like our Wal-Marts over here--where we could get a blowdryer and curling iron? I cannot believe that I am sitting here asking this question, but it's something else that would be awfully nice to know in advance. Jeans, shirts, light sweater, jacket--I'm fine. That's light. But I really would like to be able to dry my hair and curl it, too. If it will be absolutely impossible to dry and curl my hair, then I must back out and say I cannot make it to Ireland.

Ha!!! Psych! I'm just kidding!!! Of course, I'd still go, but I'd have to develop another blow-dryerless plan.

Thanks for being so patient with these questions.

WW


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WW, you can get an adapter for your appliances. Hang on, one of the folks here will tell you exactly what you need.


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Try this:
http://snurl.com/mcg

Not sure how much power it'll handle, but.


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Thanks, AnnaS and Faldage. That price looks cheaper than buying a dryer and iron over there.

I have a vague memory of blowing such a device, however, in Grenada once upon a time.

Still, its specifications look good.

WW


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I've used such adapters all over the world and they work fine - so long as you don't overload them by putting two or three way adapters into them. Over here you can buy them in most any hardware store, but usually they are from UK to European, or UK to US, system rather than the other way round so you would need to buy before you left to be sure of getting one the right way round. They are available at international airports also, so if you forget they can be a last minute buy.


#92041 01/21/03 09:12 AM
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So that you can run several appliances off the same power point. Maybe you don't call those things adapters? There are several types of adapter.

The gizmos that allow you to plug US equipment into a UK, or other system, power point are adapters and maybe some of them adjust for voltage difference as well as the difference in plug pattern (round pin, square pin, two pin, three pin etc.). Normally, I believe, they just allow for the different pin shape and pattern and if you come from an area with a 110V supply then you should only use them with equipment that has a voltage change switch on it (e.g.: from 110V to 240V)otherwise you may burn out your equipment.

The adapters that allow you to plug UK equipment into US power points don't have transformers, that just means that a travel kettle, or set of electric curlers, takes longer to heat up if the voltage is lower unless of course it has a voltage change switch.

The other type of adapter fits into a power point and has two or three or more outlets thereby allowing you to plug more than one appliance into the same wall socket outlet. With these it is important not to overload the power point.



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A lot of AC adapters for laptop computers and such will be rated for inputs from 100-240VAC and 47-63Hz. Then all you have to worry about is the physical plug configuration. There will be a label on the AC adapter that has this information.


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