I’m talking to you… and you…
For those who have been to Ireland, tell me how you travelled. Bus? Train? Rented a car? Tour? And any must see destinations? The trip looks like it might actually fall into place after all (YAY!), so I’ve been trying to figure out logistics. There’s a awesome touring group, called Shamrockers, for pretty cheap, but unfortunately, the tour starts before I could actually get into the country, so I’ve been scrounging the internet looking for alternatives.
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For the other Dr. Who fans on my list, watcher_junior has made these awesome animated icons, just because I asked her to. *hugs the Ali* They can be found here.
Next up. Changing my mood theme. Obsessed? Just slightly. 😀
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Post call today (only one more call night this month!). For most of the month, I have had very sweet call nights… gotten 1-2 patients early in the evening and slept 6-8 hours with only a few cross cover issues. Last night was a different story. My team admitted 10 patients yesterday, four of those patients were mine, two came in at the same time, two hours *before* I was suppose to start call, and the night just continued from there. DId manage to grab about 2 or so hours of sleep, but I’ve been very spoiled and it wasn’t enough. I came home and just crashed, and didn’t wake up until Chris called me with the good news about Ireland.
I go back on medicine wards at the Big Hospital again in February, where I’ll be lucky to get 15 minutes of sleep…. so I guess I’d better get used to the sleep deprivation again.
I’ve been (somewhat) working on creating some tables of drugs for a neurology book that one of my attendings is publishing, on treatments for insomnia, sleep apnea, etc. Part of it is the Epworth sleepiness scale (found here), which btw, I fail. I especially like the “Fit for Duty” scale. I don’t think I’ve been awake for an entire noon conference or Grand Rounds yet…
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I’m so glad you’re getting to go to Ireland. I will go one day. From what I’ve read, renting a car is the easiest way to get around, even though driving on the wrong side of the road takes some getting used to. I take it most rental cars are stick shift, so if that’s not an option for you, there’s at least one rental agency that specialises in Americans and rents automatics, but I can’t remember their name. Also, there’s some rule about which direction to go round the ring of Kerry to make it easier — can’t remember if it’s clockwise or counter-clockwise.
I have my own list of must-see destinations, too, but again, haven’t been there so can’t say for sure.
This isn’t helping at all, is it? 😉
Thanks for pointing out those Doctor Who icons. I liked them.
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Ireland is amazing..so I’ve heard. My old neighbors traveled there a couple years ago and my mums boss as well just recently. However, they said the food is quite bland and not something you would write home about. Yet again, it’s preference.
The scenery is breathtaking, that’s always a winner.
The icons are great!
Ahh…I remember those long evenings at the hospital, I was a PA for a group of 8 Cardiologists until I decided to embrace the world of art.
I don’t miss the stress AT ALL.
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I did a semester in Ireland and I found the bus system, Bus Eireann, quite useful. It goes most places and is not too expensive. When my parents visited me they rented a car though, and of course that’s even more convenient as far as following your own schedule goes, but if you’re at all a nervous driver I wouldn’t do it since the roads are narrow, with no shoulder usually, and people drive pretty fast.
As to places to visit, my favorites were the Ring of Kerry and, even better, the Dingle peninsula (which you also can drive around in a loop). Galway is adorable. Blarney Castle is also great, not even for the Stone but for the grounds, which are gorgeously landscaped with beautiful flowers and woods. Also in County Cork is Kinsale, a really picturesque artists’ village full of cute shops and galleries, and Cobh, the port town of Cork, which is adorable. Cork city itself you could take or leave.
I could go on…
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You’d think with all the traveling I’ve done, I’d have been to Ireland, but sadly I haven’t, so I can’t help you there.
However, I’m curious, so how did you score on the sleepyness test? I scored a 14. I was glad to see that motherhood and part time work has only put me in the “moderate” category. I took the same test back when I was in gradschool and scored a 22.
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Julia,
I asked my friend who’d been to Ireland. She said this:
“I flew from England. If your friend’s planning on going anywhere in the UK before or after, Ryanair is the best bet – it’s a super cheap airline. From the US, I think Aer Lingus is popular.
Bus is the cheapest way to travel – Bus Eireann is the national service. There’s a bus that will take you right from Dublin airport to the Busarus station. From there you can pretty much go anywhere in Ireland. I spent a lot of time in that station! They have lockers so you can leave your stuff and explore the city if you have to wait.
One word of caution about Dublin buses – if you’re on a rural, back road you’ll have to wave to flag down the bus driver. Also don’t be surprised if everyone knows each other on the bus, including the driver. When I was there everyone broke out into traditional Irish ballads and were shouting insults at each other.”
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Oui, I detest surviving on such small amounts of sleep. I don’t know how you deal well enough to work in such situations! I am in awe.
And yay for vacation in Ireland! I hope you take pictures!