Nancy's Live and Enjoy Life Tour part two

[Riverfurm]

Well, I’m heading back to tour Ireland. Last time I only rode through on my way to Belfast for the ferry to the Isle of Man, so I never really got to explore Ireland itself.

Paul, the owner of Celtic Riders, is a good salesman. In his Irish accent he told me:
“Furman… you have to come back and do the Wild Atlantic Tour of Ireland.”
I told him I wasn’t sure—I loved the Isle of Man and Scotland. A few months later, Paul sent me some details. It looked too good to pass up. So, I booked it and put down a deposit.

I’ve got my itinerary now and mapped it out on Google Maps. It might not be the exact route I’ll ride, but it gives me an idea of where I’m going.

What excites me most is not just the roads and scenery, but the people. I found that part of the world so friendly last time, and I love the way they talk.

I’ll also be bringing some of Nancy’s ashes with me, so she can continue her travels and adventures alongside me.

[Doctor350]

Furman, you must go to Ballymoney in Northern Ireland and visit the monuments to Joey and Robert Dunlop. They may have added something for William too. And you have to have a Guinness at Joey's Bar. Don't know what time of year you are doing the trip but the Northwest 200 is on around the end of May in Portrush. That's definitely worth thinking about.

[Riverfurm]

Leaving May 7th. Tour does not begin to the !0th.

[Riverfurm]

Ballymoney is not far off my tour. I think it's doable.

[955i]

Furman, don't leave your camera at home. Great photo-writeups last time out. Thanks for all.

[Riverfurm]

Ireland Motorcycle Adventure – Day 1
Philadelphia to Dublin

I left Philadelphia airport at 6 PM on American Airlines Business Class. First time ever flying Business Class for me. I figured if I was going to start a big Ireland motorcycle adventure, I might as well start it in style.

I’ll also be traveling with Woody, the Motorcycle Men podcast mascot, so you’ll probably spot him in some of my photos along the way.

First task was checking in my giant motorcycle gear bag. Business Class allows up to 70 pounds, and mine came in around 50. Not bad considering all the riding gear packed into it. TSA lines were easy, and TSA PreCheck definitely helped.

After security I headed to the Admirals Club lounge, grabbed something to eat, but skipped the alcohol because I wanted to sleep on the flight. That plan didn’t exactly work out.

Boarded first and found my own little cubicle with an entertainment center and a seat that reclined into a flat bed. They offered me drinks several times… still no. But despite the fancy setup, I barely slept anyway.

Arrived in Dublin early in the morning and took a taxi to the Hilton in the city center. Dropped off my bags and asked if early check-in was possible. They said they’d see what they could do.

My plan for the day was the Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour, so off I went on foot to buy tickets. Of course I got there before they opened at 9 AM, so that turned into more walking around Dublin until they finally opened.

Bought a two-day pass and did the full two-hour tour. I also timed how long it took to get to the Guinness Brewery so I could plan tomorrow’s visit properly.

By that point the lack of sleep was catching up with me hard. Then I got a phone call from the hotel saying my room was ready early at 11 AM. Perfect timing.

Checked in and immediately took a nap.

Later that evening I went back out exploring Dublin on foot. First pub didn’t serve food, but I managed to survive with two Guinness. The bartender pointed me toward the “ship restaurant,” so off I went again.

Fish and chips, two more beers, and a mini Guinness later, I did even more walking before finally heading back to the hotel for an early night.

Tomorrow: more bus touring and the Guinness Brewery tour!

[Riverfurm]

Woody

[Riverfurm]

Day Two — Dublin and Guinness

I’m staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Dublin, and it’s a very nice hotel. I had breakfast at the hotel and then went online to buy my timed tickets for the Guinness tour.

After breakfast, I headed out for a walk to catch the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. If I timed everything right, I should arrive at the Guinness Brewery about the same time my tour was scheduled to start.

As it turned out, I timed it perfectly. I arrived about five minutes early. Great!


The Guinness Brewery is gigantic. I think it’s five, maybe six floors, and there is a lot to see. The top floor has a restaurant and a 360-degree view of Dublin.


I did the tastings and even learned how to pour the perfect Guinness. That was a pretty important skill to learn while in Ireland!


One thing I noticed right away was that Guinness in Ireland tastes much better than the Guinness I’ve had back home. Maybe it’s the atmosphere, maybe it’s the freshness, or maybe it just tastes better when you’re drinking it in Ireland. Whatever the reason, I liked it!


When I finished the tour, the Hop-On Hop-Off bus was right there waiting. I finished the bus tour and stopped for a late lunch.

I had lamb stew. It was OK, but honestly, it wasn’t great. I guess you can’t hit a home run with every meal!

One thing I noticed about Dublin is that the city isn’t particularly busy in the morning. But by the afternoon, it gets very busy, with people and traffic everywhere.


There was also a downside to all that sightseeing and walking. By the end of the day, my left knee was really starting to hurt. I guess walking around Dublin all day is a little different from riding a motorcycle all day!

Tomorrow is a big day. I’m leaving Dublin and riding about an hour to Celtic Rider. I’ll get to see Paul and, most importantly, pick up my new BMW R 1300 GS.

Now that is something I’ve been looking forward to!

[Riverfurm]

Back on Two Wheels


I got up early and had breakfast at the Hilton Garden Hotel. There wasn't much repacking to do, so I was ready to go pretty quickly.

I used my Uber app to get a ride to Celtic Rider in Bishops Court Upper, County Kildare. It was about an hour's ride.

Paul was waiting for me when I arrived. I was the only person going out on a tour that day.

He showed me my new bike. It wasn't a GS like the one I rented the year before. This time I was riding a GSA — and that's a big, heavy motorcycle!

It has an 8-gallon fuel tank. That's about 50 pounds of gasoline when it's full. And to make things even more interesting, it had one of those short side stands.

It took me over an hour just to get everything loaded into the top box and the two side cases.



Once everything was loaded, it was time to watch the safety video. I also spent some time talking with Paul about Nancy and everything that had been going on in my life.

Paul had been very kind to me. He even put some of the Nancy stickers I had brought with me up in his shop.

Then, before I left, Paul wanted to show me something. We took a short ride to an old church and graveyard.

Paul showed me a grave there. It was the grave of Arthur Guinness, the founder of Guinness.

Then Paul suggested something I hadn't expected. He suggested that I leave some of Nancy's ashes there.

So I did.

It was a very special moment.



Once everything was loaded, it was time to watch the safety video. I also spent some time talking with Paul about Nancy and everything that had been going on in my life.

Paul had been very kind to me. He even put some of the Nancy stickers I had brought with me up in his shop.

Then, before I left, Paul wanted to show me something. We took a short ride to an old church and graveyard.

Paul showed me a grave there. It was the grave of Arthur Guinness, the founder of Guinness.

Then Paul suggested something I hadn't expected. He suggested that I leave some of Nancy's ashes there.

So I did.

It was a very special moment.

After that, we headed back to the shop.

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Time to Learn to Ride on the Left


I was almost ready to start the tour.

Liam, who is in charge of the shop, was going to ride with me for about an hour. He would lead and I would follow.

That was a really good idea because now I had to get used to riding on the left side of the road.

I'm dyslexic and sometimes I have trouble remembering left from right. So I came up with my own solution.

I put one of Nancy's hair barrettes on the left mirror.

That way, every time I looked down, I had a reminder:

KEEP LEFT!

And you know those roundabouts?

They go the opposite way from what I'm used to!

Having Liam lead me for that first hour made a big difference. I could concentrate on following him and getting used to the roads, the traffic and those crazy roundabouts. https://youtu.be/kBBcarvtGDk?si=J6wNcj3G_debracX

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May 9 — Nancy's Birthday


Today was May 9th — Nancy's birthday.

It had also been a year and a half since she left on her own journey.

There was something very special about being in Ireland on her birthday, riding a motorcycle again, and having just left some of her ashes at Arthur Guinness's grave.

Once I got to my destination, I knew there was one more thing I had to do.

I would have a Cosmopolitan — Nancy's favorite drink — in her honor.

Then it was time to head to my next stop:

Kilkenny — the River Court Kilkenny Hotel.

https://youtu.be/Jc6iwPKwPoA?si=bBFjbCNQWZVJVHUt

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