This was Erin and Eli's first time on an airplane. They were very apprehensive, but once the engines started accelerating and we started gaining speed, Eli became very excited. We were on the wrong side of the plane to see any of New York. We had hoped to see the city with all its magnificent lighting as we were leaving on an 11:30 PM flight. The kids were excited to see The Lady at night because we had seen her covered in scaffolding during the day as we had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. They had their first taste of airline food: dried, crustless corned beef and turkey sandwiches with gruyere, grapes, and soda for snack. For breakfast, we had rolled pancakes with applesauce, sweet rolls, croissants, canned orange grapefruit juice, orange and grapefruit slices, and the worst airplane coffee I have ever had. All in all, much better fare than you get today unless you are in first or business class. When the seat belt light went off, Eli switched sides of the plane and saw a bit of the city. It was amazing to see him just so excited. As we approached the cruising altitude of 37,000 feet, he became a bit queasy, but it passed. When I think back on this adventure, the beginning was perfect. To see their enthusiasm and anticipation for our trip and our new life in Ireland made up for the apprehension I was to have on that flight after they went to sleep.
After we watched the movie The Survivors, Erin and Eli moved to the center seats, pushed up the armrests and slept. The plane was almost empty so they were able to take advantage and really get a good night's rest. I did not fare as well. At first it was terribly cold, and then it became oppressively warm. As things always seem worse at night, I sat on that plane wondering what I had done. This was really happening. I had leased my home, taken the children from everything and everyone they knew, and was flying off to an unknown country with no definite plans other than I would settle in Trim, County Meath, outside Dublin. Lordy, lordy. I was beginning to think maybe my attorney was right: I was insane. And I had only two paychecks to see me through all this. No return tickets. I knew I had to be smart and strong because I was not on this adventure alone. I was a mother responsible for her two children. What if things were more expensive than I had anticipated? I guess I had credit cards to fall back on--typical attitude of the 80s.
In the morning after breakfast, we were greatly awaiting our first look at the Emerald Isle. It was quite a sight to see Eire initially though it was not what I had dreamed. It looked more like the Midwest with all the land parceled out in little plots of green, and it was not the lush green I had envisioned. I found out that Ireland had experienced an unusually long, dry, hot summer that year. We landed in Shannon near the west coast because it was a less expensive flight, and I wanted to see the country once before we settled on the east coast. And thus it begins...
Next up: our adventure crossing Ireland on a bus, our first look at Dublin, and how we got to Trim.
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