Waterford, our 3rd Day

It is Thanksgiving and we get up early, we went to Heuston Station about a 5 minute walk from the Hotel and got some Coffee and some other snack for the road. We had some cereal with milk in the room earlier. We brought two apples for the road as well. We took the 7:30 AM Train from Dublin Heuston Station arriving around 10:09 AM at Waterford ass we wanted to start early.
There were some views of the fantastic countryside of Ireland when the Sun finnally came out. There where some stops, maybe around five in other towns like Newbridge @0803 , Kildare @ 0811 , Athy @ 0831, Carlow @ 0846 , Muine Bheag , Kilkenny ,Thomastown and Waterford (Plunkett) 1009 . It was a nice ride and there are refreshment carts to purchase snacks, coffee and more coffee. The prices were not bad.

The people in Ireland are very helpful, I tell you they go out of their way to be pleasant and informative. We got a Lady Taxi driver from Rapid Cabs and she was a riot. We talked about a lot of stuff and she was definitely Irish. Great sense of humor. She gave us some pointers about downtown and told us about a place to eat, very good indeed. This was our first tour stop. We actually got a complimentary tour thanks to knowing someone who works for them here in the USA. You take a little Van to the factory about 200 meters away and then you go in. Our First stop was this very warm place where they were making glass. This is such a mesmerizing task. People have been making glass for thousands of years and the basic techniques are ancient. These guys get paid by projects and teams and by steps. They are all wearing shorts and tank tops because it is very hot where the ovens are. The following pictures are not enough to show you what we saw, it is impossible to show you all the beauty that we caught on pictures, but I learned something No defective Waterford Crystal Exist, it has so many inspections points and such high quality that I will say it is improbable that here is a Waterford Crystal Piece that is defective in the market, they take their jobs and craft very seriously and are very proud of their creations. NO SUBSTANDARD glass creations, all Waterford Crystal also has a marker. So if someone tries to sell you a defective Waterford Crystal remember there is no such thing, they get destroyed, i.e. recycled into new glass sculptures or creations. This is a piece that was being cut, there are so many steps before the piece gets to be Waterford Crystal . Below is this Water Pitcher that we saw this guy making the lip for the pitcher and creating the handle. They know this by heart and they are good. The tour is not long, lasts about an hour and ends in the store. We got a great deal and were able to get some nice Christmas presents, from some Seahorse Broaches, crystal Rosaries for our moms, and a shamrock paperweight. We got free shipping with insurance, not a bad deal at all and no VAT!SO we call the Rapid Cabs once more and go to the restaurant that our Lady Driver told us about. It was a place with character and very nice people. In the heart of Waterford City, in John Street Village & Waterford's Entertainment District is Revolution Gastro Bar, 19 Johns Street, Waterford .It is the perfect venue whether you are visiting Waterford for business or pleasure, for food or a few drinks. We were actually sitting on the other side where the kitchen line is. We had a great Irish style Lunch with mashed turnips!We walk back to the train station through downtown and looked around at the houses and streets. There was even a Merry Go Round.

Well we thought this was very cute, VULCAN street Live Long and Prosper!

We took the 1300 hour train back and made it in time to Dublin. The trains were getting busy as we were getting closer to Dublin area. There is a lot of commuting I take. Once in Dublin for dinner that day we went to Flanagan's Bar and Pizzeria 61 Upper O'Connell street. We were not very happy with the service here. Almost walked out without a ticket, after asking for our ticket twice, I told Michael to go to the door and tell her that you are leaving and need to pay now, so we did. The worst Spaghetti dinner I have ever had in my life, I thought they opened a can of Beefaroni , nevertheless It was nourishing and a warm place to be. I would never go back there again if I am back in Dublin.

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From the restaurant we went to the post office to purchase stamps, the Lady at the Postal Office service window told us where we could get some nice postcards and gifts. Carrolls Irish Gifts, had so many nice things to buy, that it was very hard not to buy a lot of stuff, we resisted. I wanted a lot of stuff, I loved the Wacky Wollies ' merchandise, I could have bought everything, but just got a mug and some pens, magnets and note pad. It is time to go to the convenience store and get a sandwich for the morning snack. Tomorrow we go to Kiss the Blarney Stone! Thanks for stopping by!