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A Journey And Back Again

Introduction:
I live a life full of incidents
especially whenever I go away.
As the years tumble by
and as I look at them,
they seem quite amusing now
than on the day they happened.
The following records a journey
my wife and I took many years ago
to The Viking Hotel then owned
by Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell.
My wife is a great fan of his
and I have to confess
I have met him a few times myself.

Day One:
We arrived at the coach station early
with overnight bags packed, waited,
and waited until finally
our coach turned up a half an hour late.
A bad omen for a start
for all the misadventures that were to follow.
We travelled up to north Wales incident free
to stay in a hotel for the night.

Day Two:
After breakfast, we boarded our coach
and then down to the Ferry Port
only to find there was no Ferry there.
Someone had forgotten to inform everyone
that at this time in the morning the tide was out
and a Ferry cannot sail without water.
Finally, the tide decided to come back in an hour later
and with it came our Ferry.
The crossing was quite quiet
even for the Irish Sea
and soon we were on the other side
on dear old Ireland’s shore
an hour late, but what is an hour between friends.
We drove up to Dublin
and all its road works there
with detours to run us around in circles
and more time lost there.
Finally, out of Dublin we headed north
and an all day drive to Donegal.
Now we were only halfway through day two
and the incidents were piling up.
A Ferry with no water on which to sail,
detours to hamper us on our way
and still a long journey ahead.
We stopped off at a watering hole for a bite to eat
only to hear the IRA had robbed it a couple of weeks before.
After an hour break, we were on the road once more.
Now all the road signs in Ireland
are in English and Gaelic except for one county.
You guessed it that county was Donegal.
Now we have a coach driver from Hasting
and an Irish tour guide from Ireland
and neither can read Gaelic.
Here we are quite lost two hours late
and no one knowing which way to go.
Thank goodness for the mobile phone,
our tour guide used hers and got directions to the hotel.
On arriving, half starved and two and a half hours late,
we booked in and took our bags to our rooms.
My wife and I were on the first floor
with a window facing out from the back of the hotel.
Underneath the window was a skip
in which they threw the rubbish in.
A soft landing if you need to make a quick exit.
Leaving our bags it was downstairs again
to get something to eat.
After our meal, we felt quite tired
and back to our room we retired
with thoughts of wondering what day three might bring.

Day Three:
I woke up quite early
just as the sun was about to rise,
getting up quietly to allow my wife to lie in.
I grabbed my camera and went to unlock the door.
Low and behold, as I tried to unlock it I found that I was locked IN! We have all heard the jokes about being locked out,
but I just had to be different and get myself locked in.
Seeing the funny side of this
I rolled about with laughter and woke up my wife
who then went into panic mode,
“How are we going to get out? ”
I answered through my laughter with a grin.
“If the worst comes to the worst
there is a skip below the window
we’ll just open it up and jump in.”
“I am not jumping in with the rubbish.”
She made herself clear.
We telephoned down to reception
who said they would send someone up.
We waited until they finally came.
I could see the bolt moving,
but the door did not open.
The person they sent then disappeared,
I thought he was going to get some oil to help release it,
but he never came back again.
We waited and waited thoughts of our breakfast
getting cold ran through our mind.
My wife was getting even more panicky.
We phone reception again,
but they thought we had got out.
I tried our key repeatedly until the bolt
finally moved and we got free
and so started day three.
At breakfast, everyone had heard of our plight
and the jokes were rife.
A good laugh just to start the day.
Later we went out sightseeing,
visiting an Airport with no planes,
even thought we had crossed the Atlantic Ocean
for on a front lawn we did see
a smaller version of the Statue of Liberty.
The rest of the day was quiet
and we all said three cheers to that.
We made new friends while we were there that we still have.
When it came to retire
my wife and I were taking no chances,
we left the door unlocked
and wondered what would happen on day four.

Day Four:
The day awoke overcast and threatening of rain.
We went for a walk to take photographs
and thankfully, no rain came.
The day was spent relaxing,
no incidents did we incur,
just joked with our new friends
on what had already been.
Tomorrow we had to go back,
a sad day for us all.
After diner, we got packed ready for day five
and the homeward journey.

Day Five:
We woke up in the morning the wind blowing a gale.
I looked out the window and was surprised to see
a poor lone bird trying to fly forward,
but was flying backward in the wind.
After having breakfast and paying our bill,
the staff of the hotel
formed a human chain to our coach
and we struggle with the wind to get across.
Everyone began to wonder
if the Ferries would be running today.
Once everyone was aboard,
we started our journey to Dublin
and our Ferry to north Wales.
As we said our goodbyes to Donegal,
the winds abated.
We saw two men in a rowing boat
and someone said it was the second boat in the Irish Navy.
Getting down to Dublin Town
there was not even a breeze
and we caught our Ferry,
sailing across the Irish Sea with ease.
We stayed that night in North Wales
and the following morning headed home.
And was it enjoyable?
I would say it was,
just look at all the funny memories;
we have to keep alive and share with everyone.
Then my life is always like that.
An old friend once said to me,
Dave if you fell down a sewer
you would come up smelling of roses.
Though I hate to admit it,
I think my friend might have been right.

poem by David Harris
Added by Poetry Lover
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