• The double decker buses only have one entrance/exit at the front of the bus where you can buy a ticket with exact change (and a cool coin counting machine that issues tickets), or validate a pre-purchased ticket. The stops are longer because it takes longer to get on and off with just one (instead of 3 sets of doors like in Poland). The drivers are also far less aggressive (ie no "crazy bus" rides). I expect driving a double decker down the very narrow streets with hairpin turns slows them down considerably : )
• All of the school kids we've seen are in uniforms, and most have been speaking English to each other. I learned that all school kids are educated in both Irish and English from age 5-17. They are totally bilingual.
• The Irish appear to be very courteous and friendly people, greeting you with a smile, waiting patiently in line to board a bus, merging/yielding to other vehicles in city traffic. The bus drivers even provide navigation advice if asked without any bother. Several total strangers have passed me while out walking early in the morning, looked me in the eye, and said "good morning".
• Public toilets are free (in the train station), but cathedrals charge for an entrance.
• I asked our waitress if there is a particular dessert that is Irish. She thought about it a minute and replied: in the winter its Christmas pudding, otherwise its just Irish coffee!
• It truly is rainy, cloudy, grey much of the time! We've only seen about 6 hours of sunshine total in the 5 days we've been here.
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