Lila's Goodbye to Ireland:

After a delicious Egg's Benedict breakfast in The Oakroom Restaurant at Adare Manor, our motorcoach pulled away towards Shannon Airport. It was a short distance to Shannon Airport and in no time we were collecting our luggage and saying goodbyes.

And as we said our goodbyes, this is what I wished I would have time to say to our gracious Ireland guides:

****As the Irish say "Ceud Mile Failte" (pronounced "kad meel-a-fall-sha") meaning  "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes", I say to Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland "A Hundred Thousand Thank You's" for creating my Southwest Ireland itinerary and introducing me to your beautiful country and connecting me with contacts to send visitors to experience the wonderful things that make Ireland so great. You made a dream come true.****

At Shannon Airport, Aer Lingus staff quickly checked in our bags allowing more shopping time downstairs and upstairs. The VAT (Value Added Tax) forms were upstairs to collect a refund for tax on purchases made while in Ireland.

I took turns with my Irish companion on the flight taking parting shots out the window of fluffy clouds and patchwork fields as we headed towards Dublin. Once we landed in Dublin, all passengers deplaned. Those in "transit" were given transit cards to clear U.S. Customs lines before getting back on the plane an hour later for our final 8 hour nonstop stretch on Aer Lingus to Chicago.  My return flight seemed to pass quickly by watching three movies , lunch and dinner service and by sharing stories in my favorite "hallway airline pub".

Hello, Again, Chicago: 

Upon landing in Chicago, I used Airport Express for transportation to The Courtyard by Marriott River North ,two blocks from the Chicago River and a few blocks from Michigan Avenue.  The Courtyard offered many floors of contemporary rooms , a Starbucks, and State Street Bread Co. Restaurant.  After dinner and a good night's rest, I was ready to explore Chicago for my last morning. I took a short taxi ride to see my friend from California who was visiting Chicago for a few days. We enjoyed breakfast at Pierrot Gourmet next to the Peninsula Hotel. After breakfast we walked on Michigan Avenue to the Chicago River so I could board Chicago's First Lady for my pre-booked 90 minute Chicago Architecture Foundation boat tour of over 40 unique buildings that line the river.  This is an excellent investment to learn about Chicago's history and various archetecture styles.      

From Wacker Drive by the river, I walked 3 blocks to new Millenium Park to view Frank Gehry designed Jay Pritzker Pavilon, the most unique outdoor concert venue in the United States and the interactive Crown Fountain of changing faces, the contemporary Lurie Garden and the popular silver sculpture called Cloud Gate  (nicknamed "the bean") by Anish Kapoor. Millenium Park is  a "must see" in Chicago.

I said my "goodbyes" to downtown as my shuttle whisked me off to O"Hare as the solo passenger. After exploring key areas of Chicago, I left understanding what makes visitors return year after year and what makes Chicagoans so proud to call this bustling city their home.