London Still Rocks!

Wednesday was my fourth and last (for this year) U2 concert. Now, it didn't last all day, of course - and I hadn't yet visited New York, New York ! So, with that being my last full day, I decided to do just that. En route, mind, I could have done without the people in bloodstained t-shirts, asking for support for Israel .. Once I saw there was a connecting bridge to the Excalibur , I trotted over there too, hoping for a medieval theme - there isn't. Apart from mention of a " Tournament of Kings ", there isn't a thing medieval about the place - not counting the kitch decor. I did a circuit of the place, then exited quickly, back to New York, New York - which is much more interesting, with its reconstruction of Greenwich Village : I soon passed Nine Fine Irishmen , the pub I'd seen advertised on my first night . And well.. there were other eateries, but frankly, I was intrigued by this one. Hallelujah, affordable too - I had no trouble getting a table. Deco...

So..   Viva  Las Vegas ! Made it, after all the planning, and some considerable amount of travelling.. and yes, that song was running through my head the whole way. After managing to squeeze most of what I wanted to take into my case on Tuesday, my first problem was Ryanair . Gee. So, we were kept waiting for nearly an hour on the stairwell, told that the plane wasn't ready yet.. Why? Because the replacement crew weren't there yet. Where were they? "Walking over.." So, naturally, as I predicted, my flight was severely delayed. But the airport hotel in Shannon had assured me - repeatedly - that reception stayed open 24 hours. Across the car park I schlepped - naturally, I wasn't the only one! There was a line of us. Not anticipating the flight's exact arrival time, the hotel had locked their front door.. so it was a large reception committee that the receptionist faced, answering the doorbell! It was nearly 1am by now, and she must have been tired. Which was...