Ireland – It’s an Irresistibly Interesting Island of Intrigue: Departure

Airports! How I love to hate them. Especially the large ones. Does anyone feel the same?

Departure is a hassle. I find the process confusing. But Ireland, the irresistibly interesting island of intrigue, was waiting and that provided all the motivation I needed!

Departure for Ireland

Parking lot photos – a wise departure tip!

We arrived at the airport and parked near the terminal indicated for our departure. My husband suggested we take a photo of the floor number, zone letter, and stall sequence to help us find our car when we arrived home. I’ll be honest, I thought that was silly. We were parked just left of the door; I could remember that.

It was good we had the photo reference to zone D. All the doors looked alike.

But hubby is wise and those photos saved us! The terminal was much larger than I knew. There were several exit points to the parking garage and many doors. I can’t imagine how difficult it could have been to find our car again without the photos for reference.

Departure woes at the check-in counter

Once inside the departure terminal, we found a long check-in counter behind many self-service kiosks. We approached an empty kiosk, scanned the boarding passes we’d printed at home, and stickers with all the pertinent information came spitting out. We put them on our luggage and proceeded to the counter.

Only one agent could check luggage for international travel, so we were directed her way. She was very grumpy with us. I don’t think she actually called us stupid for printing our baggage claim tags at the kiosk, but she heavily implied as much, emphasizing only she could print labels for international destinations. She ripped ours off our bags with noticeable aggression and slapped new ones on.

Then she told me my suitcase was too big. She threatened to charge me $200.00 for oversized luggage and grimaced like it physically pained her to afford me grace. I trembled inside.

Agent appreciation before departure

I was almost certain my suitcase was an allowable size, and well under weight. I’d measured several times to be sure. But she wasn’t charging me, so I didn’t want to challenge her.

I thought maybe she needed to feel appreciated, so I thanked her profusely before I walked away. I pray it boosted her mood a bit for next person trying to navigate departure in her line.

Worry melted upon departure

The check-in experience worried me. It reinforced my fear of undesirable consequences stemming from my lack of travel experience. But once I was on the plane, my worry melted in the radiance of God’s glory.

We taxied to the runway and took off with the sunset. God painted a vibrant farewell to departure day. Just look at that view!

Despite a few hiccups, our departure was successful. We bid adieu to home and the setting sun. The darkness ahead was fleeting as we crossed time zones into tomorrow while our watches still read today.

“Let the name of the Lord be praised,
    both now and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.”

Psalm 113:2, 3

Next stop, London!

We jetted toward Ireland, our irresistibly interesting destination of intrigue. We had one stop to make on the way at London’s Heathrow Airport. Have you ever passed through there? I hope you’ll join me next time for a few fun photos!

Curious how this Ireland trip came about?
Click here for the introduction post.