Now that I'm back home, I thought I would do one final post about a few things that I thought were interesting.

Money
 
For the paper money, the euros increase in physical size as the denomination of the bill increases.

While they technically still have 1 and 2 cent coins, they don't use them much but instead practice Swedish Rounding for most cash transactions, where prices are rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents.

It seems that they also have more coins in more denominations.

New Drivers

I kept seeing these cars with a large N or L on the front and back. When I read the drivers manual, I discovered that the L stands for a driver with learners permit, and the N is for a novice driver, and is required for 2 years after they get their driver's license. Quite sensible actually.

Signs

Signs tend to be rather direct. 

Incentives for recycling

When you buy something in a plastic bottle or an aluminum can, you pay $.25 deposit for the container. When you return the container, you get your deposit back.

Building construction

The owner of the B&B in Castletownbere was a retired builder and we chatted a bit about differences in building contruction between Ireland and the U.S.

Their houses tend to be made of block and have slate or tile roofs.  He said the walls are generally 10 inches thick, made of a double wall of 4 inch block with a 2 inch space for insulation in between.

The windows tend to be a combination of fixed glass and awning or casement panels. I also never saw any window screens.

The electrical outlets have on and off switches.

Friendly people

Particularly on the peninsulas, the people seem quite friendly. When I was walking beside the road, 80% of the folks would wave when they drove past. And while I only saw this bench in Kenmare, it feels like would likely be true in most of the villages.