Our auspicious start has been scuppered. After the first day walking around the uneven stone streets, Alan's knee struck out. He was totally laid up yesterday.

I went for a shopping excursion, which was quite fun as I usually like to do that by myself anyway.When I returned, he'd about finished his book and was happy for the beer I brought up. On my way back I stopped in a Chinese herbalist and masseuse and she said Alan could come back either at 5 p.m. or this morning at 10. He was up for it this morning, but I didn't really formalize the 10 time with a call and when we got there it was closed. He was pretty undone by that time but after a half hour or so (while I had a coffee) it opened and Alan had an acupuncture treatment. He seems to feel marginally better. We made another appointment for Friday morning. It is hard to believe that we will have been here six days by that point.

This place is still very nice and well equipped, it's just that now we see that it is about the size of our condo in Washington. That was a small place, but well laid out, like this one. Still, I don't think I could go back to that now that we've had so much more room in Dublin.

I'm hoping Alan is better tomorrow. He's encouraged me to go out and purchase the pass for Amsterdam museums and I think I will do that later this afternoon. I'm suddenly conscious of the time a fleeting.