The morning started peacefully, but with that air of a final chapter. The four humans were packing their things while I strolled between suitcases and backpacks, making sure no one forgot my blanket or my favorite balls. The accommodation had been fantastic: clean, comfortable, with pleasant views of the countryside and sheep that sang for free. But at ten o'clock sharp we closed the door and started the car, ready for the first stage of the day.

The road, this time, was mostly motorway, so in just an hour and a half we were at Dublin airport. First, we had to drop off aunts Nita and Mariola, who were heading home; there were hugs, promises to see each other again soon, and some nervous laughter. Afterwards, we refueled the rental car at a petrol station almost next to the terminal and left it in the return area. The whole process was so quick and efficient that we almost expected an ovation.

Right next door, at the Red Long Stay, an old acquaintance awaited us: our own campervan. Happy to have it back, although with that small fear of "let's see what it does to us today," we headed to FastFit, a workshop in Santry where they were going to change the timing belt and pulleys of the engine. While the mechanic got to work, daddy Edu and uncle Joan took refuge in a nearby McDonald's to eat something, because an engine can wait… but a hungry stomach, no.

A couple of hours passed before they gave us the news: they could put the new belt on, yes, but the pulleys... no trace of them. Daddy paid the 100 euros for the partial repair and we went back on the road with a "well, something is something". But... we hadn't even traveled a kilometer on the motorway to the north when, suddenly, BOOM! A dry noise that made everyone look at each other with a face of "now what?". It wasn't a puncture or the belt, but the intercooler pipe, which had decided to become independent.

Daddy, with the calmness of someone who has been through too much, held it with a clamp and, with the hazard lights on, we slowly went back to the workshop. This time, the mechanic fixed it with a screw, and after the usual thanks we tried again. We left on secondary roads first and then rejoined the motorway. At a stop at Applegreen we checked the belt: of the seven original ribs, only six remained. Collective sigh, a quick prayer and on we went.

The Lidl in Dundalk was the last stop to buy what was needed for dinner before continuing on to Carlingford, where we parked on the same pier. There are about five motorhomes and campervans, all facing a wind that seemed determined to push us into the water. Luckily, in the afternoon it subsided, and the camper gently sways, like a giant cradle, perfect for closing a day that began with farewells and ended with us wrapped in the sea and the wind.