Irish Tribute

Oh, the great memories of Ireland. For our anniversary in 2005 we decided to take a trip to Ireland. Of course, at this time we were living in Belgium and airfare was maybe $50/person round trip...if only we had Ryan Air here in the US! There was so much about Ireland that I just loved. I was going to get out my journal and read up on all our excursions, but we had my family over for dinner last night, and it was so much fun I was worn out by the time everyone left. So, I'll just go by memory here.

One thing that I'll always remember is the natural beauty. The deep blue waters, and the green everywhere! I have never seen so many rolling green hills, and after 3 days of seeing green, I still couldn't get enough. We also heard "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt for the first time. And we heard it over and over and over but I really liked the song. Still, every time I hear that song I think of Ireland. Oh, and driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Now, that was a crack up. Luckily I was just the passenger and Kevin drove the entire time. But sheesh, it was crazy! That was the first (and only) time we've driven on that side of the road. I think it may be scarier for the passenger, having oncoming traffic whizzing by you. That takes some getting used to. Okay, the people...they were the nicest people ever. Seriously. They loved to talk and talk and talk, and they didn't care if you were from the US, Ireland, or China. They just loved people and loved to share stories. We stayed at some fantastic B&Bs. One (which was recommended by my lil sis Kacy--thanks!) was a castle and it was amazing. (Kacy, what was that called? I have all this info in my journal which I can't get to right now. I need to pull it out and reminisce!). We went to Blarney castle and kissed the Blarney Stone for the gift of gab, although I'm not sure it really worked! But just knowing I put my lips on a stone that millions of other people have kissed, made me feel flattered myself :) The rocks, the cemeteries, the castles, the tours, the food (oh the food!) and the adventure of it all was truly amazing. Ireland is definitely a place I'd visit again.