That will require a long healing process. It is true what they say about the many shades of green in the landscape. I kept taking pictures to capture them as many as I could. It did rain on us, but it wasn't a debilitating rain... often it was a mist or a light drizzle and then it would stop as soon as it started. A nice wash. When the clouds parted and a shaft of sunlight shone through, it reminded me of heaven. Another delightful aspect? The Irish gift for gab. it isn't just that they talk a lot, which they do, but that when they talk, it is poetry. Turns of phrase, the flow, the gentleness of expression, the angle of insight reflected the geography... easy on the eyes? easy on the ears. Rolling along and then swept up by a sudden emergent mountain that leads to a lovelier, grander vista. and let's face it: they are a funny people. I will treasure our visit to Ireland. In fact, when we flew into Dublin and as we first caught sight of the island itself, I found myself very moved. My reaction caught me by surprise. Maybe because my mother is Irish and because I love my mother and the fact that she possesses so many of the great Irish qualities: humor, kindness, honesty, and generosity... like Pete's mother too. Anyway, I'm taken in.... and it just goes to show.. .travel is full of surprises. Didn't see it comin'.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
ireland August 4-8, 2010
Pete, the boys and I visited Ireland for a few days last week. We felt at home. John said "he blended". People were friendly, offering help to us when we looked lost, chatting us up in pubs and cafes, interested in our stories, and all with a smile, a twinkle in their eyes and a ready sense of humor. It was delightful. The country is suffering from the recession, but as our hotel host said, "they are in their comfort zone"... that a few years ago, everyone acted like J.R. Ewing. Now they're back to their old selves. Another resident said that the Irish look after one another. He lived in England for twenty years and said it wasn't so there. Another offered that the Irish suffer from a shame that took root over years of poverty and oppression and abuse. 
That will require a long healing process. It is true what they say about the many shades of green in the landscape. I kept taking pictures to capture them as many as I could. It did rain on us, but it wasn't a debilitating rain... often it was a mist or a light drizzle and then it would stop as soon as it started. A nice wash. When the clouds parted and a shaft of sunlight shone through, it reminded me of heaven. Another delightful aspect? The Irish gift for gab. it isn't just that they talk a lot, which they do, but that when they talk, it is poetry. Turns of phrase, the flow, the gentleness of expression, the angle of insight reflected the geography... easy on the eyes? easy on the ears. Rolling along and then swept up by a sudden emergent mountain that leads to a lovelier, grander vista. and let's face it: they are a funny people. I will treasure our visit to Ireland. In fact, when we flew into Dublin and as we first caught sight of the island itself, I found myself very moved. My reaction caught me by surprise. Maybe because my mother is Irish and because I love my mother and the fact that she possesses so many of the great Irish qualities: humor, kindness, honesty, and generosity... like Pete's mother too. Anyway, I'm taken in.... and it just goes to show.. .travel is full of surprises. Didn't see it comin'.
That will require a long healing process. It is true what they say about the many shades of green in the landscape. I kept taking pictures to capture them as many as I could. It did rain on us, but it wasn't a debilitating rain... often it was a mist or a light drizzle and then it would stop as soon as it started. A nice wash. When the clouds parted and a shaft of sunlight shone through, it reminded me of heaven. Another delightful aspect? The Irish gift for gab. it isn't just that they talk a lot, which they do, but that when they talk, it is poetry. Turns of phrase, the flow, the gentleness of expression, the angle of insight reflected the geography... easy on the eyes? easy on the ears. Rolling along and then swept up by a sudden emergent mountain that leads to a lovelier, grander vista. and let's face it: they are a funny people. I will treasure our visit to Ireland. In fact, when we flew into Dublin and as we first caught sight of the island itself, I found myself very moved. My reaction caught me by surprise. Maybe because my mother is Irish and because I love my mother and the fact that she possesses so many of the great Irish qualities: humor, kindness, honesty, and generosity... like Pete's mother too. Anyway, I'm taken in.... and it just goes to show.. .travel is full of surprises. Didn't see it comin'.
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That sounds lovely, Katie. I hope you'll share your pictures sometime.
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