Ireland

Well Ireland was awesome. However, I think Ireland has this reputation as being magical and like the best place on Earth, and it’s definitely not that. The goodness there is what is loveable, not some weird Celtic touristy voodoo. Men on the sidewalk would stepped into the street to let us pass, everyone said hello, and there was just life there. It felt like an entire nation of small town-ness. And the landscape is stunning. We stayed in the most incredible hostel in Ennis, seriously, it was basically a hotel. It was sooo clean and the beds were comfy and it looked like a Young Life camp.

Ennis was lovely. Just lovely. It was tiny and had narrow streets and a bajillion book shops and lots of Irish people. I couldn’t have asked for more. We got there Friday after a rather frisk-happy Liverpool airport,(the red hair means IRA apparently in Northern England), and walked around town. On Saturday we took the standard bus trip around the region. We saw a lot of real old stuff. Most of it was from around 3000 bc, which I nerded out at of course. We ended with the Cliffs of Moher, which I really have no words for. It is the beauty of the Old World, and Lord of the Rings and emotion and vibrant colours, and the most dramatic view ever. That’s really all I can say on it, other than GO.

Sunday was a lucky break in beating ash related airport closures back to the UK, and now I’m one week away from Manchester and the plane ride home. Lots of emotions and work to deal with right now.