Going Home

International flying can get the best of us as we pass through several check points, taking out our liquids, taking off our belts and shoes, showing our passports and boarding passes, and answering the  security questions, but I guess it should make us feel safe. Since we travel with only a backpack and can't shop along the way, we hit the duty free shopping for some trinkets to take home. Then we hit the jackpot! We got into our three seat row and no one took the third seat so we have three seats for our eight hour flight home! Of course it was cloudy, but it did clear as we got to the west coast and we couldn't believe it, but we were able to see Croagh Patrick, the mountain we had climbed, from the air. The was special as well.

Some thoughts:

--We never went to a pub, but there is a whole culture of pub crawling. It is only one aspect of a very diverse people.

--We met a wealth of people who were so willing to give two wandering Americans help, instructions, directions, hospitality, etc.

--Those on the tour buses may make it to the popular tourist destinations, but they miss so much. We would overhear people talking about sights and commenting that they were underwhelmed. Had they eschewed the buses and walked the land, they could experience so much more like we did. As our host in Derry, Thomas, said, "You saw the real Ireland".

--If you wonder how the tobacco industry stays in business, visit Ireland. Smoking is alive and well.

--Craic (pronounced "crack") is the word the Irish use for storytelling and merriment (especially in the pubs). So to hear someone say, "we had some good craic last night" kind of made us laugh. We even passed one establishment called "The Craic House".

--The food was very good in Ireland. We sampled many things, for example, black and white pudding, pastries, soups, stews, fish and chips, brown soda bread and much more. 

--There are a lot of sheep in Ireland. Their primary use must be wool as we never saw it in a menu.

--it really does rain, even if the forecast called for sun, there would be at least a few rain drops.

--Boggy land is wet and mushy and not much fun hiking. Then again we didn't hike through the bog, it was more like jumping from one clump of grass or rock to another.

--People in Ireland are not early risers. Even businesses who specialized in selling coffee and breakfast food didn't open shop till after 9 a.m.

This adventure in Ireland was very special. It may not have been as "Epic" as our journey on the Camino De Santiago in Spain but it certainly was fun, challenging and awe inspiring. It's a beautiful land, rich in culture and history and full of interesting people. We saw geographical phenomena that pictures don't adequately do justice. We saw the ruins and remnants of a country that has experienced war and other hardships. We also tackled physical obstacles that we will never forget. We never thought that we would be able to hike over six hours in the rain on poorly marked trails, and then have no dinner or water for the night, but we did it and I think it will help us to better understand the hardships others go through in life. It certainly made us appreciate the six kilometer ride we got to town in the morning and the one place that was open for breakfast. We truly received a wealth of blessings in many forms along our travels.

We will close this blog with an Irish Blessing that we read many times along the way:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

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