Well I’m back in the good ol’ USA. Truly the greatest country in the world, bar none. I ended up having to cut my trip back by a day since the standby seats were not looking good later in the week. For anyone who’s flown standby, you know the key is being flexible. But the price is right!
I have to say that Ireland thoroughly exceeded my expectations. The people were truly some of the friendliest people I’ve ever experienced while traveling. The weather was really nice. The costs were really reasonable. The landscape is gorgeous. And there’s no language barrier! Gotta love it. This is hard for me to say but it is now rivaling Italy as my favorite country to travel to. That says a lot coming from a wandering Italian! Lol
It’s funny because I usually don’t travel in the summer since standby seats are so hard to get, especially on domestic flights. And Ireland was not real high on my bucket list but I did want to get there. But I saw this direct flight from Charlotte to Dublin (so no domestic connection) and when I left the flights both ways looked pretty good. I’m so glad I went. I could easily spend a summer there on the Dingle Peninsula to get away from the heat and humidity over here.
And so many of you know that have traveled virtually with me for awhile that I always get a little philosophical on the last entry. It’s usually based on a picture I took somewhere along the way that really spoke to me (OK, I know that sounded a little “woo-woo”!). And this one was when I was on the Great Blasket Island looking back towards the Dingle Peninsula. You can see it in the picture but the quote says “Catch the heart off guard and blow it open”. To me on this trip, that meant Ireland, its people and its beauty really caught my heart off guard. I never thought I would like it that much, let alone love it the way I do now. Ireland literally blew my heart and my mind wide open.
By the way, I did some research on that quote and it actually comes from a poem called “Postscript” that was written by the Nobel Laureate author named Seamus Heaney. He wrote it while traveling through Western Ireland (just like I was!).
So think about things that come along in your life, sometimes when you least expect it, and let them catch your heart off guard and blow it open. You’ll be glad you did.
I hope you enjoyed Ireland as much as I did. If you’ve not been there, definitely put it on your bucket list. I know I’ll be going back there some day. Until the next trip, take care and happy travels!
The Wandering Italian 