Ireland

A dream has been fulfilled...I visited Ireland. My only regret is that I had to come home. Usually when I travel, I get homesick very quickly. I've noticed, though, that since I've moved away from my family and the place where I grew up, I no longer get homesick when I'm away from my current address.

On Friday, my co-worker Carrie and I left the office around 12:30, and I drove to DC to catch our flight. My friend, Beth, had made arrangements for me to leave my car at her parents' home near the Washington/Dulles airport. When we arrived, Mrs. Zirkle made us feel very welcome in her beautiful home, and even provided my favorite refreshment of tea and gluten-free scones before she drove us to the airport.

The flight over was great, leaving around 7:30 p.m. By the time I got acquainted with the elderly Irish gentleman sitting next to me and dinner was served, it was almost 10:00 p.m. I fell asleep and woke up right before we landed in Dublin. Getting through customs and claiming our baggage went very smoothly. We walked out of the terminal and caught a bus to Merrion Centre. After we had boarded the bus, I realized that I hadn't called my friend to let her know what time to meet us at the bus stop; however, knowing that her home is only a five-minute walk from the bus stop, I knew that we could find a phone once we got off the bus.

We found the right stop and got off the bus. As we were looking for a phone, we saw Jyoti waving from across the street. She had timed it perfectly.

The first day we walked through three beautiful parks, one of which is right beside Jyoti and Sandeep's apartment. We also went to St. Patrick's cathedral and a national museum. The parks were absolutely lovely. And the weather was perfect--chilly enough to feel like fall but not raining or miserably cold. Walking along the streets felt surreal. Large trees with falling leaves lined both sides of the streets and most of the dwellings and offices were of charming brick, some hidden beneath creeping ivyor displaying vibrant window boxes. The entrances were marked with varying brilliant-colored doors. Why can't we enjoy that same kind of architechture and beauty in our towns and cities in the U.S.?

On Sunday, we took a train to Howth, a village by the Dublin Sea. Walking along the cliffs, seeing the meadows where heather blooms and gorse bushes abound was my favorite part of the trip. While we were walking along the shore, a seal greeted us and posed for pictures. That day was so lovely; I would have been happy to have spent my entire holiday in that village.

Monday, while Jyoti and Carrie (the co-worker who went with me) took a day trip to kiss the Blarney Stone, I traveled by train to Maynooth to visit some missionaries whom my church supports. They gave a presentation at church one Sunday soon after I moved into the area, and I decided that I would look them up if I had the opportunity while visiting in Ireland. It worked out perfectly since I was too tired to travel several hours by bus to see the Blarney Castle. Vicki Gilliam met me at the train station in Maynooth and took me to see the church office where she and her husband serve and then took me to a Bible study, where I met a few of the women from the local church. For lunch, Vicki and I enjoyed bowls of soup and a pot of tea at one of the local pubs. She then took me to see St. Patrick's Seminary, which is the only remaining Catholic seminary in Ireland. The chapel there was absolutely stunning, even more beautiful, in my opinion than St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. The buildings of the seminary now are mostly used by the local college. It's such a beautiful campus! Vicki also pointed out the remains of a castle built by the Fitzpatricks. Before taking me back to the train station, Vicki stopped by her house to give me a book written by her sister-in-law, Connally Gilliam. In my opinion, it was worth the trip to Ireland just to learn about the book. :) It is entitled Revelations of a Single Woman: loving the life i didn't expect. Wow, it is a must read for single women or anyone trying to understand the struggles of the unintentionally single woman.

On Tuesday, Jyoti, Carrie, and I went to Dublin City Centre to go shopping and see some of the sites there. The first stop was at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells, an ancient manuscript of the four Gospels scribed by monks in the ninth century. Even more fascinating was the library which holds an old collection of 200,000 books. We also walked into the General Post Office, which is historically significant. In front of the GPO is the Dublin Spire which was erected about 5 years ago.

Wednesday was the day of our return flight...the four days passed much too quickly...Jyoti was a wonderful hostess and tour guide. It was definitely the experience of a lifetime, one which I will always treasure.