In a couple hours, we fly East across the giant pound to an island I have never had great desire to go to. This does not mean I never wanted to go but only if the time was right. The time felt right last week when I bought the tickets to Dublin.
The most exciting thing about the trip is that I know very little about Ireland. I find it so interesting how so many people think they know everything about it, but do they really? So, who is the prime minister? Or do they use a president? Or are they under the rule of the queen? Wait, maybe that's the other Ireland up north! Do people know there are two countries on the same island? It's PRESIDENT Mary McAleese for the record and Northern Ireland is part of the UK.
Then we get to the whole Blarney Stone and Killarny and the other places and legends I heard about. The guide book makes the best point that some people go to these places so they can seem to know everything about Ireland and all their magical stories. I'll leave the story telling to the local sitting at the pub next to me. I am not on the voyage to become an expert but to learn what I don't know.
I am going into this trip knowing virtually nothing about Ireland. I tasted some of the foods and I know the beer. I know castles and churches are abound but don't know much beyond that. I expect to see lots of green, lots of clouds, and amazing cliffs when I finally see the Atlantic. I think I'll be swept away by amazing winds but that I'll find warmth in tiny pubs. I am excited to watch the Champions League in a pub especially since ManU has some Irish players (John O'Shea for instance).
Sometimes the most exciting trips are those that you go on with whom a land means a lot to. Sometimes the best trips are those you go in knowing nothing about. Sometimes the most memoriable trips are those where you do none of the planning (which hardly ever happens for me). I am going to sit back and enjoy this ride because I think it's going to be quite magical!
