The Luck of the Irish

Ireland is quite possibly the most beautiful country I’ve seen so far with the exception of perhaps Switzerland. However, these countries are beautiful for entirely different reasons so it doesn’t seem far to compare the two. Switzerland is a land of towering mountains over glistening pools of fresh blue water while Ireland is quite simply the purest land of rolling green hill, stone walls, and the softest "grass" you'll ever feel in your entire life. While we've been spending these past three days in Dublin, yesterday we headed on a bus tour, (aptly named the "Paddy Wagon," I know), across the island. I absolutely loved this, not only because it was hours upon hours of sheer driving but because we disappeared somewhere off the motorway into the countryside. We took the back roads through little villages with stone houses and thatched roof cottages. Let me tell you, Ireland looks exactly how you imagine it would.


Our ultimate destination was the Cliffs of Moher, apparently recently named one of the new 7 Wonders of the Natural World. Words cannot describe the beauty of this part of the world. The cliffs tower over the Atlantic Ocean and are located just south of Galway, one of the larger cities of Ireland. Of course, it was a windy, rainy day (hey, it's Ireland) but that didn't detract from anything at all. So, I'm thinking in about 10
years we'll have ourselves a fun little destination wedding (if the occasion ever calls for one).

The next highlight of Ireland is the literature! This morning I spent a good hour and a half at the Irish Writer's Museum ( I wish I were here longer so I could have seen the James Joyce Museum and George Bernard Shaw birthplace). It gave a brief history of all of the amazing literary writers that were born here. I bet you've heard some of them.

Jonathan Swift : "Gulliver's Travels"
Bram Stoker: "Dracula"
Oscar Wilde: "The Picture of Dorian Grey" and "The Importance of Being Earnest"
W. B. Yates: alot of poetry
James Joyce: "The Dubliners" and "Ulysses"

There are many more, but these are the most common knowledge I think. And of course, I couldn't go to a Writer's Museum without getting a book. After some deliberation I settled on a nice hardcover of Joyce's "Ulysses." This decision, however may prove to be detrimental seeming that the book itself is over 1,000 pages in length. However, it is the ultimate Dublin tale, so... I argue I truly had not choice in the matter. ;)

This time tomorrow I'll be in Scotland. Not sure if I'll have internet or not, but I'll show up when I can!