Then we clicked our heels three times and found ourselves in Ireland. Any city would fade in comparison to Paris but Dublin is a lovely little city, at least what we saw of it. Truth be told at this point in the vacation we were all exhausted and Nate was working all day and had dinners every night so it was just the three of us left to wander around. It was much colder than in France and taking on yet another map and lonely planet guide was just a bit much for this Mom. Luckily we had a great hotel in the Grafton Street region of Dublin and we managed to stay in that area the entire time. Not a bad area to stay in, I might add; lots of shops full of bits and bobs. Ireland is in a bit of financial crisis right now and the tone couldn't be missed. It was much like our first trip back to the States after the downfall, you can sense the stress and tension in people. That being said, it was a welcome and friendly reprieve from the slight French intimidation and we felt right at home. Couldn't understand the Irish any more than the French though. And that part was in English!
We shopped a bit, played at the gorgeous park nearby and basically just bummed around. The hotel manager and I became great friends due to some minor tears at the beginning of our stay and he made us feel at home in a great big suite with warm milk and cookies and bottles of wine. See, already just like home.
We celebrated Thanksgiving in Dublin with not Turkey but sheppards pie and Guinness. It doesn't matter what you eat as long as you are celebrating the things that you are most grateful for. An amazing family, beautiful healthy children, top notch friends, a warm bed and a fabulous vacation.
1 comment:
Minus the Guiness, of course, I think your Thanksgiving meal sounds lovely! :)
You're right -- it's the reason, not the food, that makes it a special holiday.
I hear Ireland is beautiful, but would you say it's a more summer type destination?
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