Failte go Chiarri!

Sorry for the sporadic posting...things have been, a bit crazy around here, but fortunately, the craziness recently included a fun trip to Ireland with friends! We flew to the Kerry airport last Friday (that was our welcome above, written in Gaelic, or Irish, that I couldn't resist reprinting here: Failte go Chiarri...welcome to Kerry!) There, we rented a car and stayed on the Dingle Peninsula over the long weekend with our friends, M. and B. to celebrate B.'s 30th birthday. And I'm happy to report that the verdict on Ireland is an enthusiastic two thumbs up, although my brain is still sore from trying to process riding in a car that was traveling on the wrong side of the road...I just could not seem to make that look right in my head! M. was constantly having to hold me back from walking in front of traffic...because I kept looking the wrong way when crossing the street! But, he successfully preventing me from being run over, thus allowing me to bring you our observations from Ireland without further ado! One of the nicest parts of the trip was that the people were absolutely fantastic: incredibly unassuming and friendly. For M. and I, adjusting to Germany has been a challenge, as it's not at all customary to speak to strangers with whom you have no direct business (seriously: offering up a 'morgen' or 'hallo' as you pass a stranger on the street is enough to elicit a confused stare or, more often, a glare in return.) So, it was wonderful to be approached by complete strangers who wanted to know where we were from, to chat, or even help us remember the rules to spades (yes! we played TONS of cards while we in Ireland!) when things like rules became, um, foggy in the haze of all the glasses of Smithwicks, Harp and Guinness that crossed our paths. One evening, we were invited to share a pub table by Noreen, a girl from Cork County and her Polish boyfriend, Mario, who were in town for the weekend as well. Mario was formerly in the Polish Army, and had been stationed in southern Germany several years ago, so we talked a little bit that and we also tried (tried being the operative word!) to get Noreen to teach us some Irish, which flustered her terribly as she explained that while it's common to find people in the southwest (like Dingle) who still speak Irish, that for people like her, from Cork, the language is something that's generally learned in school...and quickly forgotten! And, she also told us that it is commonly referred to as Irish, rather than Gaelic, which I think surprised all of us. Over the weekend, we met several people who spoke it well, and one man who was in town visiting his young daughter who had come to Dingle to attend a boarding school specifically to improve her Irish. So, all in all, I found people to be exceptionally outgoing and friendly, which made the trip that much more fun. As an added bonus, we had lots of really great meals (and even better Guinness!) while in Dingle, which was a big (and very pleasant!) surprise! I guess my expectation of cuisine in Ireland wasn't all that high, but the food really was terrific, and I came home (ugh!) weighing just a little bit more than I did when I left! But, the extra miles on the treadmill will be well worth it, I'm sure: we're barely home and already contemplating when we will be able to make a return trip! Wonderful, wonderful place, Ireland. So, that's the skinny on our weekend: hope yours was wonderful, too!