It doesn't say Italy, but Ireland's close enough; they do both start with an I. I was a little disappointed I didn't get a stamp when we went to England. In fact entering both Ireland and England was a breeze compared to what we went through to get back into the United States. Customs was a nightmare, an experience I don't want to repeat for a long time.
Anyway, we are back on the radar. It's a little unnerving knowing that your phone doesn't work in a different country and you don't have access to the internet or email, especially during playoff season. How were we going to keep tabs on the Jazz (we did think of our kids once or twice too). It's nice to be home, connected again, and relieved the Jazz didn't falter in the first round.
IRELAND
Oh how the Irish love their beer, Irish tea, and potatoes. Every meal featured potatoes, one dinner even had four different varieties (don't think they've been introduced to funeral potatoes yet, however). Belfast was an interesting town and is actually part of England. After competing at different Irish games (I hit the bulls eye in archery!), we got a tour of Belfast in a black cab with a cabbie whose accent was so thick the four of us in the cab just smiled and nodded. It commenced at the shipyard where the Titanic was built. They have yet to built a replica, but the iron supports where it sat are still there. That was about the only thing to see. After that we continued on what became a very political tour, traveling to see the murals that are painted around the city depicting the struggle between Ireland and England, between Catholic and Protestant. We saw one mural depicting George Bush and their anti-American sentiments. That didn't really induce a feeling of safety.
We went hiking in Glendalough (pronounced Glen-da-loch). It really wasn't much of a hike . . . just a walk up a path to the lake, but it did have an old cemetery with a tower that reminded me of Rapunzel. The door was high and the only way to get in was by a ladder. We took a raft ride (it really was just a big inflatable raft) on the Irish Sea to a castle called Malahide and toured the Guinness Storehouse, Ireland's number one attraction. Didn't I say they loved their beer (glad to be away from the alcohol that flows so freely). We had dinner there and enjoyed a U2 tribute band who looked and sounded like the real thing. The final night was spent in Kilmainham Royal Hospital which is not really a hospital, but was an infirmary for the soldiers in the 1700s. It is now a museum. We were treated to dinner (yes, potatoes were on the menu) and awesome entertainment of Celtic songs and Irish dancing.
Overall, Ireland was a fun trip, but wished we had a little more down time to ourselves for shopping or exploring. Met some wonderfully nice people who work for Cuna Mutual.
ENGLAND
The first thought I had as we drove through England (other than praying we would survive their wacky roundabouts at most intersections) was about the pioneers who emigrated to the United States, made their way across this country, only to enter a very brown, desert Salt Lake Valley. England (and Ireland) was so green, so naturally green. I was trying to imagine how they must have felt coming down Emigration Canyon knowing what they left behind in England. I would have cried. We visited the old parish in North Wingfield where Ty's ancestors are from. No luck in finding a headstone, but we suspect they weren't wealthy enough and probably just had a wooden cross for a grave marker, something that wouldn't have survived this long. We were lucky enough to meet the lady curator. She took our information and if she comes across anything, she'll email or mail it. One morning we attended the local family history society's meeting and uncovered some names in one of the parish books they had available. We walked through an old cemetery in Belper, another ancestral town, and did some shopping in Derby (pronounced Darby with a soft r). Most cashiers were uncertain how to handle our credit card. Apparently in Europe everyone has a card with a microchip that is waved in front of the machine, no signature required. We did little buying since the dollar was not very good (for every euro or pound stirling it cost us two dollars), but we did find a pretty good deal on some soccer goals and even managed to get them home.
Overall, England was great. Loved the family history and old cemeteries. Hated the driving and Holiday Inn Express.
UK Expressions
TO LET=to rent or buy (I kept thinking they meant to spell toilet and left out the I)
"Thank you for your kind blows"=clapping
"The water looks a bit lumpy"=rough water in the Irish sea
Holiday=vacation
"How'd you find it?"=How'd you like it?
Take away=take out
Dual carriage=two-way freeway
Trolley=cart
Car park=parking
Lorry park=truck stop
Refuge=median or pull over area
Confectionary=candy
Redundant=unemployed or laid off
Bloke=guy
Rubbish=garage
Nappy=diaper
Lift=elevator
Wee bit=little bit
Brilliant/lovely are adjectives they use a lot
Put the word county first and seem to refer to counties more than actual towns, i.e., County Wicklow instead of Wicklow County
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