I got back from Ireland a few days ago and I must say that I am happy to be home. I never thought I would say that about traveling, but, in this case, it is true.
While I was happy to visit Ireland, I am not sure that I want to go again. I was actually rather unimpressed with the country. If you want to see lots of pretty scenery, then Ireland is definitely very beautiful. However, for me, I always want to go visit the historical sites and there was not really very much there that was of interest to me. I did get to visit the Guinness Storehouse and the Dublin Post Office (scene of the 1916 Easter uprising), but, other than that, I was a little bored and, in the end, glad to come home.
The real reason for visiting Ireland was to visit people who I have not seen in a while and happen to be in Ireland. I got to spend an evening with my friend, Anthony, who I went to university with at Salford and had the pleasure of meeting his family. I also got to hang out with Leylah, her boyfriend, Monte, and Annau. We had not seen them since we visited Tanzania in 2005. It was great to see them and see that they were doing so well.
The first week or so that we were there we spent with the parents of my friend, Matthew. I really wanted so see them and see how they were doing. I also wanted to ask them questions about Matthew. I am happy to say that Irene and I got along really well with Matthew’s parents (Polly & Pete) and hope to see them again in the not too distant future.
Now that we are home, I am going to enjoy the rest of my summer, spend some time working on the swimming pool and get ready for the new school year in August.