Things I Like About Ireland

Hi, Blogaholics,


FMM: 2.5 mi


There are lots of reasons Ireland is such a popular tourist attraction. It's not just that there are more people of Irish descent in the U.S. than there are in Ireland! Here are a few things I've discovered...There are beautiful, colorful flowers everywhere. I am reminded of New Orleans and some of the extravagant beauty associated with ordinary porches, windowsills, and even lampposts...Everything truly is green. The leaves haven't really started to turn yet..The classic buildings are consistently in exceptional condition. There aren’t blocks where some buildings are torn down and some remain. I have almost become inured to them after only a short time here. They are the essence of picturesque with their classic mostly Georgian style and brightly- painted doors......There’s a store called Argis in the mall at St. Stephen’s Green. Not only has it relieved my mind of where I to find items like a cordless LANDLINE (GASP) phone. You just look through the catalog, write down the number, and they get it for you from the back room. It’s very quick and efficient like the old Service Merchandise. With no Best Buy, Target, or Wal-Mart or any facsimiles of them in sight, this is HUGE!....There is no tax added to purchases. The price you see is what you pay. It’s nice to not have to figure out “about” what your meal cost....The bus service is very efficient. The buses are clean and there are plenty of them. Of course, I have no real bus service to compare them to since I’ve never even been on a bus in Columbia....The people read a lot. There a several thriving (or so they seem to me) daily newspapers. The bookstores are busy. There is an big emphasis on books and book reviews in the newspapers. There are a lot of author-celebrities here which I think is less common in U.S. Sorry I missed the chance to see Ozzy Osbourne signing his autobiography at Eason's on Sunday, but I hope to encounter a few authors before I depart the Emerald Isle. I do know where Maeve Binchy lives so I guess I could stalk her...I wish I had had my camera yesterday as I saw an older man (those are getting harder and harder to find, by the way, can somebody explain that to me??) stopped in the middle of the sidewalk intently reading the evening newspaper. I don't recall ever seeing a similar scene in the U.S. Of course, there are lots of sensational headlines even in the "mainstream" newspapers over here. The TV news shows also show you the front pages of each newspaper every day and read them to you; I find this a bit unusual...Well, that's my travelogue for today. I'm sure Molly and Nancy stopped reading this several sentences ago, but those of you who made it to the end, I thank you for sticking with me...I am off to hike the oceanside cliffs in Howth with a group of ladies who haven't tired of me (or changed their days, times, and location for walking) yet. I will try to keep my mouth shut!

Hikingly yours,

Tizze/Tiz/Tizmom/Mom/Liz/Elizabeth