Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Elsa's Top 5 Ireland List


Alas, my beau Patrick and I returned safely from our sojourn to his native Ireland! It was lovely to be able to see where he grew up and meet his parents there. But before I detail our trip I have to state my Top 5 Things I Will Forever Think of When I Think of Ireland:

1). It's really GREEN. I know that everyone knows that Ireland is green. But I've traveled to 3 different continents now, and I've never seen any land so lush and green. Of course, we also went during the spring so it was extra lovely this time of year, but I must admit it's even greener than I anticipated.

2). FIELDS. Ireland is FULL of fields. Everyone owns a field. Families pass fields down generation to generation. I think that if you do not have a field in Ireland, you must be poor. But thatcan't be true, because even the poor have their fields. It's a way to make a living there,keep livestock or have as property to build your house upon. Fields are worth their weight in gold there.
3). COWS. Ha ha I threw you all off with that one, didn't I? One would think I'd say 'sheep', but after driving across the country I can honestly say I saw more cows grazing in the fields than sheep.

4). ROSY CHEEKS. Everyone is Ireland has the cutest pink-flushed cheeks! Young and old, male or female. I guess it must be due to that biting wind there, but my Paddy doesn't have it :(

5). PADDY's ACCENT - Ha ha - I LOVED this one! Patrick uses an American accent in the States since he doesn't like the attention he gets having an accent. (Well, he does admit to using it in his young 20s to get some girls here). That said, being the Europhile-accent-loving gal that I am: I have pleaded to hear his Irish brogue for over a year now but there was no hiding it in his homeland where it came out unchecked. *sigh* I listened and imitated it to my hearts delight!! :)

For those of you disappointed (and shocked) that I didn't mention the national beverage of choice, "Guinness" beer: well, I personally hate beer and this trip was more about seeing the culture and nature than going to Pubs. That said, I shall give it a honorable mention so as not to offend anyone. And even though I can't stomach the stuff I did pick up a swell logo t-shirt in duty-free!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sounds fun! I can't wait to see the pics, D

Anonymous said...

Pubs- public houses- are an important part of the Irish culture- they are not simply "bars" as we Americans think of them.

Elsa Martinez said...

thank you for your comment. I ABSOLUTELY agree with you. I hope to touch more on the subject in my more detailed blogs...