Catching Up...and a History Lesson

Well, let's see...

The weekend past didn't quite go as planned. (I believe the quote is: "The best laid plans of mice and men...") Saturday was pretty, and Mich and Tracy and her mom went to Guildford to explore. Mich said it was quite nice, however, our camera went on the fritz, and so there are no pictures to back up her words. We're hoping to get our camera fixed so we can take pictures with it in the future, especially given that we got it for Christmas.

Sunday was originally set aside for the St. Patrick's Day parade in London, however, when Sunday arrived, it brought with it some absolutely miserable weather. The weather was cold and wet, and any thought of going anywhere dissipated with the first step outside. The weekend passed and the week began.

We personally didn't do anything on Monday or Tuesday, although Tracy and her mom went to the Cotswolds and London. They left to return home on Tuesday night. I thought the Cotswolds were a really neat area when we drove through, and I hope to make it back there again before we leave.

Wednesday came and went, which brings us to Thursday.

Some nine years ago, on the Thursday preceding Good Friday, Michelle and I arrived in Dublin for a visit. On this past Thursday, we returned to Dublin, this time bringing two children along with us. The obvious corollary is that things were much different this time around. (It is worth noting that this was my second trip to Dublin, whereas it was Mich's fourth visit.)

The upcoming posts will give you the day-by-day blow of our little excursion to Ireland, in order to try to do it justice. We did, fortunately, still have our old camera, which we brought along with us, and therefore, I will also provide appropriate pictorial support for my writings. Until then, a few introductory comments will have to suffice.

Archeological digs show evidence of settlement in Dublin as early as 7500 BC, however, it was not until 841 AD that the Vikings established their first harbor in Dublin (named "Dubh Linn" or Dark Pool, being the area where the River Liffey and River Poddle met and pooled...those creative Viking sorts!) The struggle between the Irish and the British over independence has resulted in the city being ravaged from time to time, including, most notably, the bombing of the city centre after the Easter Rising of 1916. The city still has a decent number of older buildings, and despite the fact that Ireland has only been an independent nation for about half a century, the sense of history in the city is, at times, palpable. After all, Guinness, arguably the national drink, has been brewed since 1759 - longer than the United States have been a country.

Coming next: Good Friday.