Return Trip to Dublin

We left the beautiful, bucolic and charming rural west country of Ireland behind yesterday.  We’ll spend the dayin Dublin before taking off for home tomorrow morning.  

Ironically, our flight back to Seattle on July 4, includes a 4-hour layover in the birthplace of America’s Independence: Philadelphia, Penn.

Could be when we fly into Seattle tomorrow evening we’ll see some fireworks as the big Independence Day celebration comes to a close.

As our trip to Ireland comes to a close, we have made wonderful memories.  Even yesterday’s road trip to Dublin involved another batch of pastoral and historical experiences.  

A couple of geocaching searches took us to some beautiful vistas along the Atlantic Ocean and to a stately castle in the middle of farmland.

As usual, the walks through rich grassy rolling hills included the additional charm of farm animals grazing in their pastures.  I’ve noticed over the past few days that the donkeypopulation may not quite match the sheep numbers, but they show up often enough to  add their  fair share to the rural esthetics.

Today we’re taking in a bit of the urban atmosphere here in Dublin, trading a house of our own with lots of features  to a small hotel room. We were kinda spoiled with those rentals, but it will still be fun to revisit some of the places we’ve loved on our past visits to Dublin.

The hotel also served as a venue for a geocaching event Annie scheduled.  Last evening we met and visited with several of the cachers who always seem to have a good time when they get together.  

Today we may get together with some friends who moved from Bonners Ferry to Dublin.

And, then thoughts turn toward the long journey home.  It will be nice to be back at the Lovestead, but  I am very thankful for this wonderful experience in the Irish “home country.”