Day 33: 29 July 2010

Wanted to see Dublin one more time this morning so we went for a walk down to Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Trinity College, and then back to Brayden’s along the Liffey River.  Many things about Dublin remind me of London, but it’s a much quainter and smaller city.  We both agreed that we’ll be back here someday soon.  Not sure if it was the friendliness of the Irish people, a common language, some similarities to life in the U.S., but we really enjoyed Dublin, and would love to see the countryside next time, too.

Took a cab to the airport and arrived in plenty of time for our flight…finally.  Somehow, though, we were told on check-in that the plane was full and that we would not be sitting together because most of the other passengers had already checked in.  We concluded that people must have checked in online because we were among the first 40 people at the gate.  I was relieved to finally be granted seats together on the plane an hour later.  Although we travel frequently, I still hate flying and get very uneasy at even the slightest turbulence along the way.  Today was not the smoothest flight over the Atlantic, but fortunately not the worst we’ve taken either. 

Can’t believe our month in Europe has come to an end today.  It is amazing how much we have seen and done in 33 days!  We have our favorite places for sure and other sites that we’ve added to our unfinished business list for another time. Some days I said to Joe that I think we were born on the wrong continent.  Anyone who really knows us well knows that time is merely a suggestion for us, and in some ways we fit in well with the laid back European attitude towards time.  Whenever we found amazing food, I’d often say that we’ll never be able to look at pizza, pasta, or gelato the same way at home even at our favorite eateries.  Of course you can’t forget all the rich history that Europe contains that is just so much older and more fascinating to see firsthand after years of studying it in history books.  We started this adventure hoping to spend a year abroad immersed in a new culture.  While we only accomplished 1/12 of this goal, I think even in our shorter travels we’ve managed to experience the local culture in so many places.  After 33 days on the go, I think it’s safe to say that we’re happy to be home…for a little while that is…until we drive to Canada with the Rivera’s for one more summer adventure!