Sure I'll Be Grand

As we approach the end of our third month in Ireland, I'd like to share a bit about our recent trips to Galway and Cork. It's been nice to take some time to explore more of the island and get a sense of what is the same and different across cities here. Hopefully we'll get to explore the countryside more as time passes--what we've seen from the motorways is beautiful (and full of sheep and cows). Galway, 8-10 August We celebrated our August wedding anniversary* by visiting Galway, the original home of the claddagh ring . The claddagh consists of a heart held by two hands and topped with a crown, symbolizing love, friendship, and loyalty. My spouse and I have worn claddagh rings together for a long time, and they proposed to me with a claddagh that has a diamond set as the heart. I also gave them a claddagh during our engagement, but due to a manufacturing flaw and wearing at industrial jobs, it broke. We decided that a good way to mark one year of marriage would be to v...

Today is 2 months since we arrived in Ireland, which seems like both a lifetime and the blink of an eye. Here are a few more discoveries that have surprised us since then... Baby formula is not locked up on the store shelves. I don't think I've seen any high fructose corn syrup. No artificial dyes, or at least very few. No Red 40 anywhere . Do you have any idea how much stuff is recyclable? Plastic film. Candy wrappers. Things they tell us to just throw away in the States. Almost every package is clearly marked as to how you're supposed to dispose of it. Two-tap sinks are pretty common. One faucet produces hot water, and the other produces cold water. (Our house is not like this.) Paper sizes! I just learned that Americans are doing it weird ! (i.e., 8.5x11" is not the standard anywhere else in the world .) A colleague just came back from maternity leave. Her baby is 11 months old. The highest-level sport championships--like the recent All-Ireland Hurling and Football ...