Thursday, April 14, 2011
Image via WikipediaWhen I was a little girl, it was common knowledge that all of the red hair and blue eyes on my mom's side of the family came from Ireland. My sister was probably the best paragon in our family with her wild red curls, deep blue eyes, and alabaster skin covered in freckles. When we were children, people would stop us in stores and ask my sister where her lovely hair came from. And like all children fed up with the same question over and over again, she came up with a snappy response: "When I was little, it just growed on my head!" Of course, with my strawberry blonde hair and blue-green eyes, I didn't attract the same sort of attention. So as an afterthought, adults feeling guilty about ignoring me would turn and say, "Oh, honey, you have pretty hair, too!" Gee, thanks for the consolation prize.The point of the little story is to say that I've always known my mother's side of the family is Irish. Specifically, the surname was White, and my ancestor came to the United States in the early 1800s. I've been fascinated by it for as long as I can remember—this idea that my family has an origination somewhere in Europe and with as magical and storied a history as Ireland has.
This summer, at the age of 30 years old, I'm finally going to make my dream come true and visit the place where so much of my family's history began. It's most likely our last big overseas trip as a couple before we become parents. And this trip is so meaningful to me since it's a place I've wanted to visit for as long as I can remember. I'll finally see this place that holds such a special place in my mind. I'm hoping and expecting to find a lot of inspiration for my writing there.
Will tells me travel is my sport, and I do sort of make it a hobby to find the best deals. He's given me the go-ahead to find a deal and book, so let the games begin! (Poor Will. He has no idea what he's unleashed upon the travel industry.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I am so excited for you!!! Do you have your itinerary set? If not, check out railtoursireland.com for their day trips from Dublin. I've done them twice and it's awesome! Check out the Blarney Castle one and the Giant's Causeway one - the 2 with the most beautiful parts of Ireland.
Be sure and blog your trip!
Not yet. I'm in the planning stages. I'm desperately searching for airfare now, but it's ridiculously expensive. So I'm starting to look at package deals with airfare included. I'll definitely check that out! We always rent a car and drive, but a rail tour may be a good option.
Post a Comment