Emerald

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So, the coach got broken into last night. I though the stuff I bought so far had been taken, but I was lucky and only a few people had some liquor stolen. Slight delay, slight pain in the ass, but nothing so bad and we finally got on our way.

We worked our way to Chester, which was a bit of a mixed bag for me. For starters, it has a really outstanding combination of old Roman, gothic, and Victorian architecture. The bad is that it really looks like it was cobbled together for the benefit of tourists only. Not awful, it was a bit like York only York had a far more authentic feel. We pretty much were here only long enough to get lunch and walk around a bit before being shuffled into the bus and heading for the ferry to Ireland.

Before we reached the ferry we had a quick stop in Wales where we lost a few members of our group. It wasn’t so bad as it could have been. Yes, it was sad saying good buy, but we were so rushed that we didn’t really have time to react. Plus, we knew that there was quite a bit left for that afternoon.

So, directly from Wales we went to the ferry, which was outstanding. For starters, the sea between England and Ireland is a bit, let’s call it rough. You could not walk in a straight line, so everyone on board looked drunk, really drunk. It was very foggy and a bit rainy outside, so the view, specifically the horizon, was a bit obscured. We all sat back, enjoyed some of the food offered on board and downed some beers; I felt this added to the effect of the rough current on the boat.

I did have to step away from the group for a moment, however, when I saw something breaking through the fog in the distance. The outline of Erin was breaking through the fog. Immediately, I put on my headphone and dialed up “Emerald” by Thin Lizzie on my Ipod. A bit cheesy, I know, but when else am I going to get to see Ireland for the first time.

It’s strange how the little things can be so ordinary and surreal at the same time. This was, to me, much like entering Scotland. It seemed miles away, even as it happened, almost like watching someone else do it, these are two places I have heard about, thought about, and damned near dreamed about for so long that they lost their reality. At some point they passed being actual countries and became these ethereal presences living at the far corner of the globe. But in crossing the border, in the moment where it became impossible for me to say that I have never been to either of them, they seemed so normal, so ordinary. This isn’t a bad thing, it just is. I step off the bus and there I am, in Ireland, Dublin to be specific, yet it feels like somewhere I’ve been a million times before. It was like throwing back the curtain to reveal the wizard. It’s just a place, just like any other in the world, but it still has that power over you. You still look around and have to remind yourself, “This is Ireland.” But now you‘re a part of it, not a big part, but as big a part as any of us can ever hope to be of a place like this.

The night was uneventful, with the exception of some bank drama, no need to get into that now, but we did get to meet the new people joining us for the Ireland portion of the trip. Good news, finally the Americans outnumber the Australians, great success. Then we just settled into the pub next to our hotel and enjoyed some amazing Guinness in DUBLIN!! Man, this is a good time.

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