- I don’t know if it’s the air, the water or all of the above, but my hair seems very soft and cooperative. It may look crazy all the time, because of the wind – but it feels nice. J
- The sky is different here. Sometimes it’s just an average Oregon-ish gray. But the weather changes faster from sunny to rain to hail to sun here. So, the sky is more sharp and dramatic. The light is just different. I’m not sure how to explain it but the light in the sky is sharper, more distinct and very beautiful in all weather.
- Everything is quieter once you leave Dublin. We were told by someone that 63% of the population live in Dubiln, which means that no matter if you’re in the city or country, outside of Dublin there’s just not that many people compared to the States. This mean fewer cars, no traffic, no real crowds of people and it just seems quieter everywhere. I think we Americans (okay, maybe just we Hayes) are just plain louder generally, but you can sit on a “busy” street and still feel calm and peaceful. Well, except for maybe Kilkenny’s main drag on a Saturday night – ask me about a “Hen Night” sometime…
- Nearly everyone you meet is happy to talk to you and help you out – even if you are just a dumb American tourist. Even the teenager with a stud in her tongue is sweet about giving the lost American’s directions
- Church bells ring out the time and prayers in every town you come to. We need some church bells.
- Stone. I love stonework. Stone buildings, stone churches, stone fences, stone bridges. Stone with lichen. Stone with moss. Stone with purple flowers growing out of the cracks. I need some stone around my house.
- Ivy growing on everything. As above – I need some ivy on my house!
- Ruins. Everything is old. Much older than our country’s entire history. So old and so commonplace that you find the ruins of a stone chapel just standing in the corner of someone’s field or yard. No one roping it off or designating it a landmark. You find it just resting there unnoticed because there’s another little treasure of history standing around the next corner. History is so commonplace as to be superfluous around here.
- Hedgerows. Why don’t we use them? They seem practical, easy to maintain, beautiful – I don’t understand. Something should be done.
To be continued…
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