Good Bye Ireland
We both thought Rick Steves Tours did an excellent job of planning our "dream" Ireland vacation! There was diversity, history, culture, music, unbelievable scenery, great food and lodging. Best of all we didn't have to do anything but show up!!! Yeah!! Thank you Cathie Ryan for a job well done and Stephen for safely maneuvering that huge bus through very narrow streets! Below are just some "odds and ends" that we learned about Ireland in no particular order!
Ireland's population is 6 million
They get 60" of rain a year
They have no hummingbirds
A Viking Trail is coming soon in Dublin
Their worst predator is the fox. At lambing season, the farmers bring the stock down from the hills in late March to save the newborn
3% of their GDP come from Pfizer, Viagra and Advil pharmaceuticals, tech & agriculture (hope I got this right in my notes!)
Church attendance is down from generations past. Now they attend for:
"Hatched (born), Matched (marry) and Dispatched (death)"
Seaweed is used as fertilizer for potatoes
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For your best trip check out their web site:
*Note about the walking mileage. Larry was 76 years and was amazed that we walked so much each day. He felt it was easy because it is spread out over a 10 to 12 hour day. So don't let it deter you! You can do it! Or if you're tired, take a break from the group for a "wee nip" of tea or ??!!