We have a room booked at the Travelodge…in Swords, Ireland….
Just before we touched down, Mark looked out the window and said, ‘My family has lived there for centuries before coming to America.’
Wow.
Swords is north of Dublin. We couldn’t go into Dublin City Centre – simply because Mark has a conference call for work…at 5pm.
So we stuck with Swords. We kinda stumbled on the town. The reception desk told me I could buy stamps from there. So – we wandered over and found a cute little Irish suburb….with and an old Anglican cemetery and a castle. Before sunset – we wandered around Swords Castle. They started building this residency of the archbishop back in the 1200’s and finished in the 1600’s.
This is such an ancient country….with a relatively new government. It’s neat to touch the walls and buildings that date back a few centuries….and this is just Swords…hell – it doesn’t even show up in the Frommer’s book my Dad gave Mark for Xmas. Maybe I should write a new paragraph for Frommer’s next edition on Ireland.
It’s been a sunny day…..lovely, really. Cold…maybe in the 40’s. Green land, as far as you can see. Quaint towns…suburbs of Dublin….with history. We figured the locals take the castle and the cemetary for granted. We’ve already had a toast with Guiness and pints of Bass – as I used another pub’s toilets.
Mark’s mom’s friend actually covered our hotel stay…..I totally want to buy him a pint and get him a special gift. His generosity still amazes me.
Ireland is beautiful.