Check one off the list!
Ireland has been on my bucket list for many years…even before 23 and Me informed me that I’m mostly Irish. In the movies it looks beautiful and quaint. It appears to be a friendly inviting country and the people seem happy. Who wouldn’t want to go there?
Disney World is “the happiest place on Earth” and it’s “where dreams come true.” I love Disney. Growing up in Florida we went several times a year! Yes, we went a lot. I had to check out this country of Ireland where the movies make it look like the adult version of a Disney park. Therefore, I added it to my bucket list!
Two years ago, my youngest daughter asked if she could go on a school trip to Ireland. Since I live vicariously through my children, I said “yes” with enthusiasm. My next response was a question, “can parents go?” She checked on it, and I could go. Then…what about the other daughter still living at home? Would she be able to go? Again, it was a yes. There I was, committed to a two year payment plan for three people to go on this trip with no idea how I was going to pay for it, but we were going!
It was so much more than just Ireland. We went to Wales, Scotland, and England. We rode a bus (a lot), we rode a ferry, and we rode a train. Of course, the trip had a few airplane rides as well.
I could write for days and tell you how amazing this trip was for everyone in our group. A group of teenagers and adults from South Georgia coming together for 10 days on a great adventure! Castles, museums, restaurants, tours, lots of exploring in old cities, and a big day in London… I’ll get back to that. In 10 days, we saw a lot of Ireland and Great Britain. We also learned that Great Britain is a lot of countries to include England. (Plus, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
I mentioned earlier that two of my daughters and myself went together on this big trip. Our daily exploring group included another set of two sisters. Our accountability group also included one young man traveling alone. We were known as “The DeFelice Six.” Exploring with so many teenagers was a challenge as everyone had some where they wanted to go, but we had limited free time throughout the journey. Now I have to go back one day to see more…especially my favorite, Scotland.
One of the big highlights happened in London. We were on a tour that included a bus ride and walking. Our amazing tour guide had a surprise in store for us that day! A once in a lifetime kind of event! It was the King’s Birthday parade.
We saw the King! We also saw the Royal Family. King Charles and his Queen, Camilla, were in a horse drawn carriage. Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Prince William rode horses right behind the King. There were other carriages in the parade with their families. Yes! We saw Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis as their carriage passed by the crowds that lined the streets. Our awesome tour guide picked a spot along the route that was less crowded, so we were almost up front! Did I mention the band was riding horses? Let me remind you…we saw the King! (And the two future Kings)
The high school teacher that sponsored the trip was extremely organized and experienced. We came prepared with our special backpack that identified us as part of the group, our one carry-on, and one small rolling suitcase. She told us to prepare for rain, but we were blessed with 7 days of sunshine! Ten day trip, so we did get to use our rain jackets a few times. I highly recommend signing up if that type of program exists at your teens’ school!
I’ll end this with a quick roll-up of some core memories (besides seeing the King): museums with history and famous artwork, riding the London Eye, the best fish and chips while in Edinburgh, a few sheep blocking the road in Ireland, seeing the stuffed clone sheep “Dolly” in Scotland, finding my maiden name (King) engraved on several places in an old church in Dublin, and the crazy maze we had to wind our way through to get to customs in Canada. There is so much more I could add from those 10 days, and I would love to go back there! However, the point of this post is this: cross Ireland off my bucket list!
