Musings

7 more days in Ireland 

I haven't gotten run over or even had a close call from cars going "the wrong way"! Nor have I gotten Covid (or any other illness as I have on so many of my trips, especially to Latin America). Nor have I had anything stolen...although I've lost a few things: a ring, my tablet's pen and a pair of jeans. 

So all is going swimmingly well!

But I am sick to death of the smokers (and vaping is SO big here!) and everyone saying the F word every other sentence, no matter what age they are.

Being on foot, it's interesting that Ireland is just as car-centric as we in America are. I'd rather they were Car-la-centric but that ain't happening.

A friend said it must be nice that everyone speaks English and is easy to understand (versus Latin America travel).  Well, I've had many a time where I could not understand people supposedly speaking English and not Gaelic...so I just nod my head and smile instead of asking them to repeat again and again. Subtitles, please? 

Today an older man getting ready to climb up stairs to the supermarket (I was descending them) said something funny. I had no idea what he said and didn't want to tax his lungs any more so I just laughed. I think it was something like, these stairs get steeper or harder, yes? Yes! 

I feel like Bertie in the 44 Scotland Street series (Alexander McCall Smith) who had to move from Edinburgh to Aberdeen to live with his mother and suddenly could not understand the other kids in school.  So he just smiled a lot.

Sometimes I say my few words of Irish to other tourists just to annoy.