Northern Ireland

Hey all, happy spring! We actually saw lambs being born here, and the trees are all a'blossom. But we hear the temperatures have been warmer in Edmonton lately!

We have been doing good, travelling whenever we get a day off of work. We hitch-hiked up and through Northern Ireland for a week, and it was a great trip. The scenery, especially along the Giant's Causeway and the Antrim Coast was amazing, plus the people were so friendly (to us, at least, as impartial foreigners!) and tourism is not so prevalent here as in the Republic, so we were still a bit of a novelty. Belfast and Derry were such interesting cities, and the historical conflicts are still so recent, that everyone has something to tell you about it, and hitch-hiking is the best way to hear a huge range of views on all subjects. All the roadblocks and everything have been taken down in the last few years, but the political murals from both sides are a...colorful way to learn about the conflict. And the only violence we encountered on the whole trip was when an old IRA man in an 18th century bar, where the seeds of the Irish Independence movement were sown, smacked me on the head for calling the area "Northern Ireland", instead of "Ireland", but it was just with a roll of posters and a good dose of humour. Interesting place...

We are looking forward to the premier of the "HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie, and going to the Netherlands next week to meet the Germain grandparents on their tour for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Holland, and then to Germany for an Engelman family reunion (mostly all family we have never met before!). Then we have a day in London with more newly acquainted family members, and then back to the grind in Cork.

Photos of our trip to Northern Ireland and of the traditional Irish music sessions at our pub are now posted too!

Take care!