On my way

By this time tomorrow, John and I will be on our way to Ireland. I'm excited and apprehensive. I haven't been out of the North American continent since my early twenties. Without being too specific, let's just say that was a long time ago (John has never been to any part of Europe, although he's spent time in Haiti and in Japan.)

We will be gone two weeks. I'm not taking a computer (omigod, is that possible?) and though it's conceivable that I might post from one of John's cousin's computers or from an Internet cafe, it's unlikely. Well, the infrequency of my posts here is such that no one will be holding his or her breath.

I bought a lot of (used) Irish literature to get us in the mood, but the quotidian takes its toll, and we haven't made much headway into it. (I'll bring what I can for the long flights.) We have been listening to Dubliners (Joyce) on CD during our respective commutes, courtesy the SFPL. It's the second time for me, and quite enjoyable. It's hard, though, when a line comes along that I want to savor or (heh heh) collect as an epigraph. A choice line can be a springboard into a poem for me.

Will I write while away? Well, who knows. We've got quite an itinerary planned -- a week in Dublin visiting John's cousins, and a week driving through the south and west. I know John will be taking an enormous number of photos. Thank god for digital, or it would be a small fortune. The trip, of course, is a large fortune. But you only live once.

Ah, so here's the itinerary: We hope to see Trinity College in Dublin and the Book of Kells (not quite sure what else in Dublin, but probably a lot of John's relatives), also Newgrange (Ireland's Stonehenge-type ruins), Glendalough in Wicklow county, the Galtee mountains, the Ring of Kerry, the Dingle Peninsula. We want to go from Killarney to Tralee to Listowel to Tarbert, take the car ferry to Kilrush then stay at Ennis. We'll hopefully see the Cliffs of Mohr and Connemara and the town of Galway. And that's for starters.