Back in the Saddle

That title is a figurative one of course.  My family and I just spent an enjoyable 9 days abroad in England and Ireland, visiting our third son who is studying at Oxford this semester.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip--relishing in the lengthy history of so many places.  There's nothing quite like a trip to Europe to put things in a bit of historical perspective.  While the earliest English settlers arrived in Jamestown, VA a little over 400 years ago, and the U.S. is not even 250 years old yet, we visited churches that have been standing for between 800 and 1000 years.  

We enjoyed visiting several sites in England including Oxford, Stratford-on-Avon where we took in the Shakespearean houses, ancient Bath, Stonehenge, and a lesser known but larger stone circle at Avesbury.  We also toured Windsor Castle with all of its pomp and circumstance.

In Ireland, we journeyed southward to Cork where we climbed the Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone to gain the gift of eloquence (we'll see how that works), enjoyed the scenery of the beautiful countryside, took in a concert of classical and Gaelic music in Galway, and enjoyed a couple of days in Dublin including attending the St. Patrick's Day parade in which the Notre Dame and Mizzou bands were marching.  

We arrived safely home with all of our luggage last night and will undoubtedly be coping with a bit of jet lag today after getting up at 5:00 a.m. yesterday in London.  All in all, it was a wonderful trip.