My husband and I returned home last night after three amazing weeks in Ireland.  We went to Dublin, Waterford, Kenmare, Dingle, Galway, and Westport and drove through much of the countryside.  We saw ancient stone circles and tombs, remains of monasteries, wondrous illuminated manuscripts, field after field filled with woolly sheep and majestic trees, we perched at the edge of the Atlantic ocean, we walked and walked, and we listened to music that makes your pulse quicken.  It is hard to know where to begin exactly, but I imagine it will unfold in my reflections in the coming weeks.  We experienced

    Next summer my husband and I will be taking a five-week trip to Ireland and Austria.  We saved up our frequent flyer miles for free tickets and without a dog at home to worry about leaving behind for that long, we decided to seize the opportunity.  (We will definitely get another dog eventually, but have decided to wait until after this trip). Ireland and Austria may seem like an odd combination, but we each have roots in these places.  My father was Austrian and Latvian, he moved to Vienna when he was 12 years old during World War II to live with