Ireland - Part 2

This post will feature some of the things that made Ireland unique as we explored like locals. We slept in hostels (highly recommend them!), ate in local cafes, hit a different pub each evening, and made conversation with all those we enountered.

Sidewalk in Dublin.  Yes, that's a McDonalds.  They serve really good Bailey's Irish Cream cheesecake in there.

 

Street in Killarney.

Street in Ballyhoura (smallest town we visited, just south of Limerick).

 Street in Dingle.  You can see the mountains in the background.

 We walked with our backpacks as much as possible, then took the trains between towns.  

At the train station.

We bought sandwiches and carbonated water for a picnic lunch in Gallway.  Beautiful park!

The Irish have signature foods, like their Irish Beef Stew pictured below.  The potato in the soup was a nice hearty addition.  Very tasty!  It's served with traditional Irish soda bread and Irish butter.  Other native dishes were fish & chips, black pudding, and shepherd's pie.

I had to throw this last picture in.  Our smallest village we stayed in was so far out in the country that the road went to one lane.  Not sure how 2 cars would pass each other here.  Most of the time, the sides of the road were stone fences, so you couldn't even pull over.  

Loved the countryside!  This was our mid-way journey, and perfect to get away from the tourist sites.

Ireland - Part 1

Our summer vacation to Ireland was definitely one to remember!  It was just as green and lush as the pictures you typically see, with lots of sheep, cliffs, rolling hills, folklore, history, castles, and pints of beer.  I highly recommend a visit.

We'll start off with some of my favorite scenic pictures and a few things that have made Ireland famous.   First, georgous pastures!

Scenic views from every hill.

Old tombstones amidst fertile ground.

And fences of stone that separate the parcels of land.

Sheep are everywhere!  

I couldn't resist getting a close up picture.

Even driving by on the highways was beautiful.  Just look at that ivy draping over the bridge.

Speaking of driving, Ireland has the steering wheel on the right side, and you drive on the left side of the road.  Completely opposite of the US.  Shouldn't be too difficult, right?

Let's just say I'm glad we had insurance on the vehicle.  Side swiping the left mirror is the most common car incidents for Americans in the UK.  While Eric & I both had our share of hitting the curbs, Eric gets to claim the ultimate prize for the mirror incident.

At night, the Irish hit the pubs.  Guiness is made in Dublin, and is the local favorite throughout the country.  My preference was the lighter beers, though.  

Just as our evenings ended with a pint of beer, the mornings always started with a great cappuccino, or in the little one's case, the best hot chocolate ever!

Eric's 46th

We enjoyed a wonderful birthday celebration today for Eric.  He's turning 46, and selected the one and only restaurant that he's chosen for years:  Gatti's Pizza.

Today they had a Power Ranger dressed up and he had to get a picture.  At the resturant, his Godchild gave him the sweetest hand-made note.  

After we got home and took a nap, we celebrated his birthday.  The highlight of the birthday celebration was our great "reveal" of our ancestry.  Scroll below for the results.

Genome Project

Eric & I participated in a National Geographic Genome project to trace our ancestry.  Both of us were surprised at the results, although some things were expected.  Eric's family had always known they were of Czech and Irish decent.  I knew I had a lot of Northern Germany in my roots, especially after visiting relatives there several years ago.

Here are the results...

Eric
Percent of population tested (est. 800,000) with a similar genome haplogroup as him is 1.4%.  Meaning, about 1.4% of other participants shared his genetic markers. 

He is 1.2% Neanderthal, a little less than the average human alive today.

Here's the breakdown of his results:

37%  Czech                                                

22%  Germany/Austria                                

18%  Scandinavia  (Norway/Sweden)         

15%  Ireland/Scottland                                

   8%  Southern Europe (Italy/Spain/Greece)

100%                                                               

Notice how there is NO percentage of Native Alaskan, Native American, or anything that would suggest his ancestry came from Alaska.  An important point we've discussed for 20 years.

This last section was not much of a surprise.  With a last name like McConnell, it's definitely a Scott-Irish name.  Here is where his most recent ancestors migrated from before coming to the US.


Now onto my results.......

Dana

Percent of population tested (est. 800,000) with a similar genome haplogroup as me is 0.1%.  Meaning, there are virtually no other participants with my same genetic markers. 

I am only 1% Neanderthal, which was surprising.  I actually expected to be higher.

Here's the breakdown of my results:

51%  German/Dutch  (Germany/Belgium)     

35%  Scandinavia  (Norway/Sweden)           

12%  Southern Europe  (Italy/Spain/Greece)

   2%  Central Asia  (Kazakhstan/Uzbekistan) 

100%                                                                 

This last section surprised me the most.  I've traced my dad's family history back 100 years and actually had a chance to meet them in Weseke, Germany (close to Belgium).  If I traced my mom's family history back before they migrated to the US, they would be heavily concentrated in Libya/Algeria. 

Rubik's Cube

The next research project for the little one was the Rubik's Cube.  After learning about the inventor, tips on solving, and interesting facts, we took a field trip to a science museum in Charlotte, NC where a traveling Rubik's Cube exhibit was on display.

This is the original puzzle designed in 1974, which was called the "Magic Cube".  It was later redesigned and marketed in 1980 as the Rubik's Cube.

This popular toy inspired many variations.

The little one seemed to enjoy other parts of the museum better, especially areas of building things.  Although she wants to be a teacher one day, I see the potential for a fantastic engineer.

A "Lean-to" shelter when sleeping in the woods.

Another favorite activity where she had to strategically place building structures with parks to keep a city "balanced". 

Date Week

With all the kids in Texas, Eric & I had a week to ourselves.  Although we had to work, each evening was filled with a different adventure.  We went ot a nice French restaurant one night and a cornhole derby the next.

During the weekend, we rode the entire length of the Doodle Trail.

On Sunday, we took a day trip to Asheville, NC.  Saw lots of nice people, attended Mass, and enjoyed the food.  We spotted the famous "Before I Die" wall, and Eric picked out his favorite line....."Buy a Boat".  Nice.....

Comic Strips

I occsionally find comic strips that mirror our life.  Here are two such ones.  I'll leave them up to you to decide which one reflects whom.