Ever since my diagnosis of breast cancer in 1997, I have had a strong desire to visit Ireland and Scotland. I put together a 'bucket list' at that time when the doctors told me I would probably not see my 40th birthday. I was just 38 years old at the time and figured I had to get my ducks in a row FAST! Fortunately, their morbid prediction did not come true, and I am still alive, and have completed everything on that 'bucket list' but one. And that is to travel to Ireland and Scotland.
My maternal grandmother was from Ireland and I was very close to her as she was one of the main characters in my young life. She was funny, talented and creative beyond imagination. She was a great cook, quilted and sewed, and still had time for her grandchildren. Cecelia Bernadette McCarthy Hughes was a force to be reckoned with, wrapped up in a petite, chain smoking package. I still find myself quoting her at times and laughing at many things in my memory of her.
So when I decided that I would not be attending the major national specialties of my two dog breeds (did I mention that I have shown dogs for many years) due to distance, I did the math and figured that I would easily spend approximately the same amount of money to attend those two shows as it would take to go on my big trip. FINALLY, that dream would come true!
I decided to do a combination of things, including attending the huge dog show in England known as Crufts, as part of the trip, so the month of March 2013, was chosen. I did a lot of research and homework and made a list of the must-do things when I went.
As I started putting an itinerary together and picking the brains of my much-traveled friends, I determined that it would be more cost-effective to find a tour that would cover the areas I wanted to visit and give 'free days' to explore on our own. After months of examining trips, I found the perfect excursion for me....a AAA tour called Exploring Britain and Ireland, which was a 13 day tour. It started the day AFTER I planned to finish up at Crufts, so it could not have been better timing! I would fly over to England a week before the tour, visit those kitzy shoppes in London that were on my list, go to Birmingham for Crufts and then meet the tour back in London. PERFECT!
I re-connected with an old acquaintance who also was interested in this trip, and we decided to do it together. So the new "Thelma and Louise" (with a different ending, of course) came to be....look out Europe...here we come!
The Bucket List Trip!
I am very excited for you and look forward to reading of your travels. My family came from that general area as well, and someday I hope to make a trip of my own.
ReplyDeleteSue H.