Homecoming

On our final day of the trip, we spent most of the morning driving to Dublin, with, as usual, our rest stop used to satisfy our cravings for Cadbury chocolate buttons. Once we arrived, a "hop on" tour guide joined us and showed us some of Dublin's prominent sites, including a giant pope statue and St. Patrick's Cathedral. In the cathedral, we saw relic flags of English and Irish family houses, stained glass windows which told the story of St. Patrick, and a performance by an Arkansas high school choir. 

After several sightings of various Guinness memorabilia (it would not be an exaggeration to say that it adorns nearly every building in the city), we decided to have lunch in a local pub called the Blarney Inn, where Ian and Courtney reaffirmed their love for shepherd's pie and we all warily sampled fried goat cheese. We also sighted and very much appreciated the wisdom of a tee shirt inside, which proclaimed that "Irish men don't need Google, because their women know everything." Clearly, it was correct.

 When we finished with lunch, we headed to the Irish National Museum excitedly anticipating their "bog bodies" exhibit, which displayed human bodies dating from 400 B.C. that had been found, preserved perfectly by types of antimicrobial bacteria, in several Irish bogs. From the bodies, scientists had been able to conclude their ages, bodily proportions, causes of death, and even their diets. We then wandered through the exhibits for Ancient Egypt, Medieval Ireland, and the Vikings, before Anne almost walked through a wall and we hastily left.

Back at our hotel, we relaxed and gathered our strength for a boisterous night at The Merry Ploughboys pub, starting with performances of traditional and quite merry Irish songs with much laughing and clapping along on our parts. Following the musical performances was an exhibition of men who can kick their legs higher than we can and extreme foot tapping, otherwise known as Irish dancing. Here, both Ian and Julia had their wishes to be called onstage to join the dancers thwarted, although one grabbed our friend Kayla (from Minnesota FFA) and danced with her, much to our amusement. We have a video of it for future blackmail purposes (just kidding, it actually wasn't bad).

Once we had left the pub, we traveled back to the hotel, said our goodbyes to Minnesota and our other friends, and packed up for our trip home. After a whopping four hours of sleep, we were back on the bus heading toward the airport. We successfully navigated customs and only lost Cassidy for a short time, so we would call it a success.

Now back in the U.S., we've had a chance to fully appreciate all the people who made our trip possible, especially Kiera and Anne for maintaining their patience with us for two weeks and for feeding us, our families for their support, and everyone who contributed to this amazing experience. 

Quotes of the day: "He went to hell, but his wife got well, And is still alive and sinning. For the razor blade was English made, But the sheets were Belfast linen." --From "The Ballad of William Bloat" as performed by The Merry Ploughboys

"I feel like a salmon." --Kayla and Abby