The world is an enormous, spectacular place. We often forget how small we are compared to the vast world around us. Every country, every peninsula, every city, every town...every place in the world is unique. I'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to travel since I was very young. As I write this, I am driving down a mountain on one of the narrowest roads I've ever seen, behind a bus far too large to be permitted on a road like this.
The trip to Ireland was a long time coming, and simply life-changing.
I was born with Irish blood, and up until I was 20 years old, I had never visited the country of my relatives, learned about my family's history, or met any of my Irish family. I never knew that my great-great-great grandfather struck gold in Ireland back in the 1800's, or that one of my distant relatives ran off to get married and was never heard from again.
Being in a foreign country, eating the food of the native people, hearing them speak in different languages, listening to the music of the culture; it all reminded me of how different persons of different cultures celebrate life. One thing that unifies humans is music. At a pub called Ashes in Dingletown, Ireland, a man and woman played traditional Irish music late into the night, equipped with only violins. When I was younger, I would have been bored of them within minutes. But I was completely mesmerized that night. The seemingly effortless air between them was stunning. The tapping of their feet in time with the music, the closing of their eyes as they swept through a drawn-out melody, it was all so incredible to witness.
The Cliffs of Moher are one of the largest natural sites in the world. They lie on the coast of County Clare. The hike up to the cliffs is a bit steep, but when you reach the top you're immediately breathless. All around you is ocean, and jutting out are the points of the vast, green cliffs. The ocean seems to go on forever. While the cliffs were full of tourists that weekend, my family and I walked the path less trodden. We were almost completely alone at one point, with no sound except the waves crashing into the cliffs way below our feet.
We took a three hour drive around the Dingle peninsula. The peninsula felt like an endless twist and turn up a mountainside, dotted with fields of sheep and cows, which you could hear from every direction. At the first stop, we paid a few euro to hold baby lambs. The man in charge handed me one and it nestled into my arms, not squirming or trying to get away. It was pretty amazing, despite the fact that all of our relatives laughed at us for paying to hold a farm animal.
On the Dingle, I hiked up to one of the smaller mountains overlooking the water and the rest of the mountain range. This was a journey I'm glad I did solo. When I got to the top, the wind was whipping my hair every which way and it was dead silent otherwise. I stood there for a moment, breathing and taking in the unbelievable scene before me: just an endless array of ocean and mountains. I spread my arms out and a few tears fell from my face. I couldn't stop smiling. The feeling of being so high and overlooking hundreds of mountains and vast sea all around me was overwhelming. I was on top of the world.
It was spiritual.
It was completely surreal, and in that moment, I felt nothing but pure calm and bliss.
The world was turning and I was right in the center. With my arms raised, I shut my eyes and everything around me disappeared. I was covered in pure sea air, the sound of the ocean, and the most peaceful presence came over me. I forgot who I was. I forgot where I was. In that moment, I had never felt more at home. It was one of the most incredible, spiritual experiences I've had to date.
Dublin, like most bustling cities, is alive and thriving 24 hours a day. While there are hundreds of tourists, the authentic Irish culture is everywhere. Street performers, pipe flute and guitar music coming from every bar and restaurant, people of all different cultures looking aimlessly around busy streets, double decker buses weaving through the narrow streets; Dublin is quite a busy city. I stopped on a sidewalk to chat with a college-age street performer, equipped with a guitar and an open case. He told me he'd dropped out of college to do music full time. While not exactly an inspiration, I admired his positive attitude and love for music.
So if you get the opportunity to travel, take it. The world is an enormous place and there is so much to see and experience. There's simply nothing like being in a foreign place and finding complete peace and serenity within yourself.
