Musings from the CU Suite

Jul 06, 2017

The Magic of Travel, and the Irony

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Written by Anthony Demangone, Powered by NAFCU

I just returned from a family trip to Ireland. The trip reinforced for me why people travel.

When you are in a foreign country, everything looks special. The different architecture. The streets. Even the animals seem "foreign." 

The feeling of exploration is powerful. You embrace differences. You even look for them. A simple conversation with someone from another country can be a wonderful adventure.

But there is an irony in all of it. We were talking with an Irish woman in Dublin who admitted that we had seen more things in Ireland than she did. It was in her backyard, so it just wasn't a priority to visit some of the sights. 

And I have to admit the same. Washington D.C. is full of museums and sights. I'm betting the average tourist to D.C. sees more in a weekend than I see in a year. And it goes beyond that. A drive to work for me is a thoughtless trip. It is just going from point A to B. A similar trip in Ireland would have been full of wonder. At least for me.

Perhaps the trick is to somehow bottle that attitude you get when you travel and apply it to your everyday life. There are wonderful people, sights and adventures in our backyards. 

Like most things, I guess it just depends on how you approach things. 

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Briggs with an Irish Hurler in Kilkenny.
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Kate, taking in the sights of Kilkenny.