Also see Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13

Day 14: Shannon to home
We woke early in Shannon to head home. It was going to be a loooong day of travel, and we were not too thrilled. We figured out that on Michigan time, we’d be traveling from 2am to 10pm. Ugh. First, we ran into Ray the Driver in the airport, which is so weird. He’s based in Galway, what was he doing in Shannon? But he had played such an integral part in our trip, it seemed fitting.

Once we checked in, we stopped in the duty-free shop where we thought we’d have time to peruse for awhile. But after only a few minutes we heard our flight being called (an hour early!) and suddenly we were rushing like crazy people. We flew through duty-free, went through about 12 different check points and finally got on the plane. The flight was nice because we had screens on the back of the seats with a variety of movies, tv shows, games, etc. I watched a couple movies and some episodes of 30 Rock and boom, we were in Newark. We had a layover there, then flew to Cleveland where we had a several-hour long layover. It sucked because we were SO CLOSE to home and there we sat for hours. We discussed how it would be faster to rent a van and drive, but we didn’t follow through. Eventually we got home, about 10pm, and I was so happy to see my Giraffe. It was an incredible trip that I was thankful to have been able to go on, but one the best parts of traveling is coming home right?

People keep asking what my favorite part was, and I have no answer. There was no one thing that stuck out as my absolute favorite. I really did love it all. I also get asked a lot if I’d go back, and yes I would. But first there are about seven billion other places I want to visit, so Ireland might have to wait.

Now to the souvenirs. I bought a little something for all my siblings, all my parents (steps included), my grandparents and my niece and nephew. The Giraffe got several little gifts, and of course I spoiled myself.

The ring is turquoise, my birthstone. The necklace is Connemara Marble from the Connemara region. The chocolate is oh so delicious – you wish you could have some. You’ve already seen the other necklaces and salt & pepper shakers. And the print is something that really caught my eye. I matted and framed it, and I’m just deciding where to hang it.

I also bought myself a scarf and two headbands (these mostly to tame the fro) and a Balek vase. The postcards were meant for sending home, but I never got around to it, so I’m keeping them. That one of Jesus was handed to me by a random stranger at the Galway Cathedral. And the sweatshirt…I had to get a green Ireland hoodie, obviously.

I probably spent more than I should have, but we also were given a lot of spending money out the program fee we had paid, so a lot of it was money I had already spent and didn’t think I’d miss. And now every time I put on my hoodie (which I’m wearing as I write this) or look at my vase or my shakers or wear my new jewelry, I’m reminded of Ireland. And that is worth a few euros.