Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
brush—trying to pick up whatever cultural insights I can glean from every
person I meet.
In our daily routines, we tend to surround ourselves with people more
or less like us. It's the natural thing to do. But on the road, you meet people
you'd never connect with at home. In my travels, I meet a greater variety of
interesting people in two months than I do in an entire year back home. I
view each of these chance encounters as loaded with potential to teach me
about people and places so dif erent from my hometown world.
For example, one of my favorite countries is Ireland—not because of its
sights, but because of its people. Travel in Ireland gives me the sensation that
I'm actually understanding a foreign language. And the Irish have that marvel-
ous “gift of gab.” h ey love to talk. For them, conversation is an art form.
Actually, more Irish speak Irish (their native Celtic tongue) than many
travelers realize. Very often you'll step into a shop, not realizing the locals there
are talking to each other in Irish. h ey turn to you and switch to English,
without missing a beat. When you leave, they slip right back into their Irish.
h e best place to experience Ireland is in a Gaeltacht, as Irish-speaking
regions are called. h ese are government-subsidized national preserves for
traditional lifestyles. In a Gaeltacht, it seems like charming and talkative locals
conspire to slow down anyone with too busy an itinerary.
Ireland gives me the sensation of understanding a foreign language…with people who
love to talk.
