Ireland and Scotland Trip: Cultural Differences and Parting Thoughts

This was certainly the trip of a lifetime AND I am glad to be home. I am drinking my own water (albeit less nice than the fresh tasting tap water we had in Scotland), having ample access to toilets (ahem, bathrooms), sleeping in my own bed, and navigating my own shower with more ease. Adventurous as travel food is, I am thankful to be back home eating regular "normal" meals filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. Europe was not that different, but it was. Let me share some interesting things I noticed on our travels:

In Ireland

Ireland seemed to have a focus on sustainability. Many homes had solar panels on the roofs, but I thought it was rarely sunny? Most restaurants used bamboo silverweae and gave cardboard (instead of styrofoam) containers. There were a lot more cans than bottles. Bottles had a hinge built it to hold on the water bottle cap.

Kids were going to school after 8 AM. Most wore uniforms. Lots of people rode busses, but I also saw lots of foreign automobile brands: Peugeot, Renault, and Skoda, to name a few. People drove very close. (The streets are very narrow.) I saw no accidents, however.

Servers at restaurants did not really come back after taking orders and delivering food. We learned quickly to ask for pitchers of water for the table when we sat down. No one offered to split checks at the end of meals. Ever.

I saw sourdough twice in Ireland. Once it was the sourdough doughnut. The second was bread for our "toastie" sandwich.

Thought Ireland seems healthier than the US overall, many people in Ireland smoke and vape. I didn't think that the cigarettes smelled as bad, but still. Neither of those are good for you. Is this habit because it's cold there, or culturally accepted, or ?? I did not smell a lot of marijuana, as I do in the US, but I was told drugs are still an issue.

Walking paths are ample. I saw few e-bikes and scooters. I did see a few, though. Most bikers wore neon vests or shirts of some sort. Most walkers wore headphones, more over the ear than discreet like AirPods or earbuds. I saw lots of people running in Ireland. Most ran with their phone in their hands. I saw Asics shoes the most. Most people in Ireland do not wear sunglasses. Most dress warmly, and wear sturdy shoes (NOT tennis shoes, though I am glad we had our Hoka Cliftons).

Language was definitely different. "Biscuits" were crackers and cookies. Chips were fries. Takeout was "takeaway." Bathrooms were "toilets." Towing was "rescuing." Parking lots were "car parks."  The "f" word was common. The city was very multicultural, but in some parts of town, it was obvious who was out of place.

Overall, people were very nice, though!

In Scotland

What is it with smoking? Aer Lingus sold cigarettes on the flight there. Passengers were not allowed to bring hot drinks on board, I don't know why. 

Our hotel, well, left something to be desired. It smelled a bit dank. We did not get a washcloth. There was only a furnace (with no temperature gauge) for heat. We had no refrigerator. The king bed was very firm and seemed to be made of two twin mattresses put together. The hotel was also far from most things we wanted to do, not the worst, but not the best. 

Every time I visited a website in Ireland or Scotland, I got a popup asking me if I wanted to reject cookies. The Walmart app worked, but not Safeway. Wordflower stopped working.

There were very few toilets, and those available required paying. The toilets we did visit mostly had hand dryers instead of paper towels. Many of the restrooms did have lotion with the soap. What does that say?

I saw sourdough twice here. Once, I saw it for sale in a gift shop on our Discover Scotland tour. The second was at lunch for my mother-in-law's tea. Both times, it had old grains and/or seeds and nuts in it.

Language was still different here. Everyone used the word, "wee" a lot. Potato chips were "crisps." Lines were "queues." Sweaters were "jumpers." Windshields were "wind screens." Semis were "lorries." Wide load was "abnormal load." I saw a little more aggressive driving, traffic, and honking here, but still no accidents.

We saw a lot of wind farms in Scotland. (I understood that more after our cold, wet day in Edinburg.) The history is very gruesome. The culture was very superstitious overall. The country as a whole seemed more melancholy than Ireland. Although I did not see it, our tour driver also told us drugs as a big problem, especially in Glasgow.

Parting Thoughts:

Given that I did get sick in Scotland, I think the travel time was a little too long (or at least for my stamina at the moment(. It is easy to hop from country to country in Europe, but is it worth it if I am exhausted? Many people in our family loved Scotland. I favored Ireland. Maybe it was the weather and my experience. I will only know if I go back.

Europe was cool, but I still want to visit all fifty states. That also seems like more accessible travel. My husband loved traveling internationally, however, so I would guess both will be in our future.

While I have lots of pictures and memories from our trip, now that I am back, I do wish I had picked up a few more little things to enjoy once we got home. Sure, the food and snacks are great, but those will run out. A few mugs or something might have been nice. Will I think that in a few years, though? Who knows. For now, we need to settle back into this life and figure out how to save for future adventures!