I'm tired, jet lagged, worn out and loopy, but, alas, I'm home.

What an amazing trip. Ireland was everything I thought it would be. Dublin was literary and historical heaven. The nightlife, the energy, the spirit of the place were energizing. The public transport sucks though.

I met tons of people and just talked for hours and hours which turned into days of conversation. Its the perfect place for people who just love turning to a stranger and talking about anything and everything.

I talked with the locals and I talked with all the furners in town for the shows. And they were from everywhere. Thursday night I hung with some Aussies, Spaniards, Danes and the locals just to name a few.

The shows on Friday and Saturday night were just brilliant. The atmosphere was just electric. The boys playing for the hometown crowd. It was a 2 1/2 hour sing along with 80,000 people.

On my last day I was lucky enough to get out of the city with my friend and her friends. We drove up the coast and took in some spectacular scenery. We then headed inland up into the Dublin mountains which was like the dream you have of what Ireland looks like. Green, green, green. Farms, bogs, forests.

We finished the day at a sprawling pub and restaurant called Johhnie Fox's (since 1798). We feasted on smoked oysters, mussels, crab, shrimp, sodabread, a perfect end to my trip.

The only sad note was just how down on the US most of the people I met were. They just see us having become a parody of ourselves, as mostly clueless about the world, and they are just mystified as to why we "don't get it." Worst of all is how many of them are just plain disappointed in us. Special dispensation is given to New Yorkers, Bostoners and San Franciscans.