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How's this? I just returned from a week long trip to Ireland, and the most amazing part is that I can hardly believe that I've been there, and am now back home. After years of wanting the trip, and months of planning, the fact that my husband and I actually took our dream vacation doesn't seem a reality.

But it is. We have the pictures and video to assure us, and evidence of our absence in the cats' new bad habit of sitting on the counter.

The journey itself is somewhat eclipsed by the details of travel, accommodation and sights seen. I need to keep reminding myself that the excursion and events were truly in Ireland, the land of my ancestors, favorite music and perfect climate. It was the homeland and mecca. It was a pilgrimage, of sorts. My worry is that our position as shoestring budget, short stay tourists got in the way of the spiritual high a pilgrim is supposed to get when seeing the shrine for the first time.

Why would I expect that?

Americans romanticize Europe. The narrow market-strewn streets, fantastic landscapes, rich accents and festive atmospheres sell tickets to those looking to escape. After the first trip, you realize that Europeans are just like us, only a few centuries more settled in and exercising the same cold capitalism through sales of cliche souvenirs. Tourists on a budget soon find themselves looking for similarities, familiar methods of survival. Europeans have the same basic needs as Americans, and generally avoid the expensive food shops and pay-to-use public toilets. Poor Americans end up in Galway's equivalent of Save A Lot.

We knew we would be there, hungry and running out of cash. At the time, we were in the middle of a challenge. We were on a mission to get by in Paradise, and we made the best of it. But when we got home, I felt a little robbed, and it was no one's fault but my own.

Is it necessary to become an honest to goodness sell-out tourist to get a sense of a destination? Do we really want to see the country as it is or fulfill the fancy that a place like Ireland stirs up? Does it matter as long as we're having a good time?

There's no right answer. I do know that I wish I'd seen a few classic icons.

But since there's nothing I can change from this side of the Atlantic, the best thing to do is nickel and dime my way back to Ireland, and next time remember to see Tara and County Kerry and the Guinness Brewery.

My recommendation to other pilgrims out there: Check out the good deals in the Super Valu, visit a small, non-tourist type town and try Smithwick's (pronounced 'Shmiddicks') instead of Guinness at some point. But if you really want to kiss the Blarney Stone, strap on your fanny pack and go for it.

Learn more about this author, Katie Reilly.
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