Extraordinary Dreams

Extraordinary Dreams Of An Ireland Traveler by Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins

 

•         Is it possible to rise above the pain and misery that rack the body and move to accomplish a dream desired?

 

•         Should we let life consequences from poor decisions stop the reality of what we can do, if only we would try?

 

•         Can a lifetime dream actually come true? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are questions, which went through the mind of the writer, Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins as she began to make the impossible possible.  Her book Extraordinary Dreams Of An Ireland Traveler is the journey of a woman who planned secretly for one year to make a trip she was not quite sure she would be able to make with

 

•         Her best friend,

•         Her confidant,

•         Her husband.

Adkins did not even have the guarantee Douglas Adkins would approve of what she had planned.  Yet, she kept moving forward with her dream, and like the poet William Butler Yeats, she explored the possibilities of her own dreams––a Byzantium trip to Ireland.

That is no country for old men. The young

In one another’s arms, birds in the trees

–Those dying generations—at their song,

The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,

Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long

Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.

Caught in that sensual music all neglect

Monuments of unaging intellect.[1]

The book itself is not only a journey into how it all began, but also of how it all ended. Adkins is an excellent travel apprentice. She had never planned a trip of this magnitude, and she lets her readers know from the beginning the trip was not financed or sponsored as a publicity stunt or advertisement promotion for some renowned travel agency abroad or in her home country. No one had anything to gain with her recording their trip’s itinerary or their method and criteria for choosing a Bed and Breakfast lodging or hotel, but she and her husband.

 

After receiving her husband’s satisfied approval and awe at what she had planned, the both of them continued to plan for their first trip of a lifetime.  It was their quest to move beyond the normal sightseeing tours of a country where most tourists see a cultural site five minutes here or thirty minutes there, and only receive a small peek, if any, at what the culture is all about.  No, they wanted to enter into the Irish culture, spend time with people, and gain some beautiful friendships, which they could pocket in their hearts as tiny jewels never to be forgotten.  Therefore, she established the legitimacy of her book by making her readers aware of the fact that her book is a book from the heart––her own Byzantium trip to Ireland.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,

A tattered coat upon a stick, unless

Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing

For every tatter in its mortal dress,

Nor is there singing school but studying

Monuments of its own magnificence;

And therefore, I have sailed the seas and come

To the holy city of Byzantium.[2]

Extraordinary Dreams Of An Ireland Traveler is not another one of those travel books, which promotes tourism and empties the money in your pocket.  It is not one of those ordinary travel books that sing praises of the leading hotel chains, which have begun to nest in countries that are dependent on tourism.

This book differentiates itself from other travel books because you meet people.  You are confronted with medieval history up unto the present. You live among the inhabitants, and you get to enjoy the charming atmosphere offered by staying at a quaint Bed & Breakfast pension or one of the hotels with flare and medieval charm.

Adkins also gives expert advice most people, who are traveling for the first time, are unaware of.  She warns the potential first time travelers about visiting a country in the off-season.  Many people do not know this is the time when most things are closed, and the inhabitants of the city are taking a break themselves!

O sages standing in God‘s holy fire

As in the gold mosaic of a wall,

Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,

And be the singing-masters of my soul.

Consume my heart away; sick with desire

And fastened to a dying animal

It knows not what it is; and gather me

Into the artifice of eternity.[3]

 

The author, Adkins and her husband, Douglas Adkins, lovingly referred to as her co-author, traveled through Ireland with their eyes wide opened to the culture surrounding them.  They gathered numerous facts while traveling, which they will certainly put into practice on their next trip to any country such as:

        Taking your own navigator, so you will not get lost while on the way to visit a site you would love to see,

        Making all of your reservations ahead of time before you arrive,

        Traveling with less– you don’t need to take your entire wardrobe with you.

 

 

For any first time traveler visiting, not only Ireland, but also anywhere else in Europe, Extraordinary Dreams Of An Ireland Traveler is a have to read book. It will keep you from making mistakes that would take away from your joy of being in Europe.  From visiting castles, to doing research at Guinness, to taking a nice, tasty trip around a whiskey factory or visiting the churches, universities and museums, there are so many things to see and do that a three-week trip can easily be turned into an eight-week trip, and still your desire is to see more.

 

Once out of nature I shall never take

My bodily form from any natural thing,

But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make

Of hammered gold and gold enameling

To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;

Or set upon a golden bough to sing

To lords and ladies of Byzantium

Of what is past, or passing, or to come.[4]

Let me return to my questions at the beginning of this review, which makes this book, Extraordinary Dreams of an Ireland Traveler extremely valuable.

        Is it possible to rise above the pain and misery that rack the body and move to accomplish a dream desired?

 

Yes, it is!  Adkins, a woman who suffers with a debilitating sickness, rose above it as she moved to accomplish a dream to travel to Ireland.

 

        Should we let life consequences from poor decisions stop the reality of what we can do, if only we would try?

 

No, we should not! Adkins proved that poor decisions made earlier in life do not have to limit your own reality of what you can do, if you move out and go forward.

 

        Can a lifetime dream actually come true?

 

Yes, it can Traveling to Ireland, Adkins recorded her dream providing proof and the reality of not only being in Ireland, but also of writing her first book.

Living in Europe and having visited Ireland myself, I can guarantee you Adkins has done a superb job with this travel book. It should be obligated literature for anyone desiring to travel to Ireland.

Extraordinary Dreams Of An Ireland Traveler by Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins is indeed a travel book with valuable content written in it, however, it is also an outstanding book of encouragement for anyone who dreams to travel and think they can’t.

Congratulations, Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins! You have achieved something precious in your book by presenting facts from a heart point of view with relevant content every traveler needs when traveling. I wish you much success on your next book endeavor.

 

Ciao,

Pat Garcia

*Extraordinary Dreams Of An Ireland Traveler by Rosemary “Mamie” Adkins can be bought at all of Amazon national and international websites.

 [1] Sailing To Byzantium, William Butler Yeats, THE POEM: An Anthology. Edited by Stanley B. Greenfield and A. Kingsley Weatherhead. Appleton-Century-Crofts. 1968. Division of Meredith Corporation. New York.

[2] Sailing To Byzantium, William Butler Yeats, THE POEM: An Anthology. Edited by Stanley B. Greenfield and A. Kingsley Weatherhead. Appleton-Century-Crofts. 1968. Division of Meredith Corporation. New York.

[3] Sailing To Byzantium, William Butler Yeats, THE POEM: An Anthology. Edited by Stanley B. Greenfield and A. Kingsley Weatherhead. Appleton-Century-Crofts. 1968. Division of Meredith Corporation. New York.

[4] Sailing To Byzantium, William Butler Yeats, THE POEM: An Anthology. Edited by Stanley B. Greenfield and A. Kingsley Weatherhead. Appleleton-Century-Crofts. 1968. Division of Meredith Corporation. New York.