Ooooooooo I dunno on that one. I have to disagree. I ALWAYS buy souvenirs no matter what country I'm in.
It's part of the fun for me!
Just different views...and different ages!
I'm not a tourist in Ireland or UK so never think of buying souvenirs.
The souvenirs I have are in my heart. Having said that I do bring back some priceless items.....
paintings done by Thomas Patrick specially for Nanna and Gramps......and impressions of his little hands.
Dave has bought me souvenirs of special occasions....his first visit to Ireland he bought me a gold Claddagh ring
from a little jewelry shop in Templemore.
Also antique Claddagh earrings to remember a special family gathering in Birmingham UK.
My Mother used to love photos I took on vacation in France, Spain, Italy etc..
....then I would write a little love note on and frame them for her. It's a good idea....so much more tangible than
emailing them. (Mammy never saw an email, and now she gets all her messages delivered by angels)
During 5 years as a FEMA damage inspector, I have spoken with and hugged thousands of people
who have lost their homes and everything in them.
(Yes I know, FEMA aren't supposed to hug people!)
What they mourn most are photographs of loved ones and family occasions....weddings, Christenings etc.
Dave and I have had 2 big moves during our 30 years together, when we threw out a lot of "stuff".
We are getting ready to throw out a lot more "stuff" as we prepare to spend more time over the Pond, God willing.
If we had kept all the "souvenirs" we would need to rent a couple of warehouses!
....I used to bring back a small amount of dirt from all the places I went. ( Some of the places were ALL dirt!! LOL) But on one trip I was ask to come back to an office while they took the vial out-- carefully-- and ask me about it. I can certainly understand why that happened, considering where I was coming from,and I haven't done it since.
In with the dirt you could be importing disease or tiny insects which could ruin a country's agriculture.
Ireland is very strict on that, being a largely agricultural Country.
When I lived in Palma de Mallorca, there were Oil Drillers from the USA based there for R&R.
They worked in the Middle East, teaching the Kuwaitis, Algerians, Saudis etc how to build rigs and drill for oil.
They brought scorpions into Mallorca, either accidentally in luggage or deliberately.
The Government spent millions trying to get rid of them.
This is what US Customs says under "Prohibited Items" :
Soil
Soil is considered the loose surface material of the earth in which plants, trees, and scrubs grow.
In most cases, the soil consists of disintegrated rock with an admixture of organic material and soluble salts.
Soil is prohibited entry unless accompanied by an import permit. Soil must be declared
and the permit must be verified.To get back on topic (sorry) I know Kasey brought his Mom some Waterford Crystal, and had tattoos done (ugh!)
but I hope he didn't overdo it with the souvenirs.
Would like to see some pics though!
(Not the classified ones
)