Secret Spots

I let my feet hang loose off the pedals for just a moment, and the bike coasted for a few feet before stopping. The silence of nature descended on my ears like a physical weight. I stood still while the light wind cooled my face, and I reveled in the moment. On my right two horses grazed quietly, and beyond them was the beautiful Atlantic ocean, sparkly teal in the full mid-morning sun. Up the gradual hills to my left rose countless rock hedges, put together with obvious attention to detail. No mortar was used in the completion, only simple stacking techniques probably passed from one generation to the next. Lines and lines of these archaic rock walls turned the landscape into a unique display of ingenuity. Ireland isnt known for their roaming tree groves after all, and is in fact one of the most deforested areas of Europe.

To Jon & I, the perfect vacation spot is somewhere out of the way. We've always liked places that feel untouched, as if we're the only ones who know the secret. Especially since living in the capitol of the country now, we crave the hushed atmosphere only found on the road less taken. The beauty of the Aran Islands is hard to caricature in words, and we both fell perfectly in love with the place. It's the kind of region that feels unspoiled by modern living, seemingly stuck in time where people hang their clothes to dry in the sea-breeze air, and rely on the family livestock to sustain you through a harsh winter.

Its easy to be romantic about a place like the Aran Islands, wild and almost frightening in its sincerity. We saw more cows than people while biking about all day. There's only two ferries a day from the island: one at 10am going in, and one at 5pm going out. Hard luck if you miss one. As we stepped off the ferry, it was jarring to be suddenly assaulted by about fifty men standing by their vans, forcefully hawking tours of the island to every passerby. For a minute it really felt like Mexico or China, where they never really leave you alone, and if you buy anything it only gets worse.

But once we made it through the gauntlet to the bike shop and payed our measly 10euro a bike, we were really on our way. The next five or so hours were incredible, and so relaxing. Jon & I decided we will definitely be going back to stay in a B&B. Our very favorite B&B is the Shaw House Inn in Ferndale, California, but the Aran Islands may become our Irish fave while we're here. Its definitely our little secret.

St. Patrick Approves This Message

People had hyped St. Patrick's Day for us to where we went to bed with feelings akin to Christmas Eve. The present was going to be the big parade, passing right under our window! Big Window Bonus #389: Front row seats, every time! So when we woke up to a double-decker bus parked in front of our view of the street, we were less than pleased. Then they parked a second one behind that, cutting our view from full-on epic, to a hole here & there between the buses that were apparently for "the press". But they didnt stop there. Soon the paramedics came behind those buses, and set up two tents that we could nearly touch with our feet dangling from our sill. We were in the nose-bleeds by the time the city was done shattering our hopes for the morning. Did I mention the two giant buses remained nearly empty for the entire parade?

Feeling festive anyway, we bought 2 Ireland flags and hung one outside each window sill. My mother sent us blimp-like balloons (about 2 feet long each)! When the crowd got bigger, we let them fart along in the air above them, dissolving into hilarity when one landed in front of an unsuspecting face in the multitude. Jon made green pancakes for our guests who came to watch the parade with us, and we cooked loads of rashers. Rashers rashers rashers. My Irish friend even taught me how to make an honest Irish Coffee, including hand-whipped cream! I didnt believe her when she said it was easy to make, so I bought a can of aerosol whip, JUST in case...but I was so wrong! I will never buy pre-made whipped cream again!

It was so amazing to be in Ireland for their biggest holiday of the year. The city was entirely packed with tourists from all over the world. Most of them wore gaudy green Leprechaun hats, or chartreuse sweatshirts loudly pronouncing "IRELAND", just in case they forgot where they were. Jon's sister had just flown in from the States the night before, so she got a first-rate introduction to our fair isle! I learned new things too, like a clover and a shamrock are not the same thing at all, and corned beef & cabbage is a decidedly American tradition. Also, its only St. Patrick's Day, or Paddy's Day. Never St. Patty's, or St. Paddy's Day. Semantics, yet pertinent.

Without exception, this was the best St. Patrick's Day we've ever had. I hope the double-decker bus industry go out of business before next year though. Hope yours was just as fun!