Our last nights in Ireland. It would be so easy to become overly sentimental at this point. Although being sentimental has its time and place ... and trust me, the beauty of this country elicited more than one tear of joy during our two weeks here. Sometimes I felt so grateful for the opportunity that another tear would fill my eyes ... so yes, let's hear it for being overly-sentimental.
The final two days began much as any other. Sitting around the breakfast table ... being waited on by Jean, Rob, or John. I am not sure how that evolved but as someone who almost always feels the need to jump in and take charge, I have learned to push down those feelings and enjoy the holiday!
But once we finished breakfast and stepped outside of our Ballyvaughan cottage, any similarity to the days before this one ended. Weather, always a topic of conversation in Ireland, had looked favorably upon us. In fact, the only rain we'd experienced was that which marked the deaths of the Irish students. This morning, however, it alternated between rain and mist ... and even though the sun broke through somewhere between Galway and Dublin, we all found it fitting that, as we traveled eastward, our final look at the seascapes were through clouds of mist. It seemed much more Irish than the sun-filled days ... as grateful as we were for them.
After reaching the M7, we tore across the mid-section of Ireland, driving to the Castle Trim Hotel. The GPS told us to exit too early but John was okay with the detour, even if he was now driving the back alleys that hold themselves out as R roads, albeit four digit ones. John admitted that he was already missing those tiny roads and was happy to drive them one last time.
Our last stop was Trim in County Meath. It's on the Boyne River ... famous in Irish history for its battles (the river, that is). It turned out that the Castle (right across from the Castle Hotel ... imagine that) was famous for many battles, too ... the last of which was its role in Braveheart (yes, the Mel Gibson movie), where its four sides represented four different castles!
We were prepared to dislike Trim after all the charming villages we'd visited over the past two weeks. It was chosen because it had a relatively well-reviewed hotel, 45 minutes from the Dublin airport. But we were wrong ... we ended up loving Trim as much as any place we'd stayed--starting with the fact that the hotel felt like a five-star ... a luxury hotel with tons of amenities for $90 a night, including a "full Irish breakfast."
We arrived in time for our final pub lunch ... and after that, John, Jean, and Rob went to explore the castle, while I begged off to get a head start on wrangling the clothes back into the suddenly-too-small luggage. (Somehow the woolen goods from the Arran Isles had taken sole possession of our suitcases!) I finished my wrangling and went off to do some last minute shopping (of course!). Having fairly well invested in Ireland's silver market, I used some of the late afternoon to shop for ordinary clothes ... something non-tourist like. (Yes, of course, I was successful!)
Our last stop was Trim in County Meath. It's on the Boyne River ... famous in Irish history for its battles (the river, that is). It turned out that the Castle (right across from the Castle Hotel ... imagine that) was famous for many battles, too ... the last of which was its role in Braveheart (yes, the Mel Gibson movie), where its four sides represented four different castles!
We were prepared to dislike Trim after all the charming villages we'd visited over the past two weeks. It was chosen because it had a relatively well-reviewed hotel, 45 minutes from the Dublin airport. But we were wrong ... we ended up loving Trim as much as any place we'd stayed--starting with the fact that the hotel felt like a five-star ... a luxury hotel with tons of amenities for $90 a night, including a "full Irish breakfast."
We arrived in time for our final pub lunch ... and after that, John, Jean, and Rob went to explore the castle, while I begged off to get a head start on wrangling the clothes back into the suddenly-too-small luggage. (Somehow the woolen goods from the Arran Isles had taken sole possession of our suitcases!) I finished my wrangling and went off to do some last minute shopping (of course!). Having fairly well invested in Ireland's silver market, I used some of the late afternoon to shop for ordinary clothes ... something non-tourist like. (Yes, of course, I was successful!)
As Jean was out-and-about, she found this written on a "sandwich board" in front of a pub. A quick bit of background ... everywhere we went, the Irish apologized for their Irish "winter:"
Winter, I am breaking up with you.
I want to see other seasons.
Particularly Summer. He's hot.
God love the Irish and their gift of gab ... and their way with words of any kind!
Yet to come ... our last evening enjoying Irish music ... the Irish alphabet ... Celebrating 150 years since William Butler Yeats' birth. But for now ... good night all.
.
Winter, I am breaking up with you.
I want to see other seasons.
Particularly Summer. He's hot.
God love the Irish and their gift of gab ... and their way with words of any kind!
Yet to come ... our last evening enjoying Irish music ... the Irish alphabet ... Celebrating 150 years since William Butler Yeats' birth. But for now ... good night all.
.
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