The Evil Irish Weather...and Luxury

I jinxed myself when I rejoiced at the sunny skies and warmer weather. Today I got drenched, soaked to the bone. Cold, hard rain all day exposed the fact that I have clothes prepared only for mild or brief rainy periods. As I shivered in my wet clothing with no shelter I stared desirously at the sailors with their suits of warm, waterproof apparel and the tourists with cars picking them up to go to their hotel rooms. Actually, just as dangerous as the cold rain was the ferry ride in stormy weather. As I waited to board my ferry, others disembarked looking a little uneasy. One girl was crying and holding a bag of vomit. This did not bode well. I’d rather be cold and wet than nauseated. I survived, looking death by hypothermia and severe sea-sickness in the eye and saying, at first timidly then more confidently, “NO! I will not go quietly into that cold night.”

Right now I am doing a little more than merely surviving. Agreeing with myself that dire conditions called for extreme reward, I now find myself luxuriating in the most exquisite B&B I’ve ever graced with my presence. You will laugh at these pictures. I’m staying in this massive room that appears to be for a honeymooning couple. I don’t care; it is awesome no matter how frilly it may be. It’s called the Green Room. It has a green theme. I sipped tea while watching a TV documentary on the Caribbean ecosystem. Never mind that it cost me an entire day’s salary—today, it’s worth it. I just need to do laundry tomorrow. Desperately.


While I was still on the Aran Islands, I took a few photos, as you know I am wont to do. I added the appropriate ones to the last blog, but I am especially fond of this one:


Roosters! I could have waited around and taken a million shots to get the perfect postcard-quality image, but I’m rather pleased with the memory of a bunch of roosters running around cock-a-doodle-dooing in front of a vacant pub.

For those with a childish sense of humor—as I was stuck in Galway traffic today, I saw a sign that had been doctored. It originally said “End of Hard Shoulder.” Shoulder had been crossed out and replaced with “Dick.” Yes, traffic jams have been known to sap the mojo right out of you.

Day:21
Guinness: 29