So, since I promised I better get on with my story of how I spent my time on Ireland.The Girl met me at the bus stop. It was surreal. It was like coming home and still feeling like a stranger in a strange land. Again with her, I was filled with the sensation of being out of place, undeserving, like I was mistaken for someone else and let into a fancy party.
Walking home to her place, we just talked and kissed. I don't remember this time in any great detail, still upset and focused on my material losses and the precarious situation it had caused me. Dropping off my stuff was the plan, but we fell into each other and rested at her place for a while. I have to add that it was quite a dump. Sorry baby, but I think you felt so too.
Then we strolled over to Baby's sister to watch Lost and pick up an extra pillow and a cdplayer. As I look back, writing this, that looks good, the bare essentials. Two lovers, a pillow and a cdplayer. And from the memories, more than any street or café in Galway, those things seem to have taken a big place.
Sister was nice, she didn't grill me, she didn't give me the evil eye, the crook eye or even the stink eye. I was somehow expecting her to be very protective. Why? I don't know. Because of how precious I feel the Girl is perhaps. We spent an hour or so with her and her flatmates, watching Lost as I said, and they were nice as well.
The first few days went as follows. Kissing a lot, hugging a lot, walking a lot, sleeping some, buying stuff i needed, going to cafés. Wednesday night, we arranged so that I and Sister was to cook, as The Girl was at work (café, part time) and we whipped up quite a nice dinner. An eclectic mix of simple and yet exquisite foods such as blue cheese gratinated tomatoes, bruschetta, grilled vegetables, wine... I felt we did a good job, and got a chance to get to know each other a bit. Which also went well.
Thursday, we had made plans to rome a bit, so we hired a car and took it for a few miles around some really strange places before finding the routes we were looking for and finally the Letterfrack Old Monastery hostel. It was like a little adventure, driving around the islands west of Galway, ending up at a cul-de-sac called Lettermullen which at least had a small store which supplied us with cookies, bananas, apples and informed us of our actual lokation which was a hop, skip and a jump from where we thought we were. Backtracking, we took some precautions to ask for the way when in doubt.
Coming up toward the Connemara, it finally felt like we were moving somewhere. Mountains rose out of the mist, and the road signs were back to English, having been all in Irish during our stumble in the western county Galway. Slaloming through, we stopped a few times just to get a look and take some air in. At some point, the stunning Kylemore Abbey came out of the trees across a small lake, like a Disneyland Castle but better.This was my second trip to the
Old Monastery, and I loved it again. Such a nice hostel, with a feeling that is for me unique. I promised yet again to return and spend more time. During thursday afternoon we managed to go for a naturewalk in the connemara national park, eat a tiny serving of veggie spring rolls, drive what I think was called the Connemara ring, and last but not least, sneak into the grounds of the aforementioned Abbey where we met some spooky girls who spoke with a german accent, smoked and rode skateboards. Ghosts, most likely, because who ever heard of an all-girl boarding school run by nuns in this day and age. "There used to be a school there but something terrible happened.. " and so forth.We spent only one night there. I felt we could have spent forever. This is now 4 nights together and I was still feeling like it was all amazing. So much for worrying about annoying each other after a while.
Instead we raced back in the morning, afraid to be late with the rental car. Of course we were hours ahead of time. Friday night I was beginning to feel the beginning of the end. I knew, The Girl would be working saturday, and so, time was suddenly not on our side but against us.
Saturday, I went with Sister and her friends to Lahinch to attend a Guinness world record attempt at getting the most surfers on a single wave. Although the weather was really the worst, that is calm, cold and completely still. Finally the tide brought in some surfable waves and, i have learned in retrospect, they actually did beat the record. Something like 46 surfers on one single wave. It left me relatively untouched, but I did appreciate the band that was playing before the attempt AND the pie I had for lunch.
As the afternoon progressed I kept looking at my watch. I didn't want to get back late to Galway. I really didn't want to miss a moment with The Girl. Fortunately we got back before she got off work.
Then I spent the last night in Galway.
Then I went home.
The End.
