The day after Christmas we headed south on Boxing Day/St. Stephens Day. We still haven't completely figured these holidays out, but we did quickly discover everything in two countries was closed, many shops (and the postal service?) were also closed for a week to 10 days after Christmas. That combined with the fog and rain, did not necessarily make for the most ideal of travelling conditions, but we made the best of it, heading to Killarney in the southwest corner of the Republic of Ireland (we came from the northeast of the island; it took about 6 hours). We spent our 7th anniversary running around Killarney (two days after Christmas in Killarney, a lesser known Bing Crosby tune) then went to our friends' wedding in Tralee. For perhaps the only time in our lives we were early to the wedding, which was in a large, beautiful cathedral. We waited and waited for the bride and were beginning to get nervous as the wedding was supposed to start at 1:30. We found out at the reception that it is tradition for the bride to be at least 10 minutes late, some are up to an hour late. People were amazed that we had come from so far, and then it got awkward when we all realized they meant we were a long way from Belfast. It's like a world away, and I don't think it's just geography that separates the two parts of the island, even though there is no visible border.
One of my favorite moments at the reception was the playing of "Achy Breaky Heart." It is indeed an international anthem. The next morning we set out to drive the Ring of Kerry and explore castle ruins, churches and cathedrals, an ancient stone fort, tiny towns, and a waterfall. We kept seeing small statues and shrines cut out of stone all over the place, even in remote places. We asked the hostess at our B&B and she answered "Do you mean 'Our Lady?' " Derrrrrrr.
Aaron thought it might be a fun adventure to drive through a sheep pasture on a remote island; thankfully I managed to talk him out of it. We did however take a "detour" off the main tourist road to drive over a mountain, down to the coast, and back over the mountain through a cloud. It was a bit dodgy and we knew we were in trouble when we saw a shrine to "Our Lady of kiss your butt goodbye if you try to drive over this mountain, especially in the fog" as we crept up the hill. On our way back we saw several sheep in the road and one on top of the stone barrier as if he were contemplating hurling himself over the cliff the road ran along. Aaron wouldn't let me get out and take a picture, but we hope the sheep changed his mind and chose life in the end.
We got back in time for New Year's Eve, but sadly did nothing especially exciting, not even go bowling, even though the stereotype is that all Americans are good bowlers. Our friends, the Blakes, had taken Haley for us, and when we got back her coat was dark and stiff, and she slept for two days. Turns out she'd been to the beach, the mountains, and a cow pasture all in a few days. She'd had as much of a vacation as we did! I told Maureen Blake I was planning on sending my sweaters back home in March and she laughed out loud at me. I think we're in for a long winter this year.
Aaron turned 30 on January 6th. The only consolation to all the white hairs he's grown is that he was recently asked if he was our friend Chris Blake's son, which didn't make Chris feel so great as he's only in his mid forties. When we first arrived here a woman in a restaurant asked Aaron if he was a hockey player, which really flattered him. He told her he was an American and she laughed and said, "I know, all our hockey players are either Americans or Canadians." I think I've still got him beat as I've been told I look 18 and offered a child's ticket to get into the park. Whenever we tell people we're from the South and we've been married for 7 years I can tell by the looks on their faces they think I was a teenager (and that we're probably first cousins). I guess that's the downside of looking young. Anyway, Aaron was told by my brother that Gordon was bringing Aaron a very special birthday present-his mother in law! My mom and brother will be here the end of January/beg. of February. Watch out Belfast, you've never seen anyone like Granny Lou! Perhaps we can convince them to try a local delicacy- a Snickers bar fried in batter. Or go in search of modern businesses in old churches. So far we've found a shopping mall, dance club, and Chinese restaurant.
Of course the proof that we are now officially old is that we got concert tickets to go see Neal Diamond in Dublin in June-yeehaw! But not too old to delight in Ashlee Simpson's embarrasing SNL performance and laugh from a continent away. Her fifteen minutes of fame are almost up, and hopefully will be long over by the time we get back. In other pop news, we are starting to like Robbie Williams, which scares us a little.
The words "aran" and "su" in Irish mean bread and juice, so we've got breakfast covered between us. Other slang we're learning includes daft (crazy), honking (smelly), legless (drunk), and knackered (tired). What we call Scotch tape, here is called Cello tape- why do we call it Scotch and would Scots be offended if we called it that here?
We're offering a prize to the first person to find Suellen hidden in seven of the pictures posted with this blog. The winner will get an all expense paid trip to Belfast (airfare and some meals excluded) to visit us and share our de-luxe apartment in the sky.
I got through my Politics exam, and I'm pretty sure I've never studied so hard only to recall so little under pressure. Next semester, I'm in "Anthropology of Ireland" and "Religion, Gender and Power in Northern Ireland," which is taught by Sociology and Women's Studies. It should be interesting to get plopped into the middle of what I suspect will be a predominantly feminist group. Check back to see how quickly I'm able to mention female submission and ordination and draw the wrath of my whole class. At least it won't be boring! I'm also taking Pilates, aqua aerobics, finishing Irish language class, attending an Alexander Technique seminar, planning to go to plays and travelling more. Hopefully we will have info on trips to Austria, Scotland, and Paris in the future. The next blog should include pics and stories from the Silvers' visit, including attending a performance of the Moscow circus.
Slan Abhaile!
(literally, "safe home," as in "May your journey be safe").
Aaron, Suellen and Haley Beavis
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment