About two weeks prior, we had moved out of our townhouse after a near all-nighter (with memories of law and grad school dancing in my head). The next day we left for Canada to visit friends in Vancouver and Jeremy’s parents on Pender Island, just off the coast of Vancouver. We spent a lovely week relaxing, letting Nana and Papa chase Jonah all around the house, while we tried to recuperate from the exhausting process of preparing our house for tenants. We spent the next week in southern California, visiting with family and friends prior to our departure and giving my mom and Jonah’s cousins their share of chasing after Jonah.
We arrived in Dublin on the 24th to the warm welcome of our friends, Macartan, Jacobia, and their beautiful new baby, Aoife. We spent the night in Dublin at the home of Macartan’s parents, Niall and Eileen, before heading west in a two-car caravan to Connemara on the western coast of Ireland. A few things about driving in Ireland… First, we had to drive on the left side of the road. That was actually fun, especially with a manual transmission and gear shift on the left. Second, our rental car, a Volkswagen Passat sedan, was one of the larger vehicles on the road, with the other cars closer in size to a Mini. The Passat literally took up the entire width of the country roads and close to it in Dublin. This seriously increased the odds of sideswiping another car’s mirror. The sentence Jeremy most used on this trip: “Do you know how close you were to that car?” Third, either the Irish have bionic vision or Irish drivers know every street in Dublin like the back of their hand. The incomprehensible street signs suggest that they solely serve some aesthetic purpose, appearing on the sides of buildings in tiny font. Fourth, people really only drive in the freeway fast lane to pass people, moving quickly back to the slow lane after having done so. It’s incredibly civil. Fifth, sheep and cows clearly have the right of way on the country roads, and you should expect them at every fourth turn or so.
We spent most of our two plus weeks in Ireland enjoying the beauty of Connemara, based at Niall and Eileen’s country home called Emlough House (previously a B&B). We enjoyed lazy mornings (until Jonah returned to his usual 6:30 am wake up time) and leisurely outings. We took many scenic drives, walked along beautiful beaches, hiked a mountain, and dined on tea and scones at many old-houses-turned-hotels. One of the many highlights of the area is an island accessible by car only at low tide. To reach Omey Island, one must drive onto the beach, following the traffic signs sticking out of the sand. You, of course, need to time your departure from the island right to make sure you’re not stuck on the island until the next low tide. We also took our first strenuous hike since Jonah was born up the Diamond. Jeremy carried Jonah in a pack on his back, which added 25 pounds to his load and was an impressive feat. Jonah was a trooper, lasting two hours in the carrier (including a 30 minute snooze).
We had five wonderful days and nights with Macartan, Jacobia, and Aoife before they returned to New York. Jeremy, Jonah, and I did more of the same after they left – the drives, beaches, and scones – adding visits to castles and abbeys to our list of outings. While in Connemara, Jonah took to baaing like a sheep as we drove along the country roads and pointing out animals as we passed them, yelling, “Aml! Aml!” Later in our trip, when we were at a restaurant having lunch, Jonah looked at a woman at a nearby table and yelled, “Aml!” to which I had to reply, “No, Jonah, that’s just the fake fur on a woman’s jacket.” Jonah, apparently not believing me, yelled, “Aml! Aml!”
After a week and a half in Connemara, we headed south and then east back toward Dublin, visiting the Cliffs of Moher, the Rock of Cashel, and Kilkenny Castle along the way. Outside of Cashel, we spent the night at a lovely B&B owned by a couple who raised five kids in their large house before turning it into a B&B and passing on the family farm to their son. We made it to Dublin in time to walk across the canal from where our hotel was located in south Dublin to the central part of the city. We really loved Dublin. The city is so alive, and there are so many spectacular buildings. The people were as friendly as they were in the countryside. In fact, on my journey in search of the oldest Jewish cemetery in Dublin, an older woman got in my car to help show me where it was. Unfortunately, the cemetery was behind a 20-foot-tall, locked gate, but the journey was more than worth two-hours of my time.
We spent the next two days walking around the city, visiting the Irish Jewish Museum, Trinity College, St. Stephens Green, and Kilmainham Gaol (the prison that housed many Irish political prisoners). After our trip to the prison, we realized going to museums with Jonah would be a non-starter. At the prison he could play with the rocks in the exercise yard or go in and out of cells without being a nuisance, but he certainly wasn’t going to sit quietly in the backpack or enjoy the exhibits at the national history museum. Next time…
We left Ireland on September 9th to head to London, where we’ll stay through the end of the month.
Picture descriptions: Jonah being chased by Daddy at Omey Island; A road stop in Athlone on our way to Connemara; Our drive to Omey Island; Enjoying the beach with Jonah's friend, Happy; The beauty of Kylemore Abbey; Our descent from the Diamond
1 comment:
I love your story, more please.I hope you got my first post but if not, I just said that this was a great idea and now I wonder how often you'll post. I did read a lot of stuff you haven't told me about. love mom
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