A strange place to be going, Ennistimon!

Reporting in from the farm in Ireland!! I will start where we left off...



Leaving Scotland. For me it was hard to leave. When I got there all my nerves disappeared because I had finally been on my way! But after spending a month in one place I felt settled and it was hard to not feel as if I was about to go home from a holiday. It was also so special to spend that time with Emma, who I have a skype friendship with outside of camp. Keeping in touch with college friends is hard enough, but then to have to deal with an entire ocean between adds a new obstacle. While I was there we talked a lot about life, who we are and who we want to be. She helped me get through some tough stuff that had been hanging on with me, and I am in debt to her for her advice and for her time. So leaving my routine there was tough, but having Emily arrive was perfect timing in realizing our adventure was really just about to begin. Not to mention the three of us had so much fun over the week we spent together in Scotland.



And so we are off!  One last cup of tea and Emma took us to the Edinburgh airport. A quite drive, as Emily and I took in the last bit of Scotland and prepared for our trip to the Emerald Isle. Our flight was a bit delayed, so that gave Emily and I an excuse for beers and writing down all the places we wanted to go in Europe. The list was long but I think we narrowed down exactly what we want for the trip (and that list will be for our eyes only!)



We landed in Shannon airport and took a bus into Ennistimon where the farm we are working on is located. I took the window seat and listening to some DMB while watching the miles of green fields, beautiful old and new homes and old stone "fences" that lined the roads. The trip was at sunset so the sky was bright and I felt mesmerized by the sights. As we pulled into the small town, the bus driver said goodbye and told us "A strange place to be going, Ennistimon!" We had a good laugh and hopped in the car of our hosts. With no idea what to expect we pulled up to a beautiful light blue home in the middle of a massive field. We were greeted by two french boys who are also WWOOFing here and they had made dinner. We had not eaten since our beers this morning to some homemade curry and pork sausage was welcomed.



In the morning, we really got to see the place and it is stunning. The rolling hills and farm land mixed with the bright colored home is picturesque. We have been weeding, gathering eggs and feeding the chickens, cleaning up their poly tunnel and helping around the house. A good amount of cooking has been done as well! My culinary school friends would be proud to know that I broke down two chickens in preparation for our dinner of Poulet Basquaise, and the chickens were fresh from the farm! We are eating well here since then but Emily will write more about this in the food blog, which you should TOTALLY check out. truelifeimafoodie.blogspot.com

Our Farm Home

The farm has cows, donkeys, sheep, chickens, one dog and 3 cats. The cats and dogs don't have collars and they roam the farms all day! They even keep us company while we work, faithfully following us if we get up to dump weeds into the compost or go inside for lunch.



The actual town of Ennistimon is about 3 miles out from the house and is only a few blocks long filled with pubs, local shops and cafes. The best find in the town, as we can tell is Eugenes. This is the pub where Emily and I had our first Guinness in Ireland and I am not sure we could find a better place for it. Eugene himself is the only bar tender and he opened it in 1993 and has worked almost everyday himself. He made us feel at home, surrounded by all the locals and has filled our nights there with good banter and some dirty stories of the 80's and his time spent in London. The bar is decorated with with cards and pictures of everyone who has ever visited the place, and this includes a note from us! I also learned to pour a Guinness from the tap and Eugene said I can come back whenever I want to pour one for myself.  Not to mention, after Emily and I calculated, he has poured over 350,000 Guinness in his bar plus the other 3 taps he has, PLUS the 10 years he owned bars in London. Over a million beers poured and he is sort of my hero. So if you ever go through to see the Cliffs in Ireland, we insist you stop in for a drink. Tell him we sent you.

Our Man, Eugene

The amazing thing about this town is how everyone knows everyone, and all of their business. The cab driver who drove us home from Eugenes is our hosts second cousin and the men at the bar can dictate when their friends will arrive and exactly what they will drink. People talk about "reputations" in the town, loyalty of their family and how their ancestors killed for their land. We don't have this type of community in Columbia, we have our own type which in my case is usually revolved around the Jewish community. It is just a different world out here and I have alot of respect for it. Most people out here also care alot



Anyways we got the bus into Galway last minute over the weekend, not really sure what to expect of the village/town/city (we literally had nice idea what was there). We went to meet up with 3 friends of mine from camp, we had hopes of coffee (or Guinness) to cure our hangovers. We were pleasantly surprised by an energy filled town with lots of shopping, a local market with fresh food and trade, a beautiful view on the water and of course, pints upon pints of Guinness. There was tons of music being played on the streets and town had a homeyness to it. We had a near perfect day, with our local tour guide Aidan taking us around. Michael, Ronnie, Emily, Aidan and I spent the day on Salt Hill walking along the shore, drinking beers and laughing (maybe a little too much). We ended the day at a small pub right in Galway and said our "see your soons!" We hope to visit all of them on our journey. If they are reading this we send them a big "ELLO!"



Emily and I both have discussed how we are laughing a bit harder and smiling a little more on this trip. This was a day where my stomach was hurting from laughing. Perfection.



Sunday we had plans to get a bus to see the great Cliffs of Moher. The walk into town is about 45 minutes so we left an hour before our ETA.  I decided to go the wrong or long way you could say, into the town. Although the walk was nice and it was a great day for it, at the end of the road, we ended up about a little over a mile outside the town with just under 20 minutes to spare. Fore the first time, Emily and I stuck our thumbs out and hoped someone would stop and give us a ride. For whatever reason, Emily and I are not hitchhiking material and we ended up running into town and just making the bus. It made for an adventure and a good laugh but I had not run that fast since spring time frisbee around red square.



When we arrived at the Cliffs there is a man playing the flute to set the mood and then the jaw dropping begins. The fog was just rolling out for effect and the only words coming out of my mouth were "ohhhhh my goodness". The size is breathtaking enough, but the the green of the moss, blue of the ocean and all the white birds hiding in the cliffs really make the view magnificent. We walk past the 'no tresspassing' sign as many others have and walk up the coast of the cliffs and we don't talk much. We pose for a few pictures to appease the parentals but mostly I cant keep my eyes out of my binoculars. I try and imagine how something like this was created or how it formed and I cant come to grips with anything. So we find a cliff that seems sturdy and we sit for a while taking in the ocean air and sit. It is hard to make the cliffs seem less poetic but it really was something to write about. You have to go. Take the two hour walk we did and see them from every angle and you will still never take one picture that truly captures it. We came back to town, stopping into Eugenes for a few pints and a hot fire to warm up, then return to the farm for dinner.

The Cliffs of Moher

This week we have worked hard to clean up some farming spots for the spring, clear a path through the fields and keep up with the chickens. We also planted a bunch of flowers including broccoli and cauliflower which will be planted outside when it gets a little bit warmer.


Our time at the farm will end sooner than we thought though. This weekend we will head to Dublin for St. Paddys day and then stay the rest of the week! One of my uncles good friends has family in Ireland and has offered to kindly to host us. We are pretty excited for the weekend of festivities...



The trip continues to be exactly what Emily and I want and I am grateful for her to be my travel companion. We have both decided that if something is not working then we will move on. This is not a trip where you grit your teeth and wait for the storm to subside. We will move on to greener pastures and I believe Dublin will have them...


Also to add to the excitement, we booked our flights to France! So that will be our official next destination. Here more specifically... http://www.marance.net/

I hope all is well in whatever place you are reading this from. Thank you for all the love...

Out and Out

J&E