short and sweet (i was never any good with goodbyes)

This week is proving to be a series of lasts.  The last vanilla latte for take-away from Tansey’s Deli, the last load of laundry which I find innovative ways to dry around my room and my last day in the office that has welcomed me so wholly I felt as if I were part of the permanent staff.  It is hard to put into words the mix of emotions I am feeling as I move through my last few days in Maynooth.  I have come to love this small town outside of Dublin and I know it is because of the people I have met during my time here. 

There are many ways to describe what “home” is and as I sit reflecting on my time here, I realize Maynooth has become a home.  Home isn’t just a set of coordinates on a map; it’s a place where you feel comfortable enough to be yourself.  I have had many homes: my college apartment, Belmont Rd, 3 Ocean, Los Remedios, and now Humanity House.  I want to thank the International Office for accepting me into their fold and making this such an enjoyable experience.   It says something when I am happy to come into work everyday and leave with a smile on my face. 

When I left Spain three years ago, I came home with a confidence in myself that I seem to have lost recently.  Not the type of confidence that can be portrayed on the exterior, but a self-esteem that reveals itself through every aspect of my being.  I remember who I am and am incredibly happy with it.  It seems that each time I push myself out of my comfort zone, I find that happiness all over again. 

To my family in the International Office in Maynooth, I want to thank you for the absolutely incredible summer I have had.  I'm afraid I'll start to tear up, but just know that I will come back someday soon!

pink apples and midnight manicures (glamping phase two)

Oxford Dictionary defines "glamping" as:

 A form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping: glamping is likely to satisfy any city slicker seeking a little refuge in nature—without foregoing any of life’s luxuries.

Now I'll agree with most of this. We did sleep in beds, have access to a fully functioning kitchen and the ability to take hot showers, BUT we did build our own fire in a stove to keep the yurt warm AND had to use a glorified outhouse.  That's right, no flushing and a bucket of sawdust next to the toilet.  The site was lovely though, a real fairy land with loose stone paths leading to each yurt and twinkle lights strewn across the campground.  The proprietors have four kids of their own with a fifth on the way, so there were tree houses, rope swings and hidden oases creating a whimsical, youthful experience.

If I had to describe Jessie and Martin, I would call them modern hippies.  They have very "go with the flow" attitudes and a wonderfully simple outlook on life, happiness.  While we were chatting we discovered that Jessie was almost 7 months pregnant.  She had on a puffy green vest and none of us noticed at all.  They are awaiting the arrival of their fourth boy, Rocco. Logan Jasmine sure has the run of the house as the only girl.  Huckleberry, Maximus, and Ozzy (who turned eight while we were there) round out the family. Plus a few chickens here and there.

We opted to have our nails done that night, a glamping perk that is offered by Pink Apple Orchards along with massages, eyebrow and eyelash tints.  A woman named Agnes came to the site for our second round of pampering that day.  While Alena and I waited for Agnes, Sue and Jodi went into the local village for a few bits and to find an ATM.  

In the town, drivers simply stopped in the middle of the road to park and headed into the only grocery store in the area. I'm not exaggerating either. Sue showed us when we drove through it the next day. Life definitely has a different pace in the Irish countryside and road rage is nonexistent. Also, there wasn't an ATM for miles, getting cash back was the only option.  While Sue and Jodi were out hunting for an ATM, Agnes arrived with cases of nail polish and beauty supplies, an all in one nail salon.  When Jessie told us that Agnes would be arriving at 7:30, she also mentioned that our nails would take two hours each person, making for a very long evening. Jodi said something along the lines of "surely it can't take that long." Shellac only takes about 30 minutes.  

It turns out it was a miscommunication between Agnes and Jessie, but it became an inside joke between the ladies of the camp. We still managed to be primping well past midnight we frequent interruptions for stories and laughter. Agnes is from Poland and has been living in the West of Ireland for 8 1/2 years.  Alena, who is Slovak herself, noticed a slight Polish twang in her pronunciation of certain words. After being in the country for so long though Agnes sounded like any other Sligo native (At least to Jodi, Sue and myself). When Jodi and Sue returned from the village, I was already on my second coat and we were old friends with Agnes. Sue started making drinks and I was a bit jealous I couldn't partake yet.  


We were going to have a BBQ, but the drizzly rain dampened that plan.  So instead we had frozen pizza(glamping cuisine at it's finest!) and baked potatoes cooked in the coals of the now doused fire. I have never had such a delicious baked potato. I only added salt and paper and it melted in my mouth.  Throughout the night, Martin would stop in with scores from the Brazil vs. Holland game.  We had fans for both sides in the kitchen. Agnes was fabulous and after she left we headed back to our yurt to play cards and chat until almost 3am.


Inside we had a little stove fire which reminded me of my aunt and uncle's in New Hampshire. As a pyro I thoroughly enjoyed stoking the fire and keeping it warm in the yurt. I had the best night's sleep of my entire stay in Ireland in that yurt. I slept soundly and woke up to the sun's rays peeking though the ceiling. We lazily got ready for the day and headed to the kitchen for breakfast where we met the cutest baby girl, Alice and her parents. Her dad is Northern Irish and her mom is Floridian, go figure! She and I bonded over the foreign tea time concept. Every time Alice caught our eyes she would do a little dance in her mom's arms. Adorable.  

As we left the glamping site, I realized I would love to come back if I ever get the opportunity and take advantage of the lake that rests at the bottom of the hill. But it was off to our next pitstop, the Marble Arch Caves just over the border in Northern Ireland. 

On the tour you walk down into the caves, take a boat ride to the other side(as it's only passable by boat), walk through as the guide points out flow rocks, stalagmites, and stalactites, and finally climb 163 steps out. I sneezed once and you could hear it the whole length of the caves! The whole time I thought about Matt, my stepdad: the geology fanatic and our family trip to Mexico.  We went snorkeling in a cenote and the rock formations were strikingly similar to each other.  And wouldn't you know I got my Mexican food fix for lunch at Taco Loco in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Burritos and Orange Fanta, perfect end to a weekend away.  Oh and girls, the song in Taco Loco was Finally Found You, Enrique Iglesias. I knew it sounded familiar!

I'm heading to Galway tomorrow to meet my brother-in-law's cousin Michelle! Incredibly excited to be back by the ocean again :) We'll see what the weekend has in store! Sending love to all, especially the Canada bound contingency. I bet y'all can't catch a bigger wall-eye than mine last year!

this girl went glamping!

Originally the girls in my office (Alena, Jodi and Sue) and I planned to visit Belfast this past weekend.  Unfortunately this particular weekend wasn't entirely safe to be in the city as the Protestant Orange parades take place on July 12 each year.  So instead we decided to go glamping! And by we, I mean I was so overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the idea of "glamorous camping" that the other girls didn't have the heart to tell me, "No!" We made a road trip out of our weekend and got lost in the Irish countryside following the brown signs that indicate a place worthy of a few extra kilometers of driving time.

Along the West Coast of Ireland we stopped at a coastal village called Strandhill.  Sue had arranged for us to have seaweed baths and steams in a well known spa called Voya. I had never been to a spa, let alone had a seaweed bath, so I was a little weary about what it would be like.  When I thought about slimy, green algae I could only envision using it as an instrument to win a water fight in the ocean. It seemed a bit silly to go sit in a bathtub full of seaweed when you could just as easily walk across the street and have a sit in the cold saltwater.

To my pleasant surprise the baths were not cold but warm and incredibly relaxing.  The seaweed was smooth and soft, anything but slimy as I imagined. Of course with all the seaweed we looked swamp things or in this case an ocean things, not exactly glamorous!  After being caught in a rainstorm on the walk from the parking area, the warmth of the bath was a welcome respite from the chill.  Strandhill reminded me of a smaller, quaint version of my home away from home in New Hampshire.  The slate gray ocean water lapping against a beach dotted with rocks made for exploring, left a calming effect in my soul.  We had a thought to jump in the ocean after our baths, but I made do with putting my toes in.  

Beside Voya was a little cafe and bake shop which was recommended, called Shell's Cafe.  We stopped here for lunch before jumping back into the car for our journey.  What I loved about this place was the decor.  It reminded me of sea glass.  The cool colors and relaxing atmosphere were beachy and wonderful.  They had colanders hanging as light fixtures and mason jars holding wild flowers on every table.  Mismatched chairs and a menu of homemade breads, organic coffee and locally sourced produce make this a must-see for anyone planning a future trip to Ireland.  

On a wim, we decided to head to WB Yeats' grave as we were making our way to the Pink Apples camp site(who couldn't love that name).  While driving Sue and Jodi started reciting "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" a Yeats poem, which was ingrained in them during primary school. 

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, 

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: 

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;

And live alone in the bee-loud glade. 

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, 

And evening full of the linnet’s wings. 

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, 

I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Those two made it as far as the first stanza and couldn't recall the rest. His grave was at a small church in Drumcliffe at the foot of the Benbulben mountain. What was of interest to me was the inside of the church. There was no center aisle. The pews were wooden and connected in the middle leaving no room for a pathway. In all my life, granted it is only a short 24 years, I haven't seen a configuration like this. Another fact worth mentioning was his wife's name, George. After seeing this I had a craving to read a Nancy Drew mystery novel (or twelve) from my childhood.  Visiting Yeats's grave and the live recitation of the Lake Isle of Innisfree led to a detour to visit the actual island Yeats describes in the poem.  

All this time our cell phone service was dreadful, luckily the SAT NAV always knew where we were or we would be up a creek without a paddle.  As we were traveling the winding grass-lined country roads big, brown signs pop up randomly advertising(sort of) an Irish Heritage site of interest.  As we we had no time frame or arrival times at the glamping site, we followed quite a few for fun.  Now these signs would appear at intersections pointing you in the correct direction and then disappear for a considerable amount of time.  So we just trusted that we would eventually find these destination spots.  In doing this we happened upon the most beautiful waterfall I have ever seen.  Okay, so it is the only waterfall I have ever seen. 

As we pulled into the carpark, which was surrounded by a sheep farm (don't worry Em I didn't bring you a new pet!)it started to drizzle.  Luckily Sue pulled us from the car or we never would have seen this amazing natural beauty.  The trek took about five minutes but it was worth the damp layer of clothes for the view.  Our last stop before Pink Apples was the Lake Isle of Innisfree. This was the most backroads driving I have experienced so far in Ireland. It honestly felt as if we were intruding on someone's private property as the road was completely deserted and turned out to be a dead end(which we found out the hard way!) As we rounded a corner, the road just stopped. At the edge of the lake. We almost drove onto the dock. Now there was a sign indicating this situation, but it was hidden by the overgrown bushes on the left side of the paved way. See that little yellow/gold sign there? At the point where you could read this sign, the warning was inconsequential.  It would be common sense not to drive into the lake.  After this little detour, we headed straight for the campgrounds. 

We covered so much in just the beginnings of the trip, that I'll give y'all some time to digest it all and maybe do a little googling to see a bit more.  I'll tell you all about Jessie, Martin and Agnes tomorrow.  Happy reading!