Last Thursday, I headed off on an adventure with my friend, Claire, to a town in western Ireland called Ennis, the capital of County Clare. I had not traveled outside of Dublin the previous two weekends (a mistake) and was feeling the need to escape the city and its accompanying stresses. We stayed in the Rowan Tree Hostel, voted best hostel in Ireland in 2009; it was right on the river and served us a complimentary breakfast of scones, toast, orange juice, and…real drip coffee! I don’t know if I have mentioned this yet, but the coffe here is absolutely terrible. I cringe every time I say this, but yes, I have been drinking instant coffee in the mornings. I know, it is a disgrace to coffe, but to be honest it is better than coffee I have had from some of the cafes here. So the drip coffee was a highlight.
The night we arrived at the hostel, we mentioned to the folks working that we intended on heading over to Lahinch, a tiny surfing town on the coast, in the morning and inquired about bus times. The man who was working, an American, probably in his early thirties and a bit timid, asked what time we would be going to Lahinch because he lives there and could give us a ride over in the morning. Claire and I looked at each other, taken aback by such a generous offer from a complete stranger, and gladly accepted the ride. The next morning when we arrived in Lahinch, I stepped out of the car and was instantly immersed in the salty, subtley fishy, delicious smell of the ocean. A wave of joy washed over me and I breathed deeply the scent, one of my favorites in the world. Once in the town of Lahinch, we spent some time in a cafe doing some writing and drinking some tea, waiting for the rain to stop. We then meandered around the town (one main street with side alley-ways and streets), frequently finding our way back to the lane that ran along the oceanfront. We could not stand looking at the ocean for long periods of time because the wind was blowing off the ocean at an incredible velocity. At one point we ventured up on a hilly cliff to gain a different vantage point of the ocean and I do not think I have ever been in a stronger wind.
We made our way back to Ennis in the afternoon and spent the remainder of our journey taking a walk along the river and relaxing in the town. The trip was a perfect escape from city life, exactly what I needed to be rejuvinated for the coming week.