Day 1 in Ireland

Well, it’s been a very full day, but since I have traveled for 30 hours and been awake for almost 40, I am more than ready to go to bed.  Adare is beautiful and the Irish people are every bit as nice as everyone says they are.  On the bus from the Dublin airport to Limerick, I met three women who are part of the Flynn family.  Margaret, the mother, was kind enough to let me use her phone to call Joe and Grania who I am staying with for the next two weeks.  After talking for a bit, she became interested in what I am doing and told me she thinks I am brave.  I had never thought of myself as brave for traveling alone.   I had thought more stupid and self-consumed.  Her saying that I’m brave made me reflect a little more on how difficult it is to do everything on your own and what a leap of faith to do it in a country that I’ve only visited for two days once before.  I think that maybe what I’m doing is a little brave.  After calling Joe and Grania without any luck, Margaret and her husband offered to drive me to Adare, a small village of 800 people 15 minutes outside of Limerick where Joe and Grania live.  Joe met me at the main hotel in town where the Flynn family dropped me off and drove me to his home.  It is lovely.  You have to go down a lane wide enough for only car for a bit and then turn down another lane which populates his home as well as three built-on apartments, which house three other young women.  I met Julie tonight, and she is delightful.  She joined us for dinner, which Grania prepared.  We sat outside enjoying the weather and drinking wine.  They said I must have brought the sunshine with me because today is the first time in quite awhile that it’s been so nice.  Grania used to be a costume designer for movies.  Joe teaches at a university, and Julie runs preschools.  They all seem to be health-conscious and environmentally aware.  Nothing goes to waste, and it’s clear Grania has a big heart with all the animals she takes in.  She has two dogs, three and sometimes four cats, two sheep, and she wants a donkey.  There is also a huge garden out back that I think I will be helping to weed.  I am looking forward to learning more about how to be self-sustaining.  I tried rocket tonight, which is like lettuce but more potent.  I really enjoyed it and want to grow some in my garden someday.  Well, as this is getting sporadic as ever, I am going to say good night and make my home my bed until my body wakes me up in the morning.  Oh, and before I forget, I have been reunited with my one true love – jam rings.