M&M Came to Visit.

My Marra came to Ireland. She and my cousin Maggie are the first family I've seen in almost 4 months. It was good to see them. We went on an adventure! Maggie bravely took the wheel while I squinted at maps and pointed to road signs. We did well... only got beeped at once. I now know how to navigate my way to Galway's city center and then to all the other main routes that head out north. I'm feeling a tiny tickle of pride because, yes, I finally figured out the bus system, purchased my first ticket, and made my way back to Ballyvaughan all on my own. Dance!


Marra & Poppy treated us to a night in Ballynahinch Castle. It was so fancy I felt like a grubby grub as soon as I walked in through the front door. It was amazing. We took a stroll through the gardens, along the riverside, and watched as large fish jumped and the sun set. I could imagine myself slowly working my way along the river back, clad in a turtle neck sweater, book in hand, and pondering life and all of its diverse issues. After admiring the Conamara sunset, we felt the familiar tug of hunger pulling at our tummies and decided to head into the castle for dinner.

The room was gorgeous with windows opening up to a ground floor view of green lawns and the river flowing by. I promptly took the fancy soaps from the bathroom. They are now on my sink. Delightful, perfumed little devils.

We prepared ourselves for dinner. While I slipped into my nice shirt, we realized that we were far too casual for the dinning room. I looked down at my jeans (which haven't been washed in a while... a long while). We shrugged it off. We were paying customers and despite our dress, we would be getting our full course dinner. Despite a few looks from the predominately french waiting staff. French waiters, in Ireland... go figure. I immediately used the wrong utensils. I have never been to a meal that had three different forks and knives. But we figured it all out in the end. Another first, I also had veal. I know that as I took the first bite an angel lost it's wings or a kitten died somewhere, but it was damned tasty. Sorry, baby cow. Oh! Another first as well! I tried oysters as my starter. Not really my thing, far too watery and the saltiness of it about knocked me off of my seat. The salad I had afterwards was pretty good. Fresh greens and candied walnuts. For desert I had creme brulee and finished off the amazing meal with a cognac. When we got back to the bedroom I showered and then fell asleep, much to the amusement of Marra. She was convinced that the cognac was what knocked me out. Maybe, but I was also sick with a head cold and had been busy finishing up school before she arrived. It was nice to get a good nights sleep in a soft bed with fancy sheets. They took pictures of me while I slept. Hrmph.

Anyways, now I'm preparing for the last bit of school, the UnderGrad show and Mom's arrival. Lots of cleaning and packing to do.