Beautiful Day

The last two days here have been a really great opportunity for some quality time for Jared and I. Yesterday was rainy so we stayed in all day - literally, we did not leave the house - and we worked, cooked, ate, slept, watched Friends online, and broke the percolator (put it directly on the burner, but how are we supposed to know how to use on of those? We have coffee pots in America). Breaking the percolator was the most interesting thing that happened all day. But we did it with the company of each other, which is wonderful in itself. When the evening came we spent our time cozied up by the fire place. We played about 5 card games and just talked for hours. Finally we decided to go to bed, which didn't work. Ultimately we decided to pull an all nighter because we just need to adjust to the time here. We carried the flat screen into the bedroom from the living room. Jared hooked up the cable and we decided to watch some TV. We learned that flipping through channels in Europe can be a disturbing process. Half of them didn't work. 1/4 of them were totally inappropriate - like, I can't believe things like that are on TV. We finally settled on Hell's Kitchen and then Bonanza. ahahah. This plan worked really well until 6 am came around (midnight in IL) and we gave in to the temptation of sleep. Today though, we woke up at a decent hour anyway due to the sunlight which is lucky because we have no alarm. Hoping to purchase one this weekend. Maybe we will fall asleep tonight?

We got dressed, ate some breakfast, and then made instant coffee (since we broke the percolator) and headed out on our bicycles. We went to Bill's house first to return the phone. We left him shortly because he was watching bingo. He gave us some directions to the Cliffs of Moher and we took off on our bikes. One thing I have learned about the people here is that they under-exaggerate. They told us that the airport was 10 minutes from Ennis. It took about 20. They said our house was not far from Ennis - That drive was about 45 minutes. We were told that the cliffs were only 5 Kilometers away (3 miles). We probably rode 8 to 9 miles round trip. He also failed to mention that about a mile of that is a huge hill. I think they under-exaggerate because they are such kind people they don't want to discourage.

The bike ride was stunning. Green hills, ghostly castles, sheep, pubs, rock walls lining the roads, and lots of mist surrounded. It was pretty chilly, but completely comfortable because we were working hard. The roads are narrow with no sidewalks so every time a car came we had to switch to the other lane or pull over. We also had to walk the ginormous hill. Seriously. It was huge, but on the way back it was a blast. After about an hour or so we arrived at the cliffs. We had to park our bikes, but we had no locks. We asked a worker there named Mickey if he thought it would be safe to leave them. He said "I could tell you yes because we have never had anything bad happen, but the day I say yes one will get stolen. But I don't want to tell you no because most likely they will be fine." He kept talking... "How about we just take them into this building over here. You aren't allowed in here but just tell them that Mickey said it was okay. This way your bikes will be safe." I am telling you, the people here are spectacular... or maybe they just like us. Anyway, the ride was definitely worth the work. I will let the picture speak for itself, although they hardly do it justice.

After we had spent about two hours there we headed back. The ride back was much easier and much quicker, as the way back always is. We stopped at a cafe on the way home and I bought a latte. Jared bought pop and a candy bar. Go figure ;-) We arrived home and decided to sit on the back porch and just look around at the beauty. We talked for 30 minutes or so and then settled down for the evening, which was really about 11 AM for us! We have been on our laptops since - Catching up on work, facebook, uploading photos. We did take a short break for a friend's episode and some fried fish sticks and potato wedges (I was feeling greasy, fried, American food). Overall today has been spectacular, plus I have another date night by the fireplace to look forward to.

Vocabulary learned today:
Tyres - Tires
Hobbs - Burners (on the stove)