Little Howth on the Prarie

Closing my eyes, I think of today and wonder if it was all a dream. 

It sure looks like it, doesn't it?

Howth Bay was the priority on the agenda today. I know we are staying in Dublin, however, Yvonne and I were, quite frankly, ready to escape to nature in Ireland. And we were so ready for it. As exciting and artsy the city is, it also is exhausting. 

There could be no other extreme opposite of London than where we went today. It was just what we needed. Fresh air, ocean, sail boats, seagulls,  bushes, hikes, hikers, grass, trees, leaves, and the colors of autumn everywhere. (Yvonne could have lived without the seagulls, actually. And the balloon from yesterday. Different story, nevermind, anyway...) IT WAS PERFECT! A tear might have fallen and added to the salt water bay, I can't be sure. The dock was homey; it really did remind me of Santa Cruz and Fisherman's Bay in Monterey. 


But there was nothing that could compare to the scenery I saw on our hike. I've only seen pictures of the glorious sights I saw today when I became assured that all these myths and legends of magical countrysides are real. Bah. We walked up a small town road with cottages and blackberries. We picked a few, until Yvonne worried they might not actually be blackberries. I still ate a couple. Hey, I didn't die! But I do have a stomach ache...probably from our take-away dinner ahah. But anyway. STILL A PERFECT DAY. 

I stopped to take way too many pictures, but then again, how can you take too many pictures on a perfect day. There should be a question mark on that sentence, but I decided there shouldn't be one, even if it were a rhetorical quesiton. :) 

On the way up the hike/cliff, all five passerbys wished us a "good morning". The instant they were behind us, Yvonne and I would turn to each other and be like, "WHAT! THEY SAID GOOD MORNING!" So happy. I started hollering it to fellow hikers probably a little too ecstatically by the end of the morning. We have missed this small communication so much in London. The culture in the city is not so friendly--everyone's in a rush to make an earning so they can live! (What is the definition of living? Not sarcasm, something to worth thinking about.) 

We ate our salad bar lunch on gorgeous rocks looking out to the ocean. Yes, even the rocks were beautiful. They were cracked with turquoise something growing on it. More friendly people came by and saw us eating and just straight out offered to take a picture of us. Who does that! I think travelers, hikers, country-siders, are usually ridiculously friendly. And I want to make friends with more of them. 

We spent the whole day hiking through bushes that sometimes were the height of our heads, but most time revealed the 200 degrees view of the ocean and 160 degrees of mountain. And 100% satisfaction. 

While returning to the town, Yvonne said this song from Legally Blonde was stuck in her head, and I think it is not coincidental...

"On this peeerfeeeect daaaay, nothing's standing in my way..." 

By the way, I saw my first marsh today! So happy. We got into town, stopped by Olde Candy Shoppe and bought a candy cane (almost time! not really...) and a lollipop. Then we found a Chinese place to do "take-away". Walking down the cutest city streets I've ever seen, we saw Christmas lights and flags and pots of flowers as decorations. Hopping into the movie theater, we spontaneously decided to see The Fifth Estate with Benedict Cumberbatch and Dan Stevens, OH MY. It was...an interesting movie we decided.

Then to the study room/basement (study room sounds better) we went.

 Throughout the day(s), Yvonne and I had wonderful conversations about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. It sounds corny, but as we decided, sometimes corny is what we need. And plus, I like corn.

What a long, marvelous Thursday.