I arrived Saturday totally exhausted after a full day working on Friday, an overnight flight and a 5 hour drive. Tra Ruimm is way off the beaten track. Kilcrohane is the nearest village and there is literally nothing around here. Just green fields, heather-covered hills, cows and 1 lane roads made for 2 way traffic.
The roads are about a lane and a half wide; some places just a lane. Speed limit is between 80 – 100 kph but as the farmer who owns the cottage pointed out, it’s a maximum, not a target! I found religion on those tiny corners!
Saturday night was bar none, the best nap I’ve had in years! For the first time in years, I slept without earplugs because other than crickets, it was total silence. No cars, no honking, no sirens, planes, people or life to be heard. Pure heaven! THIS is how I imagine my life. So far off the grid that Google maps goes offline, the internet signal is dodgy, the people all know each other, the village shop is open when it’s open, closed when it’s closed and the nearest town for fuel is about 40 kms away, along with the decent-sized grocery store.
Today I took a walk down the hill to the coast, past cows and through mud. The walk UP the hill was another story altogether. Oooof I’m unfit for hills! The views are just gorgeous and the solitude and silence has restored my balance in a way I’d only hoped it would. Last night the farmer’s wife popped in with a bag of breakfast ingredients. What an angel! The best bacon and sausages I’ve had in years, fresh eggs, some milk and white pudding, which I hadn’t had before. Was a bit skeptical about the white pudding but it’s always good to try new things. Holy cow, YUM!!! I’ve already hit up Google to find where to buy it when I get back stateside. I’ll probably have cholesterol when I get back but I really can’t find a damn to give about that.
Irish coffee has been the first order of business every morning so will be ramming my luggage full of proper coffee before I leave.
