If there is one thing you should have learned about Northwest Ireland from this blog, it’s that it rains constantly. You will have grand plans about going hillwalking to see some cairn on the weekend or some such notion and then you will not be able to go because it is raining, again. Have a mentioned that I have hayfever? Spring comes and you want to open the windows for some fresh air. Which is usually a great idea, except that I am allergic to Spring in Ireland.
We started thinking about Prague and wondering what our friends were doing. Was the beer garden open yet? This was all just hypothetical until the day Micheal came out of the office and said, “Hey, did you know that we could take the ferry to France for only 89 euros? There is a sale next weekend.” We joked about it but it didn’t seem practical because our lease in Manorhamilton wasn’t up until June. And then my allergies got so bad that nothing was helping anymore. “Let’s make a run for the ferry.” I joked. “I’ll book the tickets right now.” He said. And that was how we left everything we owned in our little apartment, packed a few suitcases and ran for the ferry as if our very lives depended on it.
The Oscar Wilde ferry from Rosslare, Ireland to Cherbourg, France takes 18 hours. We booked the cheapest 2 star cabin (They do have much nicer suites available). It had twin beds and no window but we slept very comfortably. We just stayed in the cabin that night and watched movies on the laptop before passing out. There are 3 restaurants, a cafe, and multiple bars on board though if you need more entertainment.
We woke up and went upstairs to see the most beautiful sunlight on a calm ocean and I knew that we had made the right decision to get out of Ireland for a bit.
