The trip to Ireland in the autumn of 2016 left a lasting impression on us. The not so distant land of lush green meadows, endless and deserted sandy beaches, constant rain, but also of thousand rainbows that lies on the western edge of Europe and in which the clocks are still ticking differently – we couldn’t get it out of our minds. Our big adventure, our dream of living in Ireland wasn’t simply a bright idea. We tinkered with the idea for a few months before consciously choosing it and telling our family and friends about it. All in all, we had more than a year to mentally adjust and think about which beautiful spot in Ireland we liked best as starting point for our year there. The short trip for the house hunt strengthened our decision.
Full of pleasant anticipation, we got started in early March – a few days later than originally planned – with the car filled to the brim in Berlin. Overall, the road trip to Ireland was meant to take almost three days. The first stopover was at the German-Dutch border. On the second day of travel we crossed no fewer than 5 countries within one day – Holland, Belgium, France, England and Wales. We took the car ferry from Calais between France and England. The second stopover was in Wales. The next day, we went back on a ferry that took us to the ‘sunny’ southeastern tip of Ireland to Rosslare. There are even palm trees at this time of the year! After another day’s ride we arrived at 11pm exhausted but curious and excited in our holiday home for the next 16 days in Lahinch. When we closed our eyes, we dreamed of what to expect …
… and we couldn’t have imagined in our wildest dreams what we saw then. We had no idea that the small village on the west Atlantic coast would thrill us so much! We had chosen the apartment rather on budget, the presence of Wi-Fi and the central location between our favorite future homes, actually. Eventually, the reason for ‘only’ living in a holiday home, was that we hadn’t found a suitable house for our year abroad, yet. Our house hunt at the end of January couldn’t change that. In fact, we ended up in one of Ireland’s most popular holiday resorts – a surf mecca that attracts thousands of visitors each year with its two kilometer long sandy beach, perfect waves, great golf courses and its own unique charm. We were able to watch the ever changing sea from our sitting room window. We liked the fine sandy beach of Lahinch even better close up. Nothing stood in the way from long beach walks or jogging tours now. We only needed a 5 minutes walk from our apartment to the roaring Atlantic Ocean that shew itself from another side every time. We felt very comfortable here from the beginning. Once again, the land of ‘a hundred thousand welcomes’ – or in Irish: Céad Míle Fáilte (spoken: Kay-d Meal-a Fawl-tja) – welcomed us.
“There are only two kinds of people in the world, the Irish and those who wish they were.” – anonymous
This quote definitely applies to us. Surely many Irish people don’t know how good they’re here. A country surrounded by the ocean with a varied, beautiful landscape, an exciting history, a mysterious mythology, a very special language and full of unhurried, friendly people. In contrast, the hectic life in Germany that’s full of pressure, over punctuality, elbow mentality and the pursuit of more and more – more money, more possessions, more more more – can be quite exhausting. The people here haven’t forgotten what really matters in life. Nobody cares if the children arrive a little too late for school or if the bread rolls (or scones) aren’t there freshly baked at 6 o’clock in the morning. On the other hand, you have to wait two weeks for a package of a well-known shipping service provider, that can be expected within a day in Germany. The clocks are just ticking slower here. But to be honest, that suits our plans quite well at the moment. We aren’t in a hurry, we’re here to get out of the hamster wheel, to enjoy, to experience, to travel and to relax.
