Aughris!
Bill called our hostess, Helen, who was going to come over and show us how everything in the house works. Our rental house is called The Water’s Edge, and it definitely is at the water’s edge! While we were waiting, I noticed that she left us two bottles of wine and Lindor Swiss chocolate truffles. I also noticed all the signs on the walls, no doubt inspired by previous guests who either didn’t clean up after themselves or stole from the cottage. What a shame.
A nice welcome surprise!
The master bedroom.
Living room.
Kitchen/dining area. There’s a nice wood stove.
Guest room we aren’t using.
Bathroom we aren’t really using.
Another guest room we aren’t using. Has a twin sized bed. All of this for just 440 euros through Booking.com (or 400 euros a week directly).
Helen turned out to be a very friendly and funny lady. She showed us how to use the wood stove and the coin operated power meter, as well as the electric showers. I got a laugh when she showed us the power meter, which runs on two euro coins. She said she didn’t know how long two euros lasts. We got here Monday and so far, we still have power. When it inevitably goes out, we will deposit another two euros. Weird.
Coin operated meter!
After Helen left, Bill and I had a little late lunch/dinner procured from the supermarket. Then we walked to The Beach Bar, which is a cute little pub located just steps away from the cottage. Because it’s November, the Beach Bar only serves food on weekends. After next weekend, they will be closed for about six months as they renovate. I’m glad we had the chance to stop in for beer and whiskey. It’s a very cute little place, complete with cheeky signs on the walls, pictures of past events, and a nice fireplace.
Beach Bar!
Cute inside!
Yet another Guinness.
In the summer, this bar is supposedly packed! A lot of people come to Aughris to surf.
A little Irish whiskey. Bill finished off the bottle for them. There was just enough for a taste, so they didn’t charge us.
I had a full measure of another whiskey.
At one point, Bill asked about poitin. He was surprised by the bartender’s reaction, which seemed a bit abrupt. Apparently, poitin isn’t all that widely available. Or maybe it’s illegal? Based on the barkeep’s reaction, it seemed like a taboo topic. But then Bill overheard the old guy at the bar say something about the bartender chipping in on a still. Who knows?
The bar closes at 8:00pm, so Bill and I decided to make an early evening of it. We got back to our cottage at about 5:00pm and listened to music and the crashing waves of the ocean. We gazed at the super moon, which showed up pretty well. I think we were dead to the world by 9:00pm.
Super moon in super Ireland!
Yesterday morning, we had more sunshine, so we took some photos of the beach at low tide. Then we decided to drive to Donegal, since we’re pretty sure that might have been where Bill’s people came from before they were Americans. It turned out Donegal Castle was closed, but that was no big deal. Castles aren’t that exciting to me, anyway.
We parked the car and walked into the town, where I immediately spotted The Irish House, which was full of sweaters, tweed, hats and scarves. We ran into a nicely turned out local lady, who helped us select a Donegal tweed jacket for Bill and a big blue sweater for me. She noticed and admired my Bean boots, which I explained were great for keeping my feet warm and dry. I first started wearing Bean Boots when I used to show horses. They’re great for wearing in a barn, especially when you have to clean stalls.
All in all, we dropped about $400 there. They even threw in a free wool scarf. I’m glad Bill has a new jacket. I’m always trying to expand his wardrobe.
Naturally, talk turned to Donald Trump… as it inevitably has everywhere we’ve gone on this trip. It’s been interesting to hear Irish impressions of our president elect. The saleslady noted that Mr. Trump always has beautiful women with him. She also said he hires women. I said that was fine, as long as he didn’t grab any of them by the pussy.
In Donegal.
At the Reel Inn!
Next time we come to Ireland, we’ll need to stay a night or two in Donegal!
And… since I am a bit Scottish, we will have to visit The Reel Inn’s local competitor.
We ate lunch at this restaurant… I will write about it in part nine!
After we purchased our new duds, we went to an Irish pub the saleslady recommended called The Reel Inn. She said it was the best place for a Guinness, since the pipe to the keg was “short”. I’m not sure I know what she was talking about, but The Reel Inn did appear to be a very popular place for live music. I wished we were staying in Donegal because I have been itching to hear some live music and maybe join in myself.
The Reel Inn is a small place that originally celebrated its 10th birthday. The barman was working alone, though he was soon joined by an older man looking resplendent in tweed. I can’t be sure, but I think they were speaking Irish. They appeared to be old friends and I couldn’t understand a word they were saying.
Expert advice…
After a beer somewhat awkwardly enjoyed in The Reel Inn, we moved on to looking for lunch. More on that in the next post.
More shots of Aughris…
