The island that keeps on giving.

Nearing the end of our Irish venture, we hopped on board the Aran Island ferry today along with 300 Italians. It's a bit funny seeing their dark tanned skin in sharp contrast with the pale Irish we see everywhere. We went to the largest of the three islands. They were covered every inch by stone walls, so many it almost seemed laughable. One couldn't help but wonder if they built so many of these wall just because there was nothing else to do. In true Schulten fashion we rented four bikes and covered the roads and counted the many donkeys along the way. yes…today was donkey day…very few sheep to be counted. Chris kept taking in his best Eddie Murphy, "Donkey" voice. We ate digestive cookies, a keen reminder of our honeymoon bike ride through Wales 15 years ago. Here, they speak Gaelic and and knit sweaters…lots of itchy sweaters. I tried not to laugh at the Italian man wearing his Ireland shirt, Irish hat with his Aran Irish knit in hand. Throughout the day I couldn't help but feel like I was back in Saba, the small island where we spent our 2nd year of our married life. Both islands have less than 1000 inhabitants. Ocean breezes can be felt from every direction. Vegetation covers more land than roads and isolation is the main attraction.  We visited a 4000 year old fort over-looking the ocean. We bellied up to the edge of cliffs and I winced as the kids teetered much closer to the edge than I would have liked them to be. The kids experienced riding a bicycle in a place more beautiful than most and I hope it's not something they would soon forget. This ends our time in Galway and yesterday I ventured out on my own into the city to say goodbye. It's a vibrant city and despite it's age it attracts the young. After the shops closed for the day the lovers came out and I found them 'snogging" shamelessly along the canals. I felt like I was eaves dropping into an indie romance movie with happy couples amidst idyllic backdrops. I do hope their romance endures as I believe ours always will with the gateway to Connamara. We'll leave this happy house with the best of memories. From caring for chickens to eating delicious, just picked peas, we felt at home here. We even had a dog that spent his day on the doorstep. We named him Bailey. We experience tea time like true Irish folks and practiced the art of relaxing. Tomorrow, were off to Killarney via the cliffs of "Mohair" but not without a true longing to return here. Hopefully, someday we will.