Wind, Westport and even more wind

Monday, 05.10.2020

This weekend Marco and I took another little trip to the Irish neighborhood. In Germany, the 30th anniversary of the reunification is being celebrated and in Sligo the boardinghouse was closed for the weekend. All the girls had to go home and won't be back until this evening. So today, Monday, was also a day off. Therefore, we decided to take advantage of this free time and get out of Sligo for a bit.

On Saturday morning, we first went from Sligo to Charlestown and from there by public bus to Westport. Our weekend destination is located between Sligo and Galway on the west coast. There are only about 6,000 inhabitants, which makes it more intimate and smaller than Sligo. It's the best choice for a little relaxation.

However, the weather left something to be desired. On Saturday, the sun occasionally made an appearance. The leaves are slowly changing their color here in Ireland as well, and you can feel that autumn is approaching. Despite the coastal wind, the temperatures were chilly and the wind was strong. It was about 7 degrees, but it felt like below freezing. It didn't help that I was wearing a T-shirt, a sweater, a fleece pullover, a rain jacket, and a hat (you can imagine me looking like the Michelin man). It's already freezing cold, so my next goal will be to get a proper and warm winter jacket. I thought I could postpone it a bit, but unfortunately that is no longer possible.

There's not much to see in Westport (no offense), but the Westport House is a beautiful destination. The estate is located in the middle of a small park, surrounded by forests and a lake. We didn't visit the inside of the house (13 euros for a guided tour is outrageous for a poor teaching & boarding assistant), but the exterior of the estate is very nice to look at and you can take a short walk (if the weather were better, you could even have a nice picnic, but no. Thanks for nothing, West wind).

Afterwards, our path led from the Westport House to the local pier. From here, you have a great view of the surrounding mountains and especially of Croagh Patrick. This is an approximately 800 meter high mountain that honestly looks like a sharp triangle. It is a popular pilgrimage site in the area and according to legend, the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick, fasted and prayed on the summit of the mountain for forty days. There is now a small chapel on the summit that attracts pilgrims from all over Ireland. Since ancient times, the faithful pilgrims have climbed the mountain barefoot as a penance. Marco and I, wonder of wonders, did not do that. It would sound like a bad joke again: a Catholic and a Protestant, both not one hundred percent devout, climbing a triangle.

We spent the first evening outside. We defied the windy and cold weather. To avoid freezing, we invested 8 euros in wine (I really miss the 1 liter house wine from Edeka for 4 euros). Alcohol is known to warm people up the best, and Marco and I put this theory to the test.

In Ireland, you are not allowed to drink alcohol in public (for whatever reason? Wouldn't be possible in Germany), so we had to dive into slightly darker and less populated corners of Westport for that. Don't worry, nothing happened to either of us, and we safely returned to the hostel.

However, the night wasn't very comfortable. On Saturday afternoon, Marco and I took two beds in a mixed 6-bed dorm. Fortunately, no other people wanted to visit Westport at this time of year (probably because of the weather?), so we were completely alone in our room. However, our roommates thought shortly after midnight that it would be the perfect time to listen to loud music, laugh stupidly, and jump off the bed a thousand times. The only thing that helped were my headphones and some soothing music to drown out the idiots, but I probably lay awake for three hours cursing the male troublemakers.

On Sunday, we walked along the Greenway for a bit. This hiking trail leads around Westport and is located between fields and sheep, between the greenest green and the Irish weather. It was windy and cold, but walking is known to warm you up, so we took the initiative and generated some warmth ourselves.

In the evening, we stopped at a pub. It was warm inside, there was plenty of Guinness (keep it coming), and football. Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? A perfect boys' night out. The people were really nice, the Sky channel was in German, even though the Premier League was on, and with every sip of alcohol, I felt a little warmer. Marco and I had some bonding time and enjoyed the evening. It was nice quality time, and Westport at night is not exactly ugly.

This morning, Marco and I drove back to Sligo. On the way back, I could admire even more green and thaw a bit. It was a nice trip and it felt good to get out of Sligo for a bit. Recommendations are given, although it can be considered that Westport is really very small and if you don't necessarily want to go hiking, you can also make a relaxed day trip there to save some money on accommodation (spoken like a true penny-pincher).

So, the next adventure is already done and now I'm sitting in my (warm) room enjoying the remaining relaxing hours before everyday life begins again tomorrow.

Until then, my friends.

Bundle up and stay healthy!