Where to begin? These last 24 hours have really been a whirlwind. James & Eveyln, Deidre's second-cousin, met us at the airport. From the moment I arrived, I was treated like royalty. Actually, no, I take that back, I was treated better than that. I was treated like family. Like a long lost cousin or something.
We went straight from the airport to Cruzzo restaurant in Malahide where we met Eyelyn's sister, Ann. Deidre's family were all really great, fun people. I don't really know how to say it other than that. We laughed and ate and talked all evening. I didn't really feel out of place all evening. I mean, come on, I had only met Deidre the week before, and now I was hanging out with her distant relations.
This was a really nice restaurant, as nice as any I've been to recently. Of course I insisted on getting something Irish there. For the first course, I had some oysters. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy me some raw oysters, but these were served a bit differently than the way I've had them. In Florida, they were served with Tabasco on a cracker. These were served on brown bread with a sweet onion sauce. On top of this, I hadn't had oysters in about ten years. At any rate, it might not have been the best choice I could have made.
Then came the beef. Sirloin steak, actually. Forget Outback. I know I probably sound like I'm repeating myself, but I can't remember the last time I had steak this good. It came with onion rings and stomp, which is potatoes and cream and scallions. To top it all of was a white chocolate raspberry mousse. It's funny looking back through my pictures; most of them so far this weekend are of food.Unfortunately, right around the end of the main course, things started to go downhill. Not with the food or the company, but with me. The sniffles and developed into a full-blown flu. I had to excuse myself from the table about every five minutes to keep my nose from dribbling on the table.
James & Evelyn graciously offered their house to us for the evening. Since I wasn't feeling so well, Evelyn offered me some Lemsip, honey, and rum. I promptly proceeded to pass out.When I got up at about 11:00, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. My joints ached, my head hurt, I got dizzy if I moved quickly, my temperature was high, and the stuff coming out of my nose was a color not appropriate to mention in a blog. How awful was this? Here I was with these great people, with an opportunity to explore all of Ireland, and I was stuck in a bed.
I made myself get up and shower, but I could tell by the look on James face that he was concerned for my wellbeing. Breakfast was so cute. Have you ever seen those cereal commercials touting it as "part of a complete breakfast"? They've got the pitcher of milk, the plate with bread, a glass of milk, and a glass of orange juice. It looked exactly like that. I managed to eat, but soon passed out again.
My fever broke at about 2:00, and I felt much better. Evelyn's mother was visiting for lunch, so I went downstairs and me her. They insisted I got into the pictures, just like I was one of the family. Evelyn put together a fabulous dinner featuring salmon. After all this time on the road, a great home-cooked meal hit the spot.I haven't gotten a chance to get out too much, but there are definitely some differences here in Ireland. The European greeting of a kiss threw me off. And I "knew" when I came over here that they drive on the other side of the road. But every time we turn a corner and I see a car coming towards us in "our" lane, I tense up.
I've heard a lot of accents in my life, but I have to say that the Irish accent is probably my favorite. I find myself just sitting and listening to people talk. I have to say that just based on my experience so far, the Irish are about the friendliest people in the world. I feel like I've met some great people. I can't wait to come back someday.
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