So she set off from her home in California and in one jump she achieved a huge change in culture by arriving in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. For the next two months she saw many more changes as she went from the Republic to Switzerland, Italy and then France.
In France she saw the sights: Toulouse, Marseilles, Grenoble as well as a weekend in Paris. The last part of her visit was to pleasant Normandie, on the north-west coast.
From there she left by ferry boat to cross the Atlantic to south-east Ireland. She got off the boat in the port of Rosslare and she was in the Emerald Isle. It had been a tranquil voyage with no seas rough enough to disturb the stomach.
By now this energetic American girl had done plenty of travel and toted her backpack round many Continental cities. She had jumped on trains and caught buses. She had experienced the inconveniences that beset all travelers and suffered varying qualities of food .
Eating mostly on the run the diet had been assorted but just recently seemed to have consisted exclusively of bread and cheese!
So arriving in the land of green she put her sights on her destination which was County Galway; all the way on the Western coast. To achieve her goal the friends hired a car and took off down the pleasant roads of Ireland.
About in the middle of Ireland , and pleasantly rural, is the village of Adare.
Adare is a traditional Irish town with a river, a castle, picturesque ruins and meandering streets of thatched cottages. The centre, of course, provides for the many shoppers. Businesses are agricultural-related with plenty of horse-chandlers and feed-stores. Adare has many renowned stables.
It has also become a centre for another kind of commerce having become famous as the wedding capital of Ireland. From around Ireland and the world couples descend on this County Limerick town, often described as “the prettiest village in Ireland” to tie the knot against scenic back-drops.
To continue our amazing breakfast story:
On arriving in Adare, in the late afternoon, the company sought a pleasant place to stay the night. They followed a recommendation and headed out to a B and B on the outskirts of the town.
Now B and B’s are the alternative to the hotel in many parts of Ireland. They are, of course, privately run and while offering less facilities than the hotels they make up for it with a more personal service. The one they had chosen was a large house set in some grounds with horse-runs, fences and jumps scattered around. A large horse-box stood in one corner of the parking area. Clearly the family had an equine-related business.
Settling in for the night, quite early, Tina had a sound and dreamless sleep. Up in the morning with her friends, they all trooped downstairs to find the dining room where they had had a brief meal last night.
The table was set for the six of them and looked glorious with country flowers in white jugs and silver toast-racks, standing proud and shiny like ships with their cargo of toasted plain and fruit soda-bread.
They settled in and helped themselves to glasses of juice from a side-board. Soon the hostess came through the swing-doors from the kitchen her arms full with laden plates. Tina looked up and anticipation sent a pleasant tingling sensation to her tummy. This was the first meal in such a pleasant and homely surroundings that she’d had in a long while. Perhaps since she left her home on the West Coast .
In due course the plate landed on Tina’s place-mat and she gazed at it. It looked yummy! A traditional Irish breakfast, of course, it included a fried egg and rashers of bacon, a sausage or two and, in a nod to the vegetable world, half a tomato. At the side of the plate was something Tina didn’t recognize- a dark circle that looked meaty but could it be some strange Irish mushroom? No! She soon found out it was a slice of the famous blood-sausage or black pudding. Black pudding and its cousin the white pudding are a mainstay of Gaelic cuisine: both are made from pork, black has the blood as well . Now Tina had some misgivings about this new breakfast item but on putting a piece in her mouth found that it was as delicious as the rest of the meal. Washed down with some good coffee; egg, bacon and the rest of the contents of the plate soon disappeared.
Our hostess was on the ball and, observing how fast Tina had polished off her plate, removed it and took off for the kitchen:
“I like a hungry girl!”
Emerging through the swing-doors the dynamic lady of the house put a second plate in front of Tina . This soon went the same way as the first. If anything it tasted even better and Tina’s satisfaction was growing by bounds.
“Whoof…Time for a break”. Tina headed outside to indulge her vice: a cigarette break and found herself looking at the horses in the field munching the grass. The younger son of the house came walking up to her. They exchanged a few words and he mentioned how happy she made his mum:
“My mum likes you a lot.” He said.
And indeed when Tina returned to her seat she found out that a third plate of food was awaiting her attention.
After a moment of doubt Tina knew she was up for the challenge and dispatched more egg and black pudding, then finished the meal off with a slice of toast and marmalade.” Its home-made!” the hostess remarked.
“And I’ll see you sweet lasses later for I have my shopping to do!!”
They were left alone in the dining room contemplating a full stomach and the bottom of a coffee cup.
And for Tina, at least, just one more cigarette outside on the porch. . She felt good…more than satisfied …… just complete . Totally at one with the world; and the velvety, brown horse looking at her.
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