We did not mean to sit so still, but we had plenty of time. Why would we rush around to see everything when we could stay as long as we wanted?

The stone house was cold in the morning. We stayed under piles of blankets until we could hear the fire. Then, we went to help with breakfast, unwrapping cheese, slicing bread, boiling water for more coffee. We sat on a long bench with our backs against the wall, cozy with the others who were equally as indolent.… continued…

On my third day in Dublin, I rented a bicycle. The bike was too big, the gears wobbly, but it was Ireland and I wanted to ride a bike. By the end of the week, I knew the back roads.  I rode the narrow shoulder past green yards, mossy little cottages set back from the road, bits of Irish countryside in suburbia.  I took the bus on rainy days. Mornings, I rode with students in school uniforms talking about homework, mugging in the aisles.… continued…