The flight to the Isle of Mann was amazing, and I have never met more friendly security guards than in the Dublin Airport.  I have this little spork multi tool thing on my bag that really threw them off, and it was hilarious.  The man checking the screens that scan carry-on bags told me it "looked really strange on my screen," and another asked, "but really, what's it for?!"  But it didn't make them angry or suspiciously; they were smiling. And people apologize whenever something inconvenient happens, such as when I wasn't able to carry a drink onto one of the buses.  

We arrived on the Isle of Man two days ago not really knowing what to expect (or at least I didn't).  I didn't even really know this tiny island existed until recently when I found out from Melinda that we could find the Ouessant sheep on a certain farm there.  I mean, that's what this trip was all about, finding this rare breed of the tiniest sheep in the world!  I don't know quite how to classify the Isle of Man.  It uses the British Pound, is only a short plane hop from Dublin, and has a rich heritage of intermingled Vikings, Celts and Christians.  Oh and there's Manx cats, and a big motorcycle race called the TT, too.  But even after learning all that, the only thing I understand for certain is that this island is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Think, for example, of waking up every day to see the sea framed by rugged hills and green pastures full of cows and sheep.  The fields are full of rabbits, pheasants and jackdaws (there don't seem to be many natural predators).  The banks lining the roads are covered in different flowering plants of all kinds.  There are only five or six major fishing towns on the island, which you can easily reach within a few hours' drive.  Between that, there are farms.  That's it.

We had a cottage booked, but we had not arranged transportation and were planning on using the bus system.  We knew our destination to be Cammal Farms in Kirkmichael, but had no way of contacting anyone and had to ask many locals before we found our way.  

This video just about sums up everyone's feelings during that time.

Julia: Is the Go Pro actually on?

Anna: omg where are we going?  How are we going to get there?  We're lost!!

Melinda: sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

Two buses and a few hours later, we ended up in The Mitre, the oldest pub on the island.  The staff there kindly provided us directions to the Farm and made us sandwiches and chips to go (best tasting chips ever because by this time we were starving!).  We walked the rest of the way, about a mile up into the hills with our luggage.  But it was so beautiful and we were so close to our destination and we had chips so it didn't matter that much at all.  We finally reached the farm and settled into our little barn-like cottage, watching the sun set over the hills.

The next day we visited an ancient castle in Peel, learned some history of the island in the museum of Mannanan, and climbed a hill that gave us gorgeous views of the surrounding country.  When getting directions, we were given instructions like, " just go down the hill," or "just head north for a while."  On the first bus we took, a whole village of old fishermen took it upon themselves to help us find our way, but finally just wished us good luck and instructed us to talk to "the nice young bus driver."  And half of them looked a little tipsy so we did decide the bus driver was the best bet.

We never became seriously lost, and on an island of 85,000 people, most everyone knows how to help you or where you're supposed to go.

Standing on a big hilltop overlooking Peel, I thanked God for this trip, my friends and the unbelievable view.  It was a mountaintop moment for me and I hope the memory will nourish me in those days to come when acedia sets in and life seems like endless drudgery.