A Constant Cycle of Stories
By Jessilyn Yoo and Neil Calderwood
Viewing entries in
Totally Mustard
"Welcome to Portrush", the sign proclaimed ahead of us.
With a huge sigh of relief, we trundled into town. Finally, this wet, cold, Northern Irish day was done. All we had to do now was find our B&B, which appeared to be very straightforward, as all we needed to do was stay on the main road and then turn off onto a side street near the beach.
May we present Exhibit A: The Reality:
By the time we had gone to bed after our day in Ballycastle, the winds were still wailing and howling outside. It had gotten to the point where even the locals looked worried, and if things didn't improve in the morning, we were seriously considering staying an extra day here to let it pass.
When you've just been through the wringer after a day of mountains and wind, what's the only thing that can revive you?
Good old fish and chips, of course!
"So where are youse* for today?" Peter asked as he served up two plates of delicious Ulster fryness in front of us.
"Ballycastle", we mumbled through full mouths.
When we opened our eyes the next day, the first thing we heard was the stillness.
There was no rain, no clouds, no dampness. The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and...wait a minute. Where did all these cyclists come from?
"I thought I was going to get a call saying 'Not today'."
So said our smiling B&B proprietor, Peter Monroe as we rode up the driveway, soggy and bedraggled.
"Who us? Nah," we responded between clattering teeth.
Unlike when we planned our route through Burma, we knew going into this trip that there really was only one path forward. Whilst the lakes of Berlin at least provide us with some water to stare out at, it isn't the same as sitting by the ocean and watching the waves crash against the shore, and we've missed that experience.
It's pretty much safe to say that we have not prepared for this trip at all.
This summer has been a complete whirlwind, what with a wriggly new puppy to care for, various business trips every week that barely sees one of us at home, and a move to a new flat to contend with.
The first half of 2016 was peppered with the sights and sounds of Burma, which we had the privilege of experiencing on our BattleTandem™, Samson.
Turns out that taking your newly minted bike on the tour in a country with no bike shops isn't the smartest idea in the world. So for our next trip, we'll be taking things a bit closer to home by spending two weeks cycling around the beauty that is Northern Ireland in September.
