Lahinch BeachIt's summer in Ireland, and every once in a while for a few days or a week at a time, it's actually kind of hot. The sun is shining, and it's expected to get up to 27 C today (that's about 81 F). I know it's no scorcher, but keep in mind nobody has air conditioning around here. I have the weekend off so a friend and I decided to go to the beach yesterday.
This is one of those great things about where I live that I don't think will ever cease to be a novelty to me. The beach is only an hour away. Nothing's ever too far away, really. The entire island could be driven in a day. So, with a day off and nothing scheduled, spontaneous car trips are easy.
We drove to Lahinch, County Clare. It is a long beach, with sand and lots of huge rocks. The sand, as you can imagine, is not like white, silky Florida beaches, but closer to that of a northern California beach. It's darker and more coarse. I even stuck my toes in the water expecting to be sent into hypothermia almost instantly, but was pleasantly surprised that it was warm enough to wade in, and if I were so inspired, I could've been swimming, too.
The whole area, especially in these summery, sunny spells, forces a double-take to make sure you're still in Ireland. I'm not sure where it reminded me of. Perhaps part northern Michigan, part Maryland - quaint shops and ice cream stops dotting the road to the beach, a couple of surf stands signing people up for lessons, and of course loads of people. We were lucky enough to find parking straight away, which made the day much easier than it might have been. The sand was somewhat wet no matter where you went, so we just found a spot away from where kids were digging sand castles with moats, and set up for the afternoon.
Although otherwise very comfortable, I could've done with a cushion to lean against to facilitate proper people watching for the day. It was a feast for anyone who is easily entertained by the antics of others, like me. I was discouraged to see that the Speedo is still popular with men - and let's face it, it's never Olympic divers that favor this look on the beach, rather old men who wear black socks with their sandals. I would definitely say that there were more Speedos there than one would see at an American beach - one European stereotype that lives on. Other than that, it was the typical sites - kids screaming when they were told it was time to leave, couples cuddling on the beach that will end up with some very peculiar tan lines due to the positions they were taking up, and an impromptu beach soccer game with lines drawn in the sand for goals (it was like a twist on beach volleyball to me). I also had to dodge the jellyfish when I went up to the water for a bit of a walk, which was another good reason not to go for much of a swim.
The weather is perfect. It's a dry, sunny 80 degrees with just a light breeze by the beach from the sea. You could stay out there all day, which is why I ironically have a bit of a tan for about the first time in my life. Who would've thought Ireland would be the place I'd get a tan??? Well, with summers like this - as I mentioned in an earlier post, very much like an extended springtime - it's hard not to spend some time outside.
