Day Fifteen: From Headford to Ballina
That is "Ballee-nah". I boarded a bus in Headford yesterday afternoon and made the trip to Ballina where I am visiting a parish priest who stayed with me in Mississauga in the summer of 2009.
The trip on the bus was an education in itself. In terms of how public services operate, Ireland is probably the polar opposite of Germany or Switzerland. Things generally happen on time, but informality is the order of the day. The bus stopped in places that provided the greatest convenience for customers. Given the rain that was a good thing. Those who wanted to chat and gossip sat near the front of the bus and I learned the leading topics of the day.
I arrived in late afternoon and we went off for a good meal. But oh my . . . the rain!
The trip on the bus was an education in itself. In terms of how public services operate, Ireland is probably the polar opposite of Germany or Switzerland. Things generally happen on time, but informality is the order of the day. The bus stopped in places that provided the greatest convenience for customers. Given the rain that was a good thing. Those who wanted to chat and gossip sat near the front of the bus and I learned the leading topics of the day.
I arrived in late afternoon and we went off for a good meal. But oh my . . . the rain!
