Waterville, Ireland

When we booked our vacation and decided to stay in one place it was also Karstens hope to cross over to Skellig Michael. The information we received was to book when we are in Ireland. Stupid recommendation. When we arrived we were told that the Skelligs were booked till September. What a disappointment. The only chance we might have is for no shows to occur. I put us on a list with little hope, because we were given no hope. Last evening on our way back home we came back through Portmagee. There were 3 men standing at the pontoon so Karsten stopped and asked how often they had been out to the Skelligs because the weather was really a mix of everything. On some days we found out they hadn’t been out at all. They were out yesterday and told Karsten that they were going out today, but earlier than planned because of the predicted weather. Our only chance was to show up early and hope for some no shows. Our plan: get up early, get the backpacks ready the evening before, lay out our clothes and get to bed early. We did all that. We had to be at the harbor at 8:15. We were there at 8:05 and were told to: „wait over there“. A couple was standing in front of us. With them we were the first ones. The skippers started arriving as well as groups of people or other couples. The “ hope line“ was getting longer behind us. Everybody stood in a decent line, no crowd of people, this wouldn’t have happened in Germany for sure. We waited patiently and waited and waited. It was already 9:00. Then a skipper came up and said he could take three. Three! The couple in front of us saw themselves on the boat, but there wasn’t a single person in the line behind us, so it was us! We found ourselves on the way to the boat. The couple was also lucky as there were only two seats on another boat. The rest ran out of luck. Which was at least good looking at the couple behind us. Anyone going to the Skelligs knows that you have to climb steep stairs that are laid out in drystone. It is treacherous and dangerous, cold and wet.The young woman had a mini skirt on with ballerina slippers. When we got to the boat I had to laugh. It was fate. The boats name: Ursula Mary. Eric and I popped some pills against sea sickness. Unfortunately they didn’t help Eric. In the hour we needed to get over he was sick about half way. I myself was still in a daze not really comprehending that we were on the way to Skellig Michael without a reservation. A bit worried too, when reading about traveling to the island it sounds extremely scary and dangerous also getting off the boat. We were told that we had to be back at the boat at 12:00 because of bad weather coming up. Skellig Michael was shrouded in clouds. When we arrived it wasn’t as bad as I thought. We were on Skellig Michael. We headed up the path and were greeted by dozens of puffins. We finally made it to the starting point where one of the island guides, Melanie, gave us a briefing on how to proceed. My heart was in my throat again as she mentioned that the way up is not for people with fear of heights. That’s me. But no way was I going to stay at the bottom. So we started off. I was so focused on the stairs that I didn’t have time to look down. The last flights, Karsten took me by the hand to steady me. At least it was wide enough for the two of us, most of the time we had to go up in a single file. We made it to the top. The guide at the top told us about the history and looking into one of the beehive huts made you wonder why people choose this way of life. Then the mist started clearing up and the view got better. So we tried to get some photos and started heading down. The puffins were everywhere. They are so adorable. The sounds they make is also quite interesting. The wind was picking up, this was an advantage, the stairs were dry. Climbing back down was easier. Later I found out that the most accidents happen on the way down. Phew. We were on our boat on time and heading back to the mainland, but on the way there we circled Little Skellig. This is the home for thousands of gannets. The white that you see from afar is not rock but the birds. We also saw seals with their young ones. On the way back, Eric was sick again, fortunately we had decided not to eat anything so there was not much for him to get sick from. When we finally reached the harbor in Portmagee we were all hungry and had a change in our dining plans. The skipper recommended the pub „The Fisherman“ where Karsten had fish and chips, Eric had a beef lasagna and I had garlic baked mussels. After that we drove back, took a nap and woke up to storm and rain. We ate our sandwiches and played Skipbo and now it’s time for soccer.