Tales of a Whimsical Wanderer

June-July 2017 THE boat glided smoothly across the water towards the largest of the Aran Islands, Inis Mor. The wanderer stood on the deck of the boat, enjoying the fresh air and the calm gray landscape passing by. Little did she know she would face her biggest challenge yet on this Irish island. THE bike was woefully uncomfortable, but she thought that was simply because she hadn't properly ridden one since she was a child. If only she'd known the bike was too big for her, the poor girl. The girl proved the exception to the rule that you never forget how to ride a bike. Simply getting the bike going was a struggle in itself. Once she finally began pedaling, steering proved to be another problem. She wobbled and swerved and even bumped into another biker. Quickly she fell to the back of the pack, straggling behind the forty-something other students who were a part of this school field trip. And then came the hills. Attempting to ride up the hills on her too-big bike tha...

June-July 2017 THE fog cleared, and the wanderer hiked over the Cliffs of Insanity. FIRST, however, the tour bus took her to a castle, which she wandered around, trekking around the perimeter and without really meaning to circling the whole thing. Then she found herself in a self-advertised incredibly dark network of caves, which of course was in fact filled with light by which to walk. But once, and only once, the guide turned out all of the lights, and the wanderer couldn't even see her hand right in front of her face it was so dark! Total pitch blackness: a darkness so complete it was like going into another world. Truth be told, when the lights switched back on the wanderer was disappointed. She wished to experience the strange sensation longer. Apparently, she is fascinated by the dark. WHEN the bus finally arrived at the Cliffs of Moher, the driver was full of apologies. The fog was so thick they could hardly see a thing in the distance, the cliffs included. A drizzling...