Isle of Man, Day 4

I know that I'm less than a week in to my five week adventure in the UK, but I think that today I discovered my favorite spot on the Isle of Man. We had another session this morning with Charlie and the Tain, then headed out for another field trip. This time the group traveled to the town of Peel to visit the House of Manannan.

We all took our own routes there, whether it was by bus or cab, and most of us ended up crossing paths somewhere during the day. I chose the cab route, which was well worth the few extra pounds. The House of Manannan was really kind of hokey, by was also really wonderful. From there we walked along the harbor to Peel Castle on St. Patrick's Isle (which is really not an island, since it is attached to Peel by a thin strip of land). This, for me, was the highlight of the adventure so far. The castle and surrounding sea were simply breathtaking; I know that's cheesey, but there is no other way to really describe it. All I wished was that I had a picnic basket, a bottle of wine, and a journal with me so that I could lie on the grass and enjoy it for several leisurely hours. My roommate and I plan to go back and climb to the top of Peel Hill, adjacent to the site, and do exactly that this weekend, if the good weather holds up.

We spent some time dipping our toes in the Irish Sea, then went in search of dinner. After some wandering we came across a pub called The Central Bar where we had drinks and a dinner of tapas with some wonderful Argentinian red wine. It could not have been more charming.

We loaded up a mini van cab, headed back to Douglas, and then our "usual" late night crew headed out for a pint or two at a neighborhood pub. It seems that we've explored a different one every night now.

After our session tomorrow, the group is free until we meet again Monday morning. My roommate and I plan to take a tour of the TT circuit this weekend, since the sites where the crosses Charlie assigned us to research are located along it. Other than that, I think we plan to stick to the Isle...unless Charlie can come through with some cheap tickets to Reykjavik (FINGERS CROSSED).

Pictures still will not upload here, so keep using that Facebook link!