Yesterday afternoon, we arrived at the zoo at 4:15, only to discover it had closed at 4. Sam was one sad boy. So we promised him we would come back today. My friend, Anne O’Sullivan joined us. This was a total act of love on her part as the weather is bitterly cold and animals are just not her thing. The great thing was that we had the zoo to ourselves, no one else was crazy enough to tromp around the zoo in this weather. Many of the animals were not visible either, they too knew it was way to cold to be out tromping around.
Ann and I eventually went inside and had tea and let Niko and Sam continue on. It was wonderful to sit with this powerful and beautiful woman who drinks in her life with gratitude and grace. Anne was a member of the Tacoma L’Arche community from 1989 to 1992. She then left our community to go back home to Ireland and start the L’Arche communities in Ireland. She has just retired after successfully establishing 4 communities.
The highlight of the zoo for all of us was the baby rhino. It was less than a week old and so, so precious.
From the zoo, we headed to the airport to pick up a car and begin our adventure. I am so excited. Dublin is a great city, but everything in me yearns to get out in the countryside and to experience the intimacy of Ireland. We are headed to Kilkenny, down through Cork and then on to the Dingle Peninsula.