“She is free in her wildness, she is a wanderess, a drop of free water. She knows nothing of borders and cares nothing for rules or customs. ‘Time’ for her isn’t something to fight against. Her life flows clean, with passion, like fresh water.”
-Roman Payne
Howth Market, just a few steps from the train station and a few more from the briny sea, boasts numerous tempting food stands. Those ropes are, in fact, candy. I walked among vendors of jewels and socks and churros and soap, all of whom were local and more than willing to chat. It was not long before I was drawn away from the town center and ventured off alone, keeping to the edge of the sea with petite buildings and grassy knolls to my right. And, to my left, there was this. I can think of nothing more humbling than a vast ocean, particularly this one, with the small cottages nestled into green cliffs to remind us just how small we are next to earth’s boundless creations. The road, steep and winding, led me past squat homes that seemed to melt into the cliffside, their alternate sides facing out to sea. I could only imagine what waking up to such a view must be like. The ocean–a stormy mixture of blue and grey, calm and ill-tempered–lapped against the verdant cliffside on which this patio was burrowed. Sailboats drifted by noiselessly; they were white specks pushed around like petulant children in the current.Sometimes in life, if you’re really lucky, you’ll come across views like these, and you’ll rest your elbows on a stone ledge and rest your chin in your palms and you’ll stare out at this precious sight until it’s been soaked into every particle of your being.
In a word: go. Go to Howth. Smell the briny air, that scent of something fresh and alive and new. Take a long moment to really see the landscape and to think about what you’re seeing, because you may never see it again. Beauty like this is gold dust, and I’m cherishing it accordingly.
Eliana Jordan 
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