Part 1
A couple of weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to be able to visit our amazing friend Izz in the Isle of Mann for five days, since she was living and working there for a couple of months. I (Rah) had been before in 2012 with just Izz so I was excited to show Reen the beauty of the island. I’d already tentatively come to the conclusion that the Isle of Mann was my favourite place in the world in 2012, but visiting again definitely clinched the deal.
Also, may I just say now that the Isle of Mann flag is the most awesome looking flag in the world (in my opinion, of course). But just look at it!
We arrived at the Isle of Mann airport in the afternoon, to glorious weather (despite the weather forecasts saying it would rain) and with Izz waiting for us. After some friendly banter (we’ve been friends for nine years now, teasing each other is the norm) and Izz mucking up our bus tickets by folding the sticky over-layer badly, we got on a bus from the airport to the quaint little seaside village of Port St Mary.
When we arrived at our little apartment we would be staying in during the week, we decided to go for a walk to the local shops to get something for dinner before Izz had to go to work in the evening. Shopping for food with Reen is always a challenge, because she’s allergic to an assortment of foods, is lactose intolerant and (as of the last couple of months) is a vegetarian. She was born to be bloody difficult! It was a task and a half finding food she could eat in the small village shop but we managed it in the end and I took a couple of photos of the walk on the way back. It’s worth noting at this point that I am not going to omit any photos from this trip, and (like with most of my photos because my computer refuses to accept Photoshop software) they have not been edited at all. The photos of the island don’t need tweaking because they are so beautiful anyway. The sky was so blue and the sea so clear, the whole place was almost magical to look at, especially when you are used to living in a big city!
When we reached the building we were staying in, I noticed this unusual car parked inside and just had to snap it! I could just imagine driving round the isle in it, hahah. Very much wishful thinking!
When we got up to the apartment, we cooked our dinner, ate it then bid farewell to Izz as she left for her long shift. Exhausted from all our travelling, myself and Reen slumped into some armchairs and lay there for a while, until my fingers started itching to take some photos and I walked to the window to have a peek outside. Looking straight down from one of the windows, I could see this old and haggered ickle boat. At some point, it may have looked sad and abandoned, but nature had now reclaimed it.
Looking out to the right, of the same window, you could see the little harbour, and across the bay to more of the island.
The whole view was beautiful. Boats and sea and sky and birds. The whole place was just serene, and a feeling of quiet contentedness fills you when you’re in such a place.
ReenRah 