Apparently I am that kind of person.

A little while ago I was talking with a dear friend about staying in hostels. She said she was never one of those people who can make a new friend and then you see them post something about “this cool place I went with my new best friend.” I’m not that kind of person either, I agreed.

I was wrong.

I just spent my day with a super cool hippie from the south west corner of Ireland. I mean a literal Birkenstock-wearing, dreadlock-having hippie.

Geraldine and I started talking in the hostel kitchen last evening. She was headed to Kylemore Abbey in the morning. It’s a 5-minute drive or a 50-minute walk along a narrow, windy road. So I asked her if I could hitch a ride with her in the morning. Her 56-year-old self and my 38-year-old self laughed like giddy girls at finally getting to see this beautiful place when we arrived in her car this morning.

This was a great moment for me because as a teenaged girl, I bought a poster of Kylemore Abbey from Hastings in Yukon, OK. That poster hung on my wall for years. And now I was seeing it for myself.

This was a great moment for Geraldine because after her father passed two years ago she became very depressed. She made a list of things she wanted to see and the Abbey was one of them. “And you’re here today Geraldine. With a big smile on your face,” I said to her.

We toured the house and walked the enormous walled-garden. She pointed out plants she knew and told me stories. I did the same except with less knowledge of flowers and vegetables. When I mentioned mint tea is my favorite, she told me about the chocolate mint growing outside our hostel.

After our lovely day together Geraldine kindly dropped me back at the hostel before she headed on to her next destination. We exchanged addresses and promised to send each other a post card.

Here’s to you Geraldine.