I'm not an early riser. I see beautiful photographs of sunrises and think, I’ll never do that. And yet.

We’re now proponents of slow travel. It’s miraculous, how it can change the whole tenor of a vacation, living slowly. This fall, we stayed for 2 weeks at Pier Cottage, County Kerry, Ireland. It was bliss. We chose slow travel to accommodate my disabilities, and the rhythms of family travel. We had no idea that it would be such an extraordinary experience, and influence all of our future vacations.

Pier Cottage is right on the water, and every day we’d walk out our front door and head 20 feet to the shore. We learned the rhythms of the tide; explored tidal pools; found shells, eels, shrimp, and an enormous dead crab. We watched birds, seals, and fishermen going about their daily business. In the rain, we watched fog wreathe the mountains, and then the sun split the clouds and illuminate far-flung fields across the bay. I hung out laundry; we met neighbors, saved a sheep, ate the best croissants.

Morning view from Pier Cottage, County Kerry, Ireland 

And the glorious mornings. I woke early and hastened outside, rain or shine.  Camera and coffee in hand, I perched on an enormous boulder. I watched, listened, reveled, and snapped hundreds of sunrise photos. Travel was different, joyful. Maybe it was the relaxed pace – we didn’t need to play tourist. We could live, learn, wake up early or late, and for a time on our travels, call Ireland home.