Santo finally gets the full Irish breakfast Maurice is famous for on Saturday morning: bacon, ham, black and white sausages, eggs, and tomato with wheat bread. I opt for Greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and raspberries and homemade granola. I’ve been eating so much on this whole trip and need to scale back at least a little.

         Today is our shopping day. The boys head out for groceries in all their favorite shops. The girls head to some gift shops to look for presents to bring home. Holywood has several lovely small gift shops, also lots of charity shops, some antique stores, and lots of coffee shops.

         After lunch, Alison and Lucy take Susie for a walk while Santo and I chill and Maurice cuts the lawn. When they get back, we want to pop round to a pub. We head to their favorite Holywood pub, Ned’s, but the small nosiy space is completely full with regular customs, almost all men, enjoying their pints of Guiness. It is such a typical, local Irish pub that I wish we could stay so Santo could experience it. Next we try the pub across the street. Santo and Maurice pop in to check it out then come out shaking their heads. Also full. Back to the car where we head to the Cultra Club, a fancier place located next to the Culloden Hotel, a 5-star hotel where the girls plan to go for high tea the next day. The Cultra Club looks much more like an American hotel bar than an Irish pub, but we are still able to enjoy our pints and more good conversation, while also watching a rugby match on the large TV.

         For dinner, Lucy decides to make us a light dish of smoked mackerel, green beans, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and couscous in a light dressing. She makes a wonderful presentation of the dish on a round platter that is so lovely Santo and I have to stop to take pictures! Santo bought us all a rhubarb tart for dessert. It tastes as lovely as it looks. We so often get strawberry rhubarb dishes, but it’s nice to just enjoy pure rhubarb.

         Once again, we enjoy after-dinner conversation that just seems to flow. How can we connect so well with people who live thousands of miles away from us? I’m grateful that we have been able to see each other once a year for the past four years, but wonder when we will see one another again. I do hope perhaps Alison and Lucy will be able to make a trip to us some time next year.