We made it back to Dublin yesterday from Cashel, a long journey, but then got right back on a bus to head to Bray, about an hour out of Dublin. Once we were in Bray, we took the bus out to Kilmacanogue where we had a camp site to find but weren't actually certain of its wherabouts. The information lady told us to get off at the roundabout and walk up the hill. Usually these 'short' walks we are told will get us to the camp site end up being hour long treks, so we geared up for a long walk up Rocky Valley Drive to a rather uncertain destination.
The drive itself was lovely, seated at the foothills of The Great Sugarloaf. The Great Sugarloaf is a mountain that is not particularly high, but is of apparently unusual shape and is somehow significant. I was rather intrigued by the names of people's homes on plaques on their fences including 'Sugarloaf Mist', 'Applewood', 'Mossend', 'Cool Amber', etc. We made it up quite a way to a shoulder in the road but still hadn't come to anything. There was a woman parked on the shoulder, and so I asked her if she knew where Valley View B&B was. She hadn't even ever heard of it but lived in the area and had friends on the drive, so took us up the hill a bit to try to find some information, but we kind of struck out in all directions. Finally, we just asked her if she wouldn't mind dropping us off at a B&B we had actually seen signs for and perhaps they would have either space or directions. We took the fork in the road that led to that B&B and when we turned the corner, Valley View B&B was right there. As we got out of the car, the woman, who was going to be leaving for Portugal that evening, asked if we wanted milk and bread which she had in the car but had to get rid of before she left and so we happily took it and had milk for our coffee this morning!
We are in Bray currently, figuring out how to get to Glendalough tomorrow, and then back to Dublin.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Rats, Birds, and Bluegrass
Greetings all. We are currently waiting out a rain storm in the library in Cashel. We got here yesterday afternoon and set up our tent (which, btw, with our new tarp over it, stayed quite dry, despite the rain in the wee hours...) and then walked through town. We visited the tourist information and read some history and then walked up the hill to the Rock of Cashel which was quite intriguing. On our way down the hill from the castle, we came upon a black sheep (he was so cute!) who I tried to coax to pose for my camera, but it was a little difficult, because his jealous white sheep brother kept getting in the way, alas. As I was taking their picture, Melissa screamed behind me and grabbed me yelling, "Just go! Just go!" and pushing me down the hill. I looked behind me and there was a large, stiff rat on the ground in the middle of the trail. Then I screamed...and we ran down the hill laughing. Ick! Rodents...though I think I would have been more scared of it if it had been alive and running across the path. Rodents and birds that get trapped inside and can't figure out how to get out (like in airports, and other places...) send me into histerics; or pigeons that fly at your head from towers and turrets on castles, those are frightening as well. One has to try to be somewhat composed in public...
Last night, we decided to experience Guiness again, since Melissa hadn't really had any yet, and ran into a band from Tenessee playing here in town, so we got to listen to bluegrass. It was kind of a unique experience (bluegrass in Ireland) and the locals enjoyed it quite a bit, as did the non-locals (us...I love bluegrass!). Afterwards, we walked back to our campsite, which is located at a lodge right at the foothills of the Rock of Cashel. The stars were brilliant and there weren't a lot of lights, so after we got ready for bed, I got in my sleeping bag and laid down on top of the picnic table by our tent in hopes of seeing some shooting stars. I saw one for sure, and possibly a few others out of the corner of my eye. The stars were so bright though, and really, it was one of the first times we've seen them here.
Today, we got up and decided to stay one more night so have been drinking coffee, reading, and waiting out the rain. It looks as if it might be letting up a bit. This afternoon/evening, we have plans to explore the ruins of an old abbey across from the lodge. Tomorrow we will move on, I believe in the direction of Dublin, but then down to Bray and the next day to Wicklow, or Glendalough, in Co. Wicklow.
Last night, we decided to experience Guiness again, since Melissa hadn't really had any yet, and ran into a band from Tenessee playing here in town, so we got to listen to bluegrass. It was kind of a unique experience (bluegrass in Ireland) and the locals enjoyed it quite a bit, as did the non-locals (us...I love bluegrass!). Afterwards, we walked back to our campsite, which is located at a lodge right at the foothills of the Rock of Cashel. The stars were brilliant and there weren't a lot of lights, so after we got ready for bed, I got in my sleeping bag and laid down on top of the picnic table by our tent in hopes of seeing some shooting stars. I saw one for sure, and possibly a few others out of the corner of my eye. The stars were so bright though, and really, it was one of the first times we've seen them here.
Today, we got up and decided to stay one more night so have been drinking coffee, reading, and waiting out the rain. It looks as if it might be letting up a bit. This afternoon/evening, we have plans to explore the ruins of an old abbey across from the lodge. Tomorrow we will move on, I believe in the direction of Dublin, but then down to Bray and the next day to Wicklow, or Glendalough, in Co. Wicklow.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
To Killarney and Back
Yesterday, Melissa and I slept in and then took a bus to Cork city centre where we walked through the English Market and saw many interesting and yummy things. One of the interesting things we saw were butchers carrying whole frozen pigs on their shoulders into the market. One of the yummy things was a bakery with warm loaves of fresh bread in baskets. Mmm!! Of course, there was chocolate too. That was yummy, to see and to smell, though we didn't eat any. We spent the day in Cobh (pronounced Cove), a neighboring town replete with significant historical events; the sinking of the Lusitania, the Titanic's last port, home of St. Coleman's Cathedral, etc., etc. We enjoyed the afternoon there and took the train back, and made it home in time to have dinner with Lindsey and Beth and some ladies from their church. Lindsey makes wonderful sushi!
Today, Melissa was a bit under the weather still, though I was feeling fairly well rested so decided to strike out on my own and take a day trip to Killarney. Killarney is about two hours west of Cork. The topography changes about three times during the drive, and not just subtle changes, but significant ones, literally from rolling pastureland to spruce trees and mountains, to rocky hills and plains; it is amazing to behold. Thankfully, Melissa sent me with a peanut butter sandwich which I ate on the way as I was feeling a bit bus sick. When I got there, I walked through the city centre and main streets and then had lunch and after lunch found one of the north entrances to the Killarney National Park. The park is quite large, but I just walked along the northern edge on a walk called Cherry Drive. It was a pretty little tree-lined drive and the trees were old enough and large enough to form an archway over the top of it. It reminded me of the White Way of Delight in Anne of G.G., though without the cherry blossoms! The trees were lovely in their own right, however, and had silvery-seafoam colored lichen all over their trunks. I sat under one of them for a while and wrote post cards to my grandmothers while other people passed through and then I took some pictures. It was quite a serene afternoon, I must say.
Well, tomorrow we head to Cashel, then to Wicklow, then to Dublin, then home! We are gearing up for our last few days, though are excited to return as well.
Today, Melissa was a bit under the weather still, though I was feeling fairly well rested so decided to strike out on my own and take a day trip to Killarney. Killarney is about two hours west of Cork. The topography changes about three times during the drive, and not just subtle changes, but significant ones, literally from rolling pastureland to spruce trees and mountains, to rocky hills and plains; it is amazing to behold. Thankfully, Melissa sent me with a peanut butter sandwich which I ate on the way as I was feeling a bit bus sick. When I got there, I walked through the city centre and main streets and then had lunch and after lunch found one of the north entrances to the Killarney National Park. The park is quite large, but I just walked along the northern edge on a walk called Cherry Drive. It was a pretty little tree-lined drive and the trees were old enough and large enough to form an archway over the top of it. It reminded me of the White Way of Delight in Anne of G.G., though without the cherry blossoms! The trees were lovely in their own right, however, and had silvery-seafoam colored lichen all over their trunks. I sat under one of them for a while and wrote post cards to my grandmothers while other people passed through and then I took some pictures. It was quite a serene afternoon, I must say.
Well, tomorrow we head to Cashel, then to Wicklow, then to Dublin, then home! We are gearing up for our last few days, though are excited to return as well.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Galway, Inish Oirr, Doolin, Tralee, and Cork
When we left Kilcar, we were planning to go to a small surf town called Rossnowlough, but found out none of the buses ran there, so we decided to take the bus to Galway a little earlier than planned. We made it there by about 9:30 p.m. and thankfully, were able to catch the 10:00 bus from Eyre Square out to our campsite which was right on the beach, though the grass where we pitched our tent was sheltered by a tall hedge. It was another wet night, one of the wettest yet, however the next day we were able to remedy that situation.
In Galway, we started out the following morning with coffee and brunch and then decided to spend the day perusing the shop-lined streets. There were a lot of people walking, like in Dublin, but it had a different feel to it. It seemed a lot more local whereas when we were in Dublin, there seemed to be a lot more tourists on the streets, so the difference was enjoyable. Galway (well, all of Ireland...) but especially Galway, is apparently known for its rain. Everyone had umbrellas and if we weren't able to keep the pace of the people around us, we found ourselves frequently dodging spokes to keep from getting jabbed in the eye. We ducked into a cafe in the afternoon called Java Script for our daily downtime/drying time and had coffee and tea. This was after we had acquired a tarp for our tent, which was very much the highlight of the day!
Galway is also known for its music and we had read about several pubs that were going to be having traditional music in the evening so we decided to check it out. We have found that finding the right pub is very difficult. They are either packed body to body with trendy younguns, teeming with tourists looking for traditional music (us...), or small, quiet pubs where you walk in the door and get stared down by about five or six local older men. We finally decided to walk a short distance to a pub closer to the university that the lonely planet guide told us about, Monroe's Tavern, and found it to be the perfect mix of locals, young people and older people, and tourists looking for traditional music. It was a bit vacant when we got there since the music didn't start until 9:00 but we ate and I drank my Guiness while Melissa tried the Galway Hooker so that she could test something local. She found it to taste a bit like fish. I didn't like it either, but we finished it nonetheless and had a lovely evening listening to the band that played. When the music started, we moved closer so we could hear and so someone eating could have our table. We were sitting on stools near the wall at a little side bar. Melissa had put her empty mug up there behind us, and we had also rested the bag with the tarp in it there, against the wall. About ten minutes after the move to the stools, the tarp bag shifted, falling towards the beer glass and kocking it to the tile floor, where it shattered. It was kind of a classic 'us' situation, and not the first. I forogt to mention how we nearly took out a couple of topiaries with our backpacks in Edinburgh at a restaurant that felt way too fancy for us. But that was a long time ago...we're much better at maneuvering now.
Since we had been gone all day, and because it had been raining all day, we hadn't had any chance to dry anything out. Our tent and sleeping bags were drenched, and because I was still sick on top of that, we cooked up a plan to sleep on the couches inside the tv room at the campsite. On our way back, 'nurse Melissa voice' rehearsed a speech about how in her professional opinion, as my nurse, I needed to sleep in a dry, warm place to keep from getting sicker, and how we had payed our fees, and were entitled to sleep inside. This was all in case we were faced with opposition. Well, we got back and sat there for a bit, trying to wait out the people who were still in the kitchen and showers, but then were met with the owner of the site who bascially told everyone to leave and turn off the lights when they did. She looked at Melissa and I and told us that if we wanted, we could go to the adjacent sun room, which would be open all night. Little did she know, we would actually be there, all night. We went and packed up our wet paraphanalia and walked to the sun room, which had a fold up bed and a long, leather couch in it. We still had the problem of what we were going to sleep under since both our sleeping bags were wet, and so, we whipped out the new tarp! We piled on the couch with half the tarp under us and half over and it was remarkably warm considering its rather stiff and scratchy nature.
The next day's advenure was to go to the Aran Islands. We decided to go to the smallest island, which is said to be the prettiest as well. We packed up early and after a forty-minute bus ride to the pier in Galway, we got on the ferry for a rough, wet, and very fun ride over to the island. Melissa wanted to know what it was like set-netting, and since we were on a smaller boat going to the small island, she had a chance. In her words, she has now been, "Indcuted into the world of the sea, the wind in her hair, the taste of the sea on her lips, her wet pants clinging to her ankles, the water dripping into her shoes, and confirmed in the painful fact that she has no balance, especially at sea!"
It was nice arriving at the island and having our hostel right by the pier. We were able to go in and get dry as well as do all our laundry and dry everything we had, including our sleeping bags and tent. We spent the day resting in the sun since, besides the occasional shower, it was a warmer, breezy day. The islands in particular are still heavily Gaelic-speaking so that was very interesting to listen to. Life was very slow there, and refreshing. We spent one night there and the next day perused the ancient ruins then took the ferry back to Doolin. Doolin was a small backpacker/surf community below Galway in County Clare and we greatly enjoyed our time there, as well as located some of the best fudge we have ever eaten, which was drenched by a cracked egg on the train last night, but has since been wiped down and salvadged. The things we have to go through for choclolate...
Last night, we got into Tralee from Doolin, right in the midst of the Rose of Tralee Festival. Melissa kept telling me I should have entered, but we ran into the problem of what I would wear and decided we could create a very fashionable dress out of black trashbags and duct tape, a poncho cape, and a bus-ticket/heather corsage, properly showcasing the wind-blown look while sporting the versatile and fast-drying croc for footwear. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find a place to stay in Tralee and we were wet by the time we reached our campsite, so we decided to move on to Cork on the last train out and will be here for a few days, staying with a Homer friend and her roommate who have been extremely hospitable and allowed us to just relax and dry out, as well as given us some ideas of what to see and taught us some of the history of Cork. From here, we'll leave in a couple of days for the Wicklow Gap just below Dublin, and then back to Dublin, and home in little over a week.
a) Melissa on the beach in Ft. William, Scotland
b) Ivy in the Botanical Garden, Belfast
c) Slieve League, Carrick, Ireland
In Galway, we started out the following morning with coffee and brunch and then decided to spend the day perusing the shop-lined streets. There were a lot of people walking, like in Dublin, but it had a different feel to it. It seemed a lot more local whereas when we were in Dublin, there seemed to be a lot more tourists on the streets, so the difference was enjoyable. Galway (well, all of Ireland...) but especially Galway, is apparently known for its rain. Everyone had umbrellas and if we weren't able to keep the pace of the people around us, we found ourselves frequently dodging spokes to keep from getting jabbed in the eye. We ducked into a cafe in the afternoon called Java Script for our daily downtime/drying time and had coffee and tea. This was after we had acquired a tarp for our tent, which was very much the highlight of the day!
Galway is also known for its music and we had read about several pubs that were going to be having traditional music in the evening so we decided to check it out. We have found that finding the right pub is very difficult. They are either packed body to body with trendy younguns, teeming with tourists looking for traditional music (us...), or small, quiet pubs where you walk in the door and get stared down by about five or six local older men. We finally decided to walk a short distance to a pub closer to the university that the lonely planet guide told us about, Monroe's Tavern, and found it to be the perfect mix of locals, young people and older people, and tourists looking for traditional music. It was a bit vacant when we got there since the music didn't start until 9:00 but we ate and I drank my Guiness while Melissa tried the Galway Hooker so that she could test something local. She found it to taste a bit like fish. I didn't like it either, but we finished it nonetheless and had a lovely evening listening to the band that played. When the music started, we moved closer so we could hear and so someone eating could have our table. We were sitting on stools near the wall at a little side bar. Melissa had put her empty mug up there behind us, and we had also rested the bag with the tarp in it there, against the wall. About ten minutes after the move to the stools, the tarp bag shifted, falling towards the beer glass and kocking it to the tile floor, where it shattered. It was kind of a classic 'us' situation, and not the first. I forogt to mention how we nearly took out a couple of topiaries with our backpacks in Edinburgh at a restaurant that felt way too fancy for us. But that was a long time ago...we're much better at maneuvering now.
Since we had been gone all day, and because it had been raining all day, we hadn't had any chance to dry anything out. Our tent and sleeping bags were drenched, and because I was still sick on top of that, we cooked up a plan to sleep on the couches inside the tv room at the campsite. On our way back, 'nurse Melissa voice' rehearsed a speech about how in her professional opinion, as my nurse, I needed to sleep in a dry, warm place to keep from getting sicker, and how we had payed our fees, and were entitled to sleep inside. This was all in case we were faced with opposition. Well, we got back and sat there for a bit, trying to wait out the people who were still in the kitchen and showers, but then were met with the owner of the site who bascially told everyone to leave and turn off the lights when they did. She looked at Melissa and I and told us that if we wanted, we could go to the adjacent sun room, which would be open all night. Little did she know, we would actually be there, all night. We went and packed up our wet paraphanalia and walked to the sun room, which had a fold up bed and a long, leather couch in it. We still had the problem of what we were going to sleep under since both our sleeping bags were wet, and so, we whipped out the new tarp! We piled on the couch with half the tarp under us and half over and it was remarkably warm considering its rather stiff and scratchy nature.
The next day's advenure was to go to the Aran Islands. We decided to go to the smallest island, which is said to be the prettiest as well. We packed up early and after a forty-minute bus ride to the pier in Galway, we got on the ferry for a rough, wet, and very fun ride over to the island. Melissa wanted to know what it was like set-netting, and since we were on a smaller boat going to the small island, she had a chance. In her words, she has now been, "Indcuted into the world of the sea, the wind in her hair, the taste of the sea on her lips, her wet pants clinging to her ankles, the water dripping into her shoes, and confirmed in the painful fact that she has no balance, especially at sea!"
It was nice arriving at the island and having our hostel right by the pier. We were able to go in and get dry as well as do all our laundry and dry everything we had, including our sleeping bags and tent. We spent the day resting in the sun since, besides the occasional shower, it was a warmer, breezy day. The islands in particular are still heavily Gaelic-speaking so that was very interesting to listen to. Life was very slow there, and refreshing. We spent one night there and the next day perused the ancient ruins then took the ferry back to Doolin. Doolin was a small backpacker/surf community below Galway in County Clare and we greatly enjoyed our time there, as well as located some of the best fudge we have ever eaten, which was drenched by a cracked egg on the train last night, but has since been wiped down and salvadged. The things we have to go through for choclolate...
Last night, we got into Tralee from Doolin, right in the midst of the Rose of Tralee Festival. Melissa kept telling me I should have entered, but we ran into the problem of what I would wear and decided we could create a very fashionable dress out of black trashbags and duct tape, a poncho cape, and a bus-ticket/heather corsage, properly showcasing the wind-blown look while sporting the versatile and fast-drying croc for footwear. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find a place to stay in Tralee and we were wet by the time we reached our campsite, so we decided to move on to Cork on the last train out and will be here for a few days, staying with a Homer friend and her roommate who have been extremely hospitable and allowed us to just relax and dry out, as well as given us some ideas of what to see and taught us some of the history of Cork. From here, we'll leave in a couple of days for the Wicklow Gap just below Dublin, and then back to Dublin, and home in little over a week.
a) Melissa on the beach in Ft. William, Scotland
b) Ivy in the Botanical Garden, Belfast
c) Slieve League, Carrick, Ireland
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Killybegs, Cliffs, and Sheep!
It has been a while since we've been able to e-mail or update the blog, so I will start with where we were when we last wrote. After we got back from Scotland, we spent a couple of days in Londonderry, which is in Northern Ireland. We camped at a very quiet camp site out of town and the next day got to see the murals commemorating Bloody Sunday, an important date in N. Irish history. (If you aren't familiar, you should look it up.)
After Londonderry, we geared up for another bus journey to County Donegal, which looks a lot like Scotland as far as the landscape. Instead of stopping in Donegal City, which seemed a bit crowded and touristy, we kept going to a small fishing town called Killybegs. We got off the bus and asked where the nearest camp site was and were told it was about 1 1/2 km down the road. Well, we took a longer route by mistake and ended up in front of the fire station and were directed to walk up a hill to our right and after the hill, it would be about 1 1/2 km to Fintragh Beach, where we would have no trouble camping. So, we hiked the 3 or so km to the beach along a rather windy road with our 'rucksacks' on our backs; I'm afraid Melissa was ready to ring my neck at points for speed walking, which I apparently have a tendency to do quite often when I am ready to be somewhere and not hiking through the rain with 40lb backpacks. (It was an evening of many apologies for impatience on both our parts!)
We finally arrived at the beach, which was ridiculously windy, but also ridiculously gorgeous. We were able to set up our tent between two grassy embankments which provided for a rather uneven, yet also solid, ground. I sat on the beach after we set up camp and ate a sandy tomato/cheese sandwhich (one of the yummiest I have ever eaten!); we were so hungry after our hike. That was the last of our groceries (actually, Melissa ate one too, I wasn't a cookie monster...). We have been grocery shopping as we go rather than eating out every night which has been working quite well and saving us a lot of money, as well as making the times when we do choose to eat out more special. We have also discovered a lot of new favorites this way, such as our beloved chocolate 'buscuits', Fox's Shortcake, which we buy whenever we have a long bus trip.
It was a windy and rainy night and I woke up with a sore throat, which was not pleasant or welcome, however, on the upside, I've been able to lighten my load a bit by consuming all my Emergen-c, vitamins, seudafed, and cough drops! We packed up our wet gear and made our way back to town, thinking we'd be on time for the bus, only to find that it wasn't leaving Killybegs until four-thirty. Both of us at this point were in a rather irritable state, me sick, and Melissa ready to be dry and move on to the next place. After a couple of hours of sitting in the sun, the church bells rang and things started to open up again so we stepped into a local pub for coffee/tea and were greeted with familiar worship tunes playing on the radio. They were songs that I have heard a million times on K-Love and other such stations and have tired of, but hearing them here was different because it was like a welcome sound from home. I haven't particularly felt homesick, maybe at points, but it was something of a trigger of home-like feelings and also provided for our own little church service as we sat reading our Bibles over coffee, and tea. I have to say both coffee and tea now because Melissa has latched onto the tea drinking ritual with great vigor. One verse in particular came to mind that morning, "But I have calmed and quieted my soul..." the first part of Psalm 131:2. That sort of became the theme for the next few days.
After Killybegs, we decided instead of heading straight down to Galway, we'd spend a couple of days in another quieter coast town and so took a twenty minute ride to Kilcar, just North, and spent two nights at a hostel called Dun Ulin. The first night we camped, but then moved inside the second to try to dry out some which was nice. Our second day there, we decided we'd go for a hike to Carrick, the neighboring village, and have lunch. It was about a 4 km hike, which wasn't too difficult without our backpacks. Everyone had been telling us we absolutely had to go see Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in Europe. After much deliberation, we decided to hike up to the cliffs since we were so close, though it was another 4 or so km from the pub we had lunch at. In the end, we were exhausted but it was well worth the hike. The view was beautiful and the scenery was amazing on the way up. Heather everywhere! And sheep! One of my favorite parts was looking down the cliff and seeing the water hit the shore; the color was such a deep, deep teal.
We had planned yesterday afternoon to head to another coast town, Rossnowlough, before going to Galway for a few days, but found out that none of the buses ran there, so we are now in Galway, preparing to explore today and tomorrow are hoping to go over to the Aran Islands, just southwest of here and out in Galway Bay.
Before I sign out, I have to share some Irish sayings that we copied off the GEM Sugar packages over coffee the other day: (and tea!)
1)What is strange is wonderful.
2)Some people are never satisfied.
3)Still waters run deep.
4)The day of the big wind is no time to be doing the thatching.
5)A good word in court is better than a pound in your purse.
6)Beauty does not boil the pot.
7)Good men can often be found wearing worn britches.
Slan go foill!!
After Londonderry, we geared up for another bus journey to County Donegal, which looks a lot like Scotland as far as the landscape. Instead of stopping in Donegal City, which seemed a bit crowded and touristy, we kept going to a small fishing town called Killybegs. We got off the bus and asked where the nearest camp site was and were told it was about 1 1/2 km down the road. Well, we took a longer route by mistake and ended up in front of the fire station and were directed to walk up a hill to our right and after the hill, it would be about 1 1/2 km to Fintragh Beach, where we would have no trouble camping. So, we hiked the 3 or so km to the beach along a rather windy road with our 'rucksacks' on our backs; I'm afraid Melissa was ready to ring my neck at points for speed walking, which I apparently have a tendency to do quite often when I am ready to be somewhere and not hiking through the rain with 40lb backpacks. (It was an evening of many apologies for impatience on both our parts!)
We finally arrived at the beach, which was ridiculously windy, but also ridiculously gorgeous. We were able to set up our tent between two grassy embankments which provided for a rather uneven, yet also solid, ground. I sat on the beach after we set up camp and ate a sandy tomato/cheese sandwhich (one of the yummiest I have ever eaten!); we were so hungry after our hike. That was the last of our groceries (actually, Melissa ate one too, I wasn't a cookie monster...). We have been grocery shopping as we go rather than eating out every night which has been working quite well and saving us a lot of money, as well as making the times when we do choose to eat out more special. We have also discovered a lot of new favorites this way, such as our beloved chocolate 'buscuits', Fox's Shortcake, which we buy whenever we have a long bus trip.
It was a windy and rainy night and I woke up with a sore throat, which was not pleasant or welcome, however, on the upside, I've been able to lighten my load a bit by consuming all my Emergen-c, vitamins, seudafed, and cough drops! We packed up our wet gear and made our way back to town, thinking we'd be on time for the bus, only to find that it wasn't leaving Killybegs until four-thirty. Both of us at this point were in a rather irritable state, me sick, and Melissa ready to be dry and move on to the next place. After a couple of hours of sitting in the sun, the church bells rang and things started to open up again so we stepped into a local pub for coffee/tea and were greeted with familiar worship tunes playing on the radio. They were songs that I have heard a million times on K-Love and other such stations and have tired of, but hearing them here was different because it was like a welcome sound from home. I haven't particularly felt homesick, maybe at points, but it was something of a trigger of home-like feelings and also provided for our own little church service as we sat reading our Bibles over coffee, and tea. I have to say both coffee and tea now because Melissa has latched onto the tea drinking ritual with great vigor. One verse in particular came to mind that morning, "But I have calmed and quieted my soul..." the first part of Psalm 131:2. That sort of became the theme for the next few days.
After Killybegs, we decided instead of heading straight down to Galway, we'd spend a couple of days in another quieter coast town and so took a twenty minute ride to Kilcar, just North, and spent two nights at a hostel called Dun Ulin. The first night we camped, but then moved inside the second to try to dry out some which was nice. Our second day there, we decided we'd go for a hike to Carrick, the neighboring village, and have lunch. It was about a 4 km hike, which wasn't too difficult without our backpacks. Everyone had been telling us we absolutely had to go see Slieve League, the highest sea cliffs in Europe. After much deliberation, we decided to hike up to the cliffs since we were so close, though it was another 4 or so km from the pub we had lunch at. In the end, we were exhausted but it was well worth the hike. The view was beautiful and the scenery was amazing on the way up. Heather everywhere! And sheep! One of my favorite parts was looking down the cliff and seeing the water hit the shore; the color was such a deep, deep teal.
We had planned yesterday afternoon to head to another coast town, Rossnowlough, before going to Galway for a few days, but found out that none of the buses ran there, so we are now in Galway, preparing to explore today and tomorrow are hoping to go over to the Aran Islands, just southwest of here and out in Galway Bay.
Before I sign out, I have to share some Irish sayings that we copied off the GEM Sugar packages over coffee the other day: (and tea!)
1)What is strange is wonderful.
2)Some people are never satisfied.
3)Still waters run deep.
4)The day of the big wind is no time to be doing the thatching.
5)A good word in court is better than a pound in your purse.
6)Beauty does not boil the pot.
7)Good men can often be found wearing worn britches.
Slan go foill!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Travel
Hello all; we're back in Ireland. We left Ft. William yesterday after a 'proper' Scottish breakfast with Stephen, and several cups of tea, and had a long bus journey back to Glasgow where we spent the night and left early this morning for Belfast, via the ferry back in Stranraer. We then took a bus to Londonderry and are hoping to move on to County Donegal in the next few days. More later!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
The Highlands, Ft. William, and Abernathy
Last night we arrived at Abernathy Ardgour, Adventure Leadership Training in the hills of Ft. William where Stephen works, after four hours on the bus, a short ferry ride, and a drive up the mountain. The traveling was not tiring, however, simply long, and the drive up through the Highlands of west Scotland was amazing. The landscape and geography were incredible; I don't even know how to properly describe them. Where's a portable Prof. Van Dommelen when you need him? The low, rolling hills and craggy cliffs, meadows and tundra-like heather covered plains combine to make one of the most wild looking places I have ever seen. Indeed, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork... Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!" (Psalms 19:1, 96:11-12).
Here at the school, the students are about to undergo a week-long assesment of their outdoor skills which is a very stressful pass or fail period in their year-long training. Thankfully, they have Melissa's and my sterling example to look to. Just joking...though we haven't done a bad job in coping with the various ills of camping, namely the wet weather, as well as the wind. Last night, we put Melissa's poncho on top of the tent, since it nearly covers it, though now our tent has a hood. I think it blew off a few times during the night, though not entirely, since it was fastened at the corners with home-made ties constructed from our trusty roll of versatile black duct tape.
Being on this trip has thus far reminded me greatly of my time fishing, for several reasons, but largely for the fact that 'roughing it' teaches one to rely wholly on God for even the 'simple' things, and also to develop a deep appreciation for those simple things, and to regard them as far more significant than they are normally regarded to be. For instance, learning to 'pray without ceasing' for the day to day unknowns of whether we will be in a hostel or in a camp site and whether or not we will catch the right bus, and how we shall plan each day out, really makes each and every moment of the day recognizable as a providential instance in which to give thanks and praise to the Lord for His unending goodness.
I believe we will be taking a 'stroll' tonight with Stephen to explore a bit around the foothills and then tomorrow will continue on our journey.
Here at the school, the students are about to undergo a week-long assesment of their outdoor skills which is a very stressful pass or fail period in their year-long training. Thankfully, they have Melissa's and my sterling example to look to. Just joking...though we haven't done a bad job in coping with the various ills of camping, namely the wet weather, as well as the wind. Last night, we put Melissa's poncho on top of the tent, since it nearly covers it, though now our tent has a hood. I think it blew off a few times during the night, though not entirely, since it was fastened at the corners with home-made ties constructed from our trusty roll of versatile black duct tape.
Being on this trip has thus far reminded me greatly of my time fishing, for several reasons, but largely for the fact that 'roughing it' teaches one to rely wholly on God for even the 'simple' things, and also to develop a deep appreciation for those simple things, and to regard them as far more significant than they are normally regarded to be. For instance, learning to 'pray without ceasing' for the day to day unknowns of whether we will be in a hostel or in a camp site and whether or not we will catch the right bus, and how we shall plan each day out, really makes each and every moment of the day recognizable as a providential instance in which to give thanks and praise to the Lord for His unending goodness.
I believe we will be taking a 'stroll' tonight with Stephen to explore a bit around the foothills and then tomorrow will continue on our journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
