Time to Plan Our Next Adventure

Well, it's been seventeen months since this trip so we've decided to begin planning our next trip. New adventures require new blogs so head on over to http://anotheririshadventure.blogspot.com/ and keep up with the planning and execution of the 2008 trip!

Lessons learned

We learned a lot on this trip...and some of these lessons we will use again when traveling... and some, hopefully, all the time. Here goes!

1. We have a rich history as Americans, but it is not as deep or as varied as the remarkable history of other countries. We should learn from that and learn to appreciate all that we have as a result of what our ancestors brought to these shores.
2. In Ireland, when you need to get past someone, or you ac
cidentally bump into someone, you don't say "Excuse me."... you say, "Sorry."
3. The Irish say "Thank you" a lot... if you hand something to a shopkeeper, they say "Thank you." When you give them your money, they say, "Thank you." When they give you your change, they say, "Thank you." We should all be so quick to thank others.
4. When you see something you need in a store, don't tell yourself you'll get it somewhere else. If it's something you need (or want), get it then! You may not see it ever again.
5. The opinion that others hold of Americans is stereotypic for a good reason... it fits much of what you see in Americans traveling abroad.
6. No matter how far someone says it is to your destination, it's always just a little bit farther. (Lesson: Don't give up too quickly!)
7. As expensive as we think everything is around here, it's much less expensive than in other places.
8. Heat is a wonderful thing!
9. We should all be ambassadors for our country, putting the best face on things. The Irish, to a person, want you to love their country and go out of their way to make you feel comfortable.
10. Internet access is a wonderful thing... it shrinks the world and brings us closer to people we love and miss.
11. We think Americans are fanatical about sports... You've never seen sports fans until you've watched people crowd into a pub so they can see the rugby match!
12. Baseball - it's an American thing! (And as a fan, we sure missed the box scores!)
13. Ireland is now as much a destination for immigrants as it is it is a place to emigrate from.
14. Our cars are REALLY big!
15. Our roads are REALLY REALLY big! (And, potholes and all, we should be thankful!)
16. Ireland loves its past and is racing to the future, on the cutting edge of so much technology.
17. The Irish apologize for their "bar food"... food served in pubs. It is incredible food and needs NO apology.
18. Irish accents are as many and varied as American accents. In many respects, what we hear here is an exaggerated version. Regardless, they're delightful to hear!
19. There's no place like home... but Ireland is a fast gaining second!

Blowing westward and then home again

Well, if you're reading this, you can know that we are safely home. Sorry to have been lax in blogging these last few days, but the opportunity hasn't really presented itself since we blogged on Wednesday... well, it did present itself Thursday morning, but we had nothing to say at that point!

After leaving Sligo on Wednesday morning, we were headed west, around the Belmullet Peninsula of western Ireland, skipping a few places that were on "the list", but just enough out of the way to mean too much extra time as well as driving on yellow, or (horror of horrors) road of no color. (I should explain, green roads... as noted on the map) are the "best" roads, followed by green roads of higher numbers, followed by red roads. Yellow roads can best be compared with that we'd call alleyways stateside! Roads of no color (grey roads???) are bad alleys that make you want to inhale if you're meeting a car coming the other direction... just so you're not as wide on the road as you really are! The car catastrophe happend on, I think, a road of no color... John will know definitively as he was master navigator on this trip!) Skipping the coastal road, we weren't sure what we'd find, but figured there were mountains there that might provide a terrific view. That was the hope, at least. And, in point of fact, the hope was realized. It was a hard driving (approximately 200 km - 124 miles) day, but on mostly good roads and the views were simply spectacular. In a few minutes here, I'll start downloading pictures and see if I really got anything! Anyway, the drive was grand and occasionally we just pulled over and looked and did the requisite "WOW... look at that!" and then moved on. We did stop outside Westport and had lunch... yet another GREAT meal at a pub. (More about pub food later!) then headed on. We passed by and photographed Ireland's only (they said only... but who knows) fjord. Amazingly beautiful! We found ourselves driving through the Twelve Bens, a mountain range in the Connemara region of western Ireland. They aren't huge mountains, by our Rockie Mountain standard, but to someone who's lived in some of the flattest places in the U.S. they were pretty darned impressive.

Driving through this Connemara area was really impressive and boldly different from other parts of Ireland. Filled with mountain ranges and numerous lakes, it is made up of several peninsulas cutting through the western region. At one point, we found ourselves driving through a valley that was rather flat (and with straight roads!!!) for a bit and I realized we were driving through some of the famous peat bogs. Peat is a huge source of fuel in Ireland and clearly 1/6th of the country is covered in one of two types of peat bog. Peat fires are very warm and cozy and we enjoyed very much sitting next to several. If you want to learn more about peat bogs, check this web site (http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/geography/bogs.html). It's very interesting.

We also found ourselves sharing the roads, quite often, with sheep. Now, it wasn't that picturesque view of the herdman taking his herd across the road. It was the odd sheep who had managed to get outside the fence and was enjoying grazing along the roadside. On several occasions, we figured they were enough in the roadway that they might end up as lamb chops that evening if they weren't quick getting out of the way of an oncoming truck. We stopped at a shop that seemed to be in the middle of no-where and John was chatting with the proprietor who noted that those sheep can move pretty quickly when required!

After a day of driving, we went in search of the evening's B&B. Once again, we were aware that the phrase "just a short distance" is a relative term in Ireland and that when you think you've gone the wrong way or passed something up, you should just keep going... it's most likely just up the road. We spent the evening in Oughterard with Mary Maloney and her dog, Sandy. Once again, we faced steep stairs (NOW we know what some B&Bs focus on "all rooms on the ground floor"!), but Mary's son was home and he hauled our large bags up the stairs. We had decided it was time to do the serious packing up, getting rid of the too many shopping bags we had acquired and seeing if the thought of purchasing a small suitcase was going to be a reality -- it wasn't!)

Things were nice and toasty in the room when Mary showed it to us and we were thrilled at the thought of all that warmth... we were also very aware that it was most likely that the heat would be turned off at some point, usually when the proprietor went to bed or figured you should be in bed and not turned back on until sometime the next morning... hence the early morning temps of 55 degrees in our rooms! Fortunately, the room was so nice and warm... and the heat stayed on until about 10:00... that the early morning temp next day was about 61! Wooo hooo.... a heat wave! It sure made you get up and moving in the morning and out the door where you could crank up the car heat and get toasty again!

Thursday, our last full day in Ireland (THIS trip, as John keeps reminding me!) was set for seeing the Cliffs of Moher. The weather didn't hold out much hope as it was very cloudy and rainy, but this is a must see sight in Ireland and we were bound to see it. We also made a few side trips to see some last minute additions and the occasional ruin you notice as you're driving down the road. As we made it toward the Cliffs, I passed the B&B where Kerry and I spent our first night in Ireland 5 years ago. They aren't listed in the guide we had so I don't know if they're still in business. A quick stop into a little woolen shop (in search of great socks!) prior to reaching the Cliffs had us warned of the changes that have taken place. The old visitor's center has been knocked down and they're in the process of building one into the side of the hill... guess they think it won't be "noticed" there???.... so I was prepared for some of the change. What we weren't prepared for was the wind. Talk about brutal... John said it did help us get up the hill, but it certainly didn't help going back down the hill. Once again, I was thankful for my earmuffs as a hat would have blown out to sea on that day! We made it up to the top where we could see some of the cliffs, but the weather prevented the impressive view that can take your breath away on a good, clear, weather-friendly day. Needless to say, we didn't hang around long as it was simply too raw to hope the clouds would clear. Next trip, better weather and better views!

And then it was time to head off for the last B&B and our last night in Ireland before the day of airports that we knew would face us on Friday. We found a lovely B&B, very comfortable and nicely warm... the first "find" with a heater we could plug in if we got cold during the night. (That heater goes on the list of things to remember if and when we're ever B&B proprietors!) We had a comfortable evening in a beautiful room and managed to get those last few things packed into our suitcases before Friday morning.

Friday was much like any travel day that you spend when winding up a trip... it was a day filled with airports, short and longer delays... and the added fun of going through immigration and customs... all went smoothly and we managed to get to Indy about an hour later than anticipated, got the courtesy van to the hotel and made a cup of tea, turned up the heat (which stayed on ALL night!), took long hot baths and then crashed.... after, of course, being amazed at all the channels on the TV (after only 4 channels - one in Irish Gaelic - most of the time!). A slow morning got us back on (hopefully!!!) the right body clock schedule and we rolled into Terre Haute about 1 p.m.... after breakfast at Crackerbarrel....

So... we're home... after a grand, lovely, brilliant trip to Ireland, relishing our Irish Adventure and thinking fondly about all the wonderful moments we shared.

Time to download the pics.... Cross your fingers!

Until later... and the next trip... .Dawn

Go west, young man (And old broad!)

I've seen lots of young men around here (some very nice looking lads, mind you!)... and I've wondered if they yearn for a time in the west... meaning the USA.

At one point in Irish history, emigration to the States was almost a given for certain generations of Irish. That's no longer the case. The Irish economy is booming and unemployment is almost non-existant. So, I wonder, do people still long to spend time in the US? I rather doubt it. What we've gleened from folks we've met on this trip, the overall opinion of the US isn't very high. The press (I suppose) pretty much portrays our country as one of high crime, unemployment and poor social services. Not a very nice reputation to have, even if it's mostly true.

Just thinking through my fingers here.

John and I have laughed over the last few days about a running joke Kerry and I had when we were here 5 years ago... that soft little dream of starting a B&B and a pub. The B&B would have to be the Lone Star B&B and in addition to the traditional Irish breakfast, we could serve a real southern breakfast. (Guess we'd have to import grits!) Next door, we laughed and said that we'd have a pub called "Kerry O'Curlee's"... Now, John and I have decided it would have to have music EVERY night and not just on weekends. And, it would be nice if there were music sometimes during the lunch time period... for those tourists (like us) who only make it to a pub in the middle of the day for a grand lunch. We have had great times laughing over this dream... who knows... if we win the lottery, we just might have to make the dream come true. (Don't pack your bags just yet, but if the dream became a reality, you'd all have a place to call home in Ireland!)

This morning, after leaving our beautiful Sligo B&B, we zipped up the road for the requisite visit to the grave of W.B. Yeats. While Yeats never truly lived in Sligo, he did have many ties to the area as his great grandfather was rector of the church at Drumcliff, in whose cemetary he is buried (at his own wish). Interestingly enough, in "Under Ben Bulben", Yeats wrote his own epitaph. The poem reads:
Under bare Ben Bulben's head
In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.
An ancestor was rector there
Long years ago, a church stands near,
By the road an ancient cross.
No marble, no conventional phrase;
On limestone quarried near the spot
By his command these words are cut:

Cast a cold eye
On life, on death.
Horseman, pass by!

And those words are on his tombstone. Lovely church there, as well, built in the mid 19th century on a spot where Christians have worshipped for over 1500 years. (There's a lot of that around here!)

We have moved on to Westport; made a few phone calls home; had a lovely lunch; and are now ready to move forward, toward Clifden and a drive along the Atlantic Coast. Tonight we sleep in Oughterard. Not sure how to pronounce it either! Then tomorrow is our last day and we make the pilgrimage to the Cliffs of Moher, a truly special place.

We're grand, simply grand. We hope you are all fine.

Take care... and more soon!
Dawn

And now, a wee bit more Yeats...


Aedh Wishes For The Clothes Of Heaven
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Thus endeth the lesson!

Happy Birthday, Sydney Grace!

Today is thye 1st birthday for Miss Sydney Grace, my great niece, daughter of Kerry... my previous Irish traveling companion. So.... everybody with Sydney Grace a very happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Or... as we say here in Ireland.... "Lá breithe mhaith agat!"

And one more thing

I truly dislike a hot tap and a cold tap... two separate spickets. There's no getting water just the right temperature if you want to wash your hands, brush your teeth, do a wee bit o'laundry... it's either hot or cold and no in between.

Sunshine And A Wish List

The sun is shining and the sky is blue.I almost didn't recognize the place. Is this Ireland? Those animals in the trees, are they birds? I've seen creatures up there during all the rain but, I just assumed they were half drowned squirrels.

Today is the Ireland of postcards and calendars, the Ireland you see in all those travel ads and soap commercials. It is glorious!

This morning we shared the breakfast room with a family from Minnesota. Their son is spending a semester studying at a college not far from Westport, where we are at the moment. Most mornings it has been just the two of us over tea.

After packing up and saying our good-byes to our Hostess, we drove ten minutes up the road to a small church. Buried just a few feet from the church door is the grave of the poet William Butler Yeats.

Last night we went over our planned agenda and realized that if we tried to do all that we had scheduled we would need a few extra days, a lot more energy and warmer weather. Ergo: we trimmed a few things to keep for our next trip over. There was no way we were going to climb the 2000 ft mountain to see the view from the top of Croagh Patrick. The view would have been about 37 ft., anyway, with the fog covering the summit. Instead we opted to move directly on toward Westport, County Mayo.

Wesport is a large fishing village on the Atlantic coast. The streets are vertical but more drivable than most we've seen. They have grasped the concept of the "one-way" street. The town itself is very colorful and bustling. After we leave here we will drive through the Connemara National Park area toward our destination for tonight - Oughterard. Do not ask me how to pronounce that. It's an Irish thing .

We were talking the other day about things that we are missing while here in Ireland. Aside from certain people, what objects do we wish were available. I've thought about this and I have come up with a short list.

1. Heat. I want more and I want it now.

2. A full blown American style supermarket with all the stuff I want, when I want it.

3. Baseball. I can't get scores, highlights, drug testing results or anything.

4. MY computer. It knows me and does as I ask.

5. A shower stall larger than a phone booth. Is that too much to ask?

It's not a long list. My needs are simple, my desires, few.

We leave for home the day after tomorrow. We mailed some post cards this morning and I expect that it will be a race to see which of us gets home first.

Irish Roots

Oooh... I keep forgetting to write about this.

As we were visiting with Carmel and Padraig, and John was telling them about his Walsh Irish roots, they asked about mine. Well now, the Earlys came from right around here, Donegal, but according to Carmel, it's now a Leitrim name. (County Leitrim is the least populated county in Ireland... wonder if that's a coincidence!) Anyway, that's the skinny on that part of the family.... HOWEVER! At Clonmacnoise, we found the grave of a B. Curly, 1777. Woooo hooo.... Surely that's a relative, yes? YES! Must be... gotta be.... gonna be!

Now... as for the Walshes.... they are EVERYWHERE. I think we've seen a Walsh grocery, Walsh pub, Walsh something or other in almost every town!

So much for today's genealogical discussion!

Later, kids!

If it's Tuesday.... we're somewhere in Ireland

Another beautiful day... and, as of yet, we haven't seen a drop of rain today. Of course, I have just jinxed that and it will start pouring as soon as we walk out of here.

So nice to see the sun shining this a.m. and it made for a very lovely drive up the coast to Donegal. And, here we are in the 3rd "D" of the Dublin to Dingle to Donegal Tour - 2006.

Donegal is a beautiful town, laid out around a town square, very uncharacteristic for an Irish town, yet PERFECT. As with so many towns, there is the requisite castle, but this one is in the heart of the city. That doesn't often happen. We did the walk down through town and then visited the castle before the search for lunch. It is quite small and is really more the remains of a manor house than a traditional castle, but interesting nonetheless. Hopefully, there will be pictures.

Then we headed for the Diamond, the town square, in search of lunch and a book on the Annals of the Four Masters, a history of the Gaelic people, written in 1616 (or thereabouts) by four monnks in Donegal. According to Wikipedia:

"The Annals of the Four Masters or the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The entries span the dates between the Deluge in 2242 A.M. and AD 1616, although the earliest entries are believed to date from around AD 550.

The annals are mainly a compilation of earlier annals, although there is some original work. They were compiled between 1632 and 1636 in the Franciscan monastery in County Donegal. The entries for the 12th century and before are sourced from medieval monastic annals. The later entries come from the records of the Irish aristocracy (such as the Annals of Ulster), and the seventeenth century entries are based on personal recollection and observation.

The chief author of the annals was Michael O'Clery, and he was assisted by, among others, Peregrine O'Clery, Fergus O'Mulconry and Peregrine O'Duignan. Even though only one of the authors was an actual Franciscan, Michael O'Cleary, they became known as 'The Four Friars' or in the original Gaelic, 'Na Ceithre Maistir'. The Anglised version of this was 'The Four Masters', a name which then became attached to the annals themselves. The patron of the project was Fearghal Ó Gadhra, a lord in County Sligo.

The annals were originally written in Irish. There are several manuscript copies in existence, which are kept in Trinity College Dublin, the Royal Irish Academy, and University College Dublin.

The first substantial English translation (starting at 1171 A.D.) was published by Owen Connellan in 1846. The Connellan translation included the annals from the 11th to the 17th centuries complete, and was the only version to have a four colour frontis and include a large folding map showing the location of families in Ireland. It lay nearly forgotten for over 150 years, but was finally salvaged and republished in the early 21st century. The Connellan translation was followed several years later by a full translation by the historian John O'Donovan."

Now... if I read this right, we can all assume that Noah was Irish. :) We stopped in the Four Masters Bookshop... and couldn't find a single copy in English. Fortunately, I think we can get most of the English translation on line, we we'll read more about that later. As we so often hear and say... "Grand... Amazing... Brillian!"

Enroute, we stopped in Belleek and went to the china factory. (http://www.belleek.ie/). Actually, going to Belleek took us out of the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland, part of Great Britain. (Hey... we visited a whole other country... and never even stopped the car -- not sure where the border was!) There wasn't a tour available, but they had areally nice historical area where you could learn about the history of Belleek China AND, as usual and customary (maybe even required), you exit into the, where else!, GIFT SHOP... where you can shop to your heart's content, using the currency of your choice (in Britain, it's pounds sterling instead of the Euros we use in Ireland), and they'll gladly ship it to you! And, so... I did a little shopping. (Hey, my Aynsley china stuff was on SALE!) I bought a few little things and they are now enroute (well, maybe not NOW, but soon) to the good ol' US of A).

Not sure where we're headed next... back to Sligo I think as thoughts of driving out the coast road are not pleasing to me today. The spectre of the flat tire looms large in my memory!

Until later... Dawn

Hit and Miss

Well, this a.m. as I was getting dressed and being quiet before John woke up, I started thinking about things I miss about home and love about Ireland, so here's my shot at a very incomplete list.

Miss: Alex
Love: Real brewed tea, available for take-away (carry out) at any filling station with fountain drink capability
Miss: Heat throughout the night!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love: The smell of breakfast wafting up from downstairs and I dont' have to cook it!
Miss: Katie, Matt and Al in the mornings
Love: The fact that ALL weathermen, regardless of country, are wacky!
Miss: Alex
Love: Everyone you meet seems to be an ambassador for Ireland and wants you to have a great time and enjoy yourself. They are friendly, polite, caring, funny, kind. This is a lesson we could all learn and use back home.
Miss: Being able to pick up the phone and call my Mom and Dad anytime, anywhere and it wouldn't be costly.
Love: Tea anytime, anywhere.
Miss: Iced tea with lunch.
Love: The gorgeous vistas one sees when just driving down the road.
Miss: Highways with wide shoulders.
Love: Old ruins and megolithic burial tombs, just off the main road.
Miss: The phone ringing and hearing Alex on the other end.
Love: You all!
Miss: You all!

Comforters, Vikings, And 23 Clowns

I may complain about the cold weather and I may complain about the dearth of heat in some of our B&Bs but, you will never hear me complain about the warmth and snuggiosity of Irish comforters and blankets. Polar exploers should carry them along and they'd be as toasty as...well...toast. The rooms may be 55 degrees but, in that bed and under that comforter it is cozy and sleep inducing. As Will Smith said in the movie "Independence Day" after flying an alien space ship, "I gotta get me one of those!"

After a warm and wonderful sleep in Sligo last night we had another substantial breakfast (why these people don't all weigh 500 lbs. I don't know) and hopped in the car to explore.

Just a few minutes up the road we took a right turn and headed toward the town of Beleek, home of the world famous pottery factory...and gift shop. Beleek is in Nothern Ireland, across the border, out of the Republic of Ireland, and part of the British Isles. There is nothing to indicate that you have entered another country except the sign in the gift shop telling you that all prices are now in £ Sterling and not in Euros. Our hostess in the B&B a couple of days ago said that it used to be like crossing into Berlin during the Cold War but, that since the late 1990s and a treaty between the Republic and the Queen, everybody is kissy-kissy.

After Beleek we moved back across the border and, again just a few miles, up to the coastal city of Donegal, yet again another Irish town with a song about it. Donegal is very pretty and easier to get around in. I would hate to see someone in a Cadillac Escalade or a Hummer attempt to drive through any Irish "town centre." They would become wedged in between the curbs permanently, dragged from their vehicle by the locals, bearing torches and pitchforks, and then burned for mucking up the town for the rest of them. Couldn't say I'd blame them. We have seen a few smaller SUVs here and they are a real pain in the roundabout.

In the middle of town in Donegal is "the castle." This one dates back to the 1100s and is in surprisingly good shape. There has been restoration to a point but, that took place 250 years ago and doesn't stick out.

This is an area that had a lot of trouble with the Vikings back in the day. The town was originally a Viking settlement and "Donegal" means "Fort of the foreigners." Today that would be us. Back in the 1400s the remnants of the Spanish Armada, trying to escape back to Spain by looping around Ireland and heading south, were grounded on this western coast of Ireland. The Spaniards didn't take into consideration the Gulf Stream ocean current which pushed them westward and upon these rocky shores. They get an "A" for their concept but an "F" for execution.

Being a bit of a car nut I have been sure to look at the cars in Ireland. There are a lot of makes and models not available in the US. When was the last time you saw a Peugot or a Seat in the parking lot at the mall? There are loads of toyotas and other Japanese cars but, quite a few models and designs I have never seen at home. Some of them are really sharp and all of them are very small. I fully expect to see one pull over to the curb and let 23 clowns emerge from the back seat. They must get great gas mileage. They'd better with the price of petrol at about €1.07 per liter. That translates at about $ 4.15 a gallon. I will never complain again when I fill up at the Kroger pumps.

We have just a few days left here. We hate to go but, we also want to start planning our trip back. It's that kind of place...magical, beautiful, funny, exasperating and thoroughly addictive.

Slainte.

Clonmachnoise To Advance Pit Stop...What A Day

Remember when I said that it was inevitable that something, somewhere, sometime would go kaflooey? Today was the when and 15 minutes from Clonmacnoise was the where. The something was a flat tire. I have already commented on the condition of Irish roads and of the drivers thereon. Let me elaborate.

We had just left Clonmachnoise, a spectacular site, and were motoring our way toward Athelon on the way toward Sligo (where I sit now). The road was narrow, with little or no shoulder and the traffic was moving at about warp speed five. We were coming around a bend in the road when a LARGE truck came flying past more than a few inches over the line. Dawn was forced tro squeeze over to the left and we hit the roads edge and sliced the sidewall of the front left tire (or tyre, as they say here). She kept the car under control and we stopped blocking a small farm lane. After checking to be sure we were OK and the status of our car, down the little farm lane comes a farmer. Dawn had to inch the car forward into the mud to let him get by. He never stopped or even waved, the bloody heathen.

It was for just such days that I brought my phone. I called the Hertz emergency number and they said they would send help within an hour. Forty-five minutes later a gent arrived and quickly put on the donut spare. We then carefully motored into Athelon and found "Advance Pit Stop" tire (tyre) store. There they fixed us up with a new tire (tyre) and sent us on our way. This was not in our agenda for the day but, it was certainly in God's. It was inconvenient, scary, infuriating, disappointing, expensive (don't ask), and to be wholly expected to happen at some point on our trip. The important part of this incident is that nobody was hurt in the slightest and we are at our destination.

Let me add that Dawn is an incredible driver. She has handled this difficult driving chore with class, smarts and good humor. Let's hear it for her!!! (APPLAUSE, APPLAUSE)

What day is it?????

Hello, one and all. Greetings from the North of Ireland (not to be confused with Northern Ireland... as we say in Texas, it's a whole other country!). We have at last made our way to Sligo, along the Atlantic Coast of Ireland. I have to stop and think about our last blog.... I think it was on Saturday from Dingle. If you look at the map, you can see that we have covered LOTS of space over a very few days. Especially if you think that we started out on Friday from Clonakilty, the other end of the island.

We left Kingdom View and our lovely hostess, Eileen early on Sunday morning. Because we were so close to the Gap of Dunloe (literally, just down the road!), I thought we should drive and walk a wee bit so John could see one of God's greatest Cathedrals. (AFter all, it was Sunday, yes?) (http://www.killarney.ie/dunloe.htm) Quite a place the Gap and as lovely a place to spend a Sunday morning as any church. I'm not sure it's easier to be closer to God anywhere else. We spent about an hour and a half walking up to the second bridge, where you can actually see down the Gap. We had thought it might be too chilly to take a jaunting cart, but it might have been better. Anyway...the walk was refreshing and afforded us the opportunity to stop and shoot wherever the muse struck. There were LOTS of opportunities to take incredible pictures, though early morning light is not always the best light for photos. (Well, it depends on which direction your shooting and where the sun is, but that's another story for another day.) We enjoyed the walk immensely and am delighted we did it. It's one of the few "repeat" experiences from my first trip in Ireland.

After this, we stopped off in Killarney and did a wee bit of shopping and then headed out for whatever came next, enroute to Cloghan (up in the midlands, County Offaly). We were blessed with good roads the whole way and the trip went much more quickly than we had anticipated. (Always a blessing!) We were met in Cloghan by Carmel Finnerann, another of Ireland's lovely B&B proprietors. Carmel and her husband (Padraig - pronounces Paw-rick) were great fun to sit and chat with. Carmel greeted us with tea and her dilemma of wanting to leave very early this a.m. so should could accompany Padraig to the doctor) then after we ended up chatting on the stairs, just as Padraig arrived home from his nephew's confirmation, Carmel insisted on making us a "proper tea" and we sat and talked for over an hour. What delightful people. Truly gracious, humorous and endearing. We discovered that much of what currently faces Ireland, with regard to economics, health care, youth.... is exactly what we've been facing in the States for several years. Interestingly enough, the economy in Ireland is currently in a boom phase. (Easily recognized by the ever present building site at every turn!) Seems that young folks are mortaging their futures on 40 year mortages and LARGE houses! Doesn't sound much different from home, does it!

We collapsed, with an emergency bit of laundering (and NOTHING dries as fast here, where radiators seem to be turned off through the night -- more about that later!) and a very light supper (bread and cheese and the requisite tea!) we settled in for an evening of TV... ending up watching Law & Order after watching Men in Black... a definite evening of American accents!

Got up this a.m. praying for the radiators to be turned back on.... we had a new record when I looked at the clock and realized it was 57 degrees in our room! YIKES! (Or as Carmel would say, "Crikey!"). We did manage to get underwear washed and dry... finished off my pants this morning as we had the house to ourselve since Carmel and Padraig left early for this doc's appt. (Can you imagine... these lovely people left their house AND keys with total strangers! A trusting and gentle people these Irish!) So... we took our time and got back on the road around 9 a.m.... heading for the next adventure!

Then we were off to Clonmacnoise (http://website.lineone.net/~tom.dunne/clonmacnoise.htm) As one of the oldest and most intricate monastic sites in Ireland, this had long been on our list of "must sees"... and worth every minute. (Perhaps I should say, worth every shiver as we always seem to end up near wind blowing over the water!). I was thankful for my CuddlDuds! and my ear muffs! As always... simply spectacular! (you know... I'm starting to wonder if any pictures will turn out since my hands are always mid shiver when I click the shutter!)

As we left Clonmacnoise... we had yet another adventure... which, dear John will no doubt talk about in his blog.... needless to say... I got my anniversary present!

Hugs to all... Until next time... Dawn

A quick catch up!

Just wanted to catch up on a few things that have come through the "comments" section!

1) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BROTHER-IN-LOVE, MATT WEBB! Matt hit the celebratory 5-0 on St. Paddy's Day! Welcome to the 50s, Mattster! (Everybody wish Matt a Happy Birthday!)

2) Today is my niece Emily's birthday! Emily is married to Ken, known as Tall Ken in some Curlee circles! I have no idea how old Emily is, but she's a long way from 50... So... Happy Birthday, Emily!!!!!!!!!

3) We were mostly on the road for St. Paddy's Day, in case you were wondering, though we had lunch in a lovely pub in Kenmare.

4) Nobody drinks GREEN beer here, Margie... that's strictly a Chicago thing, along with dying the river Green. It's Guiness or Murphy's around here, and neither for me!

5) Welcome back to the world, Kat! Been wondering where you've been! :)

6) Note to the Healthy Beginnings Gang -- Do you want the chocolate laced with Guiness?????????????? That might make a Tuesday Sups meeting QUITE interesting! As they say around her, 'Grand, just grand!'

Ok... time for me to read! Love and miss you all!

Along the Coast... Not route 66!

Well, dear friends... the last few days have been busy. We got up on Friday morning and headed out of Clonakilty after another chilly night and snow as we were driving on Thursday afternoon. Glad to see that's gone, though the cold is still here and as we keep ending up on the coast, the wind is still here, too.

As we left Clonakilty, heading for the Kilarney Area, we knew (and hoped) that things would be quiet since it was a day filled with celebrations for St. Patricks. Amazingly enough, we drove through several small towns and didn't get stopped by a single parade. Our route, along the southern coast, sent us immediately in search of the Drombeg Circle (http://www.stonepages.com/ireland/drombeg.html), an amazing stone circle which also has links to the Winter soltice (like Newgrange!) It was in a field off yet another backwoods Irish road, filled with twists and turns. And, as always happens, the rain seems to begin about the time I put the car into "P" and ends shortly after we put it back into drive! Go figure!

It was a great sight and after that, we headed on for our drive past Bantry Bay (beautiful) and on toward a wee part of the Ring of Kerry. It was a day for taking pictures and I think I took more yesterday than the whole of the days previous. Driving through Moll's Gap (with a place where they had take-away tea -- YIPPEE!!!!) and the Kilarney National Park, toward Torc Waterfall (Still beautiful, Kerry... with more water because of all the spring rains!) Then a stop in Kenmare-- I felt a bit like I was "coming back"... and I was. Shopping in some of the same places as last trip! (Please don't take this to mean all we're doing is shopping!) We made a blind stab at finding the stone circle in Kenmare, but no luck and we wanted to get on down the road so I wouldn't be driving in the dark.

On toward Kilarney and a quick skirt around the town as we were really heading out the other side toward our B&B, the Kingdom View. (Note to Kerry: All that building that was going on in Kilarney last time, just the side of the car park, is finished and it's an enormous hotel!)

Good thing we weren't driving at night as finding our B&B was an act of will.... however, the search lead us through the Gap of Dunloe, truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. (http://www.killarney.ie/dunloe.htm) We drove past the entrance through the Gap in search of the hotel.... finally, we found a small gas / market and swung through to pick up some meat for sandwiches and to afford me a pit-stop (take your chances where you find them... you never know how long you'll be driving!) Met a lovely older couple there who assured us we were on the right road, so ahead we went.... and found the place another two miles down. At last, we have a B&B proprietor who wants to talk and we've enjoyed our chats with Eileen O'Sullivan. Looking forward to more this evening. She's a chatty sort, a true contrast to the last three who were "here's your room.... what time do you want breakfast?" bunch.

We've decided that since we've managed about 1/3 of the Ring of Kerry already, today was the day to hit the second "D" of the Dublin to Dingle to Donegal Tour... and I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Dingle. Gorgeous bays we're driven past to get here and another one here. At last the sun is shining and we are delighted! Nice to have to dig out the shades (though they do mark me as an American tourist -- well.. I could be French, but I'm too short and plump!)

All is well.... Just enjoying each and every minute!

Until later... Dawn

A View To A Sheep

It is Saturday and we have survived St. Patrick's Day. Actually we had, probably, the quietest St. Pat's Day of anyone in Ireland.

Our B & B, the "Kingdom View," is waaaaay out in the middle of farm country, west of Killarny. When we got out of the car the first beings I saw were a ewe and two lambs. They looked right at home. This is sheep country. They are everywhere.

Yesterday morning we stopped outside of Clonakilty to see the Drombeg Circle, a neolithic stone ceremonial site (kinda like a mini-Stonhenge to give you the idea). There was the circle and a very clever cooking area fueled by heating stones and tossing them into a water pit until boiling. Electricity did not come to the area until more recent times.

To get here we drove over some mountains (1250 ft.) and saw snow on higher elevations. We had some flurries and a wind that could drive your beard right back into your face. The roads, while still Irish, were not crowded and dry. We stopped often to get some hot tea and to shop a bit. I bought a new hat, something more indiginous, so I don't look so much like a tourist. I now look like a tourist with a new hat.

We decided last night that to drive the entire Ring of Kerry would be a chore, taking all day and not leaving us time for anything else in the area. To get where we are we have already driven about half of it anyway. So, today we are going up through Tralee and out onto the Dingle Peninsula. I am sitting in an internet shop on Main St. in Dingle right now. Hardy people these Celts. Cold and windy, yet I see some folks walking about in tee shirts. It must be the Guinness.

Our trip is taking us to places they write songs about. Half of the Irish Tenors' repetoire is songs about towns or regions and we are seeing most of them. On Dawn's last trip to Ireland she had visited parts of this area and she said that it felt like a homecoming.

Tomorrow we have a day that will be mostly travel, heading North. The distances are not that great but, the condition of the roads makes it a long day.

As we crisscross this land I am struck by how much construction I see. The national economy is booming and a lot is being put into upgrading the infrastructure. New roads, industrial parks and new housing everywhere. Even out in the countryside new homes are being built - big new homes, very modern and very expensive. The ads in the paper list many of these homes going for about 600k. That's in American dollars. There may be large, expensive homes but, on top of almost every home is something you rarely see in the US any longer: TV antennas. Cable or satellite TV is very limited. At the Kingdom View we get three channels.

Yes, there are differences between here and home and I prefer the idea of living at home but, in no way does this mean I denigrate Ireland. The two places are different, not necessarily one better than the other, just different. You become used to where ever you are. If I were living here I would probably prefer this lifestyle. Irish I have known who have moved to the States are uncomfortable with the distances and the wide open spaces. They are confused by the wide swath of choices in the supermarkets. All I can say is: the differences are good. Each place is wonderful for what it is.

40 Shades Of Green And 2 Shades Of Blue

Johnny Cash wrote a song about Ireland called "40 Shades of Green." There certainly are , at least, those 40. He did NOT write about the shades of blue that are Dawn and I. IT is COLD here this week. Today we have driven through a lot of snow flurries with the temp hovering around 36 or 38 degrees. Even the locals are complaining about it being "a raw day." That it is, boyo.

We are visiting 1500 years of history today. This morning we were in Ardmore seeing the tower of St. Declan who brought Christianity to Ireland before St.Patrick. The ruins date back to the early 500s and look it, although the round tower is intact and the carvings on the stone walls on the protected side of the walls are quite defined. The abbey sits on a high hill overlooking the Celtic Sea in Ardmore and is verrrry windy.

We are spending the night in Clonakilty, a town known for it's fine music and for the "best" black pudding in all of Ireland. "Best," when it comes to black pudding is entirely subjective. I say that there is no such thing as "best" in relation to black pudding, just "totally inedible" and " completely inedible."

We also visited Cobh, the town that was the main point of emigration for the millions of Irish who came to America. As far as I can reckon, my Irish ancestors, from Tipperary, passed through here in the 1830s. Today was, in a sense, a bit of a homecoming for the Irish in me.

Tomorrow we are going to the Circle of Dunsmore, a neolithic stone circle monument and then on up towards Killarney for St Patrick's Day. I am sure that we will survive the day, even if the rest of Ireland ends up in detox.

I find it hard to believe but, we have been here for a week now. The time is just flying by.

I hope that we get the opportunity to return to Ireland, because there is enough to see and do to fill a dozen trips.

Thursday at the Beach

Bet that title caught your eye! We did go to the beach today, but nothing could have made us actually WALK on the beautiful beach at Ardmore. Let's just say it was cold enough to freeze your knickers on a day like this! We had a nice start out of Fiddown and headed for the coast, in search of St. Declan's ruins and remains and a glance at the Celtic Sea. We found it! ( http://www.travelireland.org/waterford/ardmore/ ) Sorry... the links don't seem to be publishing right now, so you'll have to copy and paste into your browser, but with luck, what I'm sharing will be worth it.

St. Declan brought Christianity to Ireland before St. Patrick. Once again, to stand amidst the ruins of things that are 1500 - 1600 years old is simply breathtaking. And, the sea was also fantastic, though I didn't hang around a lot to look it over much as the bitter wind was blowing in off the sea (wind that started in Norway or something!) and it was another raw day. But, the water was BLUE... not something I've seen much in my life. Again... just beautiful.

Did I mention, we skipped Waterford. Our "big" goal for the day was to make it to Cobh and so, we skipped Waterford and headed on down the coast. It wasn't a bad decision at all. Besides, we can put Waterford on the list for the next trip... and we will!

After our visit with St. Declan (FYI, Kerry.... we named the car Declan Patrick Walsh ... a little something for the first minister in Ireland and another car named Paddy!) we headed back up to the N25 (a road with shoulders so I can pull over and let faster drivers pass... BTW, shoulders here are called 'margins'... there's today's lesson!) and headed on for Cobh. Had to get off that road for a little bit, but it wasn't bad and it wasn't too busy. That was a good thing because it WAS snowing! Yeah... doesn't happen often, but there was spitting snow in Ireland today. Do ya think it's OUR fault?

Ok, ok.... Cobh. (I'm sure John will do some good reflection on Cobh, so be sure to read his entry!) Amazing place... as you get to the Heritage Center, you see the statue of Annie Moore, the first person to walk through the gates at Ellis Island when it opened... the first of 6,000,000 immigrants who walked through Ellis Island... Annie Moore, age 15, traveling with her two younger brothers, enroute to meet up with their parents who were already in America. Think about it... 15, making that 4 - 6 week journey.... with two little ones in tow... in steerage, where amenities are non-existent... where what food you brought will be spoiled or stolen before you get near your destination... where you haven't seen your family for quite a while.... What kind of courage does that take? Would any of us have that kind of courage?

The story of the Irish emigrating out of Cobh was a fascinating one, covering all sorts of stories, from those who left during the time of the Famine to those who were shipped off to Australia as prisoners. Cobh was also the last port for the fateful Titanic and the Lusitania also set said from there, before being bombed by the Germans just off the coast at Kinsale. It was an amazing place to vist... with (as John says) "history on every corner"... but this time, the history had voices and faces. Amazing... (I think that's the word of the day!)

And now, here we are in Clonakilty... an incredibly beautiful little town with narrow streets (mostly one way, thank God!)... and banks with ATMs. This is another Irish town known for it's music, so we may venture out tonight and catch a wee bit. We'll zip by the grocery first and pick up a few things.

Ahh... the amenities of life. We've been enjoying our full Irish breakfasts each day and that stands us until we have lunch at around 2:00 each day. We try to get a very full lunch and then we do a wee bit of shopping and have a sandwich for supper. WE did find some low carb bread, so that helps with the sandwich making, but it doesn't make up for the wonderful (NOT low carb) Irish soda bread that seems to come with every soup. (Oh, and the soups are wonderful, too!... and warming!) We splurged last night and bought a small container of fresh cream. While the Irish (and the English) take milk in their tea and coffee, our diet has gottn us quite accustomed to fresh cream... a richer (and lower carb) alternative. So... last night I really enjoyed the treat... drinking as much as I wanted until it was time for bed. (When they turn the heat off, it's a really good time for bed... much warmer in there, you know!) We also found some non-dairy creamer at a tiny grocery somewhere. It's amazing... you find one thing here and another thing there. We certainly are spoiled in the state.... VERY, very spoiled! And so... we can use that alternative if there aren't these little containers of milk in the room. Not sure what we'll have tonight as we had a rather small lunch... soup, soda bread and warm tea. It was wonderful... but not as filling as the lovely chicken and mushrooms in puff pastry I had yesterday!

Ok... enough about food.... We hope everyone is well and happy... we miss you all and enjoy the comments and emails we're getting. Take care.... Know that you are thought of each day!

Until later... Dawn

"Gentlemen, Welcome To The Rock!"

Today is Wednesday and after a good night at the B&B, run by a German woman and her Irish hubby, we are rested and on the go.

This AM we visited the "Rock Of Cashel" in County Tipperary. It is a fortress castle that dates back to about the year 1100 AD. It was the seat of the Kings of this part of Ireland for over 800 years. It passed back and forth between warring factions during that time. Each of them deciding to put their own mark upon the structure. There are towers built over chapels, high walls that block off what used to be doorways and massive stone arches leading to graveyards.

The castle sits on a high hill of solid rock and dominates the skyline for miles. It is visible long before you get to the town of Cashel. It was obviously a very good position from which to keep an eye on everything around you and easy to defend in times of war.

We have noticed that, in almost every town, to get to the castle, the stone-age monument or whatever, you have to drive through the middle of the town. My friends, these towns were never designed to handle 21st century traffic. The streets are very narrow, turns are sharp and the traffic is horrific. Huge semis are sharing the road with cars driven by tourists and people jaywalking like it was the national sport. I will take a few pictures to show you what I mean.

We were going to go to the Waterford crystal factory this afternoon but, we have decided to postpone that until tomorrow morning. The tour takes a good two hours and they close at 6 PM. It is now a few minutes after three. We don't want to rush things too much unless we have to. The tour is supposed to be spectacular and it ends, as do all tours, in the GIFTSHOP! Now, if we actually buy anything in the giftshop, one or all of you might get a call or email saying," Help! Send money. We bought a Waterford crystal knicknack and are now flat broke."

We will check in tomorrow.

Rock and Roll

Well, I'm sure John will cover some of the same things in his blog as I do, but that gives everyone both perspectives and a more rounded picture of what we're doing.

Today's adventure was yet another day filled with WHOA moments. We visited the Rock of Cashel ( www.12travel.ie/ie/South_East/attractions/rock_of_cashel.html ) another magnificent site in south central Ireland. It isn't easy to look for sights while I'm driving, but this one was hard to miss. Talk about imposing. John's comment was something like, "Imagine waking up and seeing that every morning back in the 1300s! You're either feeling VERy threatened or VERY protected."

The sheer age of these incredible places blows your mind. The Cormac Chapel, the oldest structure (if I read the guide book correctly), was finished in 1134. Holy moly... literally! As long as it took to build these things, it was obviously started right after it was given to the Church in 1101. It's the oldest structure on the site, by about 100 years or so and actually looks like the newest. Amazing... simply amazing. Or, as the Irish say, "Grand!"

From the walls of the Rock, you can see Hore Abbey, (http://www.spirited-ireland.net/images/monasteries-churches/hore-abbey/), founded by the Cistercians in 1269. There is no complete structure here. (There are very few complete structures anywhere in these ruins.) What is here, however, is most imposing and quite breathtaking. One simply wonders... what must it have been like when it was in heyday and there were flags flying, geese honking, children running about and the faithful about their prayers. It must have been, among other things, VERY loud! We can only imagine.

John's imaginings are running along these same lines. I told him, he really should get to work on that time machine thing. (Does Radio Shack have a kit?) Then, when he gets to see what Cashel and Hore Abbey looked like, he could go back to 5200 year old Newgrange and find out what it was REALLY all about! (If anyone out there has the goods, put 'time machine for John' on your Christmas list!)

We're in a very interesting B&B in Fiddown (we think it's pronounced Fid-duin), run by a woman who is German and her Irish husband. We've yet to see the husband, but we've heard him, so we think he's about somewhere. She's very nice, but very different from what we sort of expect in a B&B proprietor. We did a massive laundry washing last night and are now praying that while we're gone, the radiator is moving to beat the band and things will be somewhat dryer when we get back. Dry or not, things get packed up in the a.m. and we head out for Waterford Crystal and then points west along the coast. This MAY be the time when we'll string the clothes line in the back seat and hope for the best. ("Did ya see the crazy Yanks driving down the road with the windows down, dryin' their knickers?")

All is well with us... cold and damp notwithstanding, things are Grand, simply grand. John is a terrific navigator and the feel of driving on the left has pretty much returned, like riding a bike!

We miss everyone very much. Need to find an internet place with internet phone again so we can call Alex and have more than a few minutes to talk. (John's cell is convenient for emergencies, calling B&Bs and talking to Alex when I'm yearning, but expensive nonetheless.)

Hope all is well with each of you... we do need to get back to writing those postcards. Please know, you are missed and thought of often!

Until later... Dawn

Mullingar

If it's Tuesday, this must be Mullingar.

Here we are sitting in an internet cafe in Mullingar, Ireland on a chilly Tuesday morning. We are checking our mail and catching up on the blog and comments.

Yesterday we visited Newgrange - a prehistoric burial site near here. It dates back over 5000 years and is both amazing and spooky. It predates the pyramids of Egypt. There are massive stone pillars and delicate carvings. How they did all of this without any sort of machinery is a mystery. Of course, we will have pictures.

I've read the comments left by the guys in the classroom and thanks for taking the time to do so.

Eric... way to go on the car radio rigging. I look forward to seeing it when we get back.

It has been cold and rainy for the last day or so, but seems to be improving as we head South. I hope it does. Yesterday it was much colder than Terre Haute and the wind was enough to knock you off your feet. Even the locals were complaining.

Today we are heading down toward Kilkenny and the Waterford area. We might visit the Waterford Crystal Factory but, if we buy anything there we'll be flat broke and have to swim home.

The Irish seem to have a different outlook on what constitutes a major highway. Their "National Roads" are, in most places, one lane each way. If these are the big , fast roads I hate to think of what the country roads will be like. Will we be shooing sheep and cows along with the car?

As Old as Dirt

We managed to leave Dublin by the least busy route available and headed for points unknown (generally north) by about 11:00 a.m. Monday (13 March) morning. We had a very chatty cab driver who was full of questions and stories and anecdotes. Very interesting.

Not very hard to get back into the swing of driving on the left of the road. It does take a concentrated effort, but it's kinda like riding a bike... all comes back to you!

Yesterday was just plain RAW. Incredibly windy, rainy... a cut to the bone cold that is something beyond what we typically feel. As the woman at Newgrange said... it's just RAW and boy, was she right.

We visited Newgrange in the early afternoon. (if the link doesn't show up, put www.knowth.com/newgrange.htm, into your browser) I'm not quite sure there are words to describe this experience. Built some 5200 years ago, presumably as a burial site for royalty or important persons, Newgrange is a spectacular feat of engineering, architecture and construction. There is no mortar in the place. The stones, of all sizes, colors and shapes, came from areas, most likely, within a 100 mile radius of the location. Newgrange is one of close to a 100 passage tombs in Ireland. Possibly inspired by similar tombs in the south of France, there is nothing quite like Newgrange (and it's sister tombs) anywhere else in the world.

Now... picture this... standing inside a tomb, built hundreds of years before the pyramids of Egypt. Got it? Good. Even in bone-chilling cold, I was awed and inspired and filled with wonder. Truly, Newgrange has peppered our conversations every since we found out way back to the bus and huddled down for warmth! I'm sure there will be more to come on this topic!

Next stop... since it wasn't cold enough for us... was Monasterboice. . http://www.socc.ie/monaster.htm Through the bluster wind, we found the car park across from this site to be completely empty. Like... who else was stupid enough to be out on a day like this! The gate was closed, so I took adventage of these stone steps built into the side of the wall and climbed over. Once inside, I was met by John, who just opened the gate and walked in! (Face it, my entrance was more adventurous!) We walked into this cemetary, in use for hundreds of years and were entranced and (yet again) amazed and astounded at the High Crosses that filled the yard. To see someone else's pictures, click this link. . http://www.bamjam.net/Ireland/Monas.html To see my pictures, which will be miraculous if ANY of them come out since the wind was blowing so hard, I'm not sure I got anything without camera shake!, you'll have to wait for the coffee table book!

The art on the crosses, many still in impeccable condition, are phenomenal. One can see how Biblical stories were related to those who couldn't read. These crosses, with their Biblical illustrations are truly the predeacessor or stained glass windows, which did the same thing in medieval churches. (That's a story for another day since we watched a show on BBC1 last night about restoration of the only, intact set of medieval stained glass windows in Europe!) It was yet another incredible visit and I look forward to more later today and throughout these upcoming weeks.

Today we head south, through on again - off again blue skies and the odd bit of sunlight. With luck, and fair winds, things will be warmer down south. I'd settle for less breezy!

Also, with luck, we'll find another internet cafe to keep this blog going. We lucked into this one today, in Mullingar, while waiting for Belvedere House to open! (Hey... if you don't open until 10:30 or so, you're going to miss the early bird tourists!)

We miss everyone! We talk of you often and think of you and wish you were all here with us! It's wonderful to log on and read your comments or get your emails. Keep 'em coming!

Until later.... Dawn

The laundry dilemma

Hmmm.... you know (as Peggy does!) that this laundry situation has been on my mind for weeks. I have practiced and practiced, knowing exactly how long it takes for something to dry. Well, all that has flown out the window with the weather and heating arrangements in our first hotel. Thank goodness we finally figured out how to fire up the radiator or NOTHING would have dried, but things are hanging all over it now and drying fairly quickly. With luck, we will leave here with MOSTLY clean clothes. (May have to take the hair dryer to the collar part of my turtle neck if it's too diry.) If we can take advantage, we won't wash again until we get to Fiddown on Tuesday. At that point, we'll need to do laundry immediatly.

We'll also check out the situation with the car. Perhaps we can rig up the clothes line in the back seat and get some things to dry while we're driving. We are, to say the least, creative when it comes to this laundry situation.

So... stay tuned for the laundry saga and the next installment of "As the Laundry Dries"

Cheers!

Windy Sunday in Dublin Town

Well... to say the least, it was cold and colder, windy and windier today. That being said, we had a lovely day in town.

After morning services at Christ Church Cathedral, which John is blogging about, I think, we headed down for a nice cuppa at Starbucks (new in Dublin and in Dublin only, so we enjoyed... they look at me funny when I ask for fresh cream in my tea, but they pour it anyway!) and sat and enjoyed. Shortly after sitting, a young couple with 2 lovely children sat down and somehow, both parents got involved and the little boy (age 4, Ben) and I started talking. We had the nicest, leisurely visit with his parents (she's from Georgia [US variety] and he's from Germany). I think we visited well over an hour. They're now living in Ireland and enjoying this change.

We had a terrific lunch at a little place called Sherie's and then headed for the bus stop. Took the good ol' 130 FOREVER to come, so I pulled out my hat, pulled my scarf a little tighter and tried to absorb the wind and think warm thoughts. Finally it came and I settled in for my typical nap on the bus. We got back to the hotel around 5:00 and just settled into trying to get laundry to dry (thank goodness for radiators) and wrote a few journal notes and postcards. I'm fighting a cold and winning one day, but losing the rest, so I thought taking it easy was a good idea.

Tomorrow morning, 10-ish, we're going to pick up the car and then head out for the real Ireland. I told JOhn, I couldn't wait for him to see the REAL Ireland. NOt that Dublin is by any means fake... but it's a large city. ONe thing I've learned... all large cities SMELL alike. IF I closed my eyes and couldn't hear voices, I wouldn't know if I'm in Dublin or New York or New Orleans or Paris. They all smell alike.

Ok... time to think about packing and being ready to explore and discover what the hills of Ireland are really like.

Not sure when we'll find the next internet cafe, but when we do, we'll share.

Love to all!
¬¬ Dawn

Baptism

Being Sunday, and all, we decided to get up and go to the 11:00 AM services at Christ Church cathedral. After the bus ride into downtown Dublin and getting confused about the connecting bus to the church, we arrived with about 10 minutes to spare.

Looking at the bulletin that was handed to us at the door we realized that we were in for a special treat. In addition to the regular service, there was going to be a service within the service... a double baptism of two little girls.

The service began with the choir (just returned from a tour of the States) in a processional into the church with voices echoing off the massive stone walls. It was goosebump time.

About 20 minutes into the service it was announced that the baptism ritual would now take place. The families of the children moved to the front of the church. The little ones were already crying which, of course, set off every other child in the place. Remarkable acoustics there. I could hear every sniffle and wail clearly.

It really as quite beautiful, even when the presiding prelate realized that he had skipped over two pages in the service and had to backtrack. The sacrament was performed and the children were sung and prayed into the fold. Being present was an honor and a privilege.

After church we stopped in at Starbucks (yes, they are everywhere) for a hot mug. The place was jammed and completely familiar. That is part of its success. Wherever you go and enter a Starbucks you will instanly feel as if you had been there before and be comfortable.

As we sat at our table a family came in and sat next to us. The oldest boy (maybe 5 yrs.old) had his face painted like a lion. He sat down and pulled out a preschool math book and started to do problems. Both Mother and Father were up at the counter getting served. They felt at ease leaving the child alone in the crowded cafe. The child was comfortable and struck up a conversation with us, explaining what he was doing in his book.

His parents returned and for the next hour we all enjoyed a fascinating conversation with complete strangers. The Father is German, working in Dublin for the European Community Organization. Mother is American (from Georgia) and is a translator. She told us that one of her deans in college had been a professor at Indiana State University. They have been living in Dublin for only about five months. They had been in Belgium and France before.

We talked about children, Culture, the Arts, our own childhoods and the world that the youngsters with us at the table were moving into. We agreed that it was an extremely different world than the one we had grown up in. I think that all adult feel that way about the world. That corner of Starbucks had a real multicultural experience this morning. It was totally enjoyable.

This day was a perfect example of what I was writing about earlier in this blog: the serendipitous moments that make any journey special and memorable. Yes, we have done several of the "tourist" things, which were marvelous in their own right but, it has been the things like we experienced today, the baptism and the young family in Starbucks that will linger with me long after the details of the Dublin Castle and the Book of Kells start to fade.

Tomorrow we leave Dublin and head off into the countryside.

A Thousand Years Of History, As Fresh As Today

After all the fretting and fussing we are finally here! This is my first time overseas and I must say that I am having a truly remarkable experience. I am walking through streets that are more than a thousand years old and sitting in churches where St. Patrick himself baptized new believers. That is not easy to do in the still young USA.

As we walk through the streets and listen to and look at the people I have come to realize that the Irish accent I have heard for years in the movies and on the TV does not really exist here in Dublin. It is softer and more sophisticated that the cliche. There are many different accents, just like back home. I don't know why that surprises me, but it does. Everyone has been charming and friendly. I am anxious to hear what the folks sound like outside of the City.

The rain that has fallen has been light and not at all uncomfortable. You have to expect it to rain here. How else are they supposed to keep everything green?

One other thing that has surprised me so far is the number of palm trees I see sticking up in front yards. Palm trees? In Ireland? Verrrrry interesting, but real.

Tomorrow morning we are off to church. I expect that to be another surprising and moving experience.

Until next time...relax and enjoy the ride.

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday, dear Joooooohhhhhhnnnnnnnn (my oldest big brother!)
Happy birthday to you!

(Could you tell... that was sung with a lovely lilting Irish accent!

Cold and damp and very happy!

It is, my dear ones, chilly and damp here in good ol' Ireland! Rained most of the afternoon, but I had remembered the umbrella, so, no worries there.

Today we went to Christ Church Cathedral. Yet another spectacular place! Check it out. As we were walking in the door, all these young men were carrying in boxes of something. We saw them unpacking them and it was all these black cubes. Interesting, but not worth wasting time to stick around and see what it was. So, we mosied on through the beautiful old church... then heard someone playing the piano... then voices raised in song. Well, it turns out the black cubes were makeshift risers and all those young men were the Glee Club from the University of Northern Iowa. Sat ourselves down and gave a listen and it was magnificent. Seems they were rehearsing for a performance tonight. They desparately tried to keep their eyes on their imposing director, but once in a while we saw eyes wandering... How could they not when they realized they were singing in this remarkable place. We chatted with a few after they practiced and John and I both remarked that they should make the most of this evening. We both have crystal clear memories of those choir trips from college days... he singing in Canada, me in Scotland and Germany. I know that the experience of an impromptu performance at the Cologne Cathedral is something I will NEVER forget. (And, let's not spend too much time thinking about the fact that it was almost 35 years ago!)

After that, we went the Dublin Castle, and saw some remarkable architecture. The young man who was our guide was sheer delight and full of animated stories. Certainly not the staid and overly reverental docent one sometimes get. Great fun... through the rain, no doubt.

Then it was off for St. Patricks... where my feet completely wore out. Another beautiful kirk, though smaller than I had imagined. We're thinking that's where we'll head tomorrow for church, assuming I sleep better tonight than last night. Fingers are crossed.

We caught a bus (getting pretty good at the bus system business!) and headed to look for some supper. Finally decided that if McDonald's has salads, we'd grab a few of those and head back to the room where we could kick back and relax. All things worked together and that's exactly what we did, enjoying a rather unusual gameshow on BBC1. Ah, culture!

And... here we are, blogging to keep everyone informed!

We DID make a stop at the post office today, so we'll get started on those postcards, ASAP!

Tomorrow... a very interesting bookstore John discovered in one of the guidebooks and that we saw today... so, know right where it is! Boy... would sure be helpful if they ship!

We're going to try to call Alex tomorrow. WE tried yesterday, but no one was home. Again, fingers crossed!

Love to all!
Dawn

We have arrived!

Greetings from Ireland where, as Johnny Cash said (yes, Johnny Cash), there are 40 shades of green!

The trip went well. We were late leaving Indy so had a few minutes of worry with making the switch in Chicago, but things went smoothly and we are safely in Dublin. We both managed some sleep on the plane. Nice to have an empty seat next to us so we could spread out a wee bit. Helped to stretch out.

We're learning the ins and outs of the public bus system. No problem getting the bus near our hotel down to the city center. We walked a bit, in all directions (that seems to be the Irish way!) and then saw some of the sites at Trinity College.

We saw the Book of Kells. in the library at Trinity College. Amazing... phenomenal... breathtaking! (And, amazingly enough, when you leave the exhibit, you end up in the gift shop.... Who plans these things???) We also saw the Long Hall in the Library. I ached to take a picture... thousands and thousands of old books on shelves from floor to ceiling... two floors worth. Alas, photography not allowed. I do admit, John had some great ideas for sneaking a pic, but I wasn't in the mood to be thrown out of Ireland before I even slept one night! (Cindy, that is the picture of the library you pulled up on your computer!)

Our luggage is at the hotel. We, of course, arrived much too early to get checked into our room, so I think we're heading that direction fairly quickly here after finishing this. I do want to find some tea first. Wonderful to be in a place where tea is served at every corner!

Not sure what is on tap for the rest of today or tomorrow, but rest assured, we will keep you informed!

Until later... Dawn & John

And we're off...

Well, this is it. In 10 hours we'll be heading toward the airport for our Chicago flight. Then it's claim luggage, check luggage, get through security and prepare to board. Once I'm on that Aer Lingus flight, my vacation will really begin. HOORAY!!!

I can't wait to get to Ireland. It's hard to believe that I'm about to go crawl into bed and that the next time I crawl into a bed, I'll be in Dublin!

Did I get everything done at the office? No. Of course not. So... I'll spend a little time online somewhere and see what I can find and start the list of Office Max stuff and new staff stuff. It will get done. It always does. But, for now...it's time to set my course toward vacation mode and hit the cruise control.

Next time you hear from us, we'll be somewhere on the Emerald Isle.

Until later... Slainte!

... Dawn

Details...Details...Details

Time is getting short. It is only a few days until we leave for Ireland and there is a nagging list of things yet to do.

I am trying to make sure that I don’t leave behind anything crucial or, on the flip side, pack anything superfluous. It is not always easy to determine which is which.

I am taking along a supply of crossword puzzles but, I am not packing a fifth pair of socks. I have my priorities. My fourth pair of socks can be washed but, after a long day of sensory input while touring Ireland, I will need to relax and uncoil. Crossword puzzles do that for me. So, puzzles come along, extra socks do not.

One thing I have to keep in mind while making these go/no go decisions is that Ireland is NOT remote Lower Slobovistan. Ireland is a modern, first-world nation. Whatever I might consider taking along can be obtained in country. If I determine that a fifth pair of socks is critical once I get over there, I am confident that I can find them without too much trouble. Sure, I could also get crossword puzzles over there as well but, I’ll do a puzzle or two on the flight over the Atlantic. I doubt that I will go through four pairs of socks before touching down in Dublin.

Another factor to consider in deciding what to bring along is weight. Over the two weeks that we will there our luggage will be hefted and toted too many times. Every ounce counts and the older I get those ounces get heavier.

If you are going away on a two week trip there is no way (unless you are a committed hobo) that you can avoid luggage and packed luggage is, by definition, heavy and awkward.

We have purchased brand new “light weight” luggage. One person’s understanding of “light weight” is another person’s “hernia weight.”

Our new bags really are lighter than most that I have ever used. That said, by the time we leave for the airport, our bags will weigh in at close to 35lbs. Each.

To me 35 lbs. is pretty heavy but not according to the airline. They limit the weight of any bag to 70lbs. A 70 lb. suitcase! Good golly, Miss Molly! Aside from the Incredible Hulk or a traveling anvil salesman, who would have a 70 lb. suitcase? The very thought of trying to wrestle with a 70 lb. bag, even one with wheels, makes my discs bulge.

In my ideal world I would travel with a bag that would fit easily into the overhead compartment, and if the contents did shift in flight nobody would get hurt when opening the compartment. However, I live in the luggage-ly challenged world and heavy bags rule. Oh, well…(sigh).

In an effort to deal with the weight issue we have purchased some mini this-and-that’s and some ultra light whatevers.

* Some barely there, itsy-bitsy, speakers to plug into the portable CD player.

* Light weight and quick drying underwear. (You can actually buy “disposable" cotton undies. Uhmmm…no thanks.)

* “Travel Size” toiletries and personal care items.

I just quake at the idea of what our bags would weigh, if not for our due diligence.

We are taking with us only those items we feel are necessary. The definition of necessary can be very subjective. Are the extra batteries for the teeny-tiny radio, the alarm clock, the CD player, and digital camera really necessary? They do sell batteries in Ireland. I checked. Yes but, I don’t want to have to take time away from being a tourist to go shopping for some AA batteries.

We are going to be there for two weeks and moving from place to place almost every day. If we were going to stay in Ireland longer or in each location longer I would be more inclined to accept more domestic chores, like shopping for “stuff.” We are there as tourists, not setting up housekeeping.

For me, taking only the “necessary” calls for some hard decisions. I would love to take along my laptop computer but, I don’t relish the idea of dragging an extra bag or ditching some more socks and pushing the weight of my “light weight” suitcase ever closer to the 70 lb. limit. I have chosen to leave the Dell at home and to stop in an internet café every few days to log on. Fortunately, Ireland is considered the “Silicon Valley” of Europe. There are high tech internet cafes everywhere, not just in the major cities but, also in those lovely and picturesque villages, that dot the landscape and calendars everywhere.

As we get closer to departure the things under consideration are becoming more and more detail oriented and not all that critical. The big issues have been resolved. We have tickets, lodging and a car. After that it’s all icing and we are down to licking the bowl.

Friends, we are almost ready to go!

Seeing What Is Important

Dawn and I have put together an itinerary of sites to see while in Ireland. As the official title of this trip is “The Dublin to Dingle to Donegal Tour” it should give you an idea of the scope of our journey.

I have been thinking about “importance.” What is it on our agenda that is most important to me? What place or thing sits at the top of my personal “gotta see” list? Over the months of intense reading and planning that we have done in preparation there have been several occupants in the number one slot.

Early on, Dublin fascinated me. I’m a sucker for big cities. They are all unique and they are all the same. I’ve spent most of my life living in major cities and I am comfortable with the pace, look, aroma and vibration I find in them.

Then the Cliffs of Moher, then Newgrange, then the Book of Kells moved in and out of the top spot. Even though they have all been displaced I still want to see and experience them all.

A few months ago we got involved in tracing our genealogies, tracking down dimly remembered family members and scouring census records from the 19th century. By doing this I learned a great deal about the Irish portion of my bloodline: the Walsh side of my family. My Father’s name was James Walsh Kraft. His Mother, my Grandmother, was a Walsh. We traced the various Walsh ancestors by plumbing my memory and looking at census listings online.

On the Internet you can actually see the handwritten census records from 1790 up until 1930. After that the records are no longer available to the general public. Most of the 1890 census was destroyed in a fire in the 1920s, but it is astonishing what you can actually look at. On a whim I looked up Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 census, just before he was elected President. In the listings from Springfield, Illinois Abraham, Mary Todd Lincoln and all their children are recorded in detail. It gave me goosebumps to be able to reach back through time and peek into the personal lives of these folks who seem more legendary than real.

Looking for my Walsh ancestors we hit a dead end in the 1860 census. We found records of an Allice (or Alice) Walsh, aged 45, born in Ireland, and her 20 year old son Thomas, born in Pennsylvania. So, we know that Allice (I like that spelling) was born in Ireland sometime about 1815 and came to this country no later than 1840. What we don’t know is what her husband’s name was and from where in Ireland did they hail.

This frustrating dead end sent me back to reading more travel guide books. That is where I learned about the city of Cobh (pronounced Cove). Cobh was renamed Queenstown in the mid 19th century after Queen Victoria dropped by for a visit. Queenstown was the major embarkation point for people emigrating from Ireland to the United States. From 1830 to 1970 over 3 million people boarded ships there and sailed into American history. It is a good chance that Allice Walsh was one of them.

Today in Cobh (the city reverted back to the old name in the 1920s) there is a converted railway station holding the Queenstown Historical Center. It is a monument to those millions who became the Irish Diaspora. There is where I began my journey to this new world and it is to there that I want to journey back to the old world. Will I find out anything more about Allice Walsh? Probably not, but just being there, I think, will give me a sense of connection to her.

There is more history in Cobh that ties it to America. It was from Cobh that the passenger ship “Lusitania” sailed, only to be torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Kinsale, drawing the United States into World War I.

Cobh was also the last port of call for the “unsinkable” luxury liner “Titanic” before it headed out into the North Atlantic and an iceberg.

Can you understand why the top of my list is Cobh, the city that has so much history about it, both personal and American, that I feel, by going there, I am going home and going to school.

Emotions In Motion

The countdown is at T-minus one week and counting. Liftoff is planned for Thursday, March 9, 2006.

The catalogue of emotions involved in this trip is now in full swing: Excitement, Anticipation, Curiosity, and, oddly, an almost Zen-like calm. All of those feelings that are visible above the line are propped up by a baseline of peaceful contemplation. Amid the last minute scramblings and reassessments I am enjoying a comfortable serenity.

I think that this feeling reconnects with something I said in an earlier blog offering. I’m talking about the lyric from Harry Chapin – “It’s the goin’, not the getting’ there, that’s good.”

After all the planning, list making, hither, thither and yoning, and decision making we are finally ready to get going. We are about to overcome Inertia and start moving and once we begin we will embrace Inertia to keep moving until we meet up with the immovable barrier of March 24th touchdown at the Indianapolis airport. Who are we to argue with Isaac Newton?

When I was young (back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth) I discovered something about myself. I feel better when I am in motion. It may be something genetic, a hangover in my suspected Gypsy blood. I doesn’t matter if I am flying, on a train, driving or on foot. When my body is moving I feel good, both emotionally and physically.

This does not apply when on a rollercoaster or Ferris Wheel. I am not entertained by terror, my own or anyone else’s. Of course it shouldn’t apply in these cases because on these rides I am really not going anywhere, just around and around back to where I started minutes before. That is not traveling.

This positive, sometimes almost euphoric sense of well-being that I enjoy while traveling is why I am able to be an “easy traveler.” It enables me to deal with those delays and layovers that are inevitable. I really do feel blessed when I see some other traveler throwing a hissy fit about bad weather delaying take-off. Perhaps they think that embarrassing themselves in public will make the storm front move through quicker.

People who act that way must resent the fact that they are not God, or at least Thor. Me, I would not want to be God with people always asking for stuff, and there is no room for advancement. Being Thor would be even worse: bad wardrobe and spending eternity hanging out with smelly Vikings.

Back to my point.

This movement induced happiness manifests itself in various ways. The rumble of a train is like a mini-massage. The monotone roar of aircraft engines can lull me to sleep in minutes.

Driving a car is different from being a passenger. Behind the wheel I feel the road underneath me and the power of selecting the progress of the motion. Riding shotgun is not the same, but not unpleasant at all. As a passenger I can look around and enjoy the view, seeing things I’ve never seen before.

There is a natural beauty in motion. It soothes frazzled nerves and rebuilds crumbled expectations. At least it does that for me. I don’t pretend to speak for anyone else, but the next time you are passing through an airport, take a few minutes to look at the other people around you. You will be able to spot the “easy travelers.” They are the ones who are quietly reading a book or magazine, chatting with others, or doing a crossword puzzle. If you are looking for me in the airport, I’m the guy sitting over there trying to think of a six letter word for happy.*

.

.

*Answer: Motion

Success! An Adventure in Packing

My, my, my... Things were piled so high on Alex's bed, I wasn't sure that the two large suitcases we had would do the trick, but, by golly, with the help of Pack-It Cubes (I'm a true believer now), we got everything in our two suitcases, including all those amenities I said I just HAD to have, and we have room to spare. NOW you can get glassy eyed about the things we will bring back since we actually have ROOM for more.

And, get this, with a 70 pound weight limit for the checked baggage, we are A-OK because we weighed the suitcases and they weigh 30-32 pounds each. Zippity doo dah! Room to spare and a manageable weight. Hallelujah!

We really have stripped down the amount / number of clothes we are taking in an effort to have all that extra room. That will necessitate a certain amount of laundry being done every other night, if not every night, but that will be fine. It will give us something to do while tea is brewing!

I even have room to take my tripod. Wonder where else my mind will roam as I ponder the available space in the suitcase. There are just a few things that didn't get packed, like the CDs (gotta have some tunes and some blank CDs for burning the pictures), an extra guidebook or two and whatever I can't fit into the weight limit of my carryon. Now.. how much can I get into a bag and have it not exceed the 14 pound weight limit? That will be the next adventure.

And so... stay tuned!

Dawn

The Tour is Named!

Ok, bloggers... this is it. We have officially named the tour. We're calling it the (drumroll please!!!!) "Triple D Tour: Dublin to Dingle to Donegal". So, join us on this adventure and post your thoughts and comments right along with us!

We leave in 12 days!

Until later... Dawn & John

To wake up in Ireland

It's hard to believe, but two weeks from today, we will awaken in Ireland for the first morning. Now, I know this is a technicality as, Lord willing, we'll wake up on that Aer Lingus flight from Chicago on Friday the 10th, but two weeks from today we'll wake up IN A BED! A bed, with real pillows and sheets and blankets and all those glorious amenities, counts for something. We will wake up after spending the better part of the day and all of the night in and around Dublin. Sounds pretty good to me.

I'm anxious to see what Clontarf Castle Hotel is really like. If you're interested in learning more, visit their website at http://www.clontarfcastle.ie/travel.htm. While it's an ancient site, important in Ireland's history, this is a hotel attached to a later castle. Oh, well... it's castle enough for me!

We've started laying things out in preparation for tomorrow's session of "practice packing". We'll see what fits and what doesn't and know if we have more room or less room than we need. It will, at the very least, be very interesting so... stay tuned and we'll keep you informed!

Until later... Dawn

Two weeks and counting!

Well... it's hard to believe, but in two weeks, we'll be enroute and (hopefully) snoozing on the plane! I do need to check out the food situation. Seems like these days, they charge extra for all that. It will be easy to grab salads and snacks for when we board, but breakfast the next morning would be very nice. John and I are fortunate that sleeping on a plane is pretty natural for us. My usual routine has me asleep before we finish taxiing down the runway! We'll see how it goes. Ideally, since it's a 7 hour flight, we should get to sleep as soon as we can so that we wake refreshed for our 7:30 a.m. landing in Dublin.

Now, after that early morning landing in Dublin, we'll head (via taxi) for our hotel, Clontarf Castle Hotel, where we won't be able to check in until probably mid afternoon. So, we'll store our luggage at the hotel, see when we CAN check in, and then head out. I suspect our first stop will be Trinity College, home to the Book of Kells.

John has a great idea... he found a site that has live webcams from Dublin. He wants to share the link, pick an appointed time and stand there and wave for the cameras so people can see us in Dublin. So... as of now, we're "thinking" we'll be "available" at http://www.nci.ie/ispy/cam3.yp around 11:00 - 11:30 Eastern Standard Time, 10:00 - 10:30 Central Standard Time. (If you're on the left coast, figure it out.) Oh... the plan is for Friday, March 10th. So... bookmark it and we hope to "see ya" online from Ireland!

We have a list of internet cafes, so we will be checking email and blogging from the road. That's our best bet to get the real news out to everyone. We will be sending postcards. (You might want to email me to make sure I have your street address!) The blog, however, if our major plan for keeping in touch.

I still haven't solved the riddle of keeping my pictures safe and stored enroute. Anybody have an idea?????? I'm open to all suggestions... but will only consider those that aren't high priced! So, bring 'em on!

Well, now.. .it's Olympics time, so I'm outta here.

Dawn