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