Ireland

After making the long journey over the big pond, I found myself in rainy, misty and cold Ireland. Ah Ireland. Just as I expected it to be: green rolling hills and farm paddocks dotted by oak and willow trees and divided up by old stone walls dating back 500 years or more. I had the pleasure of staying with my good friend and old flat mate from NZ, Kat, and her family. She lives in a beautiful farm house in the country South of Dublin in a town called Rathdrum. Her and her family were extremely accommodating and made it a great place to overcome jet lag. So much more comforting than living in a hostel with lots of people you don't know!

(Road to Kat's house)

(Kat's house)

The first day I spent visiting places close to where Kat lives and took it easy. The buzz of being in a place so foregin, coupled with jet lag makes for a somewhat dreamy experience. We drove through the country, winding through narrow roads lined by stone walls and occasionally passing by extremely old castles in a non-chalant manner as if no one cares that they were built 1500 years ago. We visited one such place, Glendalough (pronounced Glendalock), which actually was a monastery built in 600 AD. It was very erie here since we stopped close to dark and passed through the graveyard full of over-sized tombstones that obviously lasted eons longer than the bodies they represent.

(Glendalough Monastery)

(Avoca)

On Friday, Kat drove us to visit the small and lovely township of Galway on the West coast. A cute and beautiful place full of cobblestone streets lined with pubs and cafes. The pubs here are what you imagine, with intricate woodwork and dark colors and a few Irish in the corner playing violin and fiddle. Its true. The beer here is amazing! I couldn't believe how good the Guinness was here, and it does taste completely different from the shit back in the States. I couldn't get enough.

(Galway)

(My first Pub)

(Guinness!!)

(An Irish Pub called The Quays)

(The Quays Pub)

The next day we headed through a barren seascape on the West coast called the Burren, home to unique species of flora and fauna. There are no trees here because of the peculiar outcroppings of rock that make up the mountains.

(My friend Kat at Dunguaire Castle, Kinvarra)

(Ballyvaghn Castle, Burren)

(The Burren)

Further down the coast was the Cliffs of Moher - an absolutely beautiful seascape. It was so surreal here as the rough sea crashed into the cliffs hundreds of feet below, sending mist upward, bellowing toward your face. They say several people have fallen to their death here, both voluntary and involuntary. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful place and iconic of Ireland.

(Cliffs of Moher)

A few days later, Kat and I made it up to the city of Dublin for one short afternoon. We got to see the famous Trinity College, home to the Book of Kells (a gospel book of hymns written near 600 AD, there are only 4 existing), and an ancient library with millions of books dating from 500 AD to the 1600's. I read one book on plants that was discussing nap weed, written in 1637. There was an amazing picture of it and the written English was slightly different that we see today. It's funny how letters are dropped and pronunciations change the spellings of words over the years. The art work in the Book of Kells was beautiful, it was amazing how long it has kept.

(Trinity College, Dublin)

We also saw the area of vibrant night life called Temple Bar and had lunch in a pub. The food here was excellent and service was always timely. I fish and chips washed down with a fresh pint of Guinness (of course).

(Temple Bar District, Dublin)

(Temple Bar)

I had an excellent time here and more importantly a nice visit with my dear friend Kat. It was so unique and much more relaxing to experience a country having a tour guide and being taken into some one's home as a guest. Kat's mom was so nice and cooked wonderful meals for us all the time I was there. Thank you for the lamb, the ham, and the chicken! So I dedicate this entry to Kat and her family, thank you for the lovely time! See you in Scotland.