Hellooooooooo!!! It feels so exciting to be working on a brand new post again! So down to business.
Day 6: Wednesday, October 3rd.
Depart Galway at 8:30 am, severely disappointed that I didn't get to see any of this highly acclaimed city. I literally just spent the night in my hostel, which was not at all the way I'd planned my trip. However, I also wasn't expecting to spend hours laying stuff out to dry and attempting to find a remedy for the variety of things that got soaked in my backpack that day. Once I'd gotten to my hostel Tuesday night, (which was an ordeal in and of itself, more on that in a moment) I went into serious "try to save everything that got wet" mode, then making dinner, then taking care of computer related business. By 12 am, I considered trying to find a pub with live trad music but realized I'd probably fall asleep in the pub. With a 7 am alarm, I was also more motivated to find my bed than a pub.
But finding the hostel!! What a ridiculous ordeal! I had been told never to ask an Irish person for directions, because they will make something up if they don't know, rather than admitting they can't help you (apparently the Irish are very bad at saying no). So I'd forgotten this golden nugget of information and ended up asking 6 people . . . 5 of whom, I'm assuming, had absolutely no idea, but didn't let on at all! It is impressive how convincingly they gave me completely wrong directions. And it was in this moment of diverting my full attention from driving onto partly trying to figure out where the hell I was going, that I ended up driving on the wrong side of the road. Thank goodness I had ample time to get back to the proper side of the road, but quite frightening to find how natural it felt to be back on the right side of the road. Eesh!
All ended well, although finding the hostel probably took 5 times longer than it should have, but it's all part of the experience, right? At least I didn't have a ferry to catch at that point!
SO! After my boring, mundane, hostel-bound night in Galway, I headed to Dingle for the next night in a B&B. On my way down, I got to see some fantastic scenery. . . .(I had a really hard time picking top favorites, but here they are . . . )
Cliffs of Moher - most famous cliffs in Ireland. Incredibly impressive and gorgeous, but not the tallest! Also so touristy that they've built a wall along the edge to keep tourists from being stupid and falling off the edge.
That tower enticed me, but then I found out you have to pay extra money to go up it - seriously?? They also make you pay to park. 6 euros!! I tried to find a way around the paid parking lot, but found no other feasible options. It truly has become a tourist trap, which is a bit disappointing, but doesn't make the cliffs any less impressive.
Let's all say it together . . . "Oooooooooooooooooh!!!!" These are the Cliffs of Kilkee. Much less famous and yes also incredibly impressive and gorgeous. I spent about an hour walking and driving around this phenomenal coast.
Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing! Having blue sky and sunshine helped immensely as well. =)
Still Cliffs of Kilkee - do you see the fisherman standing on the edge of the cliff?? =) Not a bad spot for fishing!
Final Kilkee picture before departing to catch another ferry. This one was not a "must-do" but a "fun-do" and a shortcut. =) To get to the Dingle peninsula, I was advised to take the ferry from Killimer to Tarbert. So I did . . .
Haha! I found this GPS screen too funny. Here I am during the crossing. Apparently traveling 9.8 km/hr. Excellent!
Once on the Dingle Pensinsula, the scenery became even more impressive!! Pictures don't nearly do it justice, but here's what I've got:
On the drive to Dingle, still on the north side of the peninsula here.
Starting up Connor Pass. Holy Shlamola! The weather was unbelievably perfect to create an absolutely breath-taking experience. I was advised to take Connor Pass to come to the south side of the peninsula and I'm incredibly happy I did. I was so lucky with the weather that day. Perfect!
Do you hear the heavens singing? Because I feel like I do when I look at this picture. Oh Connor Pass + Sunshine on the hillsides, I love you!
haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! You can sing too, if you want to! A lady I talked to that day had told me about a lake hidden up only a 5 or so minute hike from the road. This picture is taken on the way back down from that little jaunt. Still Connor Pass.
Me, ecstatic with the sunshine, and the shadows on the hills, and the colors in the sky . . .. and the lake and Connor Pass, and life in general!
And another quintessential part of the Irish landscape: the ubiquitous Irish sheep. They are seriously everywhere. And when I mean everywhere, I don't just mean on the side of the road, (such as this guy, just chillin'), but very literally, these guys will wander ALL over and have no qualms with staying in the middle of the road as cars come rushing up. They are actually more frightened and responsive of people walking near them, then cars barreling down on them. It's bizarre. I had sheep in my path on the roads countless times. I was never stuck behind a herd that decided to just run along the road, but it's happened to many other people I've talked to. So I couldn't pass up this photo opportunity. This is near the top of Connor Pass. Hello there, Mr. Sheep, thanks for looking directly at my camera and being cute.
Once I got to my B&B (only had to ask 3 people this time . . .there are no house numbers for places here, it is insane and frustrating!!!) I chatted with the owners for about an hour (REALLY nice people) then found a pub with live trad music AND dancing. Fabulous!
And I think the bottom half of the picture was cut off because my USB key (or the computer) is being super funky and giving me a mix of messages from "device not recognized" to "device can perform faster" then 'driver not properly installed" and it has just been beeping at me for the last 5 minutes. So we're going to call that a night. Apologies for the incomplete photo, but if you know what could possibly have possessed either pieces of technology to act up, your input would be greatly appreciated!
Tomorrow is already my last day in Ireland. SO SAD!! But also so exciting to be going to Scotland for the first time! My flight leaves at around 3 pm and I should land in Edinburgh at around 4 pm. On to the next stage of this grand adventure!! (this also means that further blog updates may be quite a while in making an appearance as I don't know if there will be a computer available there . .. we shall see!)
Onwards! A real keyboard under my fingertips and USB key ready to go. . .
Day 7: Thursday, October 4th.
Sunrise over Dingle Harbour. . .
This was the view from my room at the B & B. Spectacular! And my little red rental car waiting for its next big day. =)
My breakfast!! Since my happiness depends largely on the amount of fresh and delicious fruit I eat in a day, can you imagine the ecstasy that accompanied this meal??!! And isn't it purrrrrrrrrrrty?!
AMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAZING!!!!! Such unbelievably spectacular sunshine for Ireland in October. I felt so lucky. I started my day exploring the Dingle Peninsula by walking on this beach for about an hour, soaking in the sun and the sea.
Part of the incredible coast line along the Dingle Peninsula. South side, between Dingle and Slea Head.
Hahaha! This note cracked me up. It was posted inside the door of a porta-potty. Only in Ireland, (or maybe Scotland, or New Zealand . . . in any case, not from anywhere I've grown up, so I find the novelty of it quite amusing).
Slea Head. Beautiful beach. Also fantastic views of the Kerry Peninsula and the Blasket Islands. I spent part of today visiting a center that explains the history of the Blasket Islands and the residents that made their home there until everyone was forced to leave in 1953 because it was too remote. It's a fascinating and moving story.
Gallarus Oratory. There is a cool wiki article on it here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallarus_Oratory This was my last stop before heading to Ballinskelligs for my first solo experience couch surfing (furthermore, referred to as CS). And what an awesome first experience!!! I got to her place around 6 pm, and she'd already made dinner and offered me some. So generous! We then stayed up until nearly midnight chatting away. I love the cultural exchange that is the basis of CS. Such a fantastic idea!
Day EIGHT!!! Friday, October 5th.
A very tentative day, as I was hoping to do Skellig Michael, but considering it is a very weather dependant trip, I left the house that morning with a multitude of plans, and . . . .
rejoiced when I arrived at Portmagee (above) and found out the trip was on AND there was room for me in a boat. I had 30 minutes before the boat departed, so strolled around a bit, admired the charm of the village with its bright colors, and ran into a client from Seattle in the streets!!! I knew he was travelling around Ireland, but we both randomly happened to pick Skellig Michael on the same day. Fun coincidence!
On the way out to the island. Fantastic views of the coastline. What I considered a really choppy ride, the boat captain considered calm. =) Made the 45 minute crossing (the islands are located 8 miles southwest of Valentia) without getting seasick. Very proud. A couple others on my boat weren't as lucky, and apparently a few months before somebody had needed to be air-lifted off the island because he got seriously seasick and became so dehydrated (coupled with a night of heavy drinking the night precedent) he went into convulsions on the island. Eesh. Thank goodness nobody needed to be air-lifted off on our trip. But there really is a heli pad on the island . . .. seems a little out of place, but apparently serves a significant purpose.
This is Little Skellig. We passed it on the way to Skellig Michael. The public is not allowed onto this island as it is home to literally thousands of gannets. If I remember my facts right, it is home to the second largest gannet population in the world (and wiki just verified my memory, so we're going to say yes). =) It is incredibly imposing and impressive as well. The white specs you see all over the rocks are all birds!
Splash! While attempting to capture our approach to Skellig Michael, I managed to get a significant amount of sea water on my camera lens, and didn't have the proper material to get it clean. So please excuse the blurry quality of the rest of the pictures! Blame it on the Atlantic Ocean! A couple of fun facts about Skellig Michael: it rises 714 feet above sea level and covers 44 acres. Also descends 50 meters into the sea before merging with the Continental Shelf. Not too shabby.
Pulling into the 'harbour.' "What harbour?" You ask. Yes, valid question. There isn't one really. The boats just carefully pull up alongside some stairs carved into the rock face. One must not hesitate when stepping from the bobbing boat onto the stair of choice. An appropriate welcome to such a rugged island, and a lovely catalyst for thoughts such as "How the heck did the monks do this in the 6th century???!!!!"
Notice the heli-pad mentioned earlier? Quite the modern contrast set against the stairs carved / placed in the 6th century. Amaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazing!!! This is only about one quarter of the way up. Overall, there are around 2300 steps throughout the island. Again, makes you wonder "How??" and honestly, I felt a hefty dose of "Why??" as well. Words, nor photos do it justice, but here are some anyways . . .
Just before entering the monastic settlement at the top. The grassy area to the left at the base of the stone wall is believed to have been their garden. To the right is Little Skellig, and in the distance, the coast of County Kerry.
Some of the beehive huts the monks built. Also in the 6th century. Truly unreal, the condition in which they remain. Sacked by vikings . . . won't stop these guys!
For a bit of perspective. Inside there is ample room to stand, and surprising amount of light allowed in.
Feeling incredibly happy, lucky and content that I made it out to Skellig Michael! Super stoked to get to visit both of Ireland's UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
And, did I mention impressed. Yowzers. Every moment on that island was one of appreciation, awe, and deep, pensive contemplation.
On the way back, we got to see a different side of Little Skellig. They stopped to allow us ample time to capture the 'elephant' . . . do you see it? And that's Skellig Michael in the background now.
Back on the mainland. Those are the Skelligs you see out in the distance (more to the right). There had been a sign along the road, claiming this as the best view of the Skelligs, (must say, quite nice) but the kicker is that they charge for it!! There is a little coffee shop, and to park your car in their lot, they make you pay 2€ (not absurdly expensive, but just an absurd concept). From there you take a lovely 10 minute walk up and are rewarded with THIS. Magnificent!
The day concluded back at my CS host's around 6 pm for another night of dinner and chatting late into the night. Oh yes! And I also spent about 90 minutes in the Skellig information center . . .they have a great display and I definitely recommend it as well if you go.
That concludes day 8! Onto . . .
Day Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine, Saturday, October 6th.
Started the day exploring the Kerry peninsula with my CS host . . .
Views from near her home. Unreal. Can you imagine waking up to a view like this daily? The cottage you see is one available for artists to rent out for discounted rate. Very cool concept to support art!
Check out the sunshine we had that day! I must say, I had way more sunshine than rain during my two months in Ireland, and I was incredibly ecstatic about this. Traveling is much more fun and beautiful under these conditions. =) But variety is good, too.
We took a little hike to the tip of the peninsula and were rewarded by these views.
On the way back down, we got stuck behind a herd of cows. There was truly no other way around. We ended up stuck behind these ladies for over 45 minutes, and kept trying to coax / cheer them off the road onto little pull-outs, or back into a field, but they were determined to continue strolling on the road, monopolizing the path. At least we had good views! Though we did have to modify our plans for the rest of the day. Had not calculated that much driving time for that little span of road.
We had enough time for a quick visit to Valentia Island. So glad we were able to make it here. Stunning views. Perfect day to take advantage of these vantage points.
View of the Skelligs from Valentia Island. Felt odd and surreal to realize I had been on that island, just the day before (Skellig Michael is the one to the right).
After parting ways with my CS host, I had the rest of the day to make it to Kilarney, where I had my next 2 nights booked in a hostel there. The drive around the Ring of Kerry was spectacular. I had brilliant sun the whole day, and it enticed me to do a little barefoot walking on the beach. Being barefoot ....on a beach in Ireland ......in October......loved it!
Deep breath in. This is the beach I strolled barefoot for an hour. Life is good.
I stopped countless times on my drive that day, and struggled like crazy trying to decide which ones to put up on this post. This was one of my favorites.
Arrival at Kilarney National Park. Breath-taking.
My hostel in Kilarney! (It's the YHA Hostel, if you're interested) LOVE it!! Very impressed upon first arriving.
And not disappointed when stepping inside . . not too shabby, eh? =) This was one of the common areas. Awesome!!! The kitchen was great, clean and sufficiently large for lots of people to cook at once (one of the greatest factors for me rating a hostel is the kitchen . . .can you imagine?) The only downside were the rooms. The beds were PACKED in. My first night there, all 6 beds were used and there was barely room to get around all the bags and the beds. Good thing all we really need to do there is sleep! And that is just what I did after chatting with some friendly Northern Irelanders about hiking options for the next day.
Day 10: Sunday, October 7th
After talking to the boys at the hostel, and Byron on the day of the Skelligs I decided that I had to give Carrauntoohil a shot. It is Ireland's tallest mountain (1,038 metres aka 3,406 ft). and I must say my interest was peaked . . how fun to get to the highest point in Ireland?! Byron had warned me about a rock scramble but made it sound doable, so off I went at 9 am. My first stop: meeting a lady who runs the little cafe at the parking lot where I left my car. She ever so graciously accepted to be my check-in person.
View of Carrauntoohil at the start of the hike. No clouds hovering at the top - promising! I headed off with my fingers crossed!
Just before the rock scramble (called Devil's Ladder), you pass between two gorgeous lakes. Lots of ooooh-ing and aaaaah-ing on my end. Up to this point, I had not crossed paths with a single other person. I have mixed feelings about such solitude on solo hikes: a.) part of me loves the peace and tranquility b.) part of me is nervous about "what if something goes wrong?" At this point I was thoroughly enjoying the solitude.
Starting up the rock scramble, you get even better views of the lakes. Glorious!
Hellooooooooooo you fabulous combination of mountains and lakes. These are the two lakes I've been speaking of. Notice the path between the two shimmering bodies of water? Yep, that's definitely where I was about 10 minutes before taking this pictures. Progress!
And looking up the rock scramble. Honestly, this part of the hike had me more nervous about something going wrong, but I trusted Byron's assessment, and decided I could slide down on my ass, worst case scenario, on the way down (coming back down these things is always more challenging for me than the climb up).
The other part that had me hesitant was the stream of water cascading down the scramble. Byron hadn't mentioned water, and I kept wondering if I was on the right path. But every time I looked for other options, this definitely seemed to be the only one. So onwards and upwards I went.
Until I made it to the top!!! HOOOOORRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!! I must say, I was quite proud and simultaneously disappointed. I spent about 15 minutes at the top and never once did the clouds allow a view. What you see behind me is the best view I had the whole time I was at the top. Bummer. But definitely excited about getting to the top of Ireland's tallest mountain!
I ended up passing one person on his way down, just after I'd finished Devil's Ladder. I had given quick consideration to just going straight back down the Ladder with him, to have company for the way back down, as I was still a bit nervous about the return trip on my own, but the draw to get to the top was stronger. =) I had decided before setting off that I would be reasonable and wise about this solo hike, and if conditions got bad, I would be OK with turning back, but at that point, the clouds were just beginning to creep in, and visibility on the path was still fine, so I decided to give it a try.
And ever so glad I did! At the top, I ended up meeting another hiker, and I consider him my own little personal hero that day. We chatted for a bit at the top, and he ended up coming back down the Devil's Ladder route (there are many alternative paths and he'd said at the top he wasn't sure which way he would take back down). But he accompanied me the whole way down the ladder, and I must say, I very much appreciated his company. He actually participates in mountain rescue groups, so really, everything worked out absolutely stupendously for me that day! (who better to meet at the top than a mountain rescue man?!) And before our trails split ways, he even gave me his number and offered to show me some other trails in the area if I ever made it back down near Kilarney. Oh, how I love the Irish people!
My closing picture for Carrauntoohil. Yep, that is the view when I'm back near the trailhead after the hike. THE TOP IS CLEAR AGAIN! ARG!!! Just slightly frustrated that my timing was so bad.
After Carrauntoohil, I headed to the Gap of Dunloe as I'd heard rave reviews. I left my car at Kate Kearney's cottage and hiked up a few miles . . . honestly, the ruins were my favorite part. =) Take a look at the chimney on this one . . ..
Yes, that tree is actually growing out of the chimney, it's not just a perspective thing - it truly has set its roots in the chimney. I found that quite funny and unique.
One of my favorite views from my walk through the Gap. Perhaps it's how spoiled I'd been with the last 10 days of being incessantly awe-struck with phenomenal sights, but Gap of Dunloe didn't fall that high on my rating scale. Still, another lovely stroll. . . this one though, with a lot more reminders of civilization . . . cars, horse-drawn buggies, other hikers . . . it made me miss the solitude of Carrauntoohil.
Finished the day at Ross Castle. It was closed by the time I got there, but I still get excited about castles, even simply taking pictures of the exterior. Ah, such a satisfying day!
Day 11: Monday, October 8th
Last Day of this Grand Adventure . . .
Multiple people I had asked had ranked Rock of Cashel as the best and prettiest castle in Ireland. You can imagine, potentially, how incredibly excited I was to see this place. It's like a gold medal for my castle obsession! Today was my last day of travel, and I had to have the rental car back in Dublin by 2 pm, so, considering all of this, I set the alarm for 6 am to be able to fit in a stop at Rock of Cashel . . . and it was under renovation! Bummer. Bad timing. I think it's primarily due to the scaffolding, but Rock of Cashel wasn't quite what I'd hoped. Still did a tour, but wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be (perhaps I built it up a little too much in my mind, as well). In any case, I think Trim Castle ranks as my "gold medal" Irish castle.
Rock of Cashel does have a fascinating history, though, and a round tower, which is definitely bonus points. =) Here, the view of the round tower from the cathedral. I think the combination of scaffolding and rain dampened the wow-factor of this castle. In the end, the rain dampened my enthusiasm for further exploring as well, and I headed back to Dublin without exploring more of the town. I ended up making it back to the car rental place at exactly 1:52 pm. Just enough time to unload the car and prep for the next leg of the trip . . .on to Skerries for the next WWOOFing gig!
