Ireland Day Five - Dublin

Dublin at night

Entrance to St. Stephen's Green

Dublin at night

Street Performer

Tribute to the Famine

Self portrait at Trinity College

Cool sculpture at Trinity College

Trinity College

Tourism Office

Near my hotel

The Burren - south of Galway

Galway

Graffiti in Galway

It was hard to leave the west side of Ireland yesterday since it's so beautiful over there, but I knew there was a lot I wanted to see in Dublin.   I definitely think two weeks here would have been the better way to go since there's so much to see!  I decided not to head up to Northern Ireland like I wanted to.  I've been doing a lot of driving this whole trip so I figured I would focus mostly on the Dublin area.  I am going to visit Newgrange today, and I may be tempted to drive up to the border just so I can set foot in the UK - maybe find a geocache just across the border. :)

Over today and tomorrow I also want to visit Kilmainham Gaol as it has a lot of connections to Irish history.  Possibly a visit to the Guinness brewery and Phoenix Park.  

I was warned ahead of time, but I really have seen that Ireland doesn't like to use street signs.  Luckily the google maps on my iphone have been awesome, otherwise I'm not sure how I would have found my hotel yesterday!  The only thing I've had to worry about is my iphone battery dying before I get to where I'm going.  

I'm not sure if I just don't listen to the right radio stations in the US, but I have noticed that the Irish LOVE Lady Gaga.  I don't think a day has gone by that I haven't heard her song at least once or twice.  I have been enjoying listening to the radio here.  Last night I caught an interesting reality show on Irish tv called Feirm Factor.  Part in Gaelic, part in English and the grand prize was a Land Rover.  The contestants had to compete in several farm related activities and the person who did the best overall won the Land Rover.  I caught the very last episode - but I won't tell you who wins!

Anyway, I must get going on my day now!

Ireland - Day Four - Connemara

Summit of Diamond Hill

Kylemore Abbey

On the hike

On the hike

Beginning of the hike

Near Connemara National Park

Near Connemara National Park

Westport - what's an Ironmonger?

Paddy Coynes Pub

On the drive to Connemara

I'm kind of anxious to get on the road so this may be a shorter post.  Yesterday was a great day discovering the Connemara area.  I finally got to spend some more time outside when I went on a hike up Diamond Hill in Connemara National Park.  It was an easier hike with spectacular views.  

From the hike I could look down and see my next destination - the Kylemore Abbey.  It's home to Benedictine Order of Nuns in Ireland.  You only get to go through a small portion of the Abbey which is set up like a mini-museum.  The grounds there are beautiful.  I got there too late to visit the gardens on the property.  

From there, I took the long way back to Galway by heading up to Westport.  I went on a short walk around the downtown of Westport and then back to Galway.  I walked around the downtown Galway for a little bit last night.  I've been in the area for two days but I haven't seen Galway in the daylight yet!  I'm going to go check it out this morning.

I've decided to head over to Dublin today and make that my home for the next three nights.  So I'll probably be checking out part of the city today.  I may take a daytrip tomorrow up to Northern Ireland but I haven't fully decided yet.  I am getting sad that my time here is starting to run out!

Thank you everyone for all your comments!  It's nice knowing that people are actually reading my blog. :)

Ireland - Day Three - Galway

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Somewhere along the road

A new friend

Killimer-Talbert Ferry

Somewhere north of Killarney

Yesterday wasn't quite as eventful as I had hoped it would be.  Mostly because of the rain that hung around until about mid afternoon.  It wasn't the Seattle style rain that's more of a mist, it was real rain.  But it cleared up enough before I reached the Cliffs of Moher and the sun even came out! 

I think I ended up driving on a lot of backroads most of the way from Killarney to Galway.  This meant lots of time listening to the Irish radio stations.  There was A LOT of excitement over Prime Minister Brown meeting with Obama.  There was also a lot of dismay over the Cricketers being attacked in Pakistan.  There were also lots of chances to win tickets to the Oxygen Music festival which does seem to have a pretty good lineup - if only I would still be here then.

The Cliffs of Moher were definitely the highlight of the day.  I only wish my camera had captured the true beauty of them.  But I guess they are something one needs to see in person.

Today I'm probably off in two directions.  I'd like to go to both the Burren region and up to Connemara. It's raining/snowing right now so I'm hoping the weather changes a bit before I get on the road.  Somehow I doubt I'll be so lucky!

Ireland - Day Two - Killarney

Cute little town on the Ring of Kerry

Critter along the way

I was headed to Kenmare

Torc Falls walk

Torc Falls

On the way to Torc Falls

Ross Castle

Ross Castle

Ross Castle

Ross Castle

Wildlife at the Castle

More Wildlife at the Castle

an Irish Subway

Camera shop

Dinner venue

So since I got a later start on the day than I planned (the epic 11 hours of sleep that I know I needed), I didn't get to do my hike up Carrantouhil like I wanted. That just means I have to come back to do it.  

For some reason on Sunday my telephoto lens decided to stop working.  I'm told that it's repairable, but since I don't have time to wait for that, I visited Moriarty's photo shop in downtown Killarney.  They were very helpful there and I now have a new 28-300mm lens.  It's not as nice as my other telephoto, but it'll do for the trip.  

After getting the lens I was off to Ross Castle, which is about a mile or two from my hotel.  It's in Killarney National Park which is gorgeous.  Definitely a lot of recreational activities available within the park.  I know I'll be saying it a lot this time, but "if I had more time" I would take advantage of more of the activities.  

Then it was off to drive around the Ring of Kerry.  It's a beautiful drive.  I got to see what they meant about having to wait for sheep in the road, etc.  I love the fact that the speed limit is 100km/hour pretty much the whole way on the trip, but I rarely made it over 60-80km because the roads are so winding throughout the way.  I seem to recall similar speed limits in New Zealand on even crazier roads.

I didn't stop much on the Ring of Kerry because it was getting dark.  I did stop for my second Irish geocache though!  The day was completed with a nice big bowl of Irish stew at The Laurels Pub in downtown Killarney.

Today I'm going to meander my way up to Galway.  It's apparently supposed to rain most of today but that won't stop me from anything!  Again, more of my photos are up on my flickr page.

Ireland - Day One

The end of a very nice day - taken near Blarney

View from Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle

Cork

Cashel

View from the Rock of Cashel

Rock of Cashel

Cool tree at the Rock of Cashel

Durrow

Geez, where to begin? After about 3 hours of sleep over two days, I made it to Ireland! Flying in, it was just as beautiful as it looks in all the pictures. We got in about 45 minutes early and customs went a lot quicker than I imagined it would. I remember waiting in lines in Australia and New Zealand that took about a half hour on average.

I had second thoughts about getting a stick shift car after I had gotten so little sleep, so I asked for an automatic, but I would not be so lucky. After a day of driving the stick shift on the left side, I'm getting better. I'll be a pro by the end of the week - if I don't wreck the car first! I didn't spend any time checking out Dublin because I knew I had a full day ahead of me. I'll be staying the last two nights in Dublin so I can check out the city then.

My first stop was a gas station to get some munchies and I was happy to see a lot of my favorite candies from New Zealand. I figured they'd have most of them here. After that I stopped in a cute little town (actually, they're all cute little towns so far) called Durrow. I snapped a couple photos there and then was on my way to the Rock of Cashel. Apparently some guy named St. Patrick hung out there. :) It was an amazing place and I would have liked to have walked around downtown Cashel a little more. Next time. Unfortunately my telephoto lens stopped working at the Rock of Cashel and I haven't been able to get it to work again since. Since I love my telephoto, I may be tempted to buy a new one. I definitely don't want to be without one on this trip! Too many photos to take. Speaking off, I only took 400 on my first day. :)  You'll be able to find more photos on my flickr account, as they get uploaded.

So then it was off to Cork. I didn't actually stay there very long because I needed to get to the Blarney Castle before sundown, but I did walk around the shopping district. It was in Cork that I felt like the roads here just take you in big circles, but eventually you get to where you want to go.

I kissed the Blarney Stone! You take a very narrow winding staircase up to the top of Blarney Castle to get to the Stone and someone holds you while you lean back and kiss it. The whole property was very neat there. I found my first Irish geocache in a neat walk around some interesting rocks.

After the Blarney Castle I headed over to where I am now - Killarney - where I got to taste my first Guinness with my dinner. People didn't lie to me, it is better over here! I knew I was tired after all the lack of sleep and traveling, but I guess I didn't know how tired I was. I was hoping to be writing this blog a few hours ago and getting on my way for the day, but instead I was sleeping. Sleeping for 11 hours! Today was to be the day that I would hike to the tallest point in Ireland. Since it's now approaching noon, I'm going to have to rethink my plans. I may try to find a shorter hike, or just drive the Ring of Kerry today. I've also got some brochures for some riding stables, so maybe I'll go horseback riding. I need to decide soon and get going!

I love it here!

Getting there...

So I'm at the tail end of killing 4 hours at the Philadelphia airport. I'm a bit bored at this point, but that's okay because boredom will turn into boarding in a matter of minutes. I have been enjoying seeing my last name on half the things in the gift shops in this airport. I may have to get some "Love" paraphernelia on my layover here on the way back. Gotta love the the City of Brotherly Love. This is my first visit to Philadelphia, but I'm not sure that I'm going to count it as actually visiting the city.

Anyway, my airplane is ready and I am ready. Ireland, here I come!

A new mission: Ireland

The Rainier climb is long since over and it was an incredible experience. Now it's on to other adventures! I figured I might as well use this blog for more than just the Rainier climb since it's a good way to share what I'm up to with my family and friends.

So, the new mission is a week long adventure in Ireland. It's been my dream to go there my whole life. I think having Irish roots and the fact that there seems to be so much pride in being Irish has kept me drawn to the country. I love the music, I love Irish stew and I'd be lying if I didn't say I love a good Guinness now and then.

I leave on Saturday morning, so I'll arrive on Sunday morning. Right away I'll get to test out my skills driving a stick shift on the left hand side of the road. I was able to manage one in New Zealand, but it sounds as though the roads are even more narrow and more winding than those roads I drove on in the Southern Hemisphere.

I will fly into Dublin and then head over to the southwest. I'll be spending a majority of my time near Killarney and Galway. Of course there's a mountain I'm hoping to climb while I'm there. If the weather is decent I'll make an attempt on Carrantouhil, which at 1041m (3400 feet), is the tallest mountain in Ireland. I haven't booked most of my hostels/hotels yet for the week, but that is by design. I'll decide the night before where I'll be going the next day for most of the trip.

I've gotten great advice from friends and family and a bunch of Irish geocachers that I am hoping to meet while I'm over there. Without even being there yet, I already know that I'm sad to be leaving the country so soon. But I figure this can be an introductory trip and I will go back soon!