Hiya! I'm here. I'm really here in Ireland! Oh and it tis grand, that it tis!
Actually, I've been here a few days already. I apologize that this is my first chance at blogging. We've had problems with the internet at the place we're staying and we've not had the time to stop at an internet cafe as of yet. A dear friend of mine sent me off with a card that had a note in it from her that read "remember to be flexible and keep God first"...good counsel when traveling abroad. I will give you a synopsis of what I've experienced so far.
Day One: Flying.
I got up at 3:30am on Friday to be ready to get to the airport by 5:30am. Our first flight took off from Boise at 6:30am. Surprise of all surprises...I didn't get searched nor did I set any alarms off. That's a traveling miracle for me! We made it to Salt Lake with no problems and we had a couple of hours layover...where I ran into some friends from Boise who were traveling to Mexico, it was good to get some hugs and well wishes on the way. The flight to New York was long and then we had about a 5 hour layover at JFK where we met up with another of our traveling party. So 3 became 4. It was rainy and cold in NY but that was okay with me (I love that sort of weather). Our flight from NY was delayed about an hour. After traveling across the Atlantic we safely arrived in Dublin...but then we had to sit on the tarmack forever waiting for a gate. When we finally made into the terminal it was around 11am Saturday (4am Boise time). So all in all...technically we were up and traveling for 24 hrs, but it sure felt longer than that!
Day Two: Driving.
Once we got into Dublin and retrieved our luggage and rental car, we began the trek south to Dungarvan. The weather was overcast and a bit rainy (Oh aye!). My friends are doing the driving(I'm too chicken to drive a standard stickshift where the driver sits on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road. Too scary for me (and if you know me well anyways, you'll know that I'm already directionally impaired and can't drive a stickshift). I'm happy to be a passenger.
On our way we stopped in the Wicklow Mountains for some photo ops (rolling hills covered in heather, green everywhere, peat colored streams flowing over ancient rocks, sheep bleeting and the fog misting). I breathed in deeply and my heart was full. I took the picture you see of me...right there in the Wicklow Mountains. We drove through Waterford to get to Dungarvan. They are by the sea on the south east coast. We came to the place we're staying at this week....it's a farm out in the country and the barn has been remodeled into a B&B. It's self catering, so we had to go to the grocery store to buy food (we went to Lidl). Things in Ireland are a lot like they are in the UK (I mean as to language (hiya, cheers, toilet, take away, cooker, etc.), having radiator heating, seperate switches for the electrical outlets, the washer (& dryer) in the kitchen, seperate water heating&on/off box in the shower, toilet flush handles on the right side & the water coming from the front of the toilet when flushing, and types of food...tea, digestives (a type of cookie they call a biscuit that tastes like an animal cracker), muesli (granola type cereal), wee packaging of milk, butter, eggs, sugar, etc., and duvets with no top sheet on the bed. I was excited to be back amidst all of this culture...and to hear the accents again too.
Day Three: By the Sea.
Sunday we got up and headed out after breakfast. We traveled a bit east along the coast to Hookhead Lighthouse. The Celtic Sea was right there...I climbed out upon some rocks and watched the waves roll in. I knelt down and touched the salty cold water...and teared up. We took a tour up into the oldest working lighthouse in the world (you heard me right!) It was really cool to learn about the history. Afterwards we went to Duncannon Fort (a military defense fort in the 12th century)...I found out that it was a location for the recent movie "The Count of Monte Cristo" staring Jim Caviezel. I believe it was the fort (and beach) at the beginning of the movie when they land at Elba where Napoleon was being held. Oh...and there was an art gallery inside one of the buildings and I talked to the guy there (ya know, art gallery shop talk...we exchanged info-as I gave him our new color VineArts Ministry brochure). We then went and found Dunbrody Abbey (which wasn't open when we arrived....so we just walked around the outside and took photos). It's an abbey ruin that is being restored. We also took a scenic drive up into the Comeragh Mountains before heading back to Dungarvan.
Day Four: Coastal Cities.
Monday was our day to hit the cities of Cork, Kinsale, and Cobh. We had another lovely warm day as we drove. At Kinsale we toured the Charles Fort (another fort like Duncannon). I sat myself down on a rock wall and sketched and painted what I was seeing. It was a lovely relaxing moment for me. I really like my wee watercolor set. As we're traveling around I'm noticing a lot of young people (teens thru 30s) who are traveling too (backpacking and doing tours). Many are from other countries (Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, Russian speaking countries, France). I really like being amidst all this diversity.
Driving in Ireland is a challenge. Tiny winding roads that are bumpy and have rock walls and hedges along both sides...so when cars pass by it can be a tight squeeze. It makes for fun stories. Like for example...we got lost. Oh aye, tis a grand day to be lost. And we found ourselves on a tiny road out in the country somewhere bookended by very tall bramble bushes...then a car was coming from the opposite direction...there was no room for two cars on the road side by side. My friend tried his best to back up and accidently got the car stuck into the left side of the hedge brambles. The local driver coming the opposite way actually drove alongside us...he was literally an inch away from our car (only because we were stuck into the bushes. After he cleared and went on his merry way...we (as in the 4 of us) got out to push the car out of the brambles (leaving many of us scratched and stinging...as there were stinging nettles in there!)
In Cobh (pronounced Cove) I got to go through the Queenstown Story history museum. Cobh is where all the major ships left to go to America and other countries from during the 1800s (especially during the famine time). My great great grandfather Michael McCabe crossed to New York on the ship Gratitude on May 5, 1865 with his brother Edward, they left from Liverpool and would've stopped off in Cobh before sailing on to New York. Going through the museum and being there was an emotional experience for me. Afterwards we got fish n chips at a chippy called Mimmos and sat on the pier looking out over the water. It was a peaceful ending to our day. We headed back to Dungarvan.
Day Five: Wicklow Mountains.
Tuesday was a long day of driving to and from the Wicklow Mountains. We went up to Powerscourt Gardens (the largest gardens in Ireland) where we spent a few hours walking around taking photos and enjoying the elegant grounds. I sat on the steps and sketched and painted. Then we headed to one of my favorite spots in Ireland....Glendalough. Glendalough means The Valley of Two Lakes. It's where a monastic site was founded by St. Kevin. in the 6th Century. We took the tour and wandered through the old buildings and graves. There is a complete round tower still standing. I sat and sketched and painted. It was a very peaceful place to be at. I've painted Glendalough several times and I've been there once before. Oh...and we found a small labrynth outside on the grounds. So I took sometime to walk it (a labrynth is different from a maze. a labrynth has one way in and is a continuous path that leads to the center. then you leave going back the same way. It's used for contemplative purposes...for prayer and meditation). Then we drove to a place called Avoca where there are 2 rivers that converge. We went to the spot where Sir Thomas Moore wrote his famous poem "Meeting of the Waters". The spot really reminded me of the Boise River...and there was a hill with a large white cross on top of it overlooking the river! I was having dejavu for Boise! We continued on back to Dungarvan and didn't arrive till 10pm.
Day Six: Rest.
Today we slept in and are taking things easy (do laundry, catch up on emails, blog, write in journals, nap, tidy up the place, and repack). Tomorrow we will leave Dungarvan and head west to Killarney where we will stay in a B&B for one night and then head to Dingle on Friday to stay for one night and then Saturday we head in land to Tipperary for a week stay at another self catering farm where we will do more day trips out from there.
I don't know what our chances at internet will be from here. I will do my best to blog when I can. Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes as we travel Ireland. I take you with me in my heart as we tour about. So until next time....
Slainte!
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