22.10.13 The Bike Bell goes "Ding!"-le

Second night in Dingle, and I don't even know where to start! I've had a blast in this sleepy little town. (Literally, half the businesses are closed because it isn't peak season anymore) I stepped out of the bus and took a deep breath to inhale that beautiful salty air, and I immediately felt at home. This California girl needs her ocean, whether it be the Pacific or the Atlantic, at 35 or 52 degrees North. The town reminds me a little of Massachusetts because of the pervasiveness of fishing, that cool breeze, and the overall quaintness.

I only came here because Rick Steves went on about Dingle for about 30 pages in his book... after that I felt like I HAD to give it a couple of nights - and I'm so glad I did! I'm staying at his recommended hostel, the Hideout Hostel, which really feels more like staying at Grandma's House. Every room has an en suite bath with sinks and toilets in lurid colors from the eighties, there is always coffee and tea available, there is currently a blazing peat fire in the sitting room, and there's even beautiful crown molding. But the best part is the owner, Michael (Mee-hall), who grew up in this very town and knows every business owner by name. He recommends the best walks to take, pubs to visit, and bikes to rent. He seems to truly take an interest in his patrons and is there when you get back to ask how everything went. Last night we went to a couple of pubs for some live music on his recommendation, and when we got back he told us that one of the musicians should sing for us, "Or else he'll lose the business from the hostel." haha

The live music is great. There are a couple of pubs that have open mic night every night, regardless of season or weather. I went to two last night and got a good taste of quick fiddling and foot-stomping guitar strumming. I tried to take a video and post it on Instagram, but without WiFi my video was lost =(. Tonight I'm hoping to go to one of the traditional pubs, which serve as shops by day and pubs by night. They're the best place for craic (crack - Irish for fun, lively conversation) and meet locals.

But the highlight of Dingle... THE. HIGHLIGHT. was the Dingle Peninsula. For 13 euro (thank you, student card!) I and a couple of girls I had met at the hostel took the 47.5 kilometer (30 mile) ride from Dingle to the tip of the Peninsula, up around the other side and back.



It's definitely ambitious and I don't recommend it for the faint of heart, but it is so worth it. Driving in a car gets you the views, but it doesn't give you a sense of the solidarity and peacefulness of this removed part of the country. There were some parts where all we could hear were our own bike wheels turning and the crashing of the waves a hundred feet below us.

So sit back and enjoy these lovely pictures of some of the most picturesque Irish scenery. Pictures don't do it half the justice it deserves, and if you ever make it to Ireland I can't recommend the Dingle Peninsula highly enough.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning.

Ventry Bay, the bay right next to Dingle Bay

This land is pretty much only useful for grazing. The pre-historic Irish had to remove stones by hand and bring up seaweed and sand to make it farmable land, and even then all they could grow were potatoes.

Breathtaking. And pretty similar to Big Sur in California.

The western-most point in Ireland! (Minus the Blasket Islands)

Thankfully, cars drive pretty slow and drivers are very cautious. There were also hardly any cars way out there.

People actually live all the way out here!

Where we stopped for lunch.

A little side excursion we took. It was worth it, because this was the view...

Incredible.

Points if you can spot me!

This island is called the sleeping giant. See it?

We also stopped at an old monastic settlement and learned a bit about the pre-historic Irish in a ten-minute video. Did you know that people have been on Ireland for 9,000 years?!? And they've been on the Dingle Peninsula for 6,000 years. There are still ruins that are thousands of years old all over the Peninsula, ranging from burial monoliths and beehive-shaped huts to forts and monastic settlements.

A monastic settlement dated between the 6th and 12th centuries. This would've been the worship house; the stone building was constructed without mortar and is still completely water-tight today.

After this the pictures stopped because we were too focused on just making it back. I should've taken an "after" shot where we just a little wet and a LOT hungry. Oh well. 

Tomorrow I'm off to Galway. It's already my last city in the Republic, and my second-to-last on the Emerald Isle!