23.10.13 Galway

This post is going to be a little lackluster because I. Am. Exhausted. But I plan on going to Cliffs of Moher and the Burren tomorrow and I know that I won't write about Galway unless I do it today, so here you go:

I left Dingle when it was still dark this morning, at 7:15. And I pulled in to Galway at 1:15 PM. I slept practically the whole time on the bus, but it didn't refresh me at all. I guess that 30-mile bike ride caught up with me...

Galway is much more metropolitan than my previous three cities. At 76,000 (30,000 fewer than Ventura), it's the largest city in Western Ireland, but unfortunately a lot of its historical sites have been destroyed with time. Very little is left of the medieval town, and the city is now a bustling university town. There is still an extensive shopping district with narrow, criss-crossing streets that allude to the medieval beginnings. And the university town is kind of nice, because I actually feel like I blend in just fine with the crowd.

I did a little (a lot? it's hard to even tell anymore) bit of walking and here's what I saw:

The Spanish Arch, the largest remaining portion of the original walls. Its name indicates that it was the location where Spanish traders would unload wine.

The Corrib River.

And my globe-trekking boots.

Galway viewed from the other side of the river. That's mostly reclaimed land, I believe.

And for proof that these are my own pictures and not ones that I've stolen online...

Apparently there are pretty intense tidal variations here. I need to figure out when high tide is and go back.

Galway Bay. The hills on the other side of the bay are the Burren, where I'll be going tomorrow.

More of the River Corrib. Lots of pretty bridges.

And pretty canals.

Hi, sorry for selfies.

This is one of my favorite shots of the day.

Inside the Galway Cathedral.

Whoever was commissioned to do this piece clearly didn't know much of human anatomy. Jesus has about a dozen pairs of ribs here...

Those ceilings are made of cedar and the whole place smells amazing.

Cathedral from the other side of the river, because that's the only way to fit it in one shot.

Just one of many narrow shopping streets in the Old Town.

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!

20.10.13 En route to Killarney

Well to give you a quick update, since my last post I left Dublin and went to Kilkenny, a little medieval town about two hours away. It was my first excursion on the Irish buses and I was a little nervous, not least of all because they don't announce the upcoming stops! Good thing I sat on the left side of the bus so I could see the street signs. I just had to watch very carefully and kind of take cues from locals about when to stand up for the stop. The buses aren't what we think of as city buses, but rather a fleet of coach buses traveling around the country. They're the main mode of public transportation from town to town.

I loved Kilkenny. It was much smaller, quieter, and slower-paced than Dublin, and I actually felt like I was in Ireland, rather than in just another big city. It was perfectly picturesque, including everything from the river and the castle overlooking it to the old medieval ruins to the brightly-painted store fronts and the pedestrian-only 5-foot-wide walkways. I highly recommend it for a quieter taste of Ireland, but still enough sites to keep you busy and interested.

The castle from John's Bridge.

Archway dating back to the 13th Century. The sole remaining piece of the wall that once led from the Abbey to the Inner City. (Called Black Friars Gate)

Europe seems to be a fan of marking old walls. At least this one isn't a symbol of division and war. Ok, maybe old wars.

Start with the hostel… this hostel was way nicer than the one I stayed in in Dublin, largely because it was smaller. It was in an old Georgian town home from 1778, complete with leaded windows and fireplaces in every room. It was also way better for the solo traveler, because it had a more home-y vibe and a cute little sitting room where it was only natural to meet people. I met a girl from Austria and another from Israel and two guys from Nebraska. The two girls had met at another hostel in Killarney and decided to travel a ways together. The two guys from Nebraska were actually on the same flight as me from Chicago and they headed to Killarney on the same bus! Small world. So we traveled together to avoid getting lost on the crazy-confusing bus system.

Picture stolen from the internet because I didn't take any of my own.

I had a good time just walking around the town, although by the end of my third day walking on cobblestone streets my feet were pretty beat. (I was actually happy to be on a bus for a few hours today. It let me see the countryside and gave my arches a break.) I kind of wandered the streets and poked my head into shops that looked interesting. There was a great little candy place with Halloween decorations all over and they sold chocolate-covered everything by the kilo.

Obviously I went to the castle. I’m really glad that I paid the 2.5 euro to go inside, because – even though it’s all reproduction because the castle fell into disrepair in the early 1900s – it is absolutely beautiful. I literally gasped and said “oh wow” when I walked into the library. Unfortunately, they have a lot of original works of art that they want to protect, so no photography is allowed inside. But it was very easy to imagine what it must have been like for an actual family to be living there. There were multiple staircases and two doorways into every room and plenty of hallways… I spent the whole time imagining I was a princess and I was exploring pathways that only I knew. I could easily picture people lounging in the drawing room or receiving guests in the portrait gallery or lighting the fire in their private chambers before going to bed. And the grounds were great. I realize that they don’t even compare to the palaces and castles in other parts of Europe, like Sans Soucci and Versailles, but because it was smaller I think it was almost easier to picture yourself there. How great would it be to have acres and acres of perfectly manicured lawns and rose gardens at your disposal? Just your own private park in which to be meditative and secluded.

It was actually originally a castle and then they adapted it over time to be a residential palace. The center part is the main part of the home, but the stone towers from the original castle are still there.

Standing in my courtyard.

Isn't my new home beautiful?

I own this castle. It's mine.

Something else about Kilkenny? There are Gothic cathedrals EVERYWHERE. A couple are older, and you can tell because the windows are far smaller and the building is less graceful, but we definitely saw at least 6 or 7 in the main town center. And they’re all still in use! They’re not relics of the past that have been turned into museums; every single one had at least three masses today. It’s very interesting to be in a place where the majority of the community is practicing Catholic. I had planned on going to mass but I enjoyed breakfast with the people from my hostel too much and I missed it.

Gothic Cathedral #1 of ____?

Same era as the one in Prague. Look familiar, Sarah?

We also went out to some pubs last night, which is something that I’ve been looking forward to: going out and talking with local people and immersing myself. A pub right across the street from our hostel gave out free pints of beer to the first 50 people in celebration of their six months anniversary. They only had craft beers, mostly from local companies, and they had a wide variety of choices. Our favorite was the Tactile Nuclear Penguin, simply because of the name. We didn’t order it though, because it was 32% ABV and 90 euros a bottle. o_O There was live music at the majority of the bars, although unfortunately little Irish music (I saw some live Irish music in Temple Bar, btw, and it was impressive. It takes a lot of skill to fiddle as fast as they do and to play the flute so rapidly.). I did get to chat with a local guy who is very proud of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Did you know that Ireland’s national athletic association is completely amateur? None of the players get paid, but they still play on a professional sill level. Each county has its own team and the pride that comes from that is very strong. They take pride in their local teams the way we take pride in college teams: it’s not just the team that the players represent, but everyone who supports them as well.

Well now after four different buses I'm in Killarney, a little town right next to a gorgeous national park. As it's Sunday, the hostel is pretty empty, and I think there are only two of us sleeping in a six-bed room. I'm not complaining! Look forward to more pictures of beautiful scenery, but hopefully no complaints of wet shoes.

PS - On the bus ride here I saw countless ruins of towers and churches as well as a castle with a legit moat. I swear that half the towns around here have castle ruins of some sort. It's ridiculous.