50 Shades of Green

Yes, it's a sneaky knock-off of the book/movie title, especially since none of this will be sexy at all! But it is an apt title for all of the different shades of green. When we left Lincoln, it was as green as we have ever seen it and yet, the lushness back home could not hold a candle to the varieties of plants, trees, hedges, and hedge rows painted in so many beautiful shades of green. Around every bend in the road, and oh-my there were bends, the beauty of Ireland was revealed.  I look forward to updating this blog with photos once we are all home. Jean and/or John (mostly Jean) were the trip photographers.

By the by, the other quintessential bit of Ireland that waited around many bends were the sheep. The BMW we rented could stop on a dime, which was good since that's how much lead time we had. Sheep are everywhere. They are "branded" by paint. A paint brush full: different colors for different flocks.And speaking of differences in sheep --the sizes differ and the face markings differ but that was just the beginning of the differences!  The face markings were intriguing ... some looked like Kiss! Then there are the black sheep. They are seldom seen but when spotted are oh so cute.

Back to the greenery ... Jean and I agreed that the most intriguing green is nearly a chartreuse  color! It was gorgeous and found on well kept hedges! Look for it when the photos are uploaded. 

We did feel like tourists as we kept repeating ... it's so green, it's so green! And so natural. And unlike many tourists, we didn't find many golf courses ... but I imagine that they were the greenest of all! (The one we did find was a links course, next to the Atlantic ... wind might have been a factor. Just perhaps! And it was over 300 Euro to play. So we counted ourselves lucky that we weren't playing ... as Jean and I made a mental note of what we could buy with the 300 Euro saved! 

Errata ...

We were finishing up our breakfast in Ballyvaughan (toast, jam, scones, and tea ... of course), when we started discussing the wild and wooly boat ride to the Cliffs of Moher. Apparently everyone was surprised that I didn't get sick since the sailors among us (John & Jean) were near the "edge." Suddenly I realized what I forgot to say yesterday ... thank you, Patsy Martin, for the recommendation on Bonine--a one pill anti-sickness miracle. It worked like a charm and I avoided the humiliation of hanging my head over the boat rail. 

Instead, as Rob and I stood on the prow (bow?) of the boat ... humming "my heart will go on and on" (nods to Kristen and Nate!) ... we were able to see many of the 7000 (yes, 7000) puffins that roost along the Cliffs of Moher. That alone made the entire trip worthwhile. 

And another apology ... we are apparently in County Clare. Aach ... will they be forgiving me now for the mistake? (And then another several sentences because the Irish never stop at one!) 

We leave to drive across Ireland today ... heading back toward Dublin and, eventually, the airport. Erin Go Bragh! 

Today ... the Cliffs of Moher

Well, we decided that we'd purchased enough wool from the Arran Isles to last us for several years ... so we opted for the boat trip that took us to the FOOT of the Cliffs of Moher. Whoa ... what a day. Whoa ... what a ride. You leave (mark this down should you be tempted once you see the pictures of us having survived the boat ride!) from a town called Doolin. It was, as we laughingly say about every new venture, a "stone's throw" from Ballyvaughan. It was a 45 minute drive on something called the "corkscrew" that reminded us all of a Disney ride with a similar name. Meeting buses on roads that are "N" or below is just craziness ... with a lot of "whoa's" from all of us. And we were on roads that were labeled L ... with four numbers after the L. (We have not yet ventured onto the L road's with four numbers, then a hyphen, then two more numbers. We are not one whit curious. It kills the cat!) 

We arrived in Doolin about 11:30, in time to buy tickets for the 12:00 boat ride to the foot of the Cliffs. It looked a little choppy as we approached the pier ... but we had NO idea what our tickets had purchased!! Let's just say ... that while all four of us remained relatively dry and sea-sick FREE ... over 2/3 of the 60 passengers were not as lucky. The waves washed over the side of our little boat ... and the water ran down the aisles for those who were inside. The four of us were at the back ... er, the aft ... and we were clearly more fortunate. Lots of fresh air ... although we did get soaked!! It was a 20 minute boat ride out through the Atlantic waves until the boat turned toward the Cliffs. Oh my ... I hope Jean's pictures turn out to describe the Cliffs. I had tears in my eyes. Some of the tears may have been from the smells emanating from the rookeries .... but seriously, it was an amazing sight and one that I would do again and again ... braving all inclement weather.

The crew were so grateful that some of the passengers were actually enjoying the Cliffs that they invited us to the front ... er ... the bow ... for the journey home. (Many fewer waves ...) I felt a tad bit like I was in the "Titanic" but, once you see the pictures of me and my gigantic hair (sea water, humidity ... likely 3 times the normal volume!), you won't mistake me for Kate Winslett! 

Titanic footage

Yesterday ... saying goodbye to the Rings ...

We left Kenmare after a leisurely breakfast and what was clearly the best "self-catering" house of the trip. Our goal was to reach the area around the Cliffs of Moher known as the Burran to put up our  camp in the lovely bayside town of Ballyvaughan before darkness set in. The Burran is akin to "An American Werewolf in London" terrain. And we all know what happens to those out on the moors after dark. 

On the way to County Cork we passed through some of the Ring of Kerry and all agreed that our time was better spent at the Ring of Beara (much less commercialized, plus we only saw a bus or two). Still ... we needed more time so have decided that next time we will fly into Shannon and spend more time on the Irish west coast: the Wild Atlantic Way, which we will leave behind us on Thursday when we head for Trim ... on the last stop before we return to the States ... leaving a bit of our hearts behind us in Ireland. 

We drove as far north as Galway Bay ... but not to Galway. We are on the bucolic south side of the bay ... with the working city of Galway across it to the north. Ballyvaughan ... pronounced with 4 syllables (think about how that works!) ... is a great place for exploring the northwest area of County Cork. It was also one of the homes of W.B. Yeats ... but more on that another post. 

The drive was arduous ... because we wanted to do a part of the Ring of Kerry and also travel down to Dingle. What might have been a 3 to 3 1/2 hour road trip was easily doubled by our ambitious itinerary.  It was so ambitious that after we drove through the edge of the Burran yesterday, I wondered if we would ALL stay awake (including our driver!) until we reached our lodgings. But make it we did ... with many laughs along the way ... as was true each day of the journey. 

Everyone has cooperated in the drive ... Jean and I mostly keeping our comments to ourselves in the back seat but sometimes we just had to enter into the discussion. We have laughed when roundabout exits were lost, when the roads seem to disappear from where they had been "signposted" ... and, most importantly, we have provided wine to the weary driver and navigator at the end of the day. 

BUT ... yesterday must have been particularly difficult because, in the middle of the night, I awoke from a horrible dream wherein John had resigned as the official driver. He drives our somewhat large BMW a bit too fast for my taste ... but he never forgets what side of the road we're on so who could ask for anything more. Luckily, morning dawned ... finally grey and misty compared to the last 10 days of sunshine ... and all was well with the world. 

A funny thing happened on the way to the ... Ring of ...

We were nearly packed and ready to leave for the Ring of Kerry when our gracious landlady stopped by the townhome to see if we needed anything. No, we reply proudly. We are ready to tackle the Ring of Kerry. Aach, she says. And why are you thinking of the Ring of Kerry ... what about Dingle or the Ring of Beara. 

I explained that we were headed to Dingle on Monday but today was reserved for the Ring of Kerry. John then asked her how she would rate the three peninsulas ... 1st, she says, is the Ring of Beara, 2nd is Dingle, and 3rd and a "walking from behind but can't catch up" is the Ring of Kerry. She then explained that because it has no tourists ... it can be done in 2 to 3 hours. 

We all felt that right about following her advice ... particularly John, who had read that the Ring of Kerry could take upwards of 8 hours. It was most definitely the right choice .... and Jean's pictures will "beara" me out at some point (ouch). However, we left at 10:00 and rolled into the townhouse's garage at 6:00 p.m. I wonder what time we would have been home from the Ring of Kerry? Estimating midnight! 

It is true: along the way we took some time out for tea; talked with several of the locals in the handful of towns that we passed; considered taking a tram to Dursey Island but decided against it since we wouldn't be back to the mainland until 7:00; noshed on some "chips;" had a delightful conversation with a young lad of 10 (ALL of the Irish can converse ... it is their national pastime); stopped in Eyeries for a lunch that would put anything in NYC to shame; and, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

The four of us are opting for a nice dinner at the townhouse ... we needed to soak up as much of its ambience as possible ... and so Jean & I ran into the local Super Valu for some chicken. Although the store was open ... everything inside was closing or was closed up. (Deli, butcher's case, etc.) We found something we both liked but again ... closed up. So I went to the front of the store to explain my dilemma to a clerk. She couldn't help us ... nope, couldn't get it out of the case. So back I went to explain it to Jean ... then I said, Hmm ... something she said made me wonder ... can we open this case from the front? 

As we were looking for a handle to the counter's front, we realized simultaneously that the case was already OPEN. We were still giggling at our ineptitude by the time we reached the "men." Oh, Jean and I have had such laughs on this trip. We are definitely bonding over the silliest of them. 

Stay tuned for pictures AFTER I'm home ... but here is a map of where we were today. Gorgeous scenery ... the best I've seen outside of Norway .. and, given the solitude and serenity. perhaps the best! 

We are now enjoying a glass of Prosecco ... slainte.