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THis is the three of in the natural hot tub. Just around the corner from us is the waterfall.

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Iceland – Day 2

Today we slept in… until about 8:30 AM. It was kind of a rough night, because it’s always challenging to sleep in a new place – getting used to a new bed, and new travel companions. Today we called an audible. We had intended to drive up into the Westfjord peninsula and do some hiking. After figuring out how long it took us to drive on our first day, we decided to skip Westfjords and head east earlier, knowing that there was a lot so see and do. We headed out from Stykkisholmur following the coast of the fjord east. We stopped a couple of times to take scenic pictures – oh, we were driving on a gravel road for most of the day. We stopped in Hvammstangi to grab some lunch, where I tried one of the famous Icelandic hot dogs. It was good, but it was still a hot dog. We ended the day in Varmahild. We made reservations at a horse riding place and the lady there told us about a local hot springs. While most of the hot springs in Iceland are man made pools (fed from a natural source), this was a natural hot springs. It was a beautiful little pool just up from an amazing waterfall (pictures to come later – they’re on someone else’s camera). We met a couple of locals – Steffi and Aosa – who shared information about the local culture and agriculture (we asked specific questions). They left soon after and we had the pool to ourselves. After that, we found a nice campground. There weren’t many people here – just a few families. They had a nice shared kitchen for cooking complete with a gas grill!!

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Iceland – Day 1

We landed at Keflavik around 7:00 AM local time, and made it quickly through customs. We grabbed our bags, hopped on the bus and were dropped off at the Viking Hotel, just out of Reykjavik. It was still another 20 minute walk to Kuku Campers to pick up our “home” for the week. As we were walking to Kuku (with all of our luggage), we spied this cute little bakery and stopped to see what they had. We ended up buying a pistachio and caramel pastry ring. It was DELICIOUS! After our quick breakfast, we headed over to Kuku.

We spent a little time at the rental place (like you do at any car rental place), picked up some groceries at the local grocery store and headed out. We drove northeast from Reykavik, our goal was to explore the Snaefjellness Peninsula. We stopped at a couple of cool waterfalls and other scenic areas and took pictures. Then, we stopped at the Glymur falls area. This required hiking in/up/down rough terrain, crossing a river using a log, and taking lots of pictures! It was a challenging hike, but had a rewarding end (middle?) – Iceland’s highest waterfall.

We could tell today was our first day and that we aren’t quite prepared yet. We thought it was a quick 10 minute walk in – take pictures – 10 minutes back out. We (stupidly) did not take backpacks with our layers and rain gear – or snacks and water!! A mistake we aren’t likely to make again. We are also learning it takes longer than expected to drive around Iceland. The road is JUST two cars wide (no shoulder) and the highest speed limit on the road is 90 kmph (or 54 mph), so slower than we’re used to. Add in several scenic (read: photo op) spots, and it’s really slow going!

Tonight, we’re staying in Stokkisholmur. We are very tired and are hoping to make it to the campsite before we fall asleep!!

More to come!

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Inis Mor

This morning after breakfast, I had planned to go see the Worm Hole, but after trying to get a taxi ride there (I didn’t want to end up walking another 9 miles), and talking to the people in the tourist office, I decided to see the Black Fort instead. Again, I walked about 2 miles on an asphalt road, that turned into a rocky road, leading up to the Black Fort. Once I got to the top, or the area where the Black Fort was, it turned into larger block of black rock, more like slabs, but weathered and not necessarily flat or square. In some places, it felt as though they were placed vertically. Also, there were many dry stone walls about 3 feet high. Like Dun Aonghasa, the Black Fort is on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The views are beautiful… magnificent. It was cool to listen to mighty waves crashing against the cliffs. The weather was sunny and warm (not hot) with a cool breeze. I got a little sunburned where I missed putting on sunscreen. After wandering around the Black Fort area, I walked back to Kilronan and had lunch at The Bar… the oldest Bar in western Europe (or something like that). Then, I got back on the ferry, to Rosaveel, took the bus back to Galway, took a bus to Dublin Airport, and a shuttle to my hotel. It was a long day of travel at the end of my Ireland journey. Tomorrow, I head home.

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Inis Mor

Today, I took a bus to Roseveel, then the ferry to Inis Mor. After dropping off my luggage and the B&B, I walked to the grocery store and grabbed some lunch and began my walk. I walked the lower road and my first stop was the Seal Colony area. I saw a few seals pop their heads up, but it was not prime time for viewing them. I continued on to Dun Aonghasa, an ancient fort on the coast. The views from Dun Aonghasa were amazing! At the Worm hole (just down the coastline from Dun Aonghasa), the are setting up for the Red Bull Cliff Diving event happening next weekend. The Worm Hole is a natural rectangular "hole". After leaving Dun Aonghasa, I walked back to my B&B via the upper road. All total, it was 15.5 KM (Just over 9 miles). The weather has been great for most of the trip -- today was GORGEOUS! Even with suscreen, I got a lot of color (yes, mostly pink).

I went to Joe Watty's Pub for dinner and listed to some live music.

Tomorrow: Explore more of Inis Mor and head back to Dublin

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Here is a video of Micael playing the concertina on the Cliffs of Moher

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Galway

This morning, after breakfast, I said goodbye to all of my new friends from the REI Adventure tour. All were spending one more night in Ireland, but in various different cities. Joa and Alanna, our tour guides, are from north of Galway and brought me to my hotel. After checking in, I looked for a place to do a small bag of laundry. Once I dropped that off, I wandered around their Eyre Square shopping area (the outside one) where there were lots of people. It is a sunny Saturday, so people were out. There were many buskers (street musicians), some were quite good. I passed by the Spanish Arch and then went for a walk in South Park. At Alanna's suggestion, I stopped in at the Front Door -- to see the Back Door, but I don't think I found what she wanted me to see. There, I had some seafood chowder and Irish Mist (whiskey -- sweet, honey whiskey -- very good). Afterward, I went back to my hotel and rested for a little bit before heading out again. I went to King's Head, a popular pub, and had dinner. I had intended to stay and listen to some music, however I was tired and the music didn't start unti 10:30 PM, so I headed to my hotel for the night.

Tomorrow: Inis Mor

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Day 9: Cliffs of Moher

This morning after breakfast, we packed up and drove to Ennis (twinned with Phoenix, AZ – kind of like “sister cities”). There, we dropped off our luggage and continued on to lunch in LaHinch before picking up our guest guide to walk us along the Cliffs of Moher. Micael, (pronounced Mee-Houl, which is Irish for Michael), led us out to a point where we could view the highest point along the Cliffs of Moher. After we took some photo opp time, we continued on to an area where we saw birds nesting. We saw seagulls (who nest in pairs and have, at most 2 offspring), and several other kinds of birds including puffins. The puffins were a ways down, so you will have to zoom in to see them. We continued along farther down the coast and Micael sat down and played a couple of songs on his concertina for us. The instrument he’s playing, the concertina, is passed down from family member to family member. It is used to tell stories – history – to new generations. He has three sons and a daughter and none have expressed interest in learning how to play it – they’re too busy playing on their phones (sound familiar??). Playing the concertina and sharing history are becoming a dying art. It was really moving to listen to him play next to the crashing waves. We continued along the cliffs and near the end there was a castle that has been restored by the CEO of the American Tobacco Company. The hike ended in Doolin, a cute little village. We didn’t have time for a stop in the pub (other than to use the “flushers”), because we had dinner reservations for our last dinner at the Cloister in Ennis.

Tomorrow: Headed to Galway to explore on my own

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Day 8: Explore the Dingle Peninsula

We started our day off with visits to some archaeological sites. The first site was near an all girls all Gaelic school (classes are all taught in Gaelic, except for English class). Here we saw the Ogham stones. The cuts on the sides indicate different letters.

After that, we stopped at Rathanane Castle for a photo opportunity. Then, we headed out to the Dingle Peninsula to visit the most western point in Europe (according to the Irish – they are ignoring Iceland). We hiked out there, took pictures and returned to the van and went to lunch. Again, the scenery out there is amazing and beautiful.

On the way to our next hike, we stopped at the Gallarus Oratory. This was believed to be a church used by the local farmers. It was built using dry-stone, meaning they cut each stone to fit and did not use mortar. It is, indeed, dry inside, despite no mortar.

After that, we stopped at Kilmalkedar Church and wandered around for a while. Then, we went on a hike up to a Napoleonic fort. Finally, we returned to our B&B, showered and went to dinner at Global Village. The food was absolutely delicious – especially the chocolate “loaf” I had for dessert.

Tomorrow: Cliff of Moher

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Day 7: Dingle

This morning, we checked out of our accommodations in Kenmare and leisurely drove to Dingle. Our first stop was a photo opportunity at Achadoe. There was a viewpoint showing all of the mountains of Killarney. Then, we stopped at Inch Strand – a beach!! I took of my shoes and waded in the east side of the Atlantic Ocean! … and I was not knocked down by a wave (Julie). After that, we stopped in Annascul, the home town of Thomas Crean, an Irish Superhero. He was involved in a couple of Antarctic expeditions, and because of his heroics, is considered a superhero. Our next stop was Minard castle and spring. Then, we headed into Dingle and checked into our new accommodations at the Lighthouse B&B. After checking in and getting updates from Joe and Alanna, we were set free to roam. A few of us went to the Reel Fish Company. Some ordered fish and chips, I ordered a hamburger (not a big fan of fried fish). We took our lunch down to the pier and ate it. Then, we walked out to the Dingle lighthouse. After that, we split up so some could do some shopping and some didn’t have to. I went and got some of the best ice cream in Ireland at Murphy’s where they use the milk from the Kerry cows. Kerry cows don’t produce large quantities of milk (like the cows in the US), but what they do produce is very rich.

Early in the evening, Tommy O’Sullivan and his wife, Sandra (she’s from Texas), played some music for us. It was a very intimate concert and was very good! We sat around and chatted for a little bit and then went to find dinner and return to our B&B for the night.

Tomorrow: Explore the Dingle Peninsula.

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Irish Dancing at Sailor's Bar

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Day 6: Kerry Way in Killarney Park

After breakfast today, we were taken to Killarney Park, Ireland’s first and largest national park. We hiked along a gravel (well, kind of gravel… loose stone?) road into the park, headed up (of course). We walked through the Friar’s Forest. It is called that because the friars from Muckross Abbey were forced from their abbey several times and each time they took the gold and valuable items into the Friar’s Forest until the coast was clear and they could move back into the Abbey. Once through the forest, we walked along a boardwalk (again, two railroad ties covered with a metal mesh) over boggy land mixed with a path down large stones that followed a little stream. It was a beautiful walk. We stopped at a waterfall to rest and snack. Then, Joe and Alanna took us into a quaking bog. This type of bog is similar to the ones you will find in Minnesota – plant growth over a lake. As we were standing there, a couple of people from the group were jumping up and down and you could feel the bog move. Also, Alanna took a walking pole and shoved it into the ground to the handle. While out of the ground this walking pole was about 5’ tall. If we had more pole, it would have gone farther in! After our lesson on quaking bogs, we continued on our walk. At a point, we had to make a decision to go to the top of Torc mountain, or continue down to the “flushers” (toilets that flush… vs. the natural ones you find in the forest). Half went up to the top of Torc mountain, half headed to the flushers – I chose the flushers. On our way to the flushers, we walked through an amazing, lush forest, and got to see the Torc Waterfall. Then, after using the flushers, we walked over to Muckross House, built by Henry Arthur Herbert. We ate our lunch around the corner of the house near the gardens. There were a few crows in the area, and Alanna tried to feed them. But, before she could even start, a fox came out of the gardens and she began to feed the fox.

We met up with the other half of the group, went back to the hotel, showered and headed out again to The Sailor Bar. The Sailor Bar is owned by a young couple, the husband tends bar and the wife cooks. They have a 7 year old daughter named Emma who gets to come to the bar this one time (every two weeks) to mingle with the REI group. She greeted us at the door and invited us in. After we were seated and had placed our dinner order, she assisted with delivering our starters (appetizers). We got to talking to her and discovered she has been learning Irish dancing (think Riverdance). A young gentleman in our group asked her if she would teach him to dance, so she ran off to put on her special shoes. Then, with the assistance of the musicians playing did a few dances for us. She later showed the young gentleman a few steps. (Video loaded separately)

After we returned to our hotel, a few of us went across the street to listen to some traditional Irish music. While it was fun to listen to it, the bar was hot and standing room only, so we walked around the corner to another bar where we sat and chatted.

Tomorrow: Dingle!

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Day 4: Beara Peninsula and Castletownbere

Today, we grabbed our packs and headed for a “walk” along the Beara Peninsula – the most southwestern point in Ireland, the farthest you can be away from Dublin. Our 7.6 mile hike started near Dursey Island and we hiked part of the Garinish Loop up and down hills (1680’ elevation change) and stopped for many breathtaking views. We stopped at the top of one of these hills where sheep had laid some fresh deposits providing a “great” aroma for our dining pleasure and ate our lunch. We ended our walk in the town of Allihies at the Lighthouse Bar – Hey – we’re in Ireland… everything ends at a pub. I asked the bartender if he could make me a hot cocoa with Bailey’s… He looked at me like I was crazy and asked how he was supposed to do that? How was he supposed to warm up the milk?? A local patron suggested I go find a cow – then I’d have fresh, warm milk. We were taken back to our B&B and then walked down to the Beara Coast hotel for dinner. After dinner, a few of us (yes, I was one of the few) went to McCarthy’s for a couple of adult beverages. McCarthy’s is a typical Irish pub – kind of dark with lots of knick knacks on the wall, comfortable, yet flexible seating (short stools than can be moved) and friendly patrons and staff. I had one beer and headed back to our B&B to sleep.

Day 5: Glenmore Valley walk and Kenmare

As usual, our day started off with breakfast. Then, we sorted out (dirty) laundry from our luggage so Joe, our tour guide, could drop if off to be washed. (Good thing!! I am wearing my last pair of clean underwear today!!) Yesterday, one of our fellow tour mates fell and twisted her ankle. After Joe dropped us off a the trailhead, he took our laundry and our tour mate away (laundry to the laundromat, of course, and tour mate to the doctor – she ended up with a sprain and is done hiking for this trip ☹ )

Alanna took us on a beautiful walk through Glenmore Valley. As with any hike in Ireland, we started by walking up and down hills through “common areas.” (Common areas are used by farmers to allow their sheep to graze – sheep are marked by paint so they can identify which sheep goes to which farmer – there are LOTS of sheep in Ireland.) This area was very boggy (mushy, muddy and wet!). It is weird to be walking uphill through mud and water. I would expect this type of terrain near the bottom of the hills, but we ran into it everywhere. Another thing you’ll see in Ireland are stiles. Stiles are used to get over fencing from one common area to another. Today, we saw a stone circle on our walk. There are always an odd number of stones around the circle (this one had 5) and a center stone. These have been in Ireland for thousands of years, so before Christianity came. They are left over from the pagans. Farmers don’t necessarily believe in the stories surrounding these circles, but are reluctant to mess with them “just in case.”

After a quick snack break, we continued on and eventually entered a rhododendron forest. It was really cool – lots of overhanging branches made this part of the walk feel very tunnel-like. For a some of it, we walked along a dirt wall (the path was not very wide). Once we got through that, we walked through a fern forest – it was very hard to see the path because the ferns covered it. Even the last person in line had a hard time following it even though more than 10 people had just gone through it. After the fern forest, we walked about 3 miles to Josie’s restaurant, literally out on the middle of nowhere. You would never “chance” by it. However, Josie’s restaurant is really well known and has great reviews on the internet. The food was delicious! After lunch, Joe droved us down an Irish country road – single lane for both directions… yes, we met a few cars/trucks… One of us had to find a driveway or find a spot to pull over a little bit to let the other vehicle pass.

Joe drove us to Kenmare, a coastal town in County Kerry. There, he drove us around town (around town is about a block square) to show us the shopping available, some good bars (any one that was open), where we were staying for the night, and where to pick up our laundry. After checking in, a few of us explored the town for a little bit. Yes, I stopped in another bar, watched some rugby and had a cider. After that, I got my laundry, dropped it off in my room and headed to the bar downstairs where I was able to get my first Irish Hot Cocoa. Later on, our group had dinner (food was delicious!) and then took a short walk to see another stone circle (with 17 circles in the outer ring).

Tomorrow: Kerry way in Killarney Park.

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Day 3: Cahir Castle, Glengarriff, and Castletownebeara

Today, after breakfast, we drove for a couple of hours through the Irish country side. Here, instead of using cement or metal guardrails along the freeway, they use bushes and shrubbery. You can occasionally see countryside, including sheep (colorfully painted to identify who they’re owned by -- they use common grazing areas), cows, a few horses and lots of fields. When we arrived in Cahir, we toured Cahir Castle, one of Ireland’s oldest, largest and best preserved castles in all of Ireland. The castle has changed its structure a few times (adding things, taking things away) a few times depending on who owned the castle at the time. For the most part, the castle was owned by the Butler family.

After our tour, we piled into the van and droved lunch at a quaint place called the Workshop. Two brothers started the restaurant and called it the workshop because the space the used for the restaurant was their dad’s old workshop. They have many eclectic knick-knacks and the music playing is actual vinyl albums.

After lunch, we took a leisurely walk through Glengariff Park on the Esknamucky Walk (means “Way of the Pigs”). It was a beautiful walk with lush flora and fauna, including Holly and Ivy, waterfalls, and beautiful vistas. Then, we piled back into the van and drove to our stop for the night – Castletownebeara – a small fishing village. Castletownebeara is a big white fish fishing village. After checking in, I walked down to MacArthur’s Bar and learned about the sport of Hurling from one of the locals. It looks like a combination of soccer and lacrosse, except the lacrosse stick is more of a paddle and is called a “hurley”. I met the rest of my party for dinner, where I had Hake. I am not normally a fish eater, but it was pretty good. Afterward, a few of us went to a bar called Twomey’s. There, a 2-man band was setting up to play music by the likes of Johnny O’Cash, and Willie McNelson (as our tour guide calls it). It was interesting to listen to them play and watch several couples dancing the two-step – couples being 3 pairs of women and one man/woman couple.

Tomorrow: Hiking the Beara peninsula

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Day 2: Glendalough and Wicklow Mountains

This morning after breakfast, our first stop was St. Kevin’s, a monastical site at Glendalough. We wander through the remains of St. Kevin’s village (which is now mostly a cemetery). The round tower (See Picture 1) was most likely used as a bell tower. It was a really neat area with a lot of old headstones. After that, we headed up into the Wicklow mountains on an 8 (or so) mile hike. And, by up, I mean UP!! 1800 feet elevation change. For part of the walk, we walked (up and) down a Miner’s road. We had a snack in the miner’s village, then headed up a trail with many switchbacks. It felt like we were walking up forever! However, there were many spectacular views of the valley. The area we were hiking was rather boggy, so, they have railroad ties – 2 side-by-side – laid out as a boardwalk for about half the way up, then they used them to build a staircase down back to our starting point – almost 600 steps. It was a strenuous walk with many beautiful vistas. Afterward, we stopped at a bar for a drink (why wouldn’t we?? We’re in Ireland!) and headed back to the hotel for a shower and dinner.

Tomorrow: Cahir Castle, then Castletownbeara. (Lots of driving, a little hiking)

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Day 1: Dublin, Dalkey and Killiney Park

Today we were picked up by Joe, our tour guide, and driven to our first hotel. There we were met by our other tour guide, Alanna, who is Joe’s daughter. We started off with an orientation meeting where we met all the people in the group and discussed high level logistics of the tour. Then, we checked into our rooms, went into Dalkey for lunch, and started our first hike walking around Dalkey. We walked down to the harbor area where we could see Dublin and Dun Laoghaire (pronounced “Dun Leary”). My first view of Ireland, the picture I took from the plane is of Dun Laoghaire. Today, I took the picture from the other side. After viewing the harbor area, we walked into Killiney Park -- starting with 236 steps -- where we viewed the Obelisk, a building that was built for nothing. Literally, nothing. During poorer times, they had men build this building in order to pay them, because it was better to pay them to work, than to just feed them. The government felt it would prevent in rebellion. (It did not). After that, we headed back to our hotel for a break before returning to Dalkey for dinner at The Guinea Pig.

Yesterday, I described a Full Irish Breakfast. I have included a photo of it today.

Tomorrow we will be hiking to see a monastery in Glendalough and the Wicklow mountains.

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Dublin

Today, I explored Dublin. And, by explored, I mean I got lost every time I went looking for something. I am usually not directionally challenged and can follow a map quite well. However, in Dublin, not all of the streets are marked. And, the “street signs” are on the sides of the buildings about 15-20 feet up. So, when I was walking to the Guinness Storehouse, which is west of my hotel, I started by going south for about 1km. When I was looking for the Molly Malone statue… I walked RIGHT BY IT and then walked in a big circle to find it… again… Then, I was looking for Dublin Castle and also circumvented that before I “found it.” It was a great way to see several parts of Dublin.

I started today by having my first Full Irish Breakfast. For those who don’t know, a Full Irish Breakfast includes an egg (in this case scrambled), hash browns (in this case a potato cake), bacon (more like fried ham), baked beans, mushrooms, sausages and black and white pudding. What’s black and white pudding you ask? Not pudding as we Americans traditionally have – like a dessert… No. black and white pudding are types of sausage from Great Britain. Black pudding is a sausage made from blood, meat, fat, oatmeal, and bread or potato fillers, and white pudding is the same as black pudding minus the blood. Glad I tried it, may try it once more to see if eating it at a different place allows for a different “flavor”, but after having it once, I feel it might be an acquired taste…

After breakfast, I moved to my new hotel (just around the corner from my old one), and headed off to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour. On the way, I stopped at Christchurch Cathedral across the street from my hotel. The church is believed to have been built around 1030 AD. After taking a couple of pictures (See Pictures 1 and 2), I headed (or so I thought) off to the Guinness Storehouse.

Once I arrived at the Guinness Storehouse, I went through the self-guided tour which included information about the ingredients that go into Guinness beer, how coopers make barrels, some of the advertising over the years, tasting it – including sniffing the different parts (e.g. hops, barley, etc.) and how to appropriately drink Guinness beer (best temp 4-5 degrees Celsius / 42 degrees Fahrenheit, take a deep breath in through your nose, take a big gulp, allowing the foam to flow under your top lip, and let it sit in your mouth so all parts of your mouth can taste it, swallow, and exhale), and how to pour the perfect Guinness pint (6 steps). (See Pictures 3 – 6)

After visiting the Guinness Storehouse, I went back to my hotel, rested, grabbed lunch and headed out again. This time to Trinity College (with a stop at Starbucks… I miss my Chai Latte’s). Trinity College was established in 1592. I went on a tour that was given by a young lady from Maryland (yes, the state) who is working on her Ph. D. She was entertaining and informative. She talked about how Trinity College didn’t like to pay their architects. In fact, they hired an architect to design a building, but when he didn’t come to Trinity College to supervise the building of it, they didn’t pay him. Then, they used the same plans for a second building and still didn’t pay him! The school is built on the site of an old monastery. However, it has a Protestant affiliation. Until recently, Catholics could not attend the school without permission from the archbishop or the pope. It has a beautiful campus near the Dublin City Center. Once I completed the tour, I went in to see the Book of Kells. There was a small museum-y part that talked about how they make the vellum that was used by the authors of the Book of Kells, and the inks. For example, to make the color yellow, they used arsenic and Sulphur. Not the healthiest for the monks who were scribing and adding artwork to the book. The Book of Kells was, well, and old book. It was interesting to look at, and I’m glad I stopped. (See Pictures 7 - 8)

Next, I went in search of the Molly Malone statue. I literally walked by it (in my defense, there was a large tour group standing around by it so it wasn’t easy to see). I walked around the neighborhood seeing all sorts of shops. It is interesting, because on one block there are mostly closed up shops, with graffiti, and on the next block there will be all sorts of neat little shops open for business. When I found Molly, I got my pictures and went in search of Dublin Castle. I didn’t spend as much time wandering aimlessly looking for Dublin Castle, but I did circle it before I figured out how to get into it. Dublin Castle was the seat of the government’s administration in Ireland. Today, (Wednesday) it was free to get into, but only offered self guided tours. They had artefacts and artwork on display. It was interesting to walk through and see the architecture and interior decorating (e.g. different hardwood floors throughout). They also had a display of tools used to make decorative book covers. The castle also had a nice garden area. (See Pictures 9 - 10)

Tomorrow I will be joining the REI Adventure tour group!