Day 8
I woke up early this morning to take advantage of our last morning in Dingle. I've really enjoyed our time here and even though it was our longest stay of any of our stops it wasn't long enough as far as I'm concerned. Since I'm up at sunrise and we packed last night, I grab my camera and head out to retrace part of our route yesterday. Of course it's beautiful, bright and sunny so it's a nice morning for a walk.
Today our ultimate destination is Galway but we have quite a few stops before we make it there. On the bus, Pat O. informs us that we are having a limerick contest with a HUGE prize to the winner. Immediately I know we're out of luck because my buddy Mike has to be the de facto winner. Since day one he has been creating limericks on the fly and he is incredible. No matter where we are or what we're doing he can come up with a limerick applicable to the moment. The limericks will be turned in later in the day and the winner announced.
I decide to put on my Irish thinking cap (probably something in a wool tweed) and see if I can create a "runner-up" limerick. It actually is fun and I surprise myself with a couple of decent limericks. My wife Robin also cranks out two very nice ones.
On board the Shannon Ferry
Our first stop this morning is at the ferry, which will take us across the Shannon River. The last few miles of road before the ferry stop are really rough because they were built over peat bogs. The peat bogs are very soft and spongy so they aren't very stable and the ground moves a lot.
The ferry is larger than I expected and they are really efficient at cramming as many vehicles as possible on board for the ride across the river. It's a beautiful warm day and perfect for a boat ride. We all spend the time up on the top deck looking at the Shannon River, County Kerry behind us and County Clare on the far side of the river.
Local enjoying the surf
Our next stop is the beachside town of Lahinch (or Lehinch) for lunch. Lahinch is known as a popular surf spot and with it being a sunny Sunday, the place is hopping. It actually reminds me of Southern California coastal towns except that the locals either look like they've NEVER seen the sun or they've seen way TOO MUCH sun the last couple days. Either very white or very red....ouch. We grab a sandwich at a deli and spend the rest of the time people watching. And with the weather there are LOTS of people. I overheard a local shopkeeper say, "the sun comes out and the Irish get crazy!".
To hold all of your friends
"Perriwinkles" for sale
There was a booth on the boardwalk with two guys selling fresh "perriwinkles". They look like little snails and when I inquired, the proprietor proceeded to demonstrate the proper method for eating them. He used a little hook kind of like a crab fork, which he used to pull the periwinkle out of it's shell and dropped it in his mouth. I love seafood but I'll pass.......where's that ice cream place again?
After leaving Lahinch we drove for only about 45 minutes then arrived at the Cliffs of Moher. I can't believe I'm finally here. I've seen pictures of this place my whole life and I've looked forward to this ever since I realized it was on our itinerary. It's much larger than I expected. The cliffs are HUGE. There are lots and lots of people here but the place is so large they aren't a problem. The north half of the cliffs have a stone wall that keeps the visitors back from the edge but the south portion has no such wall. There is a large sign warning people not to walk on the south path but that didn't stop many of the visitors.
It is REALLY warm and it is at this point that I wrote in my journal: "Note to self: pack for ALL kinds of weather. Plan to layer clothing!!!!".
Meghan and Kerry, our group felons
After the Cliffs of Moher Sir James steers us straight into the Burren, which is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. Karst is a very porous limestone landscape characterized by caves, ravines and underground streams. The Burren contains more than 90 megalithic tombs and we got a chance to see Poulnabrone portal tomb, one of the best examples of these tombs. Walking from the bus to the tomb you negotiate huge flat slabs of limestone separated by joints filled with small plants. The tomb itself is very impressive and is one of the most famous landmarks in the Burren. Excavations done in the mid 1980's found the remains of 33 infants, children and adults. Archeologists believe that in addition to being a tomb, Poulnabrone was used for ceremonies and rituals.
Poulnabrone
Back on the bus Pat O. read all the limericks that had been entered in the contest. There are some really great ones......we have some talented folks on the bus! After much deliberation the esteemed panel of judges (umm....Pat O.) decided that the winner of the First International Limerick Contest was Jeanine, the matriarch of our three generation family. Congratulations Jeanine! Whatever the "fabulous" grand prize was, it was too small to see from my vantage point in the back of the bus.
After another short bus ride we arrived in Galway and took over three small, adjacent B&B's. After freshening up we all walked to dinner at an Italian restaurant, "Al Muretto". All of our dinners were excellent and many of us opted to finish the meal with gelato. When we were in Italy we never passed up an opportunity to partake of some fresh gelato so why change now, just because we're in Ireland.
Al Muretto
After dinner Pat O. took us on an orientation walk and it looks like we've arrived in Galway during what I'll call a "perfect storm". The town is PACKED with people, both locals and visitors. There are several events happening at the same time and the most significant of these is the Volvo Ocean Race, an around-the-world sailing event that has taken place for 30+ years. The boats and crews are in Galway for one of the stop overs and everyone has come to see them. Also contributing to this vortex of humanity are the warm weather and the fact that tomorrow (Monday) is a "bank holiday" and everyone is off work. The town is in a festive mood and it's not hard to join in.
