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Ireland Interior
This is along the road between Dublin and Galway....could be the U.S. So our Dublin tour started off with a rather bumpy start. After finally finding a little convenience store open and grabbing a cup of coffee and a few snacks (nothing much opens before 8 a.m. in Dublin, it seems), we got to the bus stop where we were to take the ride from Dublin to Galway....a public transportation connection to where the tour actually begins in Galway. Well the bus coordinator told us that the tour company we had booked with had gone out of business! Long story short, I couldn't get an answer from the tour company before the bus left for Galway, so we rode over and figured we could book a second tour once we were there. (read through the lines for my level of frustration at this point! lol) The scenery between Dublin and Galway is very similar to Missouri actually. Some small rolling hills here and there, lots of fields and farms (sheep and cattle), and except for driving on the wrong side of the road, and the signs reading kilometers, you wouldn't know we weren't in the U.S. Once in Galway, we booked the same tour with another company and were on our way. The
Campground in Galway
People camping and waiting for the Volvo Ocean Races original tour operator finally called me and said there had been some miscommunication. This had occured earlier in the week as well, but they were certainly still in business, however, they agreed to refund our money. So my frustration ends and our tour begins....
We take a driving tour through Galway, which is another very quaint, coastal town where the Volvo Ocean Races were happening this weekend so there were lots of extra people in town. It's smaller than Dublin but similar in appearance in our brief drive through. Many cottage and rowhouse B & Bs lined the roads closer to the coast and there were various signs of festivities going on, tents, and carnival type activites. We then headed out into the Irish countryside. Once outside of the city limits, the scenery rapidly starts changing and it soon becomes increasingly clear that you aren't in the U.S. no matter how similar it seemed before!
As you pass some of the farms along the way, they may have ruins standing in the middle of a field. We were told that there was a period of time in Irish history where it was common to build watchtowers and it
was a sign of wealth among the land owners. Many of these watchtowers are still in existence, but in a state of ruins that is very odd to see in the middle of a farmed field.
Our first stop was at Dunguaire Castle. which was built in 1520. It is typical of what's called a tower house, or a fortified resident for a gentleman or stronger farmer during the 16th century. This one in particular still holds medeival dinners in the banquet room at the top of the castle and serves the meal without utensiles with traditional Irish mead. Sounds a bit like our Medieval Castle dinner theaters, but I'd imagine a level of authenticity both in atmosphere and food and drink that can't be beat!
We had various stops along the way to the Cliffs of Moher, including passing through a few old fishing villages with examples of original Irish cottages with thatched roofs. The roofs made of woven hay are obviously extremely flammable and very expensive to upkeep. To maintain a thatched roof, you now have to hire a professional thatcher, which evidently is quite expensive, or you can't get insurance for the home. Most dwellings
Banquet Room
Banquet room of the Dunguaire Castle are very modest with little if any show of extravagence anywhere in the countryside.
The farms are still maintained with stone fences, many of which have been there for hundreds of years. The western coast is full of rock, making it very difficult to farm, but plenty of building material! Driving through the countryside, I lost count of how many of these stone walls we saw, but they were used for any kind of fencing from large areas to small areas with miles and miles of walls.
Once we neared the coast, the scenery changed dramatically yet again. The coast is rugged and wild....and I don't know how else to describe it. It's rocky and jagged and utterly and completely untamed! It's not like any coast I've ever seen. It's volcanic rock and limestone plateaus, and green, green grass. We stopped at the Black Head lighthouse for some pictures and then on to the Cliffs of Moher. Okay, my computer has locked up on me twice and lost several paragraphs each time.......sooooo....it's after midnight here and this is now part one of our Dublin tour. lol
Part two soon...
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Cheryl Anne
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I am so excited for you...well, except for the frustration part! And thanks for sharing the photos! Continued Blessings on your journey!