Back to Reality

The beach at Lehinch

The Poulnabrane Portal tomb

The Burren landscape, in background

Tourism on the Burren

Dunguaire Castle

Modern thatched-roof estate

Laura flipping the bird

Ladies Day in Galway (for the races)

Mikey sings 'Nantes', camera refuses to tape

Downtown Clifden

Kylemore Abbey in the background

We are home at last, mostly recovered. It is Saturday afternoon, and my sleep pattern is pretty messed up, getting up at all hours, and finally giving up at 4:30 or so. My eyes are really hurting me, very dry - I woke up last night with the feeling I was being stabbed in the eye with a dull nut pick. I finally went surfing, yesterday morning, and maybe the ocean water didn't help my eyes, they were horrible after I got out. It was great to get back in the water and find out just how bad the engine has gotten - pretty bad. I caught a couple of little waves, splashed around, had some fun. Beauch and I went, and as we were suiting up the Jr. Lifeguard squad invaded the spot, 20 of 'em, oh well, we went anyway. I ran at least one of 'em over! Oops!

This morning I went with the Team-in-Training on a training run, or walk, of 4 miles, not bad. Now I will try to catch up the last of the trip.

Saturday night and Sunday we spent day-tripping the area around Kinvara. We went to Aillwee Caves, and they had a brids of prey show that was pretty cool, and we toured the cave. The terrain of the burren area is very barren, stripped bare over time and left to limestone and whatever can survive in the windswept rocky terrain. We also visited some burial sites and ringforts, and a portal tomb that is 6,000 years old.

Monday we made a short move to Lisdoonvarna, where we were all going to stay in the nicest hostel in Ireland. Maybe it is, but Dana and I went looking for a B&B for us. We found a very nice one with a great bedroom, tiny bathroom, and great Irish breakfasts, and the same net price when you account for the breakfasts (coffee, tea, eggs, toast, yogurt, cereal, 3 types of sausage, fruit, date breads, ham and OJ). The kids stayed at the hostel.

When we were in Ireland in 2001, we finished our trip with a bang, at a banquet at Bunratty Castle, and that next night Dana and I went to Lehinch, the Cliffs of Moher at sunset, and into Doolin for a great music session. This time we went to a much smaller banquet at Dunguaire Castle, and it was good except it was only a 3-person show about the writers that had come from the area. The Bunratty show had many singers and dancers performing songs that many knew and sang along with. We went into Doolin for the session music, got there early and had good seats, but it wasn't really happening that night, with just a few players, no guitar to match ukulele chords with, and lots of tourists. Disappointing.

In 2001 when we got to the Cliffs of Moher, it was sunset and there were maybe ten other people in the area of the old fort tower. It was pretty wide open, small parking area, very serene. Eight years later and the Cliffs had been turned into a tourist exhibition, with movies, exhibits, gift shops, cafes, and 10,000 people all so happy that it wasn't raining they went to visit the Cliffs of Moher. Disneyland, Legoland, Ireland - Cliffs Adventure.

There is a trail that traverses the cliff edge from the visitor center all the way to another tower lookout, about two miles plus. About 500 meters down that trail is a barrier noting the cliffs are dangerous and saying that from this point on is private property. There is also a memorial dedicted to all who have died at the cliffs but the tourists are going right over the barrier and getting their pics taken as close to the edge as they dare. Remember, it has rained for the last 28 days, so that cliff is pretty soggy. John and Laura right away go over and head for the far tower, and within a few hundred meters the crowds have petered out. I wish I had gone with them, but Dana's foot is bad and she is hobbling so we stay.

Tuesday we go out for our last meal to a recommended pub in Lisdoonvarna, change tables three times, and have dinner. When the bill comes, we find they don't take credit cards, and there is no ATM in the whole town, the nearest is 20km away, and we are about 30 euro short. Mike goes back to the hostel and scrounges up all the money he can from John and Laura, and we have just enough. As we are paying Dana spills the last of her cider on the fiddler, and we leave.

At the airport in Shannon we discover that we are to be the first group to go through US customs on Irish soil, a new method, so we wont have to pick up our luggage in Phila and go through customs and then recheck it. The downside is we lose our pears, and barely make it to our gate on time, when we started with 2 extra hours. Otherwise, uneventful flights, and when we get home our house is lovely and stocked up with stuff, thanks Cindy.