Buses, Birthdays, and Beaches

Hello, everyone!

I fear this is going to be another long entry...get ready! I just returned back to the Park Lodge after a four-day excurions to southwest Ireland. It was a lot of fun and we got to see some amazing scenery, but I am definitely glad to be back at the Park Lodge and off of a bus for a few days! We started early on Thursday morning and took off through the Burren for the Cliffs of Mohr. I don't know that I need to give much background on the Cliffs, other than the fact that they may very well be the most stunning part of Ireland's incredible landscape. They are five miles of absolutely phenomenal bluffs along the coast. We walked along them for a good distance, crossed the "Do Not Cross" line, and walked some more. At times, the only thing between the ocean and me was a couple feet of wet grass. Our bus driver told us to remember that if we fell off, just swim right - that's the direction of Galway. Comforting, huh? After we explored the Cliffs, we stopped into the little cafe and had the most delicious vegetable soup and soda bread. For me, this trip is just as much about the good food as the good scenery, so I had to note this great meal! Thursday night was my friend Alex's 21st birthday, so we explored the town of Tralee (where we stayed the three nights) and found some delightful little pubs at which to celebrate. We even met a couple of locals and ran into one of them the next night, too! It was a great day followed by a really fun night.

Friday morning we loaded the bus once again and took off for the Ring of Kerry. This is a beautiful drive along the western coast of Ireland. I don't know how many more times I can tell you how beautiful the landscape is - you just have to look at my pictures and then come see it for yourself. We stopped in the small village of Waterville where we saw a statue of Charlie Chaplin in honor of all the time he spent in Ireland. We stopped in a lot of great little towns and villages along the way to stretch and take more pictures. I don't remember the names of all of them though - that is one thing I am going to work on this week. I have seen so much of this country, but I don't know exactly where I have been! It seems that we usually just end up getting on the bus and follow blindly. It hasn't let me down yet, but I'd really like to know exactly what I'm doing. After the Ring of Kerry, we toured Muckross House - a Victorian mansion that Queen Victoria visited in 1861. It was so cool! The furnishings inside the house are amazing! No pictures were allowed inside, unfortunately, but the house had 25 bedrooms alone! I've never been in a place like that before. Here is a picture of part of the outside as well as the grounds of the house. It is situated in Killarney National Park, an absolutely beautiful area:

When we got back to Tralee on Friday, a few of us went to "Town and Country Bar" for dinner. I had my first taste of Irish stew in Ireland, and it was awesome. We even got to enjoy some live Irish music there. You can't really beat that, can you?

Saturday was the Dingle Peninsula! Again, it was a lot of driving on the bus. That is one thing I've learned here: while it is a relatively small country, traffic is awful almost all the time, and none of the roads were designed for the kind of traffic they handle. As a result, it always takes longer to get places than it should. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, since I'm never in that much of a hurry, but when you spend 8 hours a day on a bus, getting to destinations faster and off the bus for longer is definitely a plus! We got so lucky on Saturday, though. We stopped at this great little beach, took off our shoes, rolled up our jeans, and waded into the ocean. It was a gorgeous day and felt so good to get some fresh air and play in the water.

After the beach we stopped in Dingle and had a delicious lunch of fish and chips (smoked haddock, to be exact). Dingle is a fishing town right on the coast, so the meal was extra-authentic and therefore extra-delicious. We stopped at some ancient beehive huts made by monks in the 12th century. Once we made it back to Tralee, a bunch of us went to mass (where they said the "Our Father in Gaelic!) and then we all went and saw "Tearmann" at the National Irish Folk Theatre. It was an interesting show. They had traditional Irish music and step-dancing, but there was no dialogue. It was an interpretive story about the Famine. They did sing some, but it was all in Gaelic. It was an incredibly creative endeavor and really fun to watch. It was a moving show and I'm really glad that I've already gotten to see a show in the first week and a half! After that, we took our directors, Chuck and Suzanne, out to Turner's (we became locals in the three days we were there) to chill at the pub for a while. It was a busy but fantastic day.

Today: Sunday. We got up again and headed to Ross Castle in Killarney National Park. The castle was awesome! We took a tour and learned a lot about medieval defensive methods. I still can't believe sometimes that I am actually in Ireland and touring real castles! It is still surreal. We got on the bus again after that and made the long trek back to Galway. We stopped and got groceries (and lots of digestives!) and then made our way back to the Park Lodge.

As you can see, it has been a very eventful weekend! Next weekend, I anticipate just as much happening as we are heading north to Belfast. Before that, though, I have three days of class to complete.

Take care, everyone! I hope you are all enjoying autumn in the States!