We have been creeping slowing north along the Wild Atlantic Way coastline and are in the middle of week 4 in Ireland. We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent in the Ring of Kerry and it was preferable to the seemingly more popular Dingle for us. There are plenty of peninsulas to explore outside of the heavily trafficked loop routes most of the large tourist buses steam to and through. The locals steered us in the direction of these little gems sprinkled everywhere and some not mentioned in the local or foreign guidebooks and they provided breathtaking views. There are two mountain passes parallel to one another that run between Kenmare and Killarney (Gap of Dunloe and Molls Gap) and because we decided to take the suggested loop on the Ring of Kerry counterclockwise and were heading northward, we went through each. We stayed the night on the edge of Killarney National Park just outside Killarney our second time through on the way to Dingle. Killarney and Dingle have had a high concentration of tourists, though they were both charming towns. We have seen more Americans than anywhere else we’d ever previously traveled. Ratha and I decided to take a night in Kenmare and do some laundry in a grocery store parking lot with 24 hour machines. We have done a great job of making our clothing last and I have arguably done too good of a job myself.
We have been very lucky with the weather the last 10 days and we hope it continues. When the sun is out, it lights up the landscapes and the many shades of green are luminescent against the sea and rocky terrain. It has been feeling like a perfect PNW summer day with a warm sun and nice breeze preventing any perspiration. The Atlantic feels a bit warmer than the Pacific Ocean from my experiences from here to Morocco anyways. On our way to Galway, we stopped the car when we saw a group of people rock climbing on the side of the road in The Burren. The Burren is home to 75% of Ireland’s flora varieties and has an interesting limestone landscape. Brian, the young, friendly guide informed us that Ireland does not have any outdoor sport climbing and only has traditional climbing for which we are inexperienced and ill-equipped. There was, however, a nice bouldering spot we were directed to and spent the better half of the day enjoying. I had later taken a dip in a huge limestone boulder that had a deep pitted fishbowl shape in it. I discovered just how slippery this entire surface would be after getting too close to the edge and then sliding on my sandals in crouching position to the very center of the pool. This particular dip I took was of the skinny variety and had Ratha not been there to pull me out with my shorts as a life line, I am not sure how the hell I would have gotten out of there. I imagined myself yelling for help and what it would have looked like for a stranger to stumble upon my struggling nakedness to escape. Brian and his friend who we later discovered were just nearby were saved from witnessing the scene, as far as I know anyways.
One of the very nice things we have experienced the last couple of weeks have been a sense of remoteness. We did a few hikes/walks and sometimes were the only people at the end of a peninsula. My favorite was Bolus Head where I was the only one on this 8K hike enjoying the view for nearly 4 hours. ’Twas a beautiful walk. We had by chance bumped into a young American couple from Montana (Brandon and Bailey) who helped us find Three Castle Head the day before, and while we were there, only one other couple was at the site. We shared lunch together in Mac and made some new friends. Speaking of friends, as we continued to Galway we contacted Fran who we had met in Garrettstown a couple of weeks earlier with Moe and Shirley. She lives just outside Galway and I am writing this from her lovely kitchen. What was initially an invite to take a shower, in just a couple of hours time, turned out to be doing laundry, eating a homemade lasagna dinner and apple crumble for dessert, a very nice evening with Fran and her parents and the offer for us to stay in her home for the weekend while she is away. Incredibly kind and generous of her and we had not expected anything as we were just excited to see her again. We have been here for just the afternoon but the comforts of a home are becoming much more appreciated as time goes on with van life. Our friends, both old and new, continue to surprise us and shower us (literally) with their generosity. We are lucky and the respite from van travel comes very welcomed. We are looking forward to a real bed here that Fran’s friend from India, who has slept in this bed, is quoted saying,”This is the only time of the year I am able to sleep this well”.
Before meeting with Fran, we spent a day and a half in Galway on the beach and decided to go to a pub for the recommended performers. We ended up going to The Crane bar that was hot, humid, and had a host of performers. We were lucky to grab the only two seats that opened up shortly after getting our beers and would sit next to Martin, who was in town on business from Dublin. He had many questions for us about our trip and we were giving him honest answers about our lifestyle. We hope not too honest as the nice guy bought us each a pint before leaving the bar and wishing us a great journey. We hope we didn’t sound too desperate Martin and thanks for the pints! We enjoyed the atmosphere and I’ve never found bars to be so respectful of the people playing music and singing. There were 3 different singers that sang old traditional songs acapella throughout the room. It was cool to see the bar go dead silent except for the one singing voluntarily, whole heartedly and very well at that.
A couple of things that have happened the last two weeks – We have lost over 12 inches off the end of our tailpipe due to corrosion. Sparks were flying on the road and we were glad to spot it before the big piece of tailpipe became completely detached on the road. I have been pooped on by birds twice in the last 3 weeks. This marks the third occurrence on this trip alone, and I’m not sure if I should buy a lottery ticket, or buy a clear umbrella. I found Charlie and The Chocolate Factory on DVD for $0.75 yesterday after a search in physical stores for I am not sure how long it’s been.Destinations:
Bray Head, Portmagee, Valentia Island, Waterville, Ballinskelligs, Bolus Head, Three Castle Head in Dunlough, Ring of Kerry, Darrynane (Darrynane House), Straigue Fort, Kenmare, Dingle loop, Dingle, Slea Head, Ballyferriter (Home of Star Wars), Kenmare, Doolin, Listowel, The Burren, Killarney, Killarney National Park, Inch Beach, Dunquin, Kilkee, Cliffs of Moher, Galway,
Vantastic Voyage 