Our last day

We've been traveling for 37 days now, and we have had an amazing time. I've asked Dane a few times over the course of the trip, "What has been your favorite thing?" and it is so difficult to pinpoint just one part as the best.

For our last day, we are heading up to the northern coast of Ireland to visit the Giant's Causeway. It was in the Olympics opening ceremony with a children's choir standing on it. Both times have been there before it has been freezing, and I was a little nervous that this was the weather out my window.


Quite different from the view out the same window from yesterday. But we figured the weather wasn't worth missing this last opportunity to see something here. Breakfast, a "full fry" consists of an egg, bacon, sausages, potato, and fried soda bread. Extra points to you if you can tell where the potato is.


See that triangle on the left that looks like a weird pancake? That's it. It's a potato pancake. And for those of you that have never had it, soda bread tastes basically like baking soda biscuits. And it's fried, so it's awesome.

When we got in the car, the weather had changed slightly.



But as we continued north, it got drier.



By the time we made it to the causeway, the sun was breaking through the clouds. The timing was perfect. Except that I had planned for it to be a lot colder, so I was way overdressed.

The last time I was here, the visitor's center was a small gift shop, a tea shop, a ticket booth, and a "theater" that held maybe 20 people that showed an informational video. A month ago, the new visitor center opened up, and it's huge! The ticket now includes an audio guide that you take as you walk.



This isn't a great shot of it, but there is a rock that is loosely shaped like a camel just above the head of the girl in the pink sweatshirt.


This is the windy gap, and it's said to be one of the windiest places in ireland. It's got nothing on Troutdale, though.


Wait, Heather, I have to listen to my audio guide first.


These rocks are called onion rocks because they are slowly peeling away in layers because of weathering.


Here we are at the causeway. Here's the myth (and actually, there are several variations of this story): Finn McCool was a giant who lived on this north coast of Antrim and was kind of hot-headed and arrogant. He heard that there was another giant living across the Irish sea in Scotland and so he built this causeway as a path across the water to challenge him to a fight (the main variant in this story is who actually challenged the other). Much to Finn's surprise, the other giant was much bigger than himself, so he ran back to his house (losing his boot in the process; I promise that matters) and told his wife that he was in trouble. She, being the brilliant, quick-thinking resourceful type, told him to get into bed and gave his a frilly bonnet and gown to wear. He did not understand, but followed her directions. When the other giant came knocking, she explained that her husband Finn had just stepped out but that the giant was welcome to wait, and would he like to meet their baby? When the other giant saw how big the baby was, he trembled to think of how big Finn must be, so he turned tail and ran, tearing up the causeway can casting the stones into the sea so that Finn couldn't follow him back to Scotland.

The causeway is made of these columns of rock that have 5, 6, or 7 sides, and have patterned horizontal cracks that form ball and socket-like joints. They look manmade, but are believed to have been formed by volcanic activity.


You can explore them (there is a half-hearted attempt to stop people by saying that you climb at your own risk, but there are employees out n the rocks as well).



Look how blue that sky is!


When I've been here before, the water was higher and rougher, but it was quite calm out here today. Still a little gusty, though, so you had to be careful about your footing.


These pictures probably all look basically the same. I love this place, so we might have gotten carried away with pictures. :)

















This is most of the way out on the causeway looking back at the cliffs.





This area is called the giant's gate.


And here is Finn's boot!


Behind me in the cliffs, just up and slightly left of where I am, you can see the organ. It's an area of exposed columns that looks a little like a pipe organ.


And this is what it looks like up close.





Normally, we would have walked out on another trail over to a rope bridge, but it was closed because of a landslide last week. It's hard to see, but if you find the path in the center of the picture and follow it right, you will see what looks almost like a fold or super narrow ravine in the grass. The entire hillside, grass and all, just slid down onto the path, and it looks like the grass just continues on down the hill. So we didn't do that, because we didn't want to die (And they would let us).

What a lovely day for a wedding!

I wanted to add these pictures from our drive last night as we made our way to Newcastle. The sun was setting around 10 pm when we were finally up past Dublin.




Until the last 40 km or so, we were on major motorways, as they call them. But then we had to finish by going through small roads and villages. Villages with random castles.




This was the first time Dane was driving in the dark here. It was really hard to see the narrow, twisty roads. But the full moon was pretty cool.




Happily, we made it safely (though much later than we'd told our hotel we'd arrive, and I think they were a little annoyed with that). We had breakfast with a lovely view of the ocean.








And then had a couple hours to kill before getting ready for the wedding. Newcastle is apparently a very leisure-oriented town. We saw several casinos, arcades, and indoor playgrounds. The fog going up over the hills was crazy to watch; it was moving so fast.




There was a pond outside the library with giant swan boats that were a little creepy.




I am wearing a sweater and a jacket and am just comfortably warm here. It is windy down by the water. I'm hoping that the wedding site is far enough inland that it dies down.




But just in case, I picked up some insurance.




Playing with the reflective globe.




We thought about trying to walk up to the wedding site to find out where it was and get some exercise after spending most of yesterday in the car. We decided it was too far, though, so we settled on walking through this little park instead.




Dane found a fish and it made him so happy.








I walked up to the top of this hill to read that sign. It turned out to be totally blank. This hill has no significance. Just a hill.




We have a bit more time before the wedding, so we came back to relax and get ready. Here's my view from our hotel window. I'm pretty happy with it.




To try to minimize the distraction, we only used the phone to take pictures at the wedding, and my phone is refusing to email the pictures. I do have some, and I will share them when I get back. Sorry to have gotten your hopes up about wedding pics.
The wedding was in Tollymore Forest Park, and there are not clear cut directions on a map to get there. You just follow the signs from town until you reach the entrance. We have found that several places on this island are like that, so we left early just in case we got lost.
After missing only one turn, we found the park and followed the (slightly waterlogged) pinwheels to the wedding site. When we arrived, we saw a tent, a trailer with restrooms, and not very many people, but we were quite early. The original plan had been for the ceremony to be outside and the reception in the tent. Due to the rain, which had started a few hours earlier, they decided to have the ceremony inside. They moved the benches from the tables onto the dance floor for seating. It was a small wedding, with perhaps 60 guests? We learned that at Irish weddings, the guests stand for the actual wedding ceremony when the bride and groom are exchanging vows and rings. Unfortunately, I was standing behind the tallest man at the wedding, so I didn't see a bit of this. I could hear well, enough, though. There were small children everywhere, many of whom were approaching meltdown o'clock near the end of the ceremony, as we waited for dinner.
The wedding was at 3, and it is common for wedding celebrations to last well into the wee hours of the morning, but this one would have to wrap up around 12 due to noise restrictions in the park. I'd say that we did an excellent job of celebrating our hearts out before then. Dane and I sat across from the people who had introduced Katie and Johnny to each other.
Even though it hadn't gone quite as planned, it was a beautiful wedding. Katie was stunning, and you could tell that her new Irish family is so blessed to welcome her in. We were so happy to be here for this special day with them, and we count ourselves lucky that we get to celebrate with them again soon!

Skellig: stepping back 1500 years

I have to apologize for the length of this one. It's two days of pictures, but apparently there was a lot to see. Feel free to take this one in pieces. Skellig, the coolest part, is at the end. It's my way of tricking you into looking at all the other (probably more boring) pictures first.

We headed out of Our B&B up around the Dingle peninsula. Dane was still marveling at the narrow roads.



Our first stop was along the coast. There are huts made by monks between the 3rd and 8th centuries (I realize that's a sizable stretch of time) that look like beehives. They are made of stones stacked together without any kind of mortar. When we stopped, the view was beautiful!


Around the huts are walls that have been built the same way. Up close, you can see light through the spaces between the rocks.



Now, we were going to see more huts like this at the monastery on Skellig Michael, but since there was a possibility that the boats wouldn't be able to go out if the seas were too rough, we wanted to see at least one example.


They are taller inside than I would have thought based on how little the doors were.



This is the inside wall. Near the top of the picture is where the wall started arching over into the ceiling. It was amazing that these things stay standing.


This one is a cheater. The back wall is actually this hill.


At this point, it started to rain. The whole time we've been in Ireland, we've experienced scattered showers. The raindrops in this particular one were massive. I still made Dane stop to take a picture, though, then he ran back down the hill and left me to fend for myself.






The narrow, windy roads get even more precarious in the rain.


And less than 10 minutes later, the rain had stopped (though you can see evidence of it on my jacket). I love the combination of beach and grassy hillside with sheep.


The sheep here are typically marked with a color to show ownership (I think). The most common colors we've seen are blues and reds.


Look at that water! It's so clear! Clear enough, in fact, for us to see something alive swimming across the bay. It's behind the cliff now, though. And it was not a human.





Just driving along, Poor Dane had to watch the road, but I got to just enjoy all this.


Our next stop was at a pottery workshop where I made a small bowl. I think this was the first time I've used a pottery wheel, and I really, really liked it. So much so that I think I want to take a pottery class when I get home. There was something very soothing and calm about how the pot takes shape under your hands. Anyone want to join me?



This woman is there to instruct and assist. This was especially helpful because my nails are long and that doesn't mesh well with throwing pots on the wheel. This part in the next picture was my favorite. I had to draw up the sides to give it depth.



She trimmed the bottom so that it was have a base (if I'd done it, there would be no more pot, it would have smashed it, I think).


And I got to separate it from the wheel with what looked like a cheese slicer.



Tada! Now it will get fired, glazed (or maybe the other way around) and shipped to CA where I will serve baby pickles from it.





There are several hillsides that are blocked off in sections by stone walls or shrub hedges. Sometimes, there are different colors of plant or soil in the sections, and at these times I imagine that giants are playing a huge game of Settlers of Catan. The sheep harbor would be awesome here.


Beautiful sky and dangerous, narrow (according to the sign) bridge.


When we stopped for lunch in a small town by the coast, we passed by this house. Look at the tiny house in front.


Remember how it was raining an hour ago?



Another Settlers board.


Dane is starting to love B&Bs. They're cozy and serve bacon.


This is the outside. That area in the front is the breakfast room.


This is the first place we've seen lots of trees so far in Ireland. It's very green, but not super foresty in our experience yet.


We drove out to Waterville, which apparently was beloved by Charlie Chaplin. The water was crystal clear and freezing cold.


The air was a little nippy, too.


When leaving Waterville, we missed the turn for the main road. We followed the directions and turned onto this.


We weren't sure it wasn't just a footpath until we got to the very end of it and there was a stop sign. Still, I haven't been on a road this tiny since-- well, actually since I was in Prescott, AZ, last month.

For dinner, we had Irish stew. It was so delicious; I don't think I've ever had such tender lamb. I don't know what Dane is doing in this picture.


They brought out the stew and Dane's sandwich first. Then they brought the side dish they had forgotten that went with my stew. It was two potatoes swimming in a pool of butter. My stew had potatoes in it. Dane's sandwich came with potato wedges. Seriously, the side dish is more potatoes?



Look very closely in the very center of this picture (click on it to make it bigger, if that helps). We were suddenly on a quest to find gold.


We did not find any. :(. But we did have a restful night and a delicious breakfast the next day. Our plans for today (July 30, sorry I've gotten out of the habit of posting what day I'm talking about) were to take a boat out to a tiny island that is really just a rock and visit a monastery that was built in the 5th century.

The older guy in the bluish gray jacket was our boat captain. He is 79 and introduced surfing to Ireland in 1950 (there was a news article on it that he passed around; he brought the article to the back of the boat while we were going full speed through the bay, which made me just a little nervous that no one was driving at that point). There were 12 passengers on this boat. I was selfish and took the covered spot. I was also one of the only people who did not have a waterproof jacket (which our fellow passengers probably perceived as stupidity or ignorance of Irish weather rather than a prudent space saving choice). I love boats on the ocean so much. It was a fairly rocky and splashy 45 minute ride out to the islands.




The first island we just passed by rather than landing on because all it is is a giant rock that is the home of tens of thousands of gannets. I was grateful for the cover here for reasons other than the rain.


All of that white is birds. They were so loud and kind of stinky (though not as bad as I'd expected).









It is also popular with seals. Can you see the baby one? He's near the bottom in the center of the picture. He was the only one concerned or excited about the boat passing by.


This is Skellig Michael, and that little cove is where the dock was.






This water was also incredibly clear. Even in very little light, we could see plants way deep down.


Dane made fun of my outfit, but I was warm. I'm also wearing leggings, gloves, and a long-sleeved shirt.


That's the bird island out in the distance.


Unlike the bird island, this one had a lot of plant life on it, but mostly this ground cover like stuff.





And PUFFINS!!! This island is famous for being a home to puffins. The caretakers who live on the island said that they expect the puffins to leave within the next couple of days (of course, they might say that to everyone to make them feel special). I'm so glad they were still here, though. They are the cutest birds ever.


I don't think I've ever been somewhere like this island. The cliffs are sheer and covered in so many different shades of green and the water is a deep, rich teal color. It looks like a melted blue otter pop when it splashes up on the rocks.


Near the dock and the helicopter pad, there is a covered walkway where I had a delightful conversation with this puffin.


Ok, remember how I'm dressed for winter in Siberia? Check out the guide. He's in shorts. Shorts so short it looks like he's naked. I felt wimpy. But I'm loving the neon waterproof pants the other group has.


Because Dane and I only like to do activities that involve climbing thousands of steps, we chose to visit this monastery. Before you begin climbing up, you have to read the sign and listen to a safety talk in which they explain that every year people slip and fall on the steps. Three years ago, two people slipped and fell to their deaths. He explained that his job was to scare us, that it's not really that dangerous, but that we could die, so for real, be careful. And remember that having fun is the most important thing.


If we fell, this is what we'd fall down.


And so we began! Dane had the iPad so I wouldn't break it. He is convinced that I am my mother's daughter (but that's ok, because my mom is rad).


20 feet up, so far, so good.



We took lots of breaks for pictures (and puffins).



When Dane would look down, his voice would get high and squeaky.


Check out these stairs! In the 5th century, a group of monks decided to build a monastery on this island because it was secluded from the mainland (it's a few miles out). It's just a giant, steep rock, through, so they first had to build a way to get up to the top where there were some actual plateau areas. These steps are what they call dry rock constructed, which means they have no binding agents. They are tightly stacked, and that's it. But they've lasted pretty well for 1500 years, so they must have known what they were doing. And there are 600 of them in total.


This is about 2 thirds of the way up. It's called Christ's saddle, and it sits between the two main peaks on the island.


We just have to go up this one last section of steps. Can you see how steep it is? The whole climb was like that. And because 5th century monks didn't have the risk of lawsuits, they were not particularly concerned with safety rails, or even having a wall to brace against for the climb.


Because Dane is afraid of heights, he walked down the mud channel on the left instead of down the stone path closer to the ledge. I love him so much, the big baby.



This is the first part of the monastery you come across. I think it was used as a garden. It was only inhabited from the time that it was built until the 13th century. They had wanted it isolated, and it was, so much so that Vikings discovered they could raid it without opposition. Monks were being kidnapped, food was taken, and eventually they just decided it wasn't worth it anymore and moved to the mainland.


In we go! Watch the really short ledge!


This is one of the oldest structures on this site.


So these are much like the one at the beginning of this entry, but there are more of them, obviously. These two that Dane is standing in front of are a little newer. They were built in the 9th century.


This is the original chapel, and the newer chapel is the sliver of building you can see on the far right.


A cemetery.


And from the other side.


This is the view (and the drop) from where the cemetery is.


behind me are the three that were in the first couple of pictures. The last one behind me is the oldest one.


People were interested in the seagulls. I felt a little snotty thinking, those are rats with wings. Why do you like them? Why are you feeding them? Bad tourists!


The caretaker at the top was explaining the history of the monastery in the quietest voice ever. I don't know if she was trying to be respectful of the place or had a sore throat or just didn't know how to talk to a large crowd in the wind and rain, or what, but she was very hard to hear.



As soon as we got to the top, it started raining lightly, and then it just got heavier and heavier the longer we were up there. We wanted to allow plenty of time to get down without falling to our deaths, so we headed out.


Going down was less work but more nerves. I'm so glad the steps here weren't made of marble.


This is back in Christ's saddle, and we'd learned about something we hadn't noticed the first time. The monks built a chapel up on the highest point of the island. It is closed to visitors because it's way too dangerous to get up there. It's just below the very top of the rock, and in this first picture it just looks like a few dark smudges.


In this one, you can see it a little better. It's a small building and a wall. I have no idea how they got up there to pray, let alone build the thing.


Taking a rest for one more picture.



And, despite Dane's objections that we have too many pictures of puffins, I took one more. If you're in Dane's camp, sorry. To those who love the puffins, you are in the right. There's no such thing as too many pictures of them.


We're pretty sure the actual function of this awning is to deflect falling rocks, but as we all had 15 minutes or so before our boats would be back, it was a nice hangout in the rain.



Now having driven the ring of Kerry, Dane looked at this road and said, I'm so grateful for wide streets. Funny how your perspective can change, huh?



These were at the gas station we stopped at (that did not have a restroom...oy). This is really just for my family and others who would get them in Kenya.


Now we are driving up to Newcastle for Katie Ryan's wedding. It's quite a drive (it will probably take about 8 hours in total) and Dane has taken to reading the signs that have pictures of services at the next exit as "fuel-coffee-toilets ahead!" In the next post, I will try to make sure I have wedding fun!



what's up with this town's name? (on the bottom left)