Some thoughts:
--We never went to a pub, but there is a whole culture of pub crawling. It is only one aspect of a very diverse people.
--We met a wealth of people who were so willing to give two wandering Americans help, instructions, directions, hospitality, etc.
--Those on the tour buses may make it to the popular tourist destinations, but they miss so much. We would overhear people talking about sights and commenting that they were underwhelmed. Had they eschewed the buses and walked the land, they could experience so much more like we did. As our host in Derry, Thomas, said, "You saw the real Ireland".
--If you wonder how the tobacco industry stays in business, visit Ireland. Smoking is alive and well.
--Craic (pronounced "crack") is the word the Irish use for storytelling and merriment (especially in the pubs). So to hear someone say, "we had some good craic last night" kind of made us laugh. We even passed one establishment called "The Craic House".
--The food was very good in Ireland. We sampled many things, for example, black and white pudding, pastries, soups, stews, fish and chips, brown soda bread and much more.
--There are a lot of sheep in Ireland. Their primary use must be wool as we never saw it in a menu.
--it really does rain, even if the forecast called for sun, there would be at least a few rain drops.
--Boggy land is wet and mushy and not much fun hiking. Then again we didn't hike through the bog, it was more like jumping from one clump of grass or rock to another.
--People in Ireland are not early risers. Even businesses who specialized in selling coffee and breakfast food didn't open shop till after 9 a.m.
This adventure in Ireland was very special. It may not have been as "Epic" as our journey on the Camino De Santiago in Spain but it certainly was fun, challenging and awe inspiring. It's a beautiful land, rich in culture and history and full of interesting people. We saw geographical phenomena that pictures don't adequately do justice. We saw the ruins and remnants of a country that has experienced war and other hardships. We also tackled physical obstacles that we will never forget. We never thought that we would be able to hike over six hours in the rain on poorly marked trails, and then have no dinner or water for the night, but we did it and I think it will help us to better understand the hardships others go through in life. It certainly made us appreciate the six kilometer ride we got to town in the morning and the one place that was open for breakfast. We truly received a wealth of blessings in many forms along our travels.
We will close this blog with an Irish Blessing that we read many times along the way:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Click here for pictures
We will close this blog with an Irish Blessing that we read many times along the way:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Click here for pictures