...more from the travel journal...
Day Six. Sunday.
We got up, showered, had breakfast, packed and said our goodbyes to the warden, (which is the official title for the person who runs a hostel.) She was a woman from New Zealand, fabulous and a lot of fun to talk to. The stay at The Rainbow Hostel was most enjoyable. It's a an old farm house with lots of funky charm; sheep in the fields around, cats and chickens in the yard. It was my first hostel experience and I think the best so far.
We went into town, mailed post cards and did some shopping; found a few good reasonably priced things at a shop. It was off-season so some things were on sale.
We passed by the pub where Jarred had been the two nights before to hear traditional Irish music sessions, which he reported to be excellent, although a bit frustrating since he wasn't able to bring his instrument, ( it just doesn't fit in the overhead rack on the plane!) . Traditional music in the pubs is played by those who show up and people just join in when they are ready. I know it sounds a bit impromtu, but the tradition is incredibly rich and so is the music.
In town, I took this pic of a poster for the Irish Examiner, a newspaper. I think I mentioned earlier that English is the second langauge in these parts.
Then we drove towards Kilarney.
Near the southern base of the Dingle peninsula is the Inch, a spit of land with a huge beach that sticks out into the bay. It's a tidal beach and the waves roll in for hundreds of meters, and there were lots of waves since the wind was blowing at forty or fifty miles an hour. We could barely stand up. It is though, one of the most visually striking shore vistas I've ever seen.
After Inch we got onto the mainland again at passed through Kilarney were we stopped for a quick fish and chips take-away. Very touristy, Kilarney. Then we drove through Kilarney national park, which was stunning in every respect. We stopped here and there to take pics; one notable spot was The Ladies View...
Jarred getting ready for The Ladies View, hehe.
... said to have delighted Queen Victoria?s Ladies In Waiting when they visited. There were spectacular views of the mountains, valley and several lakes, fabulous!
We continued on to Bantry, the narrow roads twisting and turning the whole way. We stopped in Bantry for a few supplies and then headed to Skibbereen, which was not all that far away. It took us longer than we expected, though, since someone had turned the sign around and we ended up going in a circle for a bit. This wouldn't have been so bad, but there were a fairly large group of men playing a game of "road bowling", a rather obscure sport native to the country side and rather rare to run across. We defied the odds and unfortunately interrupted their game...twice! Finally got to Skibbereen and then out to Baltimore a small fishing town on another little spit of land, where we checked in at Ralf's Holiday Hostel, a rather modern place with nice rooms and a restaurant were we had dinner. I had seafood pasta, (we were in a fishing town after all) with salmon, mussels and some whitefish, v-good and garlicky. Jared had pasta with salmon and a creamy dill sauce. Jared had an apple almond tart for dessert and I had a perfect Cr?me Caramel, (it?s rare to find a perfect one you know). Once again, a lovely meal.
We tucked in for the night, beds comfortable, a good nights sleep.
Tomorrow, we go to Gubbeen in the morning and Durrus in the afternoon. Yea!!! Cheese!//
Day Six. Sunday.
We got up, showered, had breakfast, packed and said our goodbyes to the warden, (which is the official title for the person who runs a hostel.) She was a woman from New Zealand, fabulous and a lot of fun to talk to. The stay at The Rainbow Hostel was most enjoyable. It's a an old farm house with lots of funky charm; sheep in the fields around, cats and chickens in the yard. It was my first hostel experience and I think the best so far.
We went into town, mailed post cards and did some shopping; found a few good reasonably priced things at a shop. It was off-season so some things were on sale.
We passed by the pub where Jarred had been the two nights before to hear traditional Irish music sessions, which he reported to be excellent, although a bit frustrating since he wasn't able to bring his instrument, ( it just doesn't fit in the overhead rack on the plane!) . Traditional music in the pubs is played by those who show up and people just join in when they are ready. I know it sounds a bit impromtu, but the tradition is incredibly rich and so is the music.
In town, I took this pic of a poster for the Irish Examiner, a newspaper. I think I mentioned earlier that English is the second langauge in these parts.
Then we drove towards Kilarney.
Near the southern base of the Dingle peninsula is the Inch, a spit of land with a huge beach that sticks out into the bay. It's a tidal beach and the waves roll in for hundreds of meters, and there were lots of waves since the wind was blowing at forty or fifty miles an hour. We could barely stand up. It is though, one of the most visually striking shore vistas I've ever seen.
After Inch we got onto the mainland again at passed through Kilarney were we stopped for a quick fish and chips take-away. Very touristy, Kilarney. Then we drove through Kilarney national park, which was stunning in every respect. We stopped here and there to take pics; one notable spot was The Ladies View...
Jarred getting ready for The Ladies View, hehe.
... said to have delighted Queen Victoria?s Ladies In Waiting when they visited. There were spectacular views of the mountains, valley and several lakes, fabulous!
We continued on to Bantry, the narrow roads twisting and turning the whole way. We stopped in Bantry for a few supplies and then headed to Skibbereen, which was not all that far away. It took us longer than we expected, though, since someone had turned the sign around and we ended up going in a circle for a bit. This wouldn't have been so bad, but there were a fairly large group of men playing a game of "road bowling", a rather obscure sport native to the country side and rather rare to run across. We defied the odds and unfortunately interrupted their game...twice! Finally got to Skibbereen and then out to Baltimore a small fishing town on another little spit of land, where we checked in at Ralf's Holiday Hostel, a rather modern place with nice rooms and a restaurant were we had dinner. I had seafood pasta, (we were in a fishing town after all) with salmon, mussels and some whitefish, v-good and garlicky. Jared had pasta with salmon and a creamy dill sauce. Jared had an apple almond tart for dessert and I had a perfect Cr?me Caramel, (it?s rare to find a perfect one you know). Once again, a lovely meal.
We tucked in for the night, beds comfortable, a good nights sleep.
Tomorrow, we go to Gubbeen in the morning and Durrus in the afternoon. Yea!!! Cheese!//
posted by durlx at 3/29/2004 07:46:00 PM
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