Day Five. Saturday.



From the journal.


The place we are staying is called the Rainbow Hostel and it's just outside of the town of Dingle, amidst the sheep fields, chickens pecking around, cats in the yard, very pleasant.

We made breakfast in the kitchen, had showers and went into town for a look around. Will return to the town tomorrow for a few giftie things.

The Town of Dingle.







Then, we took the Slea Head road along the coast; totally breath taking views! We stopped at the Beehive huts, little ancient dwellings on a steep hill. The coastline got more and more incredible with each turn.




We had lunch at a little pub in Ballyferriter, a little town in a beautiful setting.





Jared had a quiche and I had a Steak and Kidney pie that was v-good. The food was really good, something that we found everywhere we went in Ireland; they just don�t do bad food. We are in an area where the Irish language is spoken and most of the signs are in Gaelic only. Sometimes it's a bit confusing but mostly not. (In the grocery store in the town of Dingle, the announcements made over the store system are done in Gaelic, and then in English, but apparently only if someone in the store might need a translation).

We saw a few more ruins; a thousand year old stone building, the Gallarus Oratory.





While we were there it started to rain, so we ducked into this ancient structure, which although it was only made out of individually carved stones carefully stacked up, was totally dry, and had been for over 900 years. Just after we ducked in, two guys in their early twenties came in behind us. They were speaking Gaelic, the Irish language and it was kind of a magic moment. These two rather attractive young men speaking the old speech in a building that some of their antecedents might have built.



After that we visited a Norman church from the twelfth century, roof gone, walls weathered, cemetery with very old graves and some much more recent; families here go way back.




The view from the churchyard as the sun was getting to set was amazing.







Then we headed back to Dingle and to the hostel.

We bought some local fresh haddock and a bottled Indian sauce to cook it in, which turned out quite well over some basmati rice. I also bought a white and a black pudding, which I tried, but didn't find all that great. (Jarred was horrified by the black pudding, which is a blood sausage, which also tends to horrify any health inspector in the U.S.! I told Jarred that I had to try it, I remember my grandfather eating it when I was very young, (my uncle, who was a butcher had made some, but we weren't to mention it to anybody, as it was not legal.) I had to try some, but as I said, it was dissappointing. I found out later that the commercial varieties are not good and that I had to get a hand made local product, which I will do next trip.)

We ate and chatted with the other people staying at the hostel in the big farm house kitchen, then did the washing up, read the paper. Jared went back into town for some more music at a pub called O�Flaherties, (he reported that the sessions there were quite good. Looking back, I wish I had gone, but then again, I guess I'll do that next time!) I read a bit and went to bed.

It was a stunning day! It's really hard to pick the best pics to show; there's was so much beauty. I'll do a gallery after a bit.


Next, sheep and cheese and more incredibly beautiful countryside...



durlx