Beautiful Ireland

I am currently in Dingle Town, on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland.

I arrived in Shannon, Ireland on Monday and waited for the bus. Immediate impression, the Irish people are *friendly.* Really, really great people.

I made my way to Limerick, then decided to press on to Tralee. (Tra Leeee). I asked the guy in Limerick if there would be a problem finding a place to sleep at 9:30 pm in Tralee and he said, 'No Problem!' so on I went.

We road through the Irish countryside - past emerald green fields bordered by darker green hedges, populated with sheep and Guersey cows. We passed through the occasional village, with pubs, people strolling about, cemetaries with Celtic crosses. Cars drove on the left side. Puffy cotton clouds threatened rain the whole way, and the bus driver pointed out several rainbows. I was wonderful to hear English spoken all around me and to see English signs.

Well, the guy in Limerick was wrong. It turned out that 'The Rose of Tralee,' a world-wide talent contest for Irish-born and those of Irish decent, was in full bloom that very day. Everyone piled off the bus and I made my way to the station. The information booth was closed and the station was quickly deserted. I asked an older couple who had also just disembarked from the bus if they knew of any good B & B's. They just laughed and explained the situation to me.

For some reason, this phased me not at all. I knew something would work out, and sure enough...

The couple, Bertie and Kathleen, offered to give me a ride down the road in the direction of the Dingle Peninsula and to drop me off at a B & B. I agreed, and soon their friends turned up to give us all a ride. We all piled in, introductions were made, and we took off down the winding country road. Irish music played on the car radio as rain splashed on the windshield. The two couples began talking rapidly and animatedly, and frankly, I couldn't understand a word they were saying! But they were trying to work out a solution for me. We passed hordes of 'Rose of Tralee' revelers piling out of the pubs and into the streets.

Soon we came to some B & B's. John got out and made an inquiry for me - full! We road on to the next one, also full. After 2 more, we pulled into a pub where John made a phone call. He came back to the car and said 'It's all arranged,' made a U-turn and pulled into his sister Bernie's house. She agreed to put me up for the night!

She insisted on feeding me a sandwich and tea while everyone sat around and chatted. Soon, my bus companions left, and Bernie showed me to my room. I couldn't believe my luck.

In the morning I awoke to find myself across the street from the ocean, and in front of some huge craggy mountains, all covered with mist. I took a walk down to the (deserted) beach, collected some shells, walked around. Remembering that it was my nephew's 7th birthday, and that this was the Atlantic Ocean, I sang 'Happy Birthday to You' in his general direction (New Hampshire), then skipped several rocks in his honor. I made my way back to the house where Katie, Bernie's youngest daughter, played 'Oh Danny Boy' for me on her harp, just before I left to catch my bus.

I am staying in the Rainbow Hostel, a hostel in a farm setting about 20 minutes out of Dingle. The cost is 8 Irish Punt, or $9.13/night! I am sharing a dorm with women from New Zealand, Germany and France.

Dingle Town is located on a working fishing harbor and is very quaint and friendly, with colorfully painted houses and shops. After I got settled, I hiked back into town and explored. Lots of crafts and jewelry shops, the omnipresent pubs, and natural wool sweater shops. Fisherman were pulling in their catch at the marina.

I decided to take a 2.5 hour boat tour out of the harbor and up to the Blasket Islands (where Tom Cruise's 'Far and Away' and Robert Mitchum's 'Ryan's Daughter' were filmed). We headed out and away from Dingle Town, which is even cuter from the harbor. Soon, Fungie the famous Dingle dolphin joined us an swam along with us for a bit. (Fungie appeared in the Dingle harbor in 1983 and has been here ever since. He is completely wild, but simply enjoys hanging out with the tourist and fishing boats. There is a statue of him at the marina, and of course you can buy Fungie t-shirts.)

Once out of the harbor, the scenery changed dramatically. Steep windswept slated cliffs, and stunning views. Seals, cormorants, and some other unidentifiable birds with 6-foot wingspans. We passed the place where a ship from the Spanish Armada sank in the 1500's and 1,000 men were lost. Also, on the cliffs we could see thousand-year-old forts. A fun trip.

Yesterday I hired a bicyle for the day and toured the Peninsula- a 30 mile ride. It was so georgeous!! I got to see the same ruins close-up, some beehive huts (which were inhabited from 'ancient times to 1200 A.D. They are round huts, made out of stone with no mortar. The stones have a downward and outward tilt so as to shed the water. At the top, there is a small opening. Several of these beehive huts were clustered together, as on a farm or a small community.)

I road along the cliffs and out to Slea Head, the westernmost point of Ireland (and Europe.) I stopped at a quaint museum of Celtic history and in the cafe, ate scones and drank tea while overlooking the harbor where some major battle had taken place.

It was a great day, but I am paying for it today -- really sore!

I'll be here one more day, then will make my way up the western coast.