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I like to hike in peace. Consequently, today, we find ourselves hiking the Sheep’s Head Way along “a peaceful, unspoilt peninsula” in a remote southwest corner of Ireland If I Google “Sheep’s Head Way” I get 14,500 results. If I Google “Giant’s Causeway” I get 3.8 million results. We’ll give The Giant’s Causeway, the Blarney Stone,…
Continue reading Sheep’s Head WayToday we reluctantly leave Ireland: Dwight heads back to Minneapolis, and I continue my travels for a little longer. 18: # days in Ireland It never rained, not once. 0: # days it rained 0: # days I wore a jacket And it was warm. We walked almost every day. 150: # miles walked (approximately)…
Continue reading Ireland by NumbersI disliked history classes at my high school in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The focus on studying for examinations did not fit my learning style. The teaching style often reflected the teacher’s lack of interest in teaching. To be fair, I did not then have the life experiences to sufficiently understand the nuances of how…
Continue reading My Long Journey to Ireland“Great view.” I kept looking at the Acropolis. Then I realized I was being spoken to. I turned around to see a man in his 70’s. I muttered something in agreement. Hearing my accent he started a “Your Country” routine about British politics. “Wrong country,” I interrupted. Once he determined my actual citizenship he started…
Continue reading Views from a Rooftop Bar“It’s a good trail.” I could tell from the young woman’s hiking boots and glowing expression it would, indeed, be a good trail. I gratefully accepted the walking stick (tree limb) her companion was ready to discard as they left the trail. I clambered over rocks and headed away from the idling tour buses. A…
Continue reading Monasteries on Rocks
Living the jet-set highlife, at Chicago’s O’Hare waiting for a flight to Shannon. Maybe if I took off my shoes…
Cork, Ireland, end of noisy pub meal, the server said “turkey sex farty.” Fighting the fog of jet lag, I paid €36.40
Today, we start walking The Sheep’s Head Way.
Sheep’s Head Peninsula: walked on a ridge trail on peat, rock, and heather, with the Atlantic on each side.
Hiked to end of the isolated Sheep’s Head Peninsula, while 1,000’s of people flew silently to N. America (contrails).
Posted about our current base for hiking: Sheep’s Head Peninsula, southwest Ireland.
Panic! Our local (Eileen’s) is closed Mondays. Mercifully there was another decent pub in Kilcrohane, down the road.
Backpacked back to Bantry along Sheep’s Head Way: great views, great weather. The trails are good, and well-marked.
On a bus, transport public. We drove thru old Limerick\I wanted 2 Tweet\A poem, real neat\But needed > 118 characters.
We’re repositioned and ready to backpack parts of The Burren, starting Thursday.
Me, Cliffs of Moher, walking Liscannor to Doolin. 100’s of people at visitors’ center who came to look over the edge.
We continued walking through The Burren until we reached Fanore for the night.
We walked a loop on good, quiet trails across The Burren, returning to Fanore. The weather has been fine for a week.
We’re in Fanore, The Burren, but I keep thinking I’m in Hawaii: beautiful sunsets, tropical plants, dramatic scenery.
Walked a variety of trails as we headed to the edge of The Burren, and Ballyvaughan for the night.
Urban day: explored the city of Galway. Good Mediterranean dinner, reflecting local Spanish connections.
Today: a train and two buses to Newcastle (Northern Ireland) where we’ll hike The Mournes.
At the end of today’s walk: bright sunshine, mist rolling down from the Mourne Mountains onto Newcastle, County Down.
The trail progressively revealed itself through mist as we headed to the highest point in N. Ireland, Slieve Donard.
Relaxed here, back at the B&B after walking the high moors in the mist to the top of Slieve Commedagh (The Mournes).
Finally the mists have lifted, and we get to see The Mournes from our friends’ home where we are staying tonight.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. Today we went down the checklist of Dublin’s tourist hotspots.
Unlike O’Hare no signs at Dublin Airport telling you to keep your feet off the furniture.
Posted a few statistics about our trip to Ireland.
At Dublin Airport waiting for a flight to Newcastle upon Tyne, England: my home town.
Honored my Mum’s memory with a cuppa and cream cake in Fenwick’s department store, Newcastle. She loved to go there.
Bringing Mario the cockerel to his new Newcastle home. An old family friend admired it, so I got it for her garden.
Walked with friends along Northumberland’s coast. En route: the castle across this bay, pub lunch, afternoon tea.
Today’s destination: Guildford, a base for walking in the North Downs. Right now I’m on a Newcastle to London train.
Posted about my long journey to Ireland.
Tower of London today: 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for each British WW1 military death; one for my grandfather.
After-dinner view before taking the train to Guildford: Thames, Southwark Bridge, St. Paul’s Cathedral.
North Downs walk with a friend included a pub, brewery, and liquor store/micro-brewery. Local beer procured at each.
Another day of hiking the North Downs. Today we only visited one hostelry–for lunch and libation.
Entered these premises in Guildford and allowed a pleasant Hungarian lady to wield a buzzcutter.
Walked on American soil at Runnymede near where King John sealed the Magna Carta in 1215. An A380 climbed from LHR.
Took ferry to Aegina, an island in the Adriatic. Walked in the rain, lunch, sunshine, hydrofoil back towards Athens.
Standing in Monastiraki Square, backpack and cappuccino. In 22 hours: Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, waiting for a bus.
Hi nephews. Istanbul Airport is cool: free slot cars, no need to use pocket money. Wish I could race with you.
Glad I changed my flight, today, from this one. I’m in O’Hare, and will get home earlier than the original plan.
Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, transferring from light rail to bus. Monastiraki Square, Athens is a long way away.