A Visit to Eire

Somewhere in Offaly

We're not sure where we are right now, we know it starts with an M but we can't remember the rest; it is in Co. Offaly, though, as we're on our way to Kells, Co. Meath for the night. We're spending the night close to Newgrange so hopefully we can be one of the lucky few who get into see it each day.

We spent last night in Clifden in Connemara, which, if you look on a map, is the furthest west you can pretty much go in Ireland. Today we're driving almost as far east as you can go. Fortunately Ireland is small and it's only taking about 4-5 hours.

We stayed in another B&B last night; man, these Irish breakfasts are going to kill us, I think I feel a heart-attack setting in right now. You walk into the dining room and there's muesli, wheatabix and cornflakes and some fruit and some yogurt, juice and tea. Then your hostess brings you toast and a plate with eggs, sausages, rashers (like wide bacon) and for some reason, a piece or two of tomato. It's really good but really a lot, too. Morgan's thinking about becoming vegetarian for a week or two after this trip; he's all meat-ed out. All you can really buy here (as far as meals in establishments go, without paying €20) is meat-based things: shepherd's pie, fish and chips, meat sandwiches, meat salads, chowders. And chips come with everything; a salad is basically some lettuce that you're supposed to eat on top of your meat. I'm ok with it, I was seriously interested in trying the battered sausage at the pizza place we went to the other day but I'm definitely looking forward to not eating out for a while once we get home.

I guess that's the toss-up between hostels and B&B's - we've stayed at some really nice hostels with ensuite bathrooms, double rooms, for like €20 each and then you can cook for yourself and everything but we've stayed at some nasty ones, too, but the B&B's are nice, they're just all the same and you have to eat out for dinner every night, hence the meat overload.

So anyway, onto Kells, Newgrange and the Hill of Tara. Tomorrow night we're in some swanky airport hotel and we fly out of Dublin in the morning on Tuesday. We will see as much of London as possible in a few hours and then we're in a hotel near Gatwick Tuesday night because we have to be at the airport at 3:30 am (we'll have a review of Zoom later) for our 5:55 am flight back to Vancouver.

I'm tired just thinking about it; plus we have to turn in our sweet little car, which sucks as then we'll be packing all the crap we've managed to load ourselves up with.

Here are some pictures for your perusing enjoyment. One is the portal dolmen from the Burren area, another is of me as we try to follow the Burren Code and not squash any flowers on a hike up one of the Burren hills, there's one of a kiteboarder in Dog Bay and then some donkeys outside of our hostel in Dublin, the Aille River, a home away from home.

Enjoy and see you all soon!

posted by Michelle @ 1:52 PM