How Are Things In Connemara?

Maybe two this week?

Day 4

An early up and off to the ferry for another fun filled Irish day, and what a day it was. The road to Connemara was filled with sights both natural and not, so in some ways, this was Ireland at its finest (including Ireland's wonderful road system, which makes most American roads look like a stroll through the park...)...

I was fairly drowsy until lunch, but I do recall green, rolling hills and quaint little lakes and sheep. Lots and lots of sheep. For gas, we stopped at what I can only describe as a back country Irish strip mall (not as bad as it sounds...). The craft store boasted some of the finest in Ireland so it was worth a stop just to satisfy our curiosity...

We were drawn to a huge statue of a man (turned out to be the Connemara Giant...) and at his base were the words, and I kid you not, 'The Connemara Giant, carved by the Connemara Craftsmen in 19XX, for no reason at all.' You gotta love the Irish sense of humor. This trip is shaping up just right. After a while in the gift shop (and a quick change of pants...), the Irish countryside awaited...

For lunch (for reals, this time...), we pulled over for a pastoral picnic amongst the largest Irish mountain range, the 12 Bens. These mountains reminded me of a cross between our Rockies and Appalachians; green like the east coast, but very treeless like most of the west. Very lovely indeed. Did I mention a butt load of wandering sheep? Cause there's a butt load...

After seeing signs for some sort of music workshop (perking my interest...), it seemed to be a worthwhile side trip. Rather than being an activity center, it was literally a workshop where instruments were made, specifically bo'hdrans (pronounced bow-run...). The salesman, who was surprisingly Texan with a Scottish partner (small world, no?). Long story short, I bought an Irish drum for my father as a Christmas gift (I hope he enjoys it...). I almost want one for me; they're pretty cool...

Cong Abbey was our next stop, which turned out to be ruins (pretty cool; America needs better ones...), a usable cemetery, and a pastoral, verdant back area. If weather had permitted, we'd have walked through the verdance. But Irish weather (such as it is...) persisted and drove us back to the car. In the rain, we pitched our tent and prayed. See you in the morning...

June 16, 2009
Nicholas C. Witte

As before, have some bonus pictures on the house (and yes, that is the Giant from the back...):

LOOK! You see? The Cliffs of Insanity!

Another day in (Irish...) paradise...

Day 2

Very tired this morning. Jet lag caught up to me big time. But after much poking and prodding from Tara, I was roused. After a light breakfast (one step in my weight loss plan...), we hopped into the car for the day to begin. First stop: Dunguaire Castle...

The castle was actually smallish from the outside and, since it cost for the tour, we decided to walk the grounds. We got some nice pictures and, all in all, it was a nice first stop. It got me ready for the next item: the Cliffs of Moher. Before the cliffs, we passed through some gorgeous scenery (though I am seeing very little that isn't gorgeous...) and drove on one of the worlds curviest roads; the aptly named Corkscrew Road. Anyways, onto to the cliffs...

The Cliffs of Moher (colloquially known to many Americans as 'THE CLIFFS OF INSANITY!!!'...) were very impressive and stretched for miles down the coastline. Despite being fairly touristy for a national natural monument (though I suppose no more so than any in the states...), the cliffs were a treat. I got to see my first puffins AND an honest to God raven in the wild. Tara and I spent a long while trying to decide where that bit in The Princess Bride was filmed; we think we narrowed it down to a couple sections. Got to try my first Irish soft serve there, too (delicious...)...

Lunch next, then it was off to the Burren. The Burren was an odd area, topographically speaking. The whole area is (mostly...) limestone, but due to time and erosion, the ground looks like this: Most of the ground was flat stone and the rain had grooved the land into an intricate rivulets that were dark and deep with hardy grasses growing in most of them. Very cool. The Burren also contained two man-made monuments: A ring fort and a grave marker (called a portal, I believe...). The grave marker resembled a part of Stonehenge, just thinner stones. They actually call the flat stone areas 'pavement'. Weird. Going back, the ring forts (scattered across the island...) are structures used, and later modified, since ancient times (BC...) up to the 15th - 16th centuries. Though each is different, it was quite unique and interesting to be within something so old and still around...

The rest of the evening was spent at camp. Tara and I walked a bit on the beach, ate some packed dinner, and bedded down for a drier night than the previous one. The itinerary tomorrow: The Aran Islands...

June 14, 2009
Nicholas C. Witte

Bonus - A cute picture of me and Tara at Moher...

Don't know when I'll be back again...

Here comes another entry from my Ireland journal; this time I wrote from a different country. Remember, these entries are verbatim and reflect my mindset at the time. Some of the opinions on these pages may have changed over the course of the trip. Enjoy...

Day 1

If moving from Ithaca the way I did was an experience, then getting to Ireland was a cluster fuck and a half. To be fair, I am still on the proper flight, but let me explain:
-First, I got little sleep on the first flight. No biggie; that happens to everybody...
-Then, customs went smooth with few questions. Bonus...
-Backtrack: the flight into Birmingham was quite painful, due to the fact my ear kept refusing to pop. Even in the air now, my left ear feels full. Bad start to the day...
-Next, the baggage claim. My info wasn't clear on if I transfer the luggage myself (that felt right since I was changing airlines...) or they do it automatically (this is the correct one...). Originally, no problem. I had like 40-45 minutes till the flight. Here's where is all went south...
-I first went to the wrong terminal. Stress builds...
-I find the proper terminal, however the Aer Lingus gate has closed for check in A HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE FLIGHT. I'm screwed big time...
-Nearing tears (to be fair, it would leave me stranded IN ENGLAND...), I happen across a mother/daughter team who did the same things I did (It's an American thing. We screw up alot...)...
-We then go to rebook the flight (which would seriously crimp the budget...) and come to find out our boarding passes are at the US Airways gate. Frantic, adrenalized energy sets in...
-RUN!!!
-Jump the security check line. RUN!!!
-Boarding pass and passport checks out. RUN!!!
-Get on the plane and quiver with relief/terror/etc...

Two points of note this morning. One, if you arrive on one airline and will leave on another one, isn't it natural to assume your ticket will be picked up at the NEXT airline? Yes. Is that the reality of the situation? Hell no. At least, hell no in England/Europe. And what the crap is that 'closing check in early'? It doesn't leave any time for stragglers, late comers, or emergencies. Now, maybe it's my spoiled American ways, but it seems a little too...overly efficient, let's say...

And speaking of efficiency, number two; the British security check points. They are tight, efficient (I said that...), and a model for the rest of us. EXCEPT: They are quick almost to the point of careless (almost...). I didn't have to take off my shoes (American airlines only?) and I didn't even get an obligatory pat down. Maybe we should be taking a cue from them, albeit tightened up for good measure. I mean, who wants to copy the English, yes?

Seeing Tara made up for the crappy day in spades. I know it was only a couple of weeks being apart and all, but it was a stressful couple of weeks and I've gotten used to having her around. Though, I suppose it was good she wasn't around for the move. I needed all the space I had and then some...

The next part of the day was mostly uneventful. It was a long drive back to our campsite (it only FELT longer than its 4+ hours...), and I was quite drowsy. After some caffeinated beverages, we played catch up and got all kissy faced. Ireland DOES have some pretty country sides, by the way, even if some of it is a bit dull. You could see much of the same in Pennsylvania that you could see here. Dull aside, it is pretty neat to be here. A new place and all...

Our first city tour was in Galway, which I swear was like a modern themed, year long Ren Fest. All the shops were flush with the next and a wide variety of buskers and street merchants abounded. Tara's not much of a city girl, but I sure as heck am (...wait...)! Despite that, we took a walking tour of the town, went to St. Nicholas' cathedral (SUPER stained glass windows. Primo tops...), saw like seven couples making out, then we had dinner...

Since it was my first real meal off the plane, I went with a traditional Irish lamb stew with a Guinness and Tara went with haddock. The food was great, the ambiance was great, the service was ok. Three thumbs up!!!

Afterwards, there's little to tell. We got home, bedded down, got busy, and went to bed. It was a good first day. Tune in tomorrow for...The Cliffs of Moher!

June 13, 2009
Nicholas C. Witte
Guinness Count: 1

You take the high road and I'll take the low road...

Verily and well met, ye travelers. I had the unique opportunity a while back to take a trip to a place I'd always wanted to see someday. For graduation from Cornell, Tara's parents funded her a trip to Ireland and decided to have me join her part of the way through (I think it was a security measure in the end...). We had a blast and a half in those green hills, let me tell you. Actually, I will do just that. While over there, I kept a journal (a classy gift from TJ...) of what we did and saw each day I was there. So, now it's 2011 and once a week I'll be posting one day of my journal on this blog as well as some choice pictures. So...

Day 0

Flight day! Finally, the stress is ending, at least for the moment. Moving was...an experience. Despite the fact that nothing felt right about it and there were set backs aplenty, it was all completed with relatively few hitches. It also proved what stellar friends I have, especially Jon. I honestly could not have done it without him in every sense of the word. Props to Nick & Kate too. They really made up for the past (don't ask...). But if it weren't for Brian & Tj, Jon would be a best man. Bar none. I owe him BIG after this...

As far as the rest of the day(s...) went, a paraphrase will suffice: Load the cars, do the last errands, drive down, switch the cars, drive again, unload the truck, sleep, unload part of Tara's, (re..)pack, drive to Philly, and here we are. As I write this, the plane is trafficking on the runway and we will be on our way to Birmingham; stop 1 of this magical mystery tour...

(Shortly later...)

Something needs to be said still. Those two bottles of wine for Tara? Yeah, I semi-forgot to mention their existence. No duty was levied even if they were discovered. So, that leaves us with the following:
-The wine was NOT discovered in the process of loading the baggage, meaning no duty AND raises concerns about the security of Philly International...
-The wine WAS discovered, but has no duty attached for whatever reason (This is preferable...)...
-The wine WAS discovered, but no one really cared to do anything about it. Troublesome...
-The wine WAS discovered and subsequently taken out of my bag, for any one of multiple reasons, pre-boarding. Disappointing, but understandable...

This raises a concern (potentially...) about the safety of shipped goods. If the win was indeed not found, then it falls into the category of the wine I sent Mom for Mother's Day. Wrapped in a folded beach towel, the USPS were none the wiser. Hopefully, that is not the case with US Airways. Otherwise, yours' truly could in Biiig trouble ::shudder, shudder::. Don't dwell on it, don't dwell on it, damn it! Ok, good...

The time has come to sign off Day 0. Take off has commenced and I've unloaded all that I wish (for now...). Shortly, I shall ascend and be graced with England's shores. It's my first time so I'm stoked. Journalling will be regular, if haphazardly timed. Ah, there we go. Engines are at maximum thrust as of ..................(it was a fake out...)...............................(we are so going to be late...).......................................................(bunch of assholes...)......Screw it. I'm reading Skymall. See you in the UK!

June 12, 2009
Nicholas C. Witte