Thursday, October 19, 2017

Ireland: The Long and Winding Road


   All the troubles and stress I encountered the days prior no longer mattered once I hit the open road of Atlantic Way ... even if that road was backwards and the width of a sidewalk while traversing cliffs. Given my affinity for driving picturesque scenes and visiting old, abandoned places... Ireland was a lovely fit.
Cork County

The southern most county, containing the Mizen Head, which is the southern most point of the island.
 



On the way I came across Duckett's Grove, an old abandoned castle, but with a still maintained courtyard.



Clare County

Even with all the hype, the Cliffs of Moher were one of the greatest places to behold.





Galway County
This expansive county contained some of the most interesting abandoned structures including the Clifden Castle




And the Tyrone House, which was destroyed during he Irish War for Independence


Mayo County

 Some of the finest [and craziest driving] I've ever had the joy of having since it features such views as Killary Harbour, and because the curvaceous stretch of road known as Skyway [and yes, the picture provided is SUPPOSED to accommodate two way traffic... in theory].



Sligo County
What would be most likely my favourite spot, the Dun Briste [The Broken Fort] at DownPatrick Head [,,,I might have been biased]




Donegal County
The Final Chapter of the Wild Atlantic Way, and the northern most county, which included some of the black beaches.



Dublin - Deserted

Due to pressing threat of Hurricane Ophelia, I had to cut my Northern travels short and head back to Dublin to hunker down before flying out. Visiting Dublin this time versus my arrival was eerie and wonderful. No longer could I hear the morning sounds of empty kegs banging against cobblestone as they were delivered to each pub, but instead I was met with an almost entirely deserted city, with businesses closed ... except a couple choice pubs. So I filled up on beer and toasties, hunkered down for the night, and flew out in the morning.

And of course, following the storm, Ireland gave me a signature farewell. 


Until next time.
Cheers.



Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Ireland


This is the first bed I've slept in for the last four days. I've slept on a bus, plane, backseat of a car, and a church pew... but not a bed. I am very happy to be in this bed, because so far this trip has been exhausting.

I left straight from work to catch a greyhound bus to the airport. I neglected to see if there were any major events in Chicago that could potentially delay my bus route, like the Chicago marathon. I was incredibly anxious about missing my flight the entire taxi ride to the airport from the bus station. Though the taxi ride was expensive, the taxi driver was kind and offered me some fruit from his lunch since he worried with all the travel I hadn't had time to eat.

My rental was over the quoted price, my feet are already incredibly sore, I'm getting sick, I'm dehydrated, and due to a bent rim I'm delayed by at least a day from my travels. I feel kind of miserable, and want to go home.
However, at this moment, I'm in a comfy bed of a Venezuelan family. Even if things continue to worsen, I'll be okay. I'm already over budget, but I can adjust. I cushioned by schedule with an extra day, so I can still see everything I'd like to.

No matter what, I'm in a beautiful country experiencing very new things, and that's exactly what I was hoping for. The rest is just semantics.

Let's go exploring.


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