Leenane Hotel

... her son who was away. She showed us to a lovely room and took us upstairs to the sitting and dining area. She told me to use the kitchen to make coffee or tea and gave us the run of the place. As we were the only guests, it was wonderful.

We went back to the Atlantic Drive and clambered over a stone wall to go inside Grace O’Malley’s castle, which was more of a tower than a castle. Then we went back to another cemetery that I had read about.

In the ...

... bare feet and let me tell you it is not a smooth walk. Hundreds of people even go so far as to walk 21 miles from Ballintubber Abbey where St. Patrick baptized the people all the way to the mountain and then climb it... IN ONE DAY....crazy. One of my roommates says that she and her dad climb the mountain at least 2 times a year and she has seen old woman upwards of 80 climbing the mountain in just their bare feet...

Me and my group ...

... was the Burren Perfumery where we watched a short film about the area. We tried several different scents--they make perfumes from the flowers of each season, and I found a lovely perfume to buy.

Our next stop, after driving a perilously narrow road (one car width), was the Caherconnell Stone Fort. Most of the outer walls have survived, but nothing inside except a few foundation stones. A new excavation outside the fort ...

... and given 7,000 acres. Still a lot, but not nearly as much or as good of land as they had. The Inside was furnished as it would have been in the 1900's (we werent allowed to take pictures inside) and got to see how the landlord would conduct business with his tenants...by hiding behind a secret bookcase and having an agent do everything! The grounds were absolutely beautiful too. There is a large lake ...

1st stop Ballintubber Abbey...

This Abbey has been around for a while to say the least....It is here that St. Patrick baptized the people of the area in 441 A.D.. There is a bit of lore to how it came to be
in the modern state it is now. It was said that the clergy of the church took in the prince of Turloch because he was fleeing the vengeance of Turloch's queen who wanted her own son to sit the throne. The clergy of the ...

... 70 and so sweet. She started to pull the first pint and Jim stopped her to ask if she took credit cards or US dollars. She said "oh no dear, we do not." When we said we had not changed money yet she said, "Just have one now and bring the money back later." Now, who in the US would say that? We of course did not take her up on the offer. We got directions to a market, purchased some supplies and stopped at a place that ...

My bag has been packed. And re-packed. And unpacked. And squished.
I've informed the hotel of my late arrival.
I've got (some) foreign cash.
My electrical batteries are charged.
My print outs are in a waterproof folder in a waterproof bag.


Agh!

... Micky è un animale da palcoscenico, ogni pezzo ha la sua storiella o battuta. Ogni storiella termina con le risate, quella del pubblico e la sua, fragorosa, inimitabile, contagiosa.
Fergan è un chitarrista eccezionale. Suona con una chitarra elettroacustica, collegata con due pick up ad una pedaliera da cui ricava sostanzialmente due suoni, uno che usa per accompagnare Micky con potenti bassi e uno per gli assoli, autentiche perle. Usa ...

... a few other guests here. For some reason, all of the staff (which outnumbers the 3-4 guests about 8:1) speak French and broken English. Fairly odd in the middle of the Irish countryside. I tried to ask the friendly receptionist some advice about what to see in France, and he told me about the weather in Ireland. Huh? Oh well. I guess it is only preparing us for our journey to Paris in a few days. Once we got situated in the ...

... muddy bogs but once we reached the mountain the ground started to dry up. The weather was perfect when you were in the sun but once you walked into the shade it was freezing. Finally when coming down the mountain we ran into some horses and donkeys. Heading to Scotland soon!