Sheraton Athlone

Zobaczmy jak pieknie bylo w Irlandii przez te 4 lata
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Let 's see how beautiful it was through those four years :)

On Saturday, we went for a brief shopping trip with Kevin to the supermarket called SuperValu, which is very close to his house. Kevin and Anna asked if we could drop Kevin off in his home town of Athlone (central Ireland) on our way to Doolin.

We got a rental car (Opal Corsa) from Naas, a town near Sallins. The man at the rental car agency was very nice and threw in a few free extras for us. It turned out ...

At Granny and grandad's house they have a farm and on the farm there are cows. A baby calf was born on Saturday and it was a browny orange colour. he also has 2 dogs and one is mean and his name is Ben. The other dog is called Sporty and he is a nice dog.

... and made my way over some rocks, through some tall grass, past a couple sheep and down to the lake. Being overly cautious with my footing at first, once I realized there were no alligators, snakes or poisonous spiders in Ireland, it was like my first time in the Limited Too when I was 11. So much perfection to see and touch! Finally peace and quiet. I think it was the farthest away from civilization I had been in as long as I can remember. I've never felt so successful in my life!

Founded in 1620 - best known for the family's contribution to astronomy. In 1845, the world's largest telescope at the time was built here. The 56 ft wooden tube is supported by two walls.

In the gardens, they apparently also have the world's largest hedge-row.

A medieval monastery in a remote spot along the River Shannon. Founded in 545-548. A group of stone churches, a cathedral, two round towers, and three high crosses remain. The Pope also held a mass here.

Nearby, there also is a ruined castle just outside the grounds.

... chess and chutes & ladders. Enjoy the pics.

Then it was quite a drive out to Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, but it was well worth it to stop. The day we were out there it was very clear and we could see all the way to Raithlin Island and the the Isle of Arran behind it. Word of warning, this Rope Bridge is in no way handicapped accessible. It's a long walk and a LOT of stairs to get to the bridge. And then you've got to do it all again but ...

... us we weren´t the worst there that night. How bad were other people! Right then facts and stuff that isn´t about how stoopid we are... We were stopped by the National Association of Brazil and pointed in the direction of the nearest Havaiana stall. Seriously, what is with these flip flops - everybody wears them here and I know they´re 30 euro (no fecking euro sign on this keyboard????) at home and 50p here so the temptation to buy 78 pairs is very ...

... the light from the sunset came through the whole cliff faces lit up! Beautiful! Next stop on our Irish tour was Doolin, because our guide book told us this was the place to see live Irish music. We parked next door to O'Conners pub so it was a handy stumble home after a few too many pints of Guiness. The live music was great here, a family of three generations playing together. Our van was parked on a slope and I went to bed with my head on ...

... of clothes on as well as damp stockings and only then felt a small bit warmer in the sleeping bag. Sunday 9th May...50.04N. 11.31W. At 0630 all hell seemed to be taking place on deck and the call came out for "All hands on deck" no one seemed to respond so Mike H came down and asked me if I would come up on deck. I was getting my gear on when he came down again and asked if I could go up immediately, I did so without my life jacket and harness. It was a foolish thing to do as it ...