Rain? In Ireland? Nonsense.
Trip Start
May 03, 2009
1
14
15
Trip End
Jul 30, 2009
Galway,
Western Ireland,
Ireland
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Getting back to the travels, we are going with a bike theme for this entry. Why? Well we spent last week biking up the West coast of Ireland, and I am writing you today from Switzerland where the 16th stage of the Tour de France kicked off. Stopher and I joined up with a group of strangers (plus my dad and Lisa) in the town of Ennis and our trusty VBT (Vermont Bike Tour) guides loaded us onto a bus to visit the Cliffs of Moher. My mom came here last time we were in Ireland, but this was a first for me. They’re absolutely gorgeous. The wind was howling, and the waves crashing but we had sunshine and a stellar view
Farmer Stopher
. From there, we continued on to the town of Lisdoonvarna where we met our trusty bikes and took a short tour around the area. The next morning, we woke to the pitter patter of not so little rain. Assured by our guides that it was clearing, we set out, looking like a pack of neon yellow puff balls. We rode out to the coast where the wind picked up, as did the rain. If you could imagine the place in better weather, you could see that it was beautiful. However, we had the soggy version. About a mile from our first rest stop, I blew my front tire. No harm, but walking in the rain takes longer. We met up with the group which was huddled in the bathrooms at a beach. The guides assured us that it was clearing though, so we continued on along the coast into the Burren to our lunch stop. That was the point that we realized that no one was truly waterproof. A short break in the rain allowed us up through the rocks to visit a megalithic tomb. After that, the rain was on again as we made the final push back to the hotel. So, the weather sucked, but honestly it was a beautiful ride and I’m happy to say that Ireland is lacking in "killer hills."
The next day, the weather cleared. Ahhh. We rode inland a bit, visiting an old church that had been reclaimed by the local flora. We had a short ride which ended at Corcomroe Abbey; founded in the 12th century. From the abbey, we transferred by bus to the town of Galway. We enjoyed an afternoon of wandering around, and a pint with Majbritt (the friend who met us in Dublin) who lives in Galway. My mom and I visited Ireland around 2004. I had a meeting for work and we spent about a week in Galway. It is a very pretty town, right on the coast.
Early morning departure had us on a ferry boat for the largest of the Aran Islands, Inishmoor
Cliffs of Moher
. On Majbritt’s suggestion, my mother and I visited Inishmoor as well, and stayed in the same guesthouse as the bike tour. It is a beautiful island though (sun was even shining!) and seeing it by bicycle allowed a little more freedom to travel around. If you visit though, you only need one night… and now they have a zillion bike rental places at the ferry port so don’t feel like you have to join a tour. We rode up the island, visiting the seal beach (we only saw donkeys), and arriving at Kilmurvey House. Kilmurvey has gotten bigger since my last visit, but it still lovely and a good place to stay. One of the most popular sights on the island is Dun Aonghasa (pronounced Angus) fort. The fort consists of 4 rings on a cliff. You can’t beat the view. I did however scare poor dad who thought I was dangling my legs over the side, when in reality there was another slab of rock beneath my feet. He wasn’t about to come over to inspect. The rest of the day was ours to explore. Stopher and I rode to the sight of Seven Churches, and he and a few other brave souls took a swim in the icy ocean. On our way back to the ferry the following morning, he explored the old light house, and I hit the sweater shops. We ferried back, and then hopped back on our bikes to head to Connemara. In this region, we discovered a new breed of head winds, but also amazing bogs that people farm for peat (no trees for wood), and more beautiful coastlines
The bike route
. We had a grunt of a ride to our next hotel, but got in early enough to enjoy the view over the water and the setting sun. I would like to note that there are sheep along the road, as in directly next to you with no fences. These sheep have horns. Our last day of riding involved an absolutely ridiculous head wind. I used my granny gear on a flat road. But, it was well worth it because we got to visit Kylemore Abbey. Some thought it looked like Dracula’s castle, but Stopher and I decided we wouldn’t mind living there. It is run by nuns and houses a school, but the school is in its last years. There is also a renovated cathedral and some gardens. We missed the gardens, but heard good things. From Kylemore, we rode towards the coast. In the tiny town of Tully’s Crossing, we saw a rock with writing on it. The dashes on the edge are an ancient writing called Ogham. It is believed to be the earliest script in Celtic Ireland. The final ride back showcased gorgeous beaches and streams, but most notably, a tail wind.
As the bike tour group headed off to their homes, we stayed in Galway for the weekend with Majbritt. We did stumble into the farmers market where we discovered some of the best damn cheddar you’ve ever had. Good stuff. Why we don’t make that in the US is beyond me. So glossing over the incredibly long journey we had to Switzerland, I can now wrap up with a little Tour de France. Stopher and I are in Lausanne, on the last stop of our trip. The Tour started stage 16 in the Swiss town of Martigny, less than an hour away (remember all the St
Seal Beach
. Bernards? Same town). So, today we hopped back on the train, and joined the chaos at the start gate. At the start, you have to guard some space, so we spent a couple hours there. However, there was a parade of sponsors, team vehicles, and the occasional stray cyclist. At this point, Contador (Astana) was in yellow, Pellizotti (Liquigas) in polka dots, and Hushovd (Cervelo) was in green. Overall, our Astana boys are doing well, though we never saw Lance. The whole crew is out and past you in a matter of seconds, but it was still cool as hell to see the riders head off for the Alps. They had over 3000m of climbing ahead of them. Good thing we didn’t sign up for that bike ride!So, we are going to chill in Lausanne for a bit and start thinking about our return to reality. We hope you are all well, and to see you very soon. As we wrap up, a big thanks to Majbritt for putting us up over the weekend, to Pierrik and Deborah for exchanging homes with us, to Gina and Brian for touring us around Ireland. And, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to my dad who still beats me up the hills.
Cheers,
-Jamie & Stopher
Comments
Sweet!
Ireland sounds absolutely gorgeous, except for the hellacious rain and headwinds, of course! But seriously, sounds like you have had a truly marvelous adventure... I wish you a smooth re-entry into 'reality'... and will look forward to seeing you here! Both of your cars are very dusty and lonely looking. The weather here is incredible with no rain expected in the near future. When do you get back to Seattle?
See you soon!
Jamie