O?G1

The title was suppose to say omg but the keys on this french keyboard are not in the order I`m use to. To those of you I promised to update by blog I'm sorry but we've had little access to the internet. The cafes in France are so expensive. I'm journaling often and hope to find a spot soon to use for more than 15 minutes at a time. But we are fine. loved the rest of our time in Ireland, thought london was great, and after my initial shock in Paris am falling in love with it. Life is good and the weather has been grand.

Galway, Inish More, and Dingle

Monday 13th of July

The drive to Galway was several hours but on nice wide international duel carriage roads. That means they had more than one lane going in each direction. We didn't make any stops along the way. We left in hot sun and driving encountered hard showers, sprinkles, sun, overcast, and more showers that flooded the drains along the road. We have really lousy wipers on our blue Nissan Note. Which seems odd since we're in Ireland...where it rains. We arrived in Galway around 3. Our ferry to the Aran Island Inish Mor wouldn't leave till 6:30 from a smaller village 45 minutes away. So we went into Galway to look around. We stopped by Jury's Inn where we would be staying the following night and inquired about the computer cord that Miles sent us. We had forgotten it at home. Now when I say forgotten I mean that I apparently only said to pack the computer. I failed to also ask a certain young man to also pack the cord, the life line of the computer, as well. So he didn't. I bought this dinosaur of a computer, a Dell, for $200 on Ebay before we left so that Forrest would have a computer to work on his summer school work. So far it's been a $200 space hog. He says it was an accident but hmmmm, I have to wonder.

Unfortunately the cord wasn't there yet. Nor would it arrive before we left 3 days later. I left the address in Paris for it to be forwarded to. It is going to be a well traveled cord before Forrest ever finishes an assignment.

After we decided to walk around Galway. Described to me by Naomi as a sister city to Bham. It's a college town on the west side of the country. We were staying right on Quay street which is the hub of the tourist and party scene. They've blocked off several long streets for walking only and lined them with many pubs, cafes, restaurants, and shops. There are street performers everywhere. It's very lively an perfect for people watching. I saw more dreadlocks there than I've seen since my last Dead Show. I do so love a boy in dreads. Forrest and I enjoyed ourselves for the couple of hours we were there. Bruce was trying to figure out a bank problem and got tied up in a phone booth for the whole visit. Not literally, that would have been funny.

One interesting thing we saw was an armored truck stopping at a bank. There were about a dozen armed guards with big guns lining both sides of the street. Strange.

I think I was so ready for a more light hearted place than Derry that I was very excited to stay in Galway. However we needed to catch our ferry. We had to drive a coastal road about 45 minutes to get there. It was more of a ferry terminal than a town. We parked and threw on our packs and walked the 5 minute walk to the terminal. We had finally escaped all signs of rain and sat in the sun along side a nice sized crowd waiting to board. The guy working the entry plank was wearing an AC/DC shirt. He was a cutie.

We decided to ride on top of the ferry which was walk on only and two levels. I was warm enough with my rain coat and hat but Forrest only had on a tshirt and I saw goose bumps despite his protests that he was FINE. The ride was beautiful and took about an hour. We wondered how they could sell tickets without a computer system to track the number sold. There weren't very many seats on top. When we went to leave we had to go down through the bottom deck where we saw that there were hundreds of comfy empty seats. It was a lot bigger than it looked.

Inish Mor is the biggest of the 3 Islands. It is tiny with a few pubs a bunch of b&bs, several bike rental shops, and a couple of little stores. Our b&b was The Pier House located right at the end of the dock. A huge man, Pat, with the gravely voice of a giant greeted us at the door. He asked if I was Jenn. I love feeling like they are expecting me like a guest. In truth he was probably waiting to go home because I was his last reservation, but I take it where I can get it. Our room was cute. 3 little single beds that reminded me of a certain fairy tale. The room was pink with a nice size bathroom. The mirror above the sink was set so high I could only see from my nose up unless I stood on my tip toes.

Forrest was tired and didn't feel like joining us for dinner. So he crashed out and Bruce and I went to a nearby pub. Pat had told us that the American Bar had some young boys playing traditional music. They had won or come in 2nd in the Ireland's Got Talent competition. He said that they were only playing till 9:30 though, and added that that was probably because they were young boys. This made me laugh. Till I saw them and realized they were young, all probably under 16 years. Unfortunately they were playing to a packed house and there wasn't room to sit and eat. So after our glimpse of the local super stars we headed to the restaurant next door. Dinner was good. I had a potato soup and Irish soda bread and bought 3 meat gourmet pizza for Forrest. I stole a couple of pieces off of it and it was tasty! Of course I also had my Guinness.

Bruce and I walked around the very small harbor from dock to dock. It was dusk but we were on the wrong side of the island to see the sun set. We enjoyed the funny signs with pictures graphically warning visitors to not drive off the end of the docks.

Slept really well here. It was the first, and at the time of this writing, only place that was cool while we slept.

In the morning we woke up early to get a start before the first ferry load of day tourists arrived. We had breakfast, packed our bags, checked out, left our bags in the hall, and rented bikes. It's been awhile since I rode so I was a little nervous. But it's like the old saying goes and it came right back. We had a blast riding across the relatively flat island. Very little traffic to speak off. Through fields fields outlined by lovely rock walls and full of cows, sheep, goats, and jackasses. The sea to our right. We stopped at a little stand in the middle of nowhere selling drinks and candy. They had 2 little donkeys there to pet. They were so sweet and didn't smell. That's one thing I've noticed. There are many fields with cows and other animals and NONE have the rank smells of our cow farms. Of course I'm seeing, and smelling, them in there grazing fields not the barns and there's never the over crowded scene our cows seem to love.

Forrest and stopped at a rocky beach covered in rounded rocks around the size of my hand. Bruce went on as he was anxious to arrive at the fort before the first tourist buses got there. Forrest walked down to the tide pools and I built a rock tower as hundreds had before me. There were little stacks of rocks all over the beach and the effect was very cool. We continued on and came across a Celtic style christian graveyard. Huge Celtic crosses in various designs staring out at the ocean from half way up a hill side. If I wanted to be buried I think it would be fun to be buried there. Fun might not be the right word.

A little past the grave yard the first tour bus passed us by. We arrived at the visitor center, which is code word here for "give us some money here". Paid our fee and started the hike up the mile long gravel path to the top of the hill. In front of me a woman dropped a film canister. I picked it up, called to her, and gave it back. She snatched it without saying thank you. Five steps later she set it down on the stone wall lining the path. Un Fecking Believable! Here we are ascending a beautiful hill with a glorious view behind us of green stone lined fields and crystal blue shining ocean and she is blatantly littering. I flipped! I picked it up as her walking partner watched and commented that I couldn't believe some people's lack of common sense. They spoke French but I hope she got the gist. Forrest panicked because he thought I might make a scene. I wanted to gag her. It was bizarre.

At the top of the hill was an 2,500 year old circular fort on the edge of a sheer cliff. It is amazing to sit in a spot where you know your species has been congregating for that long. The stone walls were 20 + feet high. No mortar. I sat in the grass outside the walls in the long grass and journal ed. It really is a powerful experience to touch that much history. Imagine all the stories that have occur ed there. Inside the stone walls you can imagine the small huts and tents that the occupant's would have lived under. One side of the circle was the sheer cliff. We crawled to the edge and hung our heads over the side. For someone like me whose terrified of heights this was a major feat. The next day when we were at the laundry mat the owner told us that an American had been blown off some cliffs on the same island a few days earlier. They still hadn't found his body and his wife had been with him. My exhilaration was dampened at this. Sometimes you feel a little to invincible on vacation. How horrible.

Derry to Galway

Saturday the 11th of July

I think I left off in Derry at the last post. Derry was an interesting experience. Glad I went and glad that I have no reason to return. We arrived, I believe, on the 11th of July which is very poor timing. The 12th is the day of the Unionist's big orange parade which they have 100's of small ones throughout the year. We were staying in the non unionist area or the Catholic neighborhood. We arrived around 6 and it was cloudy and grey, which can taint the prettiest city. And I'm fairly certain that Derry isn't a noteworthy beauty on the sunniest of days. We didn't have directions to the b&b so we had to use my magical navigation powers which work well but can be hard to fully trust at times. The city has a hard look to it and going into it with a preconceived notion of The Troubles, I was uncomfortable on arrival. We found our way to the Bloody Sunday Monument and located our spot directly behind it. You definitely had the feeling of being in a very rough part of town. The b&b however felt cheerful as we went in and were warmly welcomed by our host. He called us by name and shared that he'd just had a family reunion. His cousin is Jamie Kennedy who did not attend the reunion but whose family did. He felt that he is funnier than his kin. He was nice but I didn't find him particularly humorous. But who am I to judge?

He informed us that our friends were already checked in which was a great surprise. Jen and Betsy have been traveling in the opposite direction around the country for about a week longer than us. Our paths just happen to cross here in the middle of strife ridden Derry. It was so good to see familiar faces even though we were only a few days into our trip. It was especially nice to feel that our group was a little more formidable looking than with just three. Who wouldn't feel safer in a group with two, yes I said two, tough ass Dean of Students, and a Kindergarten teacher. These folks deal with all kinds of "troubles" every day back home they will be able to maneuver through whatever troubles Derry could throw at us.

Since it was evening when we arrived passed 6 we were all hungry. Jen and Betsy had scoped the area out already and led the way to dinner. The streets are so emptied compared to cities a home. Plus they roll down these metal garage doors over their business fronts, like in New York. We saw our first intoxicated napping on the street or ranting to their friends folks. We crossed huge squares where maybe one car passed through. All this plus the many dark political murals of gas masks, guns, and propaganda left a knot in my stomach and Forrest was definitely tense. I was actually more worried for him than the adults. We saw many young men roaming in groups with a subtle intensity about them. I figured they'd be more likely to bother Forrest than a group of women and Bruce. We found a nice restaurant called Flaming Jacks (I think). We sat in the bar and listened to the lively voices rise and fall. The place was inviting, fun, full, and safe feeling, so different from outside the door.

We had a nice dinner. Forrest had ribs and I had chicken with peanut sauce. I've also discovered that I really like Guinness. I'm so glad, not sure why, but I am. After dinner we returned to the b&b and visited for awhile in the common room. Luckily we didn't seem to bother the other guests with our loud laughing.

We all slept like crap the first night in Derry. The room was warm even with the window opened wide. Our window over looked the back yards of an apartment house and their little garbage alley. Late we could hear when the bars closed and folks wandered back home. Plus this was the first night that Forrest and I shared a room with Bruce so I'm sure we were getting used to the tight quarters and sleeping noises too.


Sunday July the 12th

Our second day in Derry was a little sunnier. However I was wiped out. We got up and had breakfast the now usual several choices of cereal in Tupperware bins, runny yogurt, toast, fruit, coffee or tea, and several juices. Or a Traditional Irish Breakfast of several glistening in grease meats, over medium egg, and soggy cooked tomato. I really enjoy the breakfasts but steer clear of the Traditional choice. Forrest really likes to order it and even ate one of the tomatoes the other day. I ate the other half and we both gagged together. A bonding moment.

After breakfast the group decided to go for a walk. I was feeling really groggy and decided I needed to chill and maybe sleep. Instead I blogged about our first few days. When they returned I learned they've walked the ancient wall around Derry. I was bummed as this is a walk I wanted to do. Oh well. We did a small lunch and decided to do the Free Derry Tour which isn't a free tour of the city. We joined a group of about 12 and were led around a several block radius that included the FREE DERRY sign and many murals by an ex POW, IRA member. He filled us in of his version of the story. He said that it's his version and that he agrees that the first victim of any war is always the truth. I liked that he admitted it. He was a smaller man kinda bent at the middle. He kept rubbing his throat with 3 fingers and his face with his middle finger throughout the lecture. He says that The Troubles are in fact not a religious war but that is the slant the British would like the world to believe. Instead it's a war of civil rights. Northern Ireland, or Ulster, is home to many people whose families originally came from England and Scotland. They were sent there by the English King in the 16 or 1700's, for the usual reasons. These folks were predominantly Protestant. My ancestors were from the Scottish bunch. Back in the 1600's the protestants took over the city of Derry in force and became the majority. The folks that are protestant and originally from Scotland or England make up the Unionist group, those that want to keep their ties with Britain and not merge with the rest of Ireland. To celebrate their big 1600's conquest of Derry the Unionists celebrate with parades, 100's every year.

There have been lots of scuffles since then between Catholics and Protestants because the laws typically favored the Protestants and oppressed the Catholics. In the 1840's during the potato famine many Irish Catholics moved north to Derry. They were allowed to live outside the walls of Derry. The area they lived on had at one time been covered by the Boyne River (is that the right river?) But the river had changed course and left a boggy wetland. The area they lived in was called Bogside. Over time many Catholics moved to the area. Soon the area of Derry was predominately Catholic. Yet the group still had little political power, inadequate housing, were shut out of jobs, ect. When the U.S. was at the height of it's Civil Rights movement it inspired the Catholic folks of Derry to action. The IRA came into full development (inspired by Malcolm X?) and many peaceful marches, sit in's, and hunger strikes occurred (inspired by MLK and Ghandi).
All this led to The Troubles. The British military was posted in Derry for many years and only recently has left. I was left unclear from our guide as to whether their political ambitions were ever fulfilled. However the tension and hard feelings are very evident in many of the murals, graffiti, and our guides face. The tour was on a Sunday. Monday was the day planned for the big Unionist Parade. Our host said it was best we left early on Monday morning to not get tangled up in the parade crowds and routes, specially since we were driving a car from the Republic of Ireland. Though Derry is predominantly Catholic and loyal to Ireland, Northern Ireland is predominantly Protestant and Loyal to England.

Okay so that's how I understood it all. I could have misunderstood he did have a heavy accent and the cars were whipping by loudly. Many honked and waved at him and he would call back to them by name, small town. Let me know if you see errors in my thinking because I would like to understand it better.

We went out for drinks after the tour. It reminded me of a food court because it was wide open with tons of seating and a mall feel. But you could drink or eat. We all noticed a tension in the air then. So was it our filters or were people looking at us funny? We went to dinner at Flaming Jack's again and called it an early night.


Monday July 13th

Woke up much more refreshed on Monday. We had a nice breakfast with Jen and Betsy and were on the road by 8:45. We easily found our way out of town, no sign of parades, crowds, or troubles anywhere. I was relieved to be headed south to Galway and the Aran Islands that were so recommended by friends.

Our first few days

It's going to fast! I knew we were 9 hours ahead of Ireland but I didn't know that time passes 9 times faster. No wonder they prefer a slower pace of life here, when your moving fast things begin to blur. This is the first day we've had access to a computer so I'll try to catch you up.

We made it out of the U.S. with little fuss. I did wake up at 6:45 instead of leave at 6:45 but we made up the time by forgetting to pack the computer cord. On the first plane a panicky mom whose daughter was unwilling to sit by me, despite the captain pleading for everyone to sit down and my reassurance that I wouldn't bother her, gave me a first class ticket to so we could exchange places. Score! Just in case you are like me and have never had the opportunity to place your butt in the gilded seats of the elite let me fill you in. They give you hot wash cloths to "Freshen your face and hands." Verra nice! They have appetizers, 3 gourmet main dishes to choose from, dessert and unlimited drinks. But the best part was the 21.7 inch leather seat! And just in case you're wondering the toilets ARE gilded in gold.

Forrest and I passed notes between the partition that divided us first classers from the peasants. Yes I know I could have stood up and walked back there but really I didn't want my new friends to judge me for my all to recent ties to economy. So needless to say I was feeling pretty good about the trip at take off. No panicky flying, I did sleep some, and I think Forrest forgave me for ditching him like a hot potato at the first opportunity. He had to have a turkey dog for dinner, so there were some hard feelings when he heard about the ice cream dessert and crab and shrimp appetizer.

We arrived bleary eyed and running on an adrenaline high. We rented a light blue 4 door Nissan Note, wheel on the right, long rectangular white license plate on the back. I asked the attendant how to get to the M1 and he proceeded to speak a hundred miles an hour with a lovely thick accent. (Lovely is my new word.)His directions involved many rights, several lefts, and a couple of roundabouts. I'm sure my eyes were wide as I thanked him. I had no idea beyond getting out of the parking lot what he said. But I was the navigator so I had to be brave. I was thoroughly terrified as I took my seat on the left with my road atlas in hand but Bruce jumped right in. Somehow we made it to the M1 without incident. I would soon find that road names are completely irrelevant when the Irish give directions, landmarks are occasionally mentioned, and they love to mention the lefts, rights, and roundabouts in rapid succession. HOWEVER, we've managed to find our way every time so they must be on to something.

Luckily we started on the M1 which is like a freeway. Bruce does not remember this part of the trip now which is a little scary. The area from Dublin to Belfast looked a lot like Wisconsin to me. Lush green farms with the highway cutting through it all. We intended on scooting right by Belfast but took a slight wrong veer and wove through the city. I was very proud of Bruce and I for handling the problem very well. He maneuvered masterfully and I was able to guide us back to the freeway. Forrest slept through it all.

Belfast was not impressive from the little I saw of it. Not many pedestrians, lots of grays, weeds, and concrete. You can see Sampson and Goliath from the freeway standing by the harbor. At one time they were the biggest cranes in the world. Now they are an accent that screams "Industrial Section". I did make a point to glance at the harbor and note that this is where the Titanic was built, and as Bruce added, lots of other ships that didn't sink.

After Belfast the road shrunk to small roads whose borders were shrubs and rock walls strategically located where our shoulder lines are usually at. Very unforgiving streets that force you to learn quickly. I was often heard pointing out "car! curb! pedestrian!" The amazing thing is that we saw no accidents, dead cyclists, road kill, or smooshed grannies on our journey. Since there is no shoulder you would think that there wouldn't be cars parked along side the roads. You're right. They park right in the road, sometimes facing the wrong way. It is common to come round a corner and see a car stopped, think it's waiting for something, only to realize the driver is probably eating dinner in the house next to it. The already narrow road now involves weaving around these parked cars, into oncoming traffic, and back to the left side of the road. However it was probably the adrenaline rush that kept us awake that first day.

We arrived in Bally Carry after a couple of hours of driving. Exhausted we checked into Drumgart Farm B&B. Oliver and Elinor were very kind and had a lovely place. Lots of floral carpeting and wallpaper, family photos, and a nice view. The beds were very comfy but could have slept on a rock at that point and been happy. We slept for a couple of hours and forced ourselves back up despite the grains in our eyes and this urge to slash throats that tiredness brings on. We decided to venture to Carrikfergus for our first authentic Irish meal. Elinor recommended PaPa Browns. This sounded very pub'ish to me so we set out. We parked and then walked around the large castle that sits on the harbor. It was closed so we couldn't go in. But it was neat looking nonetheless. I think it was from the 1700's but I could be wrong. Then we crossed the street to Papa's. Papa's turned out to be the Irish version of TGIF. A huge flat screen tv was bolted to the wall showing VH1, brass knobs, new brick made to look old, and dark brown fake leather set the decor. Forrest had a hamburger and I ordered a chicken burger that looked like they used the same technique that's used on fish for fish and chips. Food was good ambiance was familiar, not what I expected.

After dinner we were determined to kill time before sleeping. We decided to tour the area a bit. This area is where my ancestors lived after Scotland, or maybe between their time in Scotland. This little piece of information was in the forefront of my mind the entire time we were in Bally Carry. We drove out to Island Magee and did the circuit around it. Very pretty with lots of wee old houses, sheep fields, and shrub lined roads. We stopped at windy beach that proved to cold to walk on. I took the Blue Note for a spin around the parking lot which was fun since I didn't have to do round a bouts, take turns, change lanes, or squeeze between on coming traffic and a stone wall. Very strange driving on the opposite side but Bruce and I agreed it feels weirder in the passenger seat. Probably because you feel like you should be controlling the car but aren't, not at all, not even a little.

After our island adventure we returned to the b&b and crashed hard for the night.

Our 2nd day began with a shower. Here they have these little boxes in the shower to choose your water temp and pressure. You also have to pull the string outside the shower to get it all going. It worked well. For the toilets you have to hold the handle down longer which took a few tries for us to figure it out. Elinor provided a very nice breakfast and we felt like guest in a Friends home. It is hard to get used to someone serving you a big breakfast without helping to prep or serve. We met an electrician during breakfast who is helping to do dredging work in the harbor nearby.

After breakfast we got directions from Elinor for the McMurrin Farm that is still in the area. She assured us that Racheal McMurrin is a lovely person who would love for us to stop by. The directions kept to the pattern I described before, but once again we found the farm without incident. I was not brave enough to knock so I only looked, snapped a pic or two, and turned around. I saw the old dilapidated school house that John said my ancestors would have attended. It's used as a shed now. Then we set off to find the Raloo grave yard. This venture was unsuccessful in terms of finding the grave yard but fantastic for feeling like we got off the beaten path and saw the Irish countryside. It was truly spectacular. There is field after field, and the continuous low hills seem to be holding them up toward the sun. The dramatic lighting through blowing clouds does amazing things to the different greens that are mixed into each field. The sea was a continuous rich blue border. We took lots of pictures to say the least.

The rest of the day was spent weaving along the coast through little villages and beaches. Cross the water you can see the shadow of Scotland about 15 miles away. For some reason I loved this idea. We stopped at one beach full of white rocks that looked out at two distant light houses on islands. A bicyclist was there resting. He lived nearby and we asked him if he enjoyed biking on the roads here. He said that he's used to it and been doing it for years. I'm surprised he's alive. We stopped in a wee village with a wee library with a wee Internet connection. I paid my 1£ to log on for a half hour. It was so cool to sit there and listen to the locals come and go. They chatted and ribbed each other about their book selections. I wish I'd written down a few of the things I heard because they sounded so clever. The library was about the size of a small 7-11, peeling paint, and the slowest Internet connection in the entire world. But you could tell it was definitely an important hub.

Forrest decided to get a hair cut here instead of a hat. Neither he nor I would recommend the place. 'Nough said.

We headed south from Cushendall to check into our Camping Barn. This was the first time we saw conifers. They are shorter than in Washinton. The Barn was adorable, white with red trim. It had a common kitchen and bathroom, a dorm room, and an apartment attached to the farm house. It's owned by a story teller. Unfortunately the apartment was accidentally given to someone else. Which meant that we were going to have to share the dorm with what looked like an army of children despite being told that it was one family. Lovely or not we decided we would go ahead into Portrush and see if we could find accommodation there. I was sad not to get to stay and walk through the woods in the glens of Antrim, but I'm sure there will be other opportunities.

Portrush was not what I expected at all. I thought it would be a quaint little beach town. Instead it was a massive Old Orchard Beach or Ocean Shores. The town was completely booked up since this is the vacationing hot spot for the locals and tourists. We felt lucky to get a room at the Best Western right outside of town. It was very nice. The only thing that made it feel different than the U.S. was the VERY small lift. 3 people and our bags fit but we were nose to nose. An Irish voice came over the speaker explaining which floor we were on. It took two rides before we were all convinced that it was a recording.

Forrest crashed early. He's taken a few days to acclimate to the time change. The fact that he tried to stay up all night before we left so that he could sleep on the plane, coupled with the fact that he couldn't sleep on the plane, made for a kiddo who crashes by 8:30 each night. But he's been up and at em each morning by 9 with Bruce and I. He's been a good sport so far and fun to travel with.

Bruce and I went out to dinner at 8:45 but there were waits at all the recommended restaurants. We found a hidden little place called Spinnaker where we had very peppery pepper chicken. Here you order your main dish and your side dish seperately and they are served in separate dishes. They apparently do not put sour cream on their potatoes here and prefer for you not to either. After dinner we were amazed that the streets of Portrush were dead! No one was out and about and all the stores were closed. Since it was a Thursday night in a vacation town we were surprised. We walked down by the water which was lined with big black boulders. There were about a dozen fishermen with lines in the ocean. Despite being 9:30 it was still very light out, warm, and sunny. We wove ourselves through the confusing streets of the peninsula full of roundabouts and one ways back to our hotel on the edge of town. From there I could see the ocean and watch the sun set.

Friday was a very busy day. We began with the Bushmills Distillery. The oldest licensed whiskey maker. Nice tour, good whiskey, done by 10:30am. Next was the Rope Bridge. It' s located on a spot where fisherman have placed a rope bridge every year for thousands of years to go out to a small island to fish for Atlantic salmon. It was a hilly 1 mile walk to the bridge but gorgeous. The sun was shining and the colors of the ocean and sand remind you of a tropical place. The bridge is very high and connecting two cliffs. The board down the middle was about a foot and a half wide with netting on the sides and two thick ropes for handles. My left leg was shaking way before I stepped on. I was terrified but determined. I tried glancing down but could feel my body begin to freeze and shake all at once. By staring forward I kept moving. Bruce was kind and very encouraging which helped too. Forrest crossed before me quickly and was a good person to look at as I crossed over. The island looked over the water to a large horse shoe shaped island and then further you could see Scotland. The ground was covered in long soft grass and the ground felt loamy; soft and with give. The wind was cool and the sun warm. I wanted to curl up and just stare and breathe. Honestly it broke my heart to leave this spot. Our pictures will not capture what it was like, so hopefully I sat long enough to hold it in my head. After about an hour we headed back across the bridge. Not as hard as the first time but still felt wobbly.

After the bridge we headed to the Giant's Causeway. Legend has it that Finn MacCool built a bridge of stone to Scotland for his love. But a Scottish Giant ripped it up while he ran in fear of Finn. What's left are thousands of hexagonal pillars of various heights and widths that make a great climbing park. It was very cool looking and fun to run around on. After exploring the rocks we hiked up a huge cliff and looked down from above. I was bushed after all the hiking. I'm a bit out of shape for all the moving but made it to the top despite my red face and wheezing lungs. Forres took great joy the whole time going to close the edge and freaking me out. We returned to the hotel, showered, and headed out for dinner. We did dinner at a tall table at the Harbor Bistro. This meant you sat at a common table in the restaurant and went to the bar to order. I had a duck dish which was fine. We returned to the hotel and did some journal writing.

Saturday morning we went to Dunluce Castle ruins. It was a small castle with a long and tragic history. Which included many raids, fire, and the entire kitchen and some staff falling off the edge of the cliff one night. It was interesting. The fellow at the ticket counter told us that all of Ireland used to be covered by woods and that wolves had been abundant. This is amazing since there are so few trees left, especially along the coast. The wolves are extinct here because of lack of space. I wonder if there is a lesson in that.

From there we went to Colerain. I realized the first night of the trip that I had left my book on the plane. Ironically I must have forgotten it right after reminding our seat mate to not forget his. In Portrush we asked our waitress if there was a bookstore in town. She said there were a few Korean ones. We were perplexed since we've seen very few non-white people in Ireland. Later looking at a map we realized she'd said there were a few in Colerain. So I guess we haven't fully mastered the Irish accent yet. Colerain is a college town and very nice. We found a bookstore and I bought my second copy of The Other Bolyn Girl (it better be good Naomi!), and a couple of books for Forrest. Then we sat at a Starbucks and journaled for a bit. Judge me if you like but dammit so far the coffee has blown!

After Colerain we went to a place called Down Hill . It was huge manor house ruins with a small domed circular temple on the edge of a cliff. The place is set on a huge bluff over looking the ocean and set in a field of knee high brown grass. The wind was whipping but it remained warm and muggy. They had cut trails through the field to the different buildings. Walking across the huge field to the temple was dramatic. The winds were whipping from all directions tracing paths through the long grass. Walking up the steps to the temple I felt like I might be blown off and right over the cliff. But one step inside and the world becomes silent and still. What an awesome effect! The temple is a large room designed to be a library. It is literally a foot from the edge of the cliff which sits hundreds of feet above the ocean. The brick dome was dizzying. 3 windows and the door pointed in the four directions. I would live in this temple if I could. The place is less than 200 years old but the house is nothing but ruins. It's neat because they have photos of what it looked like inside about a 100 years ago, it was pretty posh. These grounds are my second favorite place so far. I love wild wind, warm air, and long grass.

From here we headed to Derry. We've checked in and are planning a tour later today. We've met up with friends from home Jenn and Betsy. I will write more of this later, it's a little tense here today being the weekend of their big political parades. Or maybe I just feel that way. But I'd rather reflect on this part later, away from here.