We Ate Lunch in a Ruin

Our last hike in Ireland was definitely my favorite, for reasons other than the fact that it was the one time we didn't get rained on.

Rob and I drove about two hours to a town outside of Dingle called Feohanagh (don't ask me how to pronounce it, I just know the 'gh' is pronounced in a sort of guttural way) to hike along the cliffs there and up to a tower ruin.  It was hard to find because we were told about it by our B&B host and a book on local hikes he had; plus we weren't totally sure it was actually a sanctioned hike because one of the instructions was "cross the wire fence," as in  "climb over the fence because it's someone's property and there's no gate. Also, dead sheep."

The views were spectacular and I think I ended up taking around 200 photos that were mostly duplicates of one another.  I didn't even have to edit them all that much in Photoshop because the colors were that brilliant.  Sadly Photobucket is annoying and I can't seem to upload all the photos I'd like, so I'll share some more when we get home.

We made it to the ruin and had a quick lunch because the wind was pretty bananas.  Luckily we made it down despite almost twisting my ankle a million times and stepping on far too much sheep poop (or "shoop").

Today we're mellowing out and checking out the town a bit more so we're well-rested for our long-ass trip tomorrow.  We even found a bridge built in the 11th century that's still standing, isn't that crazy? It's called "The Cromwell Bridge," so-named from the Irish word for "mustache," not named for Oliver Cromwell like you might think. I think "mustache" is appropriate, personally.

Anyway we are sad to leave, but all vacations must end I suppose.  And we are so, so excited to see our goofy little beastie again because we miss the hell out of her. I hope you guys have enjoyed these Ireland posts almost as much as we enjoyed the actual trip.

I Didn't Get to Meet Frodo.

So titled because I'm pretty sure we hiked in the Shire the other day.

We woke up the other morning knowing two three things: (1) Irish food can really wreak havoc on your stomach (I'm guessing because of all the meat and carbs?) (2) We wanted to go hiking and (3) We should leave early in the day so we could avoid the inevitable afternoon rain.

One of the B&B's caretakers, Brendan, told us to check out a hike that is incidentally located on a working farm.  The hike, about two hours or so in length, actually takes you above a waterfall and makes for some gorgeous scenery-viewing.  We noticed the rain moving in but figured since it was morning and the rain has generally stuck to the afternoon we'd be fine.

We made the drive to the park, which was as crazy as any drive in Ireland we've gone through so far (seriously, people drive so fast on these tiny-ass roads).  The hike was indeed located on a working farm, which was evidenced by the fact that there were sheep everywhere.  Like, hundreds of sheep.  Maybe a thousand, I don't know.

Quick aside: the sheep all appeared to have spraypaint on their neck area.  Does anyone know why a farmer would possibly wish to color his sheep with spraypaint?

Anyway luckily we were smart enough to dress in head-to-toe rain gear because it literally rained the entire time.  I managed to find a few dry spells for photos, but generally just solid fucking rain.  For some reason I, queen of whining while hiking, didn't really find cause to engage in my usual whining.  I mean if I'm hiking in Ireland it stands to reason I'm probably going to get rained on, and I knew that I had a hot shower and a nap in a warm bed waiting for me afterward. BEST FEELING EVER.

I guess I'll let the photos speak for themselves; it really was a gorgeous hike and we kept making comments about how closely it resembled the scenery from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, including the little white sheep-dots we saw from above (and up close, jeez!)

IRELAND, am I right?

Also, and this is a random thing to tack onto a blog post: I'm thinking of quitting my blog (not deleting it though!) and starting fresh on a new blog.  I feel sort of stagnant here and I think I'd like a new beginning.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic, if you don't mind.