I am on my own now...Mom left this morning. It feels strange to be here alone. Thank goodness classes start tomorrow so I can have something to focus on. Anyway, as promised, here are a few more details of our experiences in the last 10 days and my early impressions of Ireland:

The residence where I'm living is about a 20 minute walk to the university, and twenty minutes to downtown. There are a number of grocery stores along the way. I was really worried about finding vegetarian foods necessary for me to be healthy as this is a meat loving culture. Fortunately, it hasn't been a problem. Things aren't always available in the regular grocery store but there is a natural foods store and a Mediterranean grocery store in the same complex as Dunnes (the main chain store here).

This place wasn't super clean when we moved in so we had to spend some time scrubbing (yuck!). Only my Mom would scrub my shower on her vacation.

Thanks Mom!!!!!

It was also a bit of a challenge fitting all of my things in this tiny bedroom but we managed to do it and I feel quite comfortable and settled.

Cliffs of Moher-

Last Sunday we went to the Cliffs of Moher. They are a famous site in County Clare (south of Co. Galway). The cliffs rise straight out of the sea to a hight of 200m. They cover 8km of coastline and you can walk the entire distance. There are some ruined watch towers along the way. We had a nice sunny day but the winds are fierce up there. At times, the tailwind was strong enough to make us run up hills. There are spots where you are walking within a few feet of the unprotected cliff edge so you have to be careful when the wind picks up. After walking along the cliffs, we walked about 8km to a small town called Doolin. It was a very friendly, cheerful little place and we had a great dinner in the local pub listening to traditional Irish music. It was a great experience and started to make me feel like I could be at home here.

Cliffs of Moher

Cliffs of Moher

Doolin

Inishmor-

Our next adventure was a trip to the Aran Islands (Inishmor, the largest of the islands). They Aran Islands are a group of 3 small islands off the coast of Galway. To get there we had to take a bus to the docks and then a 40 minute ferry ride. Once there, we rented bikes and toured the entire island. These islands are where many people still practice the traditional Irish way of living. The island is 18km long and 3km wide with a population of 800. They are known for making Aran sweaters...beautiful wool sweaters with different knitting patterns to symbolise selected attributes or wishes (e.g., love, prosperity, work, etc.). The island is made of of many small pastures seperated by stone fences. Each field would have 1-6 animals grazing. The islands are very rocky and don't have any natural soil to speak of. The residents have developed a technique of soil making where they mix sand and seaweed and allow it to compost. They have been quite successful as the island is very green. The island also has many historical sites including 9th century Roman graves (Roman students came to Ireland for their reputation for good education), early Christian church ruins, and a fort set on some large cliffs. I was most fond of the many thatched roof buildings and ruined stone houses. There are also many new and more modern looking homes on the island. The day was beautiful until it started to pour rain at about 3:00. We were on the extreme end of the island with no shelter to be found (we only saw one tree on the island) so had no choice but to keep pedalling until we found a small cafe to have a cup of tea. Unfortunately, the rain only got worse so we had to head back out in the storm to get back to the ferry docks. I was wearing jeans that apparently still had soap in them from the wash because they were foaming up at my knees and ankles as I pedalled. We had many laughs getting drenched but a very cold ferry and bus ride home.

Chicken on the doorstep

Donkeys

Mom riding in the rain

Goats climbing the stone fences

Old House

White Sand Beach!!! I didn't expect to see this and wished I had a swimsuit.

Thousands of the most colourful seashells I've ever seen.

Thatched Roof House

Soaking wet and on our way back into the rain

Connemara-

Our next trip was to go see the mountains. They are located about 100km north of here in Connemara National Park. We took a bus to a town called Clifden and planned on exploring from there. Unfortunately, when we arrived we found out that many of the transportation options for getting around the area end on Sept. 2nd for the winter. Although we could see them, we were not able to get close enough to hike in the mountains. Instead we hiked along the coast where we found the old Clifden Castle (former home of the founder of that town) and some standing stones. There were 5 in a row and I haven't been able to fully understand their purpose but it has something to do with them lining up at the winter solstice. We did another walk out into the country to see the lakes and peat bogs. My favourite part was being serenaded by a very agitated donkey. It was hilarious but he calmed down in time for me to scratch his ears and feed him some clover. The terrain in that area changes very quickly from barren peat bogs to dense spruce and pine forests to rocky mountains (the mountains here are totally bald right from the base). The main mountain ranges are the 12 Bens and the Maumturks. The highest of them is Benbaun which is at 730m (2400ft). There are no distinct or predictable patterns of transition from prairie to mountains or forest to alpine like at home. It's quite neat to see. The plants here are also very diverse. I didn't expect to see so many wildflowers and there are blackberries growing on every roadside and in every ditch. We stayed overnight in a B&B and again took in some great traditional Irish music. Next time I go back I'll rent a car so I can camp and hike in the mountains.

One thing that is really nice about Ireland is that despite the higher population density than I'm used to, it is very easy to escape the crowds to find the peaceful seclusion that we love so much in the mountains at home. People seem to stick to the cities so the countryside and coasts are very quiet. Even right in Galway, it is not hard to find a quiet spot at the beach.

Blanket bog with Roundstone Mountain in the background

Connemara Horses

Hiking trail along the ocean with steps built over farmers fences

Clifden Castle

Standing Stone

Inlet at Clifden

View of Clifden and the 12 Bens Mountain Range

Cow scratching his chin on a fence post

When we haven't been touring around the countryside, we have been exploring Galway and the University. The University (NUIG) is very beautiful. There are lots of old buildings and many lush green spaces. There is a stone wall surrounding the entire campus. Martin Sheene is a student here. He is starting his first year towards a degree in English Literature. We spent at day at the Galway beach because the weather has been very sunny and warm. I had a swim in the ocean, which was cold but fun (16 degrees celcius right now). There are nice beaches with great sandy swimming spots. The tides right now are the highest in 25 years so the city is on flood watch and there are disaster crews everywhere setting out sandbags and getting big pumps ready. Friday night the water was up to the top of the river banks and touching the undersides of the bridges but only just began to spill over when the tide turned. They say it will take the ideal combination of conditions (high winds and low pressure) to cause serious flooding. The forecast is that those conditions are unlikely and the high tides end tomorrow. That is a good thing because much of downtown is located below sea level. Here are a few more pics...

The River Corrib

Galway Swans

University Hospital Galway

The Quadrangle- NUIG

Main entrance- NUIG

Some Things I've Learned About Ireland...

• Many people still burn peat to heat their homes. It has a very strong smell (similar to a stale burned building or a campfire that has recently had water thrown on it). Often I can smell it through my open window when I wake up in the morning.



• The buses never run on time in the city. Sometimes they don't come at all. I think that the schedules they print are actually a list of the times the bus wont be at the stop. Frustrating.



• Irish people LOVE meat. Example: A 'full Irish breakfast' consists of 2 fried eggs, 2 rashers (bacon), 2 sausages, black pudding, white pudding, baked beans, fried mushrooms, broiled tomatoes and toast. This breakfast is not just for special occasions...it is served EVERYWHERE and people here eat it often. It's really a vegetarians dream.



• It takes a long time to get places in Ireland. The roads are very narrow and windy. However, the speed limits are still higher than you'd expect...The road in the picture below is hardly wider than a back alley.

Lots of people have been asking about the weather here. Since I've been here, the temperatures have varied between 10 and 22 celcius. It is very humid and it does rain often. We have had only 1 solid day of rain, a few days of off and on rain and several days of sunshine. It is generally quite windy. Often when it rains, it is just a brief shower and the drops are very small (almost like mist). The extremes feel more extreme. 22 felt very warm and 10 feels quite cool. The weather also changes very quickly. You definately need to carry an umbrella and a jacket all the time.

Well...that's all for now. Please keep e-mailing and posting comments on my blog. It makes my day to hear from friends and family. Love Kell