a few pictures for you...

the dingle peninsula!
the cliffs of moher!
at giant's causeway!
hanging out with the BREWMASTER at guinness!
on the way to glendalough in the wicklow mountains!

dublin, n.i. and the peninsulas...

Beth, Kim and I have been enjoying a traveller's life the past ten days or so. We started out in Dublin, where the Guinness and Jameson flows freely and makes for fun tours of their respective origins. We also took in a lot of history about Ireland's revolutionary past at the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) and of more peaceful times at Trinity College. We escaped from the city in the Wicklow Mountains, a beautiful range to the south that is home to an monastery and fantastic walking trails.
Kim and I trekked north from there (while Beth returned to Galway to work) and spent a few days exploring Northern Ireland. I thought this was the most fascinating part of our journey so far. We spent time in each of the Nationalist (IRA, usually Catholic) and Unionist (UVF, usually Protestant) neighborhoods in Belfast, and in the Bogside in Derry, where they display murals commemorating their bloody past. I am more and more moved by the history of the Irish people and their struggle for Independence, a story that continues to unfold. Northern Ireland was also absolutely gorgeous, being home to Giant's Causeway and some of the greenest grass I have ever seen.
We met back up with Beth in Galway, rented a car and headed south to the Dingle Peninsula, Killarney National Park and the Ring of Kerry. Dingle and Killarney were amazing, even more beautiful than I had envisioned. And hey, I saw the Ring of Kerry. We enjoyed the freedom of having a car and miles to explore, and Beth is a pro at driving on the wrong side of the road.
I am enjoying my last weekend of being in Galway before striking off on my own to travel through Western Europe for three weeks. I will meet back up with Beth in Norway at the end of May. Please pray for safety and for peace of mind for my loved ones. I am so excited to get to see parts of France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and Prague!

no switchbacks needed...

Our journey this week took us to Westport for two days to wander through the cute shops and hike Croagh Patrick. The near perfect cone shaped mountain retains significant religious value for the people of Ireland. It was on this mountain that St. Patrick fasted and prayed for forty days, and every day hundreds of pilgrims make the trek to the top to take in views of Clew Bay and feel a bit closer to heaven. I have done considerable hiking in the States and I can attest that the Irish believe the direct route is the best route. We hiked straight up that hill!

In other news, my feet have declared mutiny on the rest of my body. I developed a gnarly case of tendinitis from walking approximately 147 km in my Birkenstocks the first week we were in Galway. Now it seems like every pair of shoes I wear leaves me with oozing blisters so I have been reduced to wearing my joggers most of the time. In Europe, that is slightly less cool than having "AMERICAN" tattooed on your forehead. Please pray for healing for my feetsies! Our friend Kim is arriving tomorrow for a two week visit and we are excited to tour more of the country with her!

random observations...

Dogs are much more polite here than their American counterparts. I can expect to get chased or barked at a couple of times when I go for a run in the States. They have very relaxed leash laws here, and when I meet a dog, it very politely smiles and says hello and then continues on its errand.
Galway City is having a water crisis. Apparently there is crypto-tyrannosaurusrex (or something equally hard to pronounce and spell) and a small amount of human feces in the water. We have to boil or buy water, which has led to the new city slogan, "Why drink water when you can drink Guinness?"
Irish drivers drive on the left hand side of the road. No surprise there, but what drives me insane is that they walk on the right side of the street. I would assume the easiest thing to do would be to keep it all to one side to avoid confusing everyone but until they do, I will continue to do the "What side are you going to pass me on?" dance everytime I meet someone on the sidewalk.
We just got back from an amazing few days on Achill Island, with rugged cliffs and few conveniences. It was great to see more of the land by foot and millions of unfriendly sheep. Lambs are, without a doubt, the cutest thing ever invented. Not to mention tasty!