Last Days at the Garden...

Upon completing the bike trip, we returned to the garden where we had been previously to find it busy and excited. The opening day was only a few days out...this is what we had been preparing for during our entire stay. Worked two long days, but got the place looking good and ready to open. Although a little wet
(standard and expected in Ireland) it went well and there were plenty of people in attendance,  including some high ranking public officials...so that was interesting. We watched on for a while and then took a good long nap.

This next part is pretty exciting: That evening, we took a walk (after waking up from the nap). This was to be just an ordinary walk, which is how it started, and then...ABANDONED CASTLE!!! Hidden from view by the trees, but no more than a mile from where we had been for almost two months on the only road we hadn't walked down was an abandoned castle from the 16th century, in great shape considering, completely un-touristed and forgotten about. Can you imagine the adventure oozing from such a place? Sure there was a "Danger, Do Not Enter!" sign, but as you know, those can often be wrong, so we went at it and it was very impressive. Staircases, a murder hole, fireplaces, storerooms all there. Pictures on the photo page. Awesome is all I can say, I only wish I had found it sooner!

Didn't get too many photos of the garden because they had so many. If you want to see what it looked like, check out this Video

Meanwhile, in my inbox, an email lie in waiting. It was an invite from a hostel on the west coast who needed some helpers pronto to get ready for their biggest weekend of the year, and then to stay on for a couple of weeks afterward. So, as we have been in one spot for a good while and it's not good to keep opportunity waiting, we packed up, said our goodbyes,  and set off right after the garden opening. Thanks soooo much to everyone who made our stay so much fun and took us out again and again...we got to do and see so much while here!

Onward ! 

All Photos Posted !!!

They got internet installed while we were away, so I have uploaded all the backlogged photos! I managed to do titles and descriptions up to Pompeii, but it is almost 2am so I'll have to finish the rest later. Hope you enjoy!

TRIP PHOTOS

Day 17

Hi All,

Well, the long and short of it is this: We sat in the tent in Killarney for another three days waiting for the rain to stop and went into a cafe for some internet. We pulled up the weather and it was predicted to blow and pour for another four days. Now, the rugged, perservering thing to do would have been to pull on the rain gear, pack up the wet tent, and weather the storm. The sensible thing to do, on the other hand, would be to say, "everything is wet, this sucks...lets throw it all on a bus and go back to a warm bed, a hot meal, and a dryer". I'll pause a minute and give you a chance to place your bets..
...    ...  . ... .. ... ......... . . ...
SO we're back at the garden at the HelpX...a fun, trying, rewarding, and very interesting bike trip under our slightly looser belts! About 1,000 km biked (I'll have to double check that), 2 weeks spent, about 20 pounds lost (between both of us), and plenty seen!

Day 9 to 14

Day 8 Evening: The Cliffs of Moher were awesome! We have heard this place talked up so much since arriving in Ireland that it started to sound like a tourist trap, but we were gladly mistaken! This has to be one of the most incredible natural things I have ever seen, and easily gets a top 10 spot for the trip log. We went out that night to hear some of the live music that the nearby town of Doolin is known for, but found the 2 pubs to be packed to the gills with anyone and everyone but the Irish...it turns out that Irish people don't really like Irish music. We listened for a while in one of the pubs, and then went outside to enjoy the sunset and a nice Irish evening. There was a pizza box on our table, and after the standard and acceptable length of time, we found it to be very tasty...we wondered to ourselves over this delicious meal just how fine the line is between backpacking and homelessness. We wound up chatting with a New York Fireman and his wife, who bought us each a pint of Guinness upon leaving, which put the icing on a very nice and cheap night.

Day 9: We walk our bikes up a considerable hill to leave town; we cursed it today but had praised it in the other direction 2 days ago....We had a goal in mind today to reach Listowel (about 100 K), where we had a couchsurf waiting for us. The weather was nice and we got to ride a ferryboat over the Shannon! Marshmallow dolphins on board only 40 cents! Ann, our host, showed us amazing hospitality with a warm meal and a great night out at the pub. Possibly the best Irish music listening we've had so far. Listowel is not well known, and yet again it turns out the best experiences are off the beaten path.

Day 10: We hang around in Listowel and get a private free tour of the castle, rested our cycling bums and took advantage of the cheap grocery store in town to provision for the next few days.

Day 11: We made it to Tralee in no time after the day of rest, and continued on to the Dingle Peninsula via the coastal road to avoid the mountains. We found the Inch Peninsula (Peninsula on a Peninsula)  on recommendation from Rachel and John, (hi guys) and pitched our tent in the dunes behind the peninsular beach. Luckily, just before we started to set up camp, we were kindly told by one of the other campers that we could not camp here. He was here camping "for a reason, I can't tell you the reason, but here for a reason." He was surprised when we sweet talked the farmer into letting us stay the night...disaster averted. Peninsula!

Day 12 -14: The weather turned for the worse, as it often does here. We got some sweet sweet internet in the cafe and saw that it was to be very wet for the next several days. The memory of the last downpour still fresh in our minds, we grudgingly changed course and headed away from the Ring of Kerry to Killarney. Renowned as the ring is for scenery, we knew better than to try and see it in the pouring rain with soggy spirits. So anyhow, we are here in Killarney, toured another castle during a brief dry patch, and are hiding from the rain in the tent. It should be over tomorrow and we'll be headed for Cork!

Day 7 and 8 of Bike Trip

Things are looking up once again...the sun is shining! (its incredible how important that is for a good time...) yesterday we made it through the beautiful burren region and began to dry out. The burren is like a barren moonscape with tons of ancient dolmens (megalithic tombs) and unique landscapes. Unfortunately it is also extreeeemely hilly and tested our abilities to the max. Our arrival time was seriously pushed back and we made it about 25 measly kilometers. We arrived in Doolin for day 8, which we've been told has great trad (traditional irish music) and is a short walk from the cliffs of Moher. We are off to hike them now, actually! The weather is looking good for the next few days and we are headed south from here towards Dingle and the Ring of Kerry. Cross your fingers that the weatherman is right for once!

Bike Trip!

We are about 6 days into our cycling trip around Ireland and I am happy to report that we are still alive. It has been very interesting so far...here are some of the highlights:

Day 1: We set off from our helpx host; the bikes and gear setup looking like it would carry us about 5 miles at best (photos to come). Everyone there was amused and told us they would be happy to come get us in 24 - 48 hours when we came to our senses. With beautiful weather and a bit of giddy-up in our step (pedals), we set off toward the next town. We stopped there for some helmets (Krista insisted), and then at the Rock of Dunamase (an old besieged castle...cannon holes still in the walls). We avoided a "mountain" range and wound up in an area with no camping later that evening, so we stopped and asked if we could camp in someone's field. We expected to have to make a few requests, but the first one said "no problem", and we got our first taste of Irish Hospitality. Dinner was a can of beans and a can of corn...budget on target!

Day 2: Where is all this rain Ireland is supposed to have? We have not seen a drop and it is another gorgeous day. Butts are getting a bit tender, but holding out. We set off early to get a good stretch done. Around midday we stopped at a crossroads to check the map and Krista decided to ask for directions (I knew where we were) She ran across the street to a pub and stood getting directions for about 10 minutes while I waited, all the while knowing where we were. She then calls me over as she has gotten us invited in for tea, lunch, and some local history including a bog walk that was not on the map. That evening we crossed the Shannon River, and found a great park on the shore of a lake in Portumna. Another great day. We took dinner up a notch and made sandwiches (beans were making tent living situation unpleasant)

Day 3: Stayed in Portumna and gave the butts a rest. Toured through the Castle and gardens, camped another night for free. A terrible storm blew in that night, but the tent held up and all was looking great again in the morning.

Day 4: Portumna to Galway. Things started off just fine, but there was a slow gathering of ominous clouds on the distant horizon....probably nothing to worry about though. As the rain began to fall we pulled off to the first house we saw to ask if we could take shelter under their shed and put on our rain gear. As we waited under the cover we were asked in for tea and soda bread and sat inside, dry, watching the rain come down. Unfortunately, the rain had not stopped by the time we needed to be heading off, so we prepared to get a little wet. A little wet quickly turned into a lot wet, and it was all downhill from there (except for the road which was quite uphill). We rode into Galway that evening in the pouring rain and found a campground, set up the tent in the rain, and paid to take cold showers. Galway is where they were hiding all the rain.

Day 5: The rain continued through the day and we saw no reason to leave the tent. Paid to try and dry the previous days clothes and shoes in the camp's dryer, but wound up with damp shoes and everything else smelling like feet. While in the laundry we met two other campers and were proudly sharing the details of our bike trip, only to find that they had just completed their own from London to Istanbul, Turkey. We were very happy to be invited to their camper for some drinks, which was much dryer than our tent (despite the tent's best efforts).

Day 6: We awoke to pouring rain and waited until 2pm before deciding that we couldn't sit around waiting anymore. Cycling in the rain, it turns out, sucks. A lot. Ireland has lots of rain. Cycling in Ireland sucks. Morale is low...more on this as it develops (today is day 6)

All the Latest...

Can't believe how much time has gotten by between posts...attempts to get the internet at the garden have failed three times now and we have resolved ourselves to the fact that it's not coming at all. We have been at the garden here for a little over a month, and despite the good times, it is time to be movin' on.

We were supposed to leave Ireland a week ago, but we are enjoying the country and have not gotten to see much of it due to the transportation and internet situation. Sooo...we have rescheduled our plane tickets to allow us to take a couple of weeks to cycle around the country. As you may know, we are not cyclists, nor are we in shape, so there is no telling how long this will last. It could turn out great...it could be a terrible idea, but that's the fun part of traveling. We have gotten together all of the gear, and thanks to a handful of new friends, we have borrowed some things and have only had to spend $100. The plan is to leave this Sunday and head west toward Galway. We have a campground directory and a map and that is the extent of the plan (we are getting better about not planning) Hope to be able to post pictures and make calls, and we'll do it as soon as we get some legit internet.

The bike trip will be our last hurrah in Ireland and then Krista and I will be parting ways for a while. She has bought her ticket home for early August, and I leave for Bangkok on August 25th. Worry not, we plan to reunite and things are still going very well for us. To everyone that we wanted to meet for Oktoberfest...I have had to face up to the black and white (or more accurately the black and red) and the fact that Europe is very expensive and if i stayed in it until October I would be completely broke instead of almost broke. I wish it wasn't so, but there are many fests yet to come I am sure, and I'll have to take a rain check for another year.

Sorry for the "all at once" news blast, but as always i never know when the next opportunity will come. Hope all is well with everyone...and to be in touch soon...