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!