536
R. Linda:
I rolled out of bed quite literally. I felt like . . . Dragon must feel when she rolls herself out of bed every morning. I know I am being a terrible son-in-law, but well . . . you know.
I did go down for breakfast, and I managed a few cups of coffee. I did have half a breakfast roll, a tiny one. I honestly was not hungry. We set off for Galway Bay, me with my belt in two notches by morning, but I still couldn't snap my jeans. However, I did manage to get me fly all the up even if me gut was hanging over the edges like a tyre. . . ok, two tyres.
There is nothing much in Galway except a pretty bay, and the city isn't particularly anything to write home about. Our driver took us past the "cateedral" on which no one commented, but I decided since we were here I said to our driver, "How about we drive by where the Che Guevara Lynch memorial is going to be?"
"Seriously?" Tonya quipped up, not happy with my suggestion.
"Oh, dat isn't official yet, it isn't. It be all because his motter be a Lynch and da Lynches are all frum Galway dey be. Oh, an sum fella frum New Jersey hadda idea." He said.
Silence reigned over the three people from New Jersey. No one said anything as I tried to determine whether that was true or our driver was just having us on. Then Tonya remembered she wasn't from New Jersey, "Oh, that's okay. I'm from Canada anyway."
Once we got to Galway City we were dumped on the sidewalk with the proverbial, "Stretch your legs, have a bite to eat, I'll meet you here in an hour." We looked about and said, "How about 20 minutes instead?" Just enough time for a potty break and then back on the road.
We walked about, but there wasn't much to see or do, so we were back at the van probably before our twenty minutes of sightseeing in Galway City was up. We piled back in, and I should say I lumbered in, and I swear the van springs creaked with the weight of me and it sort of tipped to the left side (my side). Once I shifted me weight to the middle and all four tyres were grounded, off we set for the Burren, exhaust pipe hitting the pavement from the extra weight. Now, while I have not travelled the west much, I have been to the Burren. It be an Ireland of another view it be. It is mostly limestone, and you can't grow anything; some find a patch or two for sheep (the lime makes the grass sweet), but mostly it is a wild place. We headed up into the foothills of County Clare, and suddenly, we pulled over.
"Photo opportunity fer ya." Our driver said. "Behind us are the white horses."
Now I had no idea what he was talking about, I looked around and no horses of any colour did I see. I even asked my parents if they knew what we were supposed to be seeing. They didn't.
Well, the driver had to get out of the van and point them out. I took a good look at these "drawings," for they were not living animals, and they seemed like someone painted them in modern times. They certainly did not look like Ice Age to me. Here they are; what do you think?
R. Linda:
I rolled out of bed quite literally. I felt like . . . Dragon must feel when she rolls herself out of bed every morning. I know I am being a terrible son-in-law, but well . . . you know.
I did go down for breakfast, and I managed a few cups of coffee. I did have half a breakfast roll, a tiny one. I honestly was not hungry. We set off for Galway Bay, me with my belt in two notches by morning, but I still couldn't snap my jeans. However, I did manage to get me fly all the up even if me gut was hanging over the edges like a tyre. . . ok, two tyres.
There is nothing much in Galway except a pretty bay, and the city isn't particularly anything to write home about. Our driver took us past the "cateedral" on which no one commented, but I decided since we were here I said to our driver, "How about we drive by where the Che Guevara Lynch memorial is going to be?"
"Seriously?" Tonya quipped up, not happy with my suggestion.
"Oh, dat isn't official yet, it isn't. It be all because his motter be a Lynch and da Lynches are all frum Galway dey be. Oh, an sum fella frum New Jersey hadda idea." He said.
Silence reigned over the three people from New Jersey. No one said anything as I tried to determine whether that was true or our driver was just having us on. Then Tonya remembered she wasn't from New Jersey, "Oh, that's okay. I'm from Canada anyway."
Once we got to Galway City we were dumped on the sidewalk with the proverbial, "Stretch your legs, have a bite to eat, I'll meet you here in an hour." We looked about and said, "How about 20 minutes instead?" Just enough time for a potty break and then back on the road.
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| By the water |
"Photo opportunity fer ya." Our driver said. "Behind us are the white horses."
Now I had no idea what he was talking about, I looked around and no horses of any colour did I see. I even asked my parents if they knew what we were supposed to be seeing. They didn't.
Well, the driver had to get out of the van and point them out. I took a good look at these "drawings," for they were not living animals, and they seemed like someone painted them in modern times. They certainly did not look like Ice Age to me. Here they are; what do you think?
We couldn't get up to these, but they looked too modern and painted |
Back in the van, we got and onward up twisty corkscrew roads that were called corkscrew and the further up we went, the more the limestone dominated the landscape. At times, it looked like snow.
We got to a place called Poll na Bron, which is a portal tomb or dolman which be made from the native limestone from the Neolithic period. It was found that there were at least 22 people buried underneath the Dolman. Whether they were still there or had been removed, I do not know, but the place was calm and peaceful.
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| The Burren -- the limestone looked like a dusting of snow |
We got to a place called Poll na Bron, which is a portal tomb or dolman which be made from the native limestone from the Neolithic period. It was found that there were at least 22 people buried underneath the Dolman. Whether they were still there or had been removed, I do not know, but the place was calm and peaceful.
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| Poll na Bron |
It took some time to get to the Dolman and some time to get from the Burren to the coast. Our next stop was heavily anticipated by the Abdullah family, Cliffs of Moher and, for me, the dread of meeting up with Weasil. The day had been a medium one, yes it was; the clouds came out, and then the sun came out for short periods, and the wind was up. As we got to the cliffs, it became a soft day of light, misty rain. This was not good because the fog rolled into the cliffs at the drop of a hat, and you couldn't see two feet in front of you. Now, this site be touted as one of the new seven wonders, so to drive all the way there, you want to see them. We lucked out, and after a bit, the rain stopped, the clouds lifted, and the sun was glorious.
Here are a few shots.
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| As the rain moved out |
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| And the sun appeared |
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| We got great shots -- That is O'Brien's Tower, and below is the sea stack named Branaunmore (that's the rock formation at the bottom left) |
It was as the sun came out, and as I was leaning over a bit of fencing to take the above picture, a hand slapped down on me back hard, nearly sending me toppling over the edge. And who else would do such a thing? This person:
There he was in all his glory. The young whippersnapper there to make me need a holiday from me holiday. I was like, REALLY? Don't you have someplace to be? Like with your OWN family. No, no, I be HIS bestest friendie in the whole wide worldie, and hey Gabie how about some cliffy hanging?
Yeah right. I told him no, but don't let me stop you . . . and it didn't.
None of us could watch this crazy feat of lunacy, so we went up to O'Brien's Tower, where, thankfully, we couldn't watch him lose his grip and fall to the sea stack below. When we thought he was either smashed to smithereens or gone, we headed back to the other side of the cliffs before heading back to our van and a speedy getaway.
Before he fell off, we left because we couldn't take it anymore. Unfortunately, later, he found us, and he was in one piece. I dunno.
Gabe
Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved
(All photos are the property of © 2012 Irish Memories)
Yeah right. I told him no, but don't let me stop you . . . and it didn't.
| I tell ya, THIS be not allowed, but ... in the world of Weasil -- anything goes |
Before he fell off, we left because we couldn't take it anymore. Unfortunately, later, he found us, and he was in one piece. I dunno.
Gabe
Copyright © 2012 All rights reserved
(All photos are the property of © 2012 Irish Memories)
