Irish Out-takes

The restaurant scene in Dublin is fairly diverse

Dublin parking lot attendant at a fancier place than we visited

Tree stump in Lismore carved into a beautful image

A Georgian street in Dublin

Another remnant of Dublin Castle (1204); we figure the painting was more recent

Dublin sidewalks exhibited representations of Viking artifacts

The Rock Close at Blarney was by itself worth the price of admission

The Parnell statue in Dublin; the inscription was memorable though incomprehensible

Vicki is convinced she is part Irish; here's the proof, near Glendalough

Fences: we figure there are 10,000 stone fences for every B&B, 10 B&Bs for every pub...

At the B&B, Vicki sleeping; note position of duvet...

The stone restaurant at Slea Hand, Dingle; more corballed vaulting, contemporary

Irish horse, Inismor

Irish cows, somewhere

Holy target practice; note the nearly perfect St. Brigid's cross shot into the barrel; they are a devout folk

Little house on the trail to Dun Anghus...for the little people?

Us at Dun Anghus

It was election season in Ireland in May, and everywhere were these glamour-shot posters

An interesting private residence near Hill of Tara

Mussel-farming near Sligo

Paddywagon, a popular bus tour service

Deutsche Bank

We had a brief meeting with Deutsche Bank this morning, well, the Hamburg branch office on Schulkteblatt Strasse. Very nice and helpful young man. Excellent English. But it turns out we won't need them. Alas, I was relishing the opportunity to use this line on Vicki (our CFO).

Ugarte: Heh, you know, watching you just now with the Deutsche
Bank, one would think you've been doing this all your life.
Rick: Oh, what makes you think I haven't?

Vicki adds:

May 19, 2009 Hamburg, Germany

While Mark has been regaling everyone with the lighter side of our travels, in the background we have been working through further serious camper shipping issues. Seven days ago we got an email from the shipping people in Germany telling us that German customs would require that we leave a $19,000 deposit with them in order to release the camper. Needless to say, it was the first we had heard of this. Turns out one can only have a vehicle in the EU for 6 months at a time otherwise you have to pay customs duty and the VAT (a 19% sales tax). The Germans started requiring a deposit last year which you get back when you take the vehicle out of the EU. We frantically started emailing our shipper, customs etc. and the bottom line was that had we shipped to England, Netherlands or Belgium no deposit would have been necessary. But the Germans require it. Our shipper neglected to mention this. So we have transferred this to an account in California where Rebecca has access and the money is going to be wired to the customs bank account. To further complicate things, the ship arrives on Thursday, which is a holiday in Germany. We may be able to get the camper Friday or maybe not till Monday. In the meantime instead of paying $20-25 a night to camp, we are staying at a hostel with the bathroom down the hall for a mere $70 a night.

At least the food here is much cheaper than Ireland. In fact the grocery—which is a small, urban type, not a large suburban affair—has prices almost cheaper than in the US. I bought ham, cheese, bread, mustard, coke, wine ($2 a bottle), prepared lasagna, milk, prepared salad, garlic bread, muesli—enough of everything for 3 lunches and breakfasts and 2 suppers for $21. So we aren't too far over budget. We plan on taking the 2 hr train ride to the port of Bremerhaven on Thursday and staying in another hostel there until our ship comes in.

The hostel is fine and has free wifi. All ages are staying here, including couples with babies, but it won't be full before the weekend. It is very helpful to have the kitchen with refrigerators. Of course Mark and I are used to sharing communal bathrooms because we camp so much. In fact the hostel bathrooms are always much cleaner than a KOA or such back in the States. But we can't wait to have our own “little home” on wheels.

Hamburgers

Vicki tries the local speciality: hamburger. And not at McDonald's either. We dined al fresco, outside a small but cool little grill downstairs. I had the knockwurst mit curry sauce and frites mit mayo. Sehr gut! Also a Tyskie bier, winner of 2009 Munich award. Sehr, sehr gut.

Smart Cars are all over Hamburg; you can do such interesting things with them, parking-wise

Ditto, about 50 feet down the street. I think Mercedes makes the motors.

Aer Lingus safely transported us across the Irish and North Seas to Hamburg, our next stop en tour. I can honestly say it is a place I never thought I would see. We are in a hostel downtown, ultra-spartan, but clean, warm, no wind, and not raining. Whereas Ireland was in early spring, and truly beautiful, this part of Germany is in full spring, and also beautiful. It is also warm, something we have not known for more than three weeks. We'll stay here a couple days, dealing with German customs bureaucracy and other matters, and trying to enjoy ourselves and this old city of 1.7million, before venturing to Bremerhaven, the Otello, and the Grey Wanderer. And German customs.

Last Day in Ireland

After County Meath, we drove on west of Dublin and found a campground in Clondalkin. Squalls continued through the night, but, as in previous nights, lifted enough for us to set up the tent.

Sunday was our last day in Ireland. We had a signature Irish breakfast at a nearby hotel. I particularly enjoyed the black and white puddings and sausages. After breakfast we drove into the city and explored a bit of Phoenix Park, another storied Irish place. It is Europe's largest city park, centuries old, many hundreds of acres, enough to support a long-standing deer population. In addition to all the monuments, gardens, zoo, equestrian center, etc., the Park also contains the US embassy and the residence of Ireland's head of state.

We next drove through the CBD out beyond the port to Sandycove, site of the Martello tower where Ulysses begins. (Twenty-some such towers were built around the bay in the early 1800's to defend Dublin from Napoleon). It is, since 1962, the James Joyce Museum. We toured it at leisure, savoring every letter, first edition, cigar case, guitar, vest, and all the rest. It is actually a very small place for a life so full of reflection and experience. But as with any author, I suppose, the main monuments and museums are the creative works.

We drove back to the CBD and, while Vicki read, I ventured through Temple Bar, Grafton Street, Nassau Street, and beyond, in search of a book. I found the bookstore, but not the book. Story of my life. The downtown was bustling despite the continuing downpour. We drove back to our campground and commenced packing for our next removal.

Despite roughing it in often rough conditions, we thoroughly loved Ireland. We earned our enjoyment of the place. I'll post some Irish out-takes sometime, some further observations on a wonderfully rich and interesting place.

The Phoenix Column, Phoenix Park

The Wellington Testimonial...he was Irish

Phoenix Park scene

"April 3. Met Davin at the cigar shop opposite Findlater's church. He was in a black sweater and had a hurley stick. Ask me was it true I was going away and why. Told him the shortest way to Tara was via Holyhead."

Sandycove

Sandycove Martello Tower, James Joyce Museum..."Stately, plump Buck Mulligan came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed."

Second-floor interior

The gift shop; the cartoon above reads "The Buck stops here"

Bru na Boinne, 2009

All the previous megalithic stuff, however interesting (to us), was mere prelude. Saturday we toured Bru na Boinne, the megalithic super-complex on the River Boyne in County Meath...Newgrange and Knowth, and later, Tara Hill.

Newgrange is a massive solar site, like Stonehenge in England, but very, very large, and fully mounded. It has a few carved stones, like Gavrinis in Morbihan, which has lots, but is in its size an architectural wonder, especially for its 5000-6000 year age. The corbaled vaulting in the central chamber is incredible. 200,000 tons of stone comprise the structure. Knowth is a more recent discovery, larger than Newgrange, with an east/west orientation, and has the longest interior passage way of any known tumulus. Were that not enough, at least half its giant kerb stones, 127 of them, are carved, although not as delicately as Gavrinis. A third tumulus, Dowth, midway in size between Newgrange and Knowth, is still not open to the public. All three are within a few km of each other, as are scores of lesser tumuli. Knowth is surrounded by such satellite tumuli.

The Office of Public Works visitor center, museum, displays, and tours were superb. Our only complaint was that not enough time was allowed for Knowth, where the carved stones are all visible and want attention. At Newgrange, you simply enter the passage with a guide, proceed to the central chamber, and are given a 60 watt light bulb demonstration of what winter solstice looks like inside, through the 5,000-year-old light-box. But it's still pretty moving. After a couple weeks of touring here, I am deeply impressed by Ireland's care for these monuments, display and interpretation of them, and making them a central feature of tourism here. Bravo!

Tara Hill is the site of an iron-age fort, that of the Irish kings of yore. Only the mounds and ditch-work remain, but the site's command of the countryside is impressive.

All in all, an incredible day.

Knowth, and a couple of its satellites

Knowth kerb stone, one of 127

Knowth's eastern passage way, longest of any megalithic structure

Newgrange's entry stone

Newgrange; the facade is reconstructed original

The "Stone of Destiny" at Tara; found nearby, erected in 1928

A Day in the North: Giant's Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, and beyond



The giant, Finn MacCool (how cool a name is that?), built

the causeway to Scotland, to do battle with a giant there,

or possibly to toss the Ring into Mt. Doom...

Fortunately, he built using these six-sided basaltic colums

Basaltic columns, up-close

Bushmills and the Causeway looked like Sturgis with all the

bike folk gathering for a big European road race

But nary a Harley in sight

Vicki crossing the rope-bridge to the sea

stack at Carrick-a-Rede

The rope bridge

Coolest green tunnel so far, country road 5 km or so west of

Bushmills

We ended up camping at Rush, on Dublin Bay, in a hurricane;

note Martello tower in distance

Old Bushmill's

Drinking is my sole spiritual experience these days, but I am at least ecumenical in my drinking. And so we had to visit the Old Bushmill's Distillery while in Bushmill. The campground was practically adjacent to the distillery. (Bushmill's is Protestant. the others, Catholic). Many of you will be wondering what has been my assessment of the four great Irish whiskeys, Jameson's, Paddy's, Power's, and Bushmill's. I have indeed sampled them all, some more than others. I still favor Jameson's and Bushmill's, as before coming to Ireland. But I also sampled a boutique whiskey, Michael Collins, in Dublin, and it was by far my favorite. In any case, I have to plead insufficient sampling so far.

Ireland's oldest (well, Northern Ireland's oldest), chartered in 1608

The sweet aroma of the mash was, well, intoxicating

Great spirituality

Comparable to Jameson's, gift shop-wise