Thursday, March 25th
Sorry on the delayed blog - I had a very busy day on Thursday and just didn't have time to get on the internet. I kind of felt like I was in the Amazing Race, I had about 4 locations to get to and had very specific timeframes. I left Killarney via bus to Tralee, Ireland. From there, I took another bus to my main destination - the Dingle Peninsula.
The Dingle Peninsula is the most western portion of Europe. It's very much a resort area where people spend time on the water and beaches. A couple of my hostel buddies were taking the same bus; therefore, we had lunch together in Dingle and then went our separate ways. I only had a short time period and was planning an aggressive walking strategy.
A couple really interesting things stood out to me. There has been the same dolphin (called Fungi) that has been in the Dingle Bay for over 27 years. They actually have boat trips out to see the dolphin daily. The churning of the propellers brings the dolphin in. If you don't see him - you don't have to pay. This is one singular dolphin - that is bizarre. I didn't have time for the tour - but got some pics from the visitor shop.
The other interesting thing is the fact that many of the people speak Irish (Gaelic). I was talking with one of the girls at a shop and she said how her grandpa wouldn't talk with her unless she spoke Irish. I don't get the sense that most people want to speak Galeic - they would prefer English, but some traditions are just kept going.
After leaving the Peninsula, I took another bus to Limerick, Ireland. It was about a 2 hour bus ride. Just a side note on the bus terminals today. I met this older Irish lady and we were exchanging some basic pleasantries. About mid way through the conversation, she looked at me and said: "You know Kyle, I must admit that I do love that Jon Bon Jovi" I busted out laughing. You probably had to be there. But - this lady, saying what she said, in the Irish accent she said it, and when she said it -- it was one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. I said: "Do you now - that's great stuff". You just never know what you may hear.
I was set to meet 2 of my buddies brothers at the bus-stop in Limerick. Our communication was 100% via email so I hoped nothing would go wrong. In explanation, I have a friend who lives in Raleigh, NC who grew up in Ireland and spent the first 30 years of his life there. He has 5 brothers and 2 sisters. His parents still live in the home he grew up in. He has been nice enough to put me into communication with all his family while I'm here. It's been outstanding.
Things went smoothly and I arrived on time at the bus stop. We met up and went out for dinner and drinks. I really appreciated their insite and help in getting me places. It was awesome to get a true guide that could show me the ropes. They took my big backpack with them to store in their car trunk for the day. I had my daypack. I'll be meeting up with them again on Friday night.
No comments:
Post a Comment